Nervous about using Seafoam

[Black Explorer]

I have been reading all the post about using seafoam and it seems from what everyone is writing it will make an engine run smoother. I have been wanting to try it, but I am still a little nervous about using it. Not so much about the seafoam causing problems, but about me screwing something up. I have read that you should use about 1/3 of a can and I have read about all the insertion points that are possible to use. What I am confused about is, how much to put in at a time? Do you just pour all of it in at one time or just a little bit at a time? Also some people say Deep Creep is easier to use than regular Seafoam, if so how do you use it, do you put it in the same way, through the brake booster, pcv line, etc? I am just a little bit confused.

 

[SunSearching]

When I seafoamed my honda's motor, I poured it into a plasic jug so I could see better how much I had used. I put approx 1/3 in the (full) gas tank, 1/3 in the oil fill point on the valve cover, and 1/3 in the brake booster line. The important thing is to remember that you HAVE to rag the motor for a while afterwards. Start 'er up and rev till the cows come home. Drive down a road at WOT, rev some, all of that. Think of it this way... right now, your motor is like someone with the flu... buncha snot and builup in the lungs. Seafoam is like a good decongestant/buildup reducing medicine. What comes after decongesting someone? They cough it all out, right? Revving your engine clears the carbon buildup that the seafoam cleans off the internals. I would have a fresh set of spark plugs on hand before you run the foam... I blew 2 of 4 on the honda.

If you go to www.honda-tech.com and search for seafoam, there's a detailed rundown of advantages/disadvantages, what to expect, how to properly do it, and aftercare. I followed the instructions to the letter and took a consistent .2 seconds off my quarter mile time, and the whole thing runs BEAUTIFULLY now.

Some advice from me -
1. Spark plugs on hand.
2. If you have aftermarket AND stock headers, put the stock ones on to do the foaming. They get pretty grimy, and carbon is a pain to clean off.
3. If you have the time, take off your catback and soak it in degreaser. Mine off my honda literally had chunks of carbon buildup accumulated in the muffler. It was nasty.
4. Expect smoke. It smokes like a blown headgasket.

 

[Lt.Jim]

I was a little nevous about using seafoam the first time as well. When adding it into the intake your engine will start to bog down a little. Pour it in slowly and when you hear it bog down stop and let it idle for a little bit then start pouring again.

 

[glfredrick]

I recommend that you find an independent mechanic that has a Motorvac system. It is FAR better at cleaning the internal engine than any add-in method like Seafoam.

It will make almost any vehicle with some miles run better.

 

[chrisj626]

how much would they charge for a motor vac engine cleaning? do alot of shops do it?

 

[glfredrick]

The guy in my neighborhood that does it charges around $75 for the service. It takes a bit over an hour to run. It starts by circulating a powerful solvent through your fuel system, then takes that same solvent and uses it to wash the crud out of the inside of the engine. Everything is filtered as it recycles in and out.

It works very well and will make a difference if you have crud to clean -- less so if your vehicle is relatively new and crud free.

Snap On sells the Motorvac system, so a call to your local dealer would probably locate a shop that has the system. You could also call around to some of the independents. Typically, the dealerships don't have those machines. They prefer to sell you a factory new motor.

Look for a place that specializes in drivability issues and it would be a good bet that they have one.

FYI -- a general tip from someone who has been in the business for a long time on both sides of the wrench... There are shops that make their money by rebuilding/replacing your parts and there are shops that make their money by making your parts last as long as they can. Find the second shop and support them with your business! The first type WILL NOT do what is best for your car. They are hoping and praying that whatever they talk you into will cost you money down the road! Many transmission shops fall into the first type -- just ask around if any of them have a transmission fluid flusher... I already know the answer... and why.

 

[Black Explorer]

Hey, thanks for all of the help. I will check into the Motorvac system and see if someone around here has one. I am the original owner of the car with over 261,000 miles on it, so I have become attached to it and I want to keep it around as long as I can. I joke with my friends that I am going to put so many miles on it that Ford will give me a new one or at least put me in a commercial. Thanks again for the help.

 

[rizzjc]

I was nervous 'cause I didn't want the Seafoam to reveal anything that I didn't want to know about. When smoke started coming out from under the hood I knew that was why I didn't want to do it.

 

[dogfriend]

Also some people say Deep Creep is easier to use than regular Seafoam, if so how do you use it, do you put it in the same way, through the brake booster, pcv line, etc? I am just a little bit confused.

Seafoam Deep Creep comes in an aerosol can, so you can spray it in and have a lot less worry about getting too much at once. You can spray it in anywhere where you would use the liquid version.

Liquid is harder to use because you need to guard against adding it too quickly. Too much liquid in a cylinder is bad - liquid is incompressible (for practical purposes) so your connecting rods will bend before you will compress a cylinder full of liquid.

Even with an aerosol, the main thing to remember is not to add so much that you stall out the engine - that is the main danger in using any liquid cleaner in your engine.