SEAFOAM!!

[mikeg5]

hey guys any of you use seafoam? i have used it twice once in my 02 tacama v4 4x4 and once in my girls 05 corolla 4 cylinder.. that stuff works. this is how i did it in both. 3 cans mixed with 3 gallons of fuel- run till empty. then
1\2 can in the pcv valve and let it sit for an hour and run down the road and next the other 1\2 of the can and let it sit longer if possible.. they both have over 80k miles on them and never had anything cleaned as far as injectors and intake and i must say this stuff works very well. idles better and better gas mileage... what are some other things that work as well? to me seafoam is worth the $$

 

[sciphi]

This has been covered a lot, and Seafoam works well for what it does. And not too much false advertising about it, either. It's not the cure-all, but it is good stuff.

 

[mikeg5]

anything better than seafoam as far as direct injection to the intake manifold? also for the gas tank??

 

[Cicero17]

I bought a can of Seafoam for my son's 2000 Camry. 1/3 went in the oil for about 300 miles and 1/3 went into the gas tank. The other third went into my boat's gas tank.

When we changed the oil it came out far dirtier than I expected and I noticed the dipstick was very shiny. I have been told that Seafoam can loosen up too much and cause problems if you have bad sludging problems. Since it cleaned up the dipstick so much and so fast I would say its harsh stuff and I would not leave it in oil long.

The oil used before and after is a cheap synthetic 5w-30.

 

[mikeg5]

for one you have to more than 1\3 can in the gas tank.. next time try 2-3 cans in 2-4 gallons of gas and run that baby almost empty. it will clean the fuel stuff ALOT better that concentrated. plus do the 1\3 can in the pcv valve 2 or 3 times.. let them sit for an hour or so. the more the better.. as far as puting it in the block i dunno. i dont like adding anything but oil in there..

 

[BrianWC]

Quote:

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anything better than seafoam as far as direct injection to the intake manifold? also for the gas tank??

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You bet. Berryman B-12 Chemtool Seafoam has a high percentage of plain ol' light oil in it for lubricity. Chemtool is just a mix of the bad boys: toluene, xylene, acetone, IPA, etc....

From my experience, in certain situations, chemtool will "pop" off certain deposits that still require a brush after soaking in seafoam.

I used to use this stuff as a flush, but after a few strange metallic noises and the realization arx worked better anyway, I confined it to combustion chamber cleaning. For that purpose, it works embarrassingly better than Seafoam and is a few dollars cheaper.

 

[LexAtlanta]

Two years ago I bought an old 1995 Police Crown Vic. It had been sitting under a tree in the city's yard for about a year and hadn't been started until the day of the auction. It looked rough, but I knew I could clean the old girl up. I used Seafoam. I took off the PCV tube and stuck it in the can. Once it drained the can, I let it sit for about 20 minutes. I then started it and drove it around for about 20 minutes...until all the smoke went away. If you use Seafoam, I would recommend that you put it through the PCV valve tube or the brake booster line. That way it goes through the injectors full strength and does its most good.

After that I changed the oil, a bad O2 sensor, cleaned out the EGR valve and got it to pass inspection. That thing ran like a champ.

Seafoam is rough stuff but it does work.

 

[mechtech2]

Lex - If you run the Seafoam through the PCV or brake booster lines, it won't do the injectors any good at all.
If someone chooses to use Seafoam to clean their injedctors, run in in the fuel, in the tank.

 

[LexAtlanta]

Agreed. I needed a concentrated mix to help the rings, clean the upper cylinder, clean the PVC system and clean up the cats. It worked! If you are trying to clean the injectors then dump a can in the gas and go for a long drive.

Either way, the stuff works.

 

[[RT] ProjUltraZ]

better to shoot Deep Creep or Air Intake Cleaner in the open intake than putting seafoam in the gas. for gas tx try the Techron concentrate, Redline SI-1, the new amsoil, or the FPplus that i just got in the mail

 

[mechtech2]

How do you know that you cleaned the cats?
I am not aware of any way to do this.

 

[LexAtlanta]

From the Seafoam page:
SEA FOAM MOTOR TREATMENT for Gas Engine Applications

100% Pure Petroleum
Use in All Engines in All Seasons
2 Cycle, 4 Cycle, and Diesels
Treats 3 Critical Areas: Gas Tank, Fuel Systems, and Crankcase


Cleans fuel injectors
Cleans carburetor jets
Cleans carbon
Stabilizes fuels
Upper cylinder lube
Removes moisture in fuel
De-icer
Frees sticky lifters
Frees sticky rings
Removes moisture in oil
Cleans P.C.V. systems
Cleans catalytic converter odors
Oxygen sensor safe

It cleans the cats so they smell less....and it worked on the old P71.

 

[BrianWC]

Odd. I don't know how that's supposed to work. If anything it would seem like the extra carbon you'd loosen would contribute to clogging the cat.

 

[Craftsman]

I believe that the key statement is "Cleans catalytic converter odors"... It says nothing about actually cleaning the cat...

 

[Master ACiD]

seafoam is crazy expensive. i saw a gallon of it today for nearly $40.
thats more than a decent gallon of alcohol even with a consumption tax! i have a gallon of tanqueray sitting in the closet that wasnt as costly as seafoam.

anyone know whats in seafoam for a diy approach?

 

[BrianWC]

IIRC it's posted all over the addy section. If not, a web search easily finds the msds. In the past, I've made my own brew of acetone and toluene.

 

[mechtech2]

Right. It claims to clean cat odors, by a left handed means of cleaning out other things, the car runs a bit better, and less ultimate odors from the exhaust.
Seafoam has it's uses, no doubt.
Please beware of ANYTHING claiming to clean a cat converter.