Seafoam

[dburrows6735]

Hey guys,

I did my "do diligence" and searched the site for guys using sea foam but really never got any good info. Anyone use it in their oil case?

When you put it in the gas did you just add it to a full tank or pour it directly into the vacuum fuel line like the can says? My bike is running well but just wanted to do some preventative cleaning, seeing this is the first full summer it has run in 3 years.

Is this stuff the magic worker like I have been hearing? Or is it a waste of time, for a bike that is running decent?

Thank

David

 

[bcware]

Occasionally I pour some in my gas for giggles, but I don't expect anything. Use high quality gasoline and oil, drain the carbs when you store the bike, etc.

To even know if the stuff is doing anything you'd have to open the engine, use the product, and open the engine again some time later. Nobody does this, so almost no one can really even say if it is doing anything substantial.

You don't need it.

 

[jayel]

if used regularly it will wash varnish deposits out of the tank and carbs, can't hurt and might help

 

[xs400neophite]

Sea Foam stabilizes crappy gas and keeps the carbs cleaner.I dont put it in the engine.At first I did put marvelous mystery oil in the motor but I understand that is just ATF?

 

[ThePsuedoMonkey]

I used the vacuum line method on my car, and that seemed to clean out the coke deposits (lots of white smoke for a while). Seafoam is mostly just a quality fuel stabilizer, so there isn't any magic to it.

 

[HoughMade]

After I completely cleaned my carbs (5 times) and had the bike running well, I used the Seafoam through the vacuum ports and also mixed it 1 ounce to a gallon (like suggested on the bottle). My carbs are clean, clean, clean and have remained so for over 2 years. Whether that has anything to do with the Seafoam or whether it's just the inline filter (probably), I can't say.

Seafoam WILL NOT clean out carbs that need to be torn down and cleaned.

Seafoam in the oil is only used to remove sludge and then must not be left in while riding- unless your goal is bearing and cylinder so clean....that you need a rebuild and an overbore.

Now, I usually just use Lucasoil fuel treatment as an upper cylinder lubricant and stabilizer to combat the effects of alcohol in the fuel.

 

[Rumbaldi]

I have never used Seafoam. However I have used General Motors upper engine and fuel injector cleaner on an old Chevy 454 that had been sitting for a while. I used the vacuum hose method and it cleaned out the gunk really well. Bits of carbon were flying out the exhaust pipe and the truck ran much better with no pinging under acceleration like it had before. If I felt the need to use a cleaner on the bike I would buy another bottle of the GM as I know it works.

 

[drewpy]

back in the days, we put brake fluid in our Austin mini's engine via the carb.

 

[Rumbaldi]

I had a 50/50 methanol and distilled water injection kit on my 500 hp STI. When we tore the block down at 19,000 miles the valves, pistons, and combustion chambers looked like they did when the engine was built, perfectly clean. If our bikes would run with no air filters spraying a methanol/water mix with a spray bottle while you revved up the engine might clean things out as well.

 

[JARichmond]

I'm sure you could hook something up to the vacuum nubs on the intake boots. Turn the petcock to prime and run the fluid through a simple on/off valve with clear tubing and a reservoir. I also know that signs of a blown head gasket on a water-cooled engine include super-clean pistons and valves. Maybe adding a little coolant/water mix would do the same thing.
Could probably take the filters off and run with the choke on if you wanna spray. Not entirely sure how the choke circuit works (maybe it'll damage something) but your could probably decrease the effect from running without filters briefly.

 

[dburrows6735]

Thanks for all the info guys. Like I said my bike is running well and the carbs were just gone through about 2 months ago. I'm just looking for some preventative measures to ensure the life of my bike. I think ill just run it in the tank and see if it smooths out my ride a bit.

Thanks

David

 

[TheMainMuel]

I have been using SeaFoam for over 10 years now. I use it for preventative maintenance in all my cars and my bike. I run it through the gas tank for keeping the fuel system clean and running smooth a few times per year. I only put it in my oil for about the last 100 miles before an oil change to clean out all the sludge. I do that a couple times a year.

It has worked great for me. I have had no fuel system problems since I started using it.

 

[jmd_forest]

I've used Seafoam successfully several times, in both the crankcase and the fuel system. It's great for dissolving sludge in the oil system, particularly in cars that have been sitting for a while and the hydraulic lifters get "stuck". Also good for cleaning "stuck" fuel injectors. For motorcycles, I use it in my XJ700 gas tank with the first fill up in the spring and it seems to help keep the carbs functioning smoothly. Will probably do the same with the XS400 in the spring. But, as Houghmade stated, it will not magically clean carbs that need to be torn down and rebult.

 

[RevrdMark]

I use Seafoam every now and then in my fuel to just keep things clean in there. When I am riding my SV1K and i know i'm gonna use a whole tank of fuel on a long ride I will add some in and it seems to help keep the injectors clean. Sometimes the backwoods gas stations i have to get fuel at have "questionable" quality fuel so i run seafoam through the system as a "Just in case". I have a mechanic friend who echos what HoughMade said. Its a pretty strong additive to add to oil. He uses it on older bikes that haven't been maintained well just before changing the oil. Then drains it out with the oil change.

Also in the PNWRiders.com forum there was someone who posted a pretty lengthy critique of it for carborated engines and said that over use will make the rubber swell in the carbs and make them not work correctly. It might be worth a read.
http://pnwriders.com/mechanical-technical/56286-seafoam-what-do-you-think-2.html

 

[Lou Ranger]

I used it in the old Pontiac V-8 and a little in the xs400. They both seemed to perk up afterwards. Are internal combustion engines influenced by a placebo effect?
Sounds like the appropriate expectation to have for Seafoam is preventative and not curative - quite reasonable.
Once one has clean carbs, preventing them from becoming "unclean" involves more than just saying "NO". In-line filtering and occasional seafoaming would seem the perfect prophylaxis combo.

Since Seafoam is 100% petroleum distillates, it occurs to me that the container might be put to use to carry an emergency 16 oz. of gasoline on a trip where one was unsure of gas stations being open or available. Has anyone tried this or anything like it?

 

[bcware]

I just can't imagine seafoam doing anything significant unless you're talking about long term treatment.

I soaked my pistons in pure Berryman's and it took days for ALL of the carbon the come loose enough for me to scrape off with tools that won't damage aluminum. Heavily diluted seafoam mixed in your gas doesn't seem like it would do anything at all in only a few treatments. Over the long term or as a preventative measure? Perhaps.

 

[Drewcifer]

Anyone that has ever removed anything, and I mean anything from a metal surface, knows that due to its bonding nature, metal has to be physically debrided (scrubbed, scraped, sanded) whatever to clean contaminants off. There are no easy fixes, even a vinegar soak to remove rust still requires a scrubbing afterwards.

So if you really want to believe that seafoam will remove CARBON, I'd recommend Drewcifers special engine cleaning fluid, available for only 15.00, paypalled to me directly.

 

[Drewcifer]

PS, seafoam is just kerosene and surfactant. so you can make your own.

From another forum:

"It's very cheap and easy to make at home

25% Cleaner>Naphtha
60% Stabilizer>Kerosene
15% Oxygenate> Isopropyl Alcohol (common Rubbing Alcohol)


Other Commercial Brands such as Chevron Techron Concentrate are 100% Cleaner.
Majority is Naphtha,,,along with Stoddard Solvent,Benzene,Xylene,etc.

You can Substitute Seafoam's 15% IPA for Toluene and get better results,,,most paint stores have it."

you are welcome.

Drewcifer

 

[Lou Ranger]

PS, seafoam is just kerosene and surfactant. so you can make your own.

25% Cleaner>Naphtha
60% Stabilizer>Kerosene
15% Oxygenate> Isopropyl Alcohol (common Rubbing Alcohol)​

you are welcome.
Drewcifer

Thanks for finding that info.
Isn't alcohol something we try to avoid and don't we bemoan its presence in so many of our gas blends? I am confused.
What about the empty can for emergency gas? I almost ran out again today.

 

[Drewcifer]

At 15 percent you are dealing with a negligible amount. The lions share of that mixture, as you can see, is kerosene. And as you saw above, substitute tolulene if you're bugged by the mix.

it's in seafoam anyway.

And no problem on the info. I am apparently an above average google detective.

I searched DIY seafoam and that was the first hit.

Gorge on info if you dare:
http://hildstrom.com/projects/seafoam/index.html