I tried the Seafoam treatment in my 1989 BMW 325is

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LA, CA
My car has 128K miles.

As many have recommended, I put 1/3 of the container (pint) in a cup and slowly sucked it with the hose that attaches to the fuel pressure regulator while the engine was revving @ 2K. After it was all sucked up, I immediately shut off the engine, which actually still sputtered for about 10 seconds after the ignition was off. That was kind of scary. Of course I then put the FPR hose back to where it belonged.

While the Seafoam was simmering in there, I added 1/3 of the case to the gas tank (which is just over 1/2 full, so about 9 gallons), and then another 1/3 of Seafoam to the crankcase (which has Mobil 1 15w-50). After 30 minutes, I turned on the engine and revved the engine. Lots of white smoke, but not as much as I've seen from other people's cars in other forums (Audi, Mustang, Camaro). After the smoke was mostly gone, I took the car on a 10 minute spirited drive during which I revved the engine to like 4500-5K before shifting.

I don't notice any difference. Some people have noted that the engine idles a bit smoother, accelerates better, runs quieter... I don't think I got any of that. I wonder if some of those users were just imagining this change (placebo effect), but seems like EVERYBODY noticed it, except me. My car was already pretty smooth at idle (not perfect, though), and the car will vibrate a little when I'm sitting at a red light. It's subtle and not really that big a deal, and that hasn't gone away (not that I care). Accleration is pretty much the same. No sudden boost of power. The only thing I'd be interested to know is if my fuel economy improves (hopefully).

To those of you who have used Seafoam in the past and noted improvements, did this last over the next several weeks/months, or did it go back to the way it was in a couple days? Did your fuel mileage improve?

And oh yeah, I'm going to change my oil very soon, probably tomorrow or the day after that, within 50-100 miles after I put the Seafoam in there.
 
You didn't let enough of it get through the FPR, IMO.

I do 2/3 through the intake, 1/3 in the fuel and Auto-RX the oil.
 
I used 1/2 a can of Seafoam, sucked through the brake booster vacuum hose, to clean a dirty "fuel injector spider" on my FIL's '94 Blazer. The thing was acting horribly before the Seafoam treatment; the CEL was on & the cat was overheating. After Seafoam, it was like a brand new vehicle. I drove it for approx. 1k miles after that & the problem never re-surfaced. FIL sold Blazer shortly thereafter.

I used the other 1/2 can on my wife'e '97 Expedition, also sucked through the brake booster vacuum hose. No improvement whatsoever.

IMO, Seafoam can be beneficial, but if the car is running ok already, dont expect any major performance increases.
 
i had good success with a quart of water through the brake booster line on a 91 civic with 160k miles. it had very little power, was idling roughly and starting hard. we followed up the water with a can of seafoam and about a pint of MMO. in the middle of the seafoam the girl who owns the car came out because of the huge cloud of smoke in the driveway and was all freaked out. she did not shut up until the smoke went away. not nearly as much smoke with the MMO. now the car pulls hard through the first 3 gears and idles pretty smoothly. we put a can of BG44k in the tank and ordered her some auto-rx. when asked about when she changed the oil, she said her ex-boyfriend took care of it. they broke up almost a year ago.
 
IMHO, I wouldn't have poured that 1/3 can into the crankcase and left it. That's good for a flush but I don't like to leave that stuff. Sure, most of it will evaporate eventually, but until then you've got a lower viscosity oil. May be why you noticed no difference, you ran thinner oil afterward???


BTW, Berryman Chemtool has been much more effective in cleaning my combustion chamber deposits, and it's cheaper.
 
I changed the oil the next day, after about 12 miles.

Is Berryman Chemtool the same thing as B-12?
 
20 oz bottle of Regane or Techron concentrate in gas tank, cleans pump and injectors...

full can of Seafoam in thru vacuum line or throttle body via 1/8" tube into hot engine, let set for an hour and out for a 20 mile freeway run with WOT accelerations, cleans intake valve tulips and ring packs....

followed by 1 qt of water via vacuum line or 1/8" tube, micro burst steam cleans combustion chambers and spark plugs

last step, oil change

ARX works well for interior engine cleaning, especially ring packs but must be separate from these other techniques

1/3 can 4 oz of Seafoam in crankcase will have negligible effect on oil viscosity but I would be concerned about it's effects on front and rear seals crank seals and valve seals
 
Seafoam has worked wonders for me in older carbed vehicles and small engines, fuel injected engines, not so much. My 4-wheeler and old gas tractor love it.
 
Steelhead, what's the purpose of following the Seafoam with water via the vacuum line? Also, why change the oil after the Seafoam treatment if you don't pour it in the crankcase? thanks.
 
a lot of the stuff that gets loose from the seafoam clean either goes out the tail pipe, or into the oil. You don’t want that stuff in your intake manifold, much less in your oil.
 
save your money next time and go and buy some distilled water and rubbing alcohol...
also get a hand squirter bottle....

Get the engine good and hot , and take off your brake booster hose connected to your engine....
And rev the engine slightly, as the water goes in.

Squirt in the water/alcohol 60/40 mix..., I use about 1 quart for a 1.6 liter engine.
you might use more for your 6cyl.

It takes me about 3-5 mins to go through the quart.
I do this on all my cars and friends cars, and everybody notices the following.
-better gas milege.
-better throttle response
-smoother engine....

I do it every 8-12 months.

As I understand it, the water evaporates in the combustion chamber, and gets the carbon wet and it breaks off and leaves through the exhaust.

It works and its cheap
smile.gif
 
Alcohol will clean, but it's also corrosive to rubber.

Dave, yes, The full name is Berryman B-12 Chemtool or something like that. I've always just poured it straight down the plug holes then cranked the car w/ the fuel lines depressurized to keep from having my own controlled burn in the catalytic converter. Regardless of what people may think of it as a flush, it's a great combustion chamber cleaner.
 
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