A little Seafoam info for you

[Steve Moran]

Yesterday I had a Seafoam Factory Rep in the store, I asked him a few questions I thought where good and some information he had that was just as enlightening.

1st. The Company doesn’t just sell to any one; so if you can't find it in your aria don't be surprised.
NAPA, Carquest, "Runnings" fleet and farm, and a hand full of companies sell it.

No Pep Boys, Wal-mart, K-mart, cut rate type stores because the company doesn’t want their product but be used as a "Pass thru product". (Sold at little to no profit just to get people in the door)

2nd. It is the only aftermarket product Ford indorses to use as a intake system / fuel injector cleaner, it doesn’t contain any chemicals that dry out seals.

3rd. The fuel stabilizer portion of the product is marketed as two years, but the company has fuel that has been stored for four years and is still good.
It can rejuvenate untreated fuel that has been stored for 6 months to be totally usable stable fuel.

[cason1]

That is great info. I found that my local Advance Auto Parts store now carries it. That is the only place I have been able to find it and I put some in my gas tank yesterday morning. It seems to be great stuff. I can tell a difference in the way mine runs after just running it for about 40 miles. And i didn't think it was running poorly before. I am curious now if you can buy the stuff at the dealer since ford endorses it. That could help out those that can't find it at there local parts stores.

[JoshMcMadMac]

Very cool, Steve. So are you gonna be selling it? Do I see a group purchase in the future??? :D

[Conti94]

Man this is great info, never really knew what seafoam was now I know. :cool: Thanks Steve :D

[Steve Moran]

Josh:
We have been selling it for years.
They don't advertise it is funny why that is, they have allways have been a word of mouth company??? Still haven't got that one figured out.
They make a product called bugs bgone that works wonders as well.
I called the company and if any one wants to know of a local retailer just call
(952)938-4811
Give them your zip code and they will give you a list of retailers in your aria that sell it.

[Nick]

I'm going to try that stuff this weekend. My Advance Auto Parts store is stocking it now too.

[cason1]

Hey Nick, I personally recommend it. The stuff is great.
Now Steve, what exactly is the bugs bgone stuff and what is it for? I had never heard of this stuff before.

[Capt. Zilog]

I used seafoam all the time at the shop I worked at. My old boss swears by it. Great stuff, and yes, word of mouth is seriously the only advertising they have, but it works great.

[Steve Moran]

The whole Seafoam product line is.

(Seafoam)
This is an auto and marine fuel system cleaner, fuel stabilizer, and upper cylinder lubricant.

(Trans Tune)
Transmission conditioner, leak sealer, moisture dissipater, also frees sticky valves.
also works in hydraulic systems of all types

(Bugs B Gone)
Cleans baked on bugs, wont strip off wax, cleans off the waterline from boats that are still in the water, it is biodegradable so it is ok to use in the lake water with out causing problems.
{Personal note: this stuff is the SHIZNIT!}

(Deep Creep)
It is a engine fogger used when you store an engine like a lawn mower, boat, car, etc etc for any length of time. It keeps the piston rings from sticking or pitting the cylinder wall.

[ April 16, 2004: Message edited by: Steve Moran ]

[RJ Sclafani]

I tried it yesterday, no smoke came out. does that mean I didn't have much carbon buildup? i put 1/3 in the PCV, but opted not to use the brake booster line. And then threw the rest in the gas tank. We also did it to my friends caddy, his smoked a good amount.

[JoshMcMadMac]

So they make a transmission additive, that's cool. I added Lucas to my tranny about a month ago; do you think adding the Trans Tune now would be benificial or not?

[SIXTIESJOHN]

Steve--
What exactly is "SHIZNIT" - went right over my head!! :eek:

[JoshMcMadMac]

quote:Originally posted by SIXTIESJOHN:
Steve--
What exactly is "SHIZNIT" - went right over my head!! :eek:

lol, sorry John, that's just funny. Don't feel bad, though, I get similar questions from my 50+ father. It's just another way of saying sh*t. It's just slang of today.

[reynolds]

can seafoam be used in a diesel?

[Steve Moran]

Yes it works well in diesels.
It helps to replace the ash that has been removed from diesel fuel.
The ash was used as a lubricant for the injector pump and injectors, removing it caused many problems with older trucks and just diesel engines in general.

[chestnut101]

tried it today, added seafoam to a full tank and drove 45 miles to the house. gas mileage increased from 20.4-24.3 damn i am impressed. i normally us lucas fuel additive :D

[Steve Moran]

Josh:
Sorry I missed your post.
I don't know if doing them together is good or not, I have used one or the other at any given time but never both at the same time. I guess I can give the Factory Reps from both companies a call and compare notes.
smile.gif

[pro-five-oh]

You can put seafoam in the gas tank???

Hmm...might try that on my Cougar...

[JoshMcMadMac]

quote:Originally posted by pro-five-oh:
You can put seafoam in the gas tank???

Yea man, it's like cod-liver oil. Rough idle? Seafoam it. Smokey exhaust? Seafoam. Poor fuel economy? Seafoam. Just like the cod-liver oil. Thank God I am young enough to have avoided that hell. :rolleyes:

[RJ Sclafani]

If you use it, and nothing is really gained, does that mean everything is fairly clean?

[Steve Moran]

Pritty much in a word
(Yes.)

[RJ Sclafani]

Coo, god damn my grandma kept this car CLEAN, no ungodly amounts of carbon haunt my engine.

[AceFrehley03]

I put a bottle of this in my gas tank, and then I ran a half bottle through my intake directly. I was surprised when I saw very little smoke coming from the back of my car... I guess it's a lot cleaner internally than I originally thought. What bugs me is that it still heaves blue. :confused:

I ran this through my truck, and that thing heaved smoke like no tomorrow. I ran 1/3rd bottle in my dirt bikes gastank, and not only did it make the bike run much better, but it made the exhaust smell sweet and burn your eyes, much like Nitro Methane or Alcohol. :D People ask me what I'm running all day long.

SeaFoam is great stuff, but it doesn't seem to have that big of an impact on low-mileage or well-maintained vehicles...

[Four Eyed Stangs]

You know what your blue smoke means, right?

Valve seals, rings and or really bad PCV.

[RJ Sclafani]

quote:Originally posted by RJ Sclafani:
Coo, god damn my grandma kept this car CLEAN, no ungodly amounts of carbon haunt my engine.

I just found out that my grandmom had a new engine put in somewhere around 60,000 miles because the guys at some shop took advantage of her and replaced the whole engine. Now I'm down to about 20,000 miles on my TC!!!! That's probably why no smoke came out.

[AceFrehley03]

Yeah, blue is oil, black is carbon, gray is just annoying..

The engine has spent some time sitting, as the whole car was definately parked for a while. When I took off the air cleaner housing I saw mouse droppings, so she was sitting in the weeds somewhere. It's probably valve stems.

I haven't checked the PCV because I don't know how to yet, lol.

[JoshMcMadMac]

quote:Originally posted by AceFrehley03:
I haven't checked the PCV because I don't know how to yet, lol.

It's on the firewall-side of the intake. Tough to get to unless you have the intake off, but not impossible. And when you get in there, ditch the screen.

[Nick]

Because he has CFI, his PCV valve is in his oil fill cap on the driver side valve cover. His PCV valve screen sits inside the air cleaner housing on the passenger side. ;)

[holcomb13]

So where all can you put this stuff? In the tank, throttle body, and the PCV hole?

[RJ Sclafani]

Yup, you can also add it in throgh your brake booster.

[JoshMcMadMac]

quote:Originally posted by RJ Sclafani:
Yup, you can also add it in throgh your brake booster.

No way! :eek:

[RJ Sclafani]

No? I thought that's what it said on the can. I guess I'm wrong. Sorry.

[RJ Sclafani]

I've also had friends use it in their brake booster vacuum line by squirting it out of a spray bottle. No negative effects on their cars.

[ April 21, 2004: Message edited by: RJ Sclafani ]

[pro-five-oh]

quote:Originally posted by RJ Sclafani:
I've also had friends use it in their brake booster vacuum line by squirting it out of a spray bottle. No negative effects on their cars.

Not applicable for most equipped Lincolns...they have hydroboosted brakes. I thought TCs had hydroboosted brakes too? Or maybe its just the Marks and Contis???

[RJ Sclafani]

I don't know either, and havn't tried it on my TC. But I was just passing on info, I hope we can get this cleared up, don't want anyone screwing up their car.

[86er]

Originally posted by JoshMcMadMac:
quote: It's on the firewall-side of the intake. Tough to get to unless you have the intake off, but not impossible. And when you get in there, B]ditch the screen[/B]

you actually mean ditch the screen? or ditch for a new screen?

[JoshMcMadMac]

quote:Originally posted by 86er:
you actually mean ditch the screen? or ditch for a new screen?

Lose it all together.

[86er]

ah, interesting. can you explain why? like is the screen supposed to filter stuff? or restrict flow?

[JoshMcMadMac]

quote:Originally posted by 86er:
ah, interesting. can you explain why? like is the screen supposed to filter stuff? or restrict flow?

It is suppose to filter. But on a car that is as old as a Mark, it really serves no filtering purpose. All it does is help restrict the flow and build up problems.

[Steve Moran]

You where right partly, I was informed to pour it in threw the vacuum line at the brake booster, the directions never mentioned to pour it directly in to the booster.

It is also suggested to pour 1/3 to ½ of a can in to the crankcase to clean the engine.
I have a fairly clean engine so I have no problem adding it to my Lincoln or any vehicle I have owned for a while.
We are swapping the engine out of the ’90. We will use a full can to flush the engine, prier to changing all the gaskets and seals just to clean it up inside.
I plan on flushing the transmission with the trans tune and replacing the filter as well.
My plan is to use only seafoam products on his car for the duration of the time and compare results with my car as far as performance and economy.
The two cars are the same year and with in 6000 miles, they have had the same service intervals and basically have gotten the same fuel mileage. They are identical as far as options with exception of the air ride on his and the coils on mine. Even the tires are the same replaced at the same time.

[86er]

gotcha smile.gif thx josh

[RJ Sclafani]

quote:Originally posted by Steve Moran:
[QB]You where right partly, I was informed to pour it in threw the vacuum line at the brake booster, the directions never mentioned to pour it directly in to the booster.
QB]

Yeah, I never meant the brake booster itself, just the vacuum line. I can't wait for the results of your test Steve, sounds interesting.

[Rob W.]

OK, well I learned of seafoam on FSB and I am translating my personal expierence here.

the bronco was suffering from hard shifts, slow throttle response and rough idle. I bought 2 cans, fed 1 whole can through the brake booster line, (ill explain how I did that later) and put 1/2 in oil and other in gas. after I fed it to the brake booster, I let it sit with seafoam in the engine overnight, and started it back up 12 hours later. the result:

Smooth idle, Fast throttle response, Smooth shifting, and better gas milage.

another result: The fire department showed up to put exterminate the fire in my truck. another person called the fire dept, thinking my truck was on fire.

SO last night I fed it through the towncar, and I went from a low 9mpg to 19.5mpg according to the computer. it smoked a bit, but not as bad as the bronco, and its faster. I love all the results this stuff gives.


OK, this is how I feed it through the brake booster. I detach the hose, and stick it as far down into the can as i can. i set it on part of the engine and go and start it. it will take it all up in 1-2 seconds. I shut it off, let it sit, while doing that, I re-hook the booster line, and then start it back up, and watch the smoke show!

Some were saying that they didnt get a whole lot of smoke, you wont unless you feed a lot of seafoam all at one, instead of bit by bit. and the effect is also greater. :D

[Kit Sullivan]

Anyone who is introducing a fluid into thier intake system such as 'Sea-Foam' or any other cleaner liquid needs to heed the possibility of hydro-locking the engine.
If you put the stuff into the brake booster hose as quickly as described above, you are running a very good chance of hydro-lock, which is usually fatal to the engine.
Any type of fluid cleaner introduced through a manifold vacuum source needs to be fed in relatively slowly so it will somewhat atomize helping to prevent hydro-lock.
This is just the new-wave version of taking a big 'ol plastic 'Big Gulp' cup filled with water (or tranny fluid!)and slowly pouring it into the carburetor at fast idle on an older car.
It all works as a great upper-intake, intake valve and cylinder decarbonization, but it can be dangerous.
Use caution.

[Steve Moran]

at this time I can say I am getting about 2.5 / 3 MPG better with the seafoam car.
Only diff between cars is that I add a can of seafoam to the gas tank at the time I change the oil every oil change. I won't speculate as to why.
I will pull 1 spark plug out of each car sometime this weekend and see how they compare.

[pro-five-oh]

quote:Originally posted by Rob W.:
OK, this is how I feed it through the brake booster. I detach the hose, and stick it as far down into the can as i can. i set it on part of the engine and go and start it. it will take it all up in 1-2 seconds.

I can't believe you didn't hydrolock the motor doing that. :eek:

I fed a 1/3 pint of Seafoam (per instructions on the botle) using the booster line (88 Towncar) and a coupla times the motor almost stalled, so I let the motor breathe before making it injest more seafoam. It smoked a fair bit, it did the job and the car runs much smoother. I had to change the plugs too, all the deposits that didn't come out the tailpipes wound up on the plugs.

That said, now more people know that Seafoam is the nectar of the Gods, surely it is man's finest creation since sliced bread. smile.gif

[Kit Sullivan]

Certainly don't want to rain on the 'Sea-Foam' parade around here, but there are several good chemicals that do the same job. Unfortunately, I don't know of any that are consumer-level products like 'Sea-Foam', so it gets a big thumbs up from do-it-yourselfers. However, using a liquid intake cleaner carelessly can easily destroy and engine through hydro-lock, as mentioned already. That is why most manufacturers don't sell this kind of product to casual home mechanics.(of course, I know ain't nobody casual around these parts!)
With that being said, I have been testing a new intake cleaning product called 'SYSTEM 1', and so far it has worked extremely well.
It is a 10 oz. aerosol can that delivers the product through a vacuum source (like a PCV hose or brake booster hose). Just hook the hose up, start the engine, and press the can's locking button. It takes about 3 minutes for the can to empty, and the idle gets kinda' rough during the service.
Afterwards...much improved idle and mileage. Every car we have done it on has seen immediate improvements. We have gone through about 3 cases so far(18 applications), with no problems, only happy customers.
If any of you see this for sale as a service, don't be afraid to do it...it works!
But, you sure will save a lot of money doing yourself, that's for sure.

Secondly, I see a lot of people here just claim to use the brake booster hose regardless of what engine or car they are working on.
The most important thing to consider is where the vacuum source you are going to use hooks into the intake manifold. The brake booster line may be the easiest to access, but it may not always be the most effective line to use.
You want to use a vacuum line that is as close to the back-side of the throttle blade as possible. This helps to ensure the most even distribution amongst the cylinders as possible. If the vacuum line you are using happens to hook into the manifold towards the 'back' of it, you may be dumping all that 'Sea-Foam'(or whatever you are using)into only one or two cylinders.
If possible, I prefer a smaller line, like the PCV, so that the cleaner can be admisistered slowly and have a chance to atomize well. The brake booster line often takes too much at once, and the cleaner stays a liquid in the intake, which will not clean as well.

Also, from experience (in case anyone here owns one), I would recommend NOT doing this service on any kind of Nissan product. They have a very sensitive fuel/intake/TPS/IAC set-up that can be easily damaged by this.

[Steve Moran]

I use the 3M intake cleaning system that works well for the intake cleaning. I just use Seafoam in the fuel tank not because I don't trust it I am just to damn lazy .....I ment to say busy, to stand there and feed in the seafoam.