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Author Topic:   Seafoam Use

gobama posted 03-03-2010 12:56 PM ET (US)
What is the proper way to apply aerosol Seafoam to a running boat motor? Maybe I just can't read but the instructions on the can are confusing.
deepwater posted 03-03-2010 07:33 PM ET (US)
Your motor will have a cover over the carbs,,Remove the cover start the motor and let it idle for 15 or 20 min,,If your motor is a 4 cylinder you can spray all 4 carbs rather quickly untill the motor stalls and let the motor sit for an hour or 2,,Start and repeat the steps 3x and on the 4th time let the motor sit over night and repeat 2x and the motor and exhaust should be clear of carbon,,lots of smoke and lots of yuck comes out the exhaust hub,,There is a great pic of my hub when I cleaned out many many years of OEM cleaner/tuner and fogging products,,Seafoam is the best,,Works great in guns to
tedious posted 03-04-2010 11:41 AM ET (US)
If you have an OMC motor with the maintenance port, the aerosol Seafoam should be able to hook up to it directly. In addition to using it through the intake, I like to remove the plugs and give a healthy squirt into each cylinder. Then crank the motor over, but don't start it, to spread the full-strength seafoam around. Let sit for a couple of hours, then start up and watch the smoke! Repeat a few times until the smoke seems to diminish, and you should be good to go.
Tim
cgodfrey posted 03-04-2010 08:32 PM ET (US)
Be considerate of your neighbors when you Seafoam any engine.
If you live in an upscale suburb with uptight neighbors, you can usually count on a visit from your local police department...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmRXGEl-D5k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X832d4MtYUc
gobama posted 03-05-2010 12:41 PM ET (US)
OK thanks for the replies. One question I have is how often should an outboard be seafoamed?
I also saw on you tube that car engines can be seafoamed. Question is on these fuel injected auto engines where do you introduce the stuff?
sternorama posted 03-05-2010 01:51 PM ET (US)
Do people use Seafoam on inboard V8 engines?
cgodfrey posted 03-05-2010 02:09 PM ET (US)
It varies a little bit from vehicle to vehicle.
Unless you drive something brand new or extra quirky, odds are pretty good you can find a complete walkthru, specific to your car, online somewhere.
But the basic version for a fuel injected engine is typically you plug a small rubber hose (fuel line hose) into the intake tree, and while the engine is running, intermittently dip the other end of that hose into the container of Seafoam-it will siphon it up and the engine will begin to choke and cough.
Once you're about halfway through the can, leave the siphon hose in the Seafoam and let the engine struggle until it dies. Let sit for 15 minutes. The Seafoam, (which is a solvent) in theory is now dissolving and breaking carbon deposits free from the internals of your engine.
After the 15 minute soak is up, reattach any hoses you might have removed from the intake tree. Restart your vehicle. It might be a bit difficult to restart, and your check engine light will probably be on if so equipped.
Eventually it should start. Be prepared for more thick, white smoke out of the exhaust than you've ever seen. Huge billowing clouds of it for 5-10 minutes.
You can simply wait for the Seafoam to evacuate the idling engine, but some recommend revving the engine hard as to blow out the gunk. I can make no recommendations as to which method is more effective.
There are many Seafoam success stories, but there are also no shortage of horror stories claiming the Seafoam application ruined their engine or Catalytic Converter. The Seafoam application, in theory, can expose and exacerbate underlying engine problems, so use at your own risk.
CG
deepwater posted 03-05-2010 06:49 PM ET (US)
You can buy the liquid Sea foam,,The spray stuff is called Deep Creep and you can use it in any motor per the instructions,,I only use it in 2 cycle things and use Marvel Mystery Oil in my trucks gas and crankcase,,As with anything you can over do it and cause a lean condition in a 2 cycle motor so go a little stiff on the oil and normal driving keeps most car/truck motors clean,,its the long overdue oil changes back to back and long idling that carbons up an exhaust valve system,,Keeping up with the basics and you wont need Sea Foam for your truck,,I just use the Marvel Mystery Oil because it smells really good,,^@^,,,Hey max
pcrussell50 posted 03-09-2010 03:09 AM ET (US)
There are lots of techniques out there, actually. The synopses of two that come to mind are thus:
1] Mix a whole can of Seafoam into a gallon of gas, [don't forget to premix oil if you have a two-stroke]. Remove the ball valve from the gas tank end of a fuel line and hold it into the gas/Seafoam mixture. Start and idle for 15 minutes. Let sit. Repeat. Two or three 15 minute idle sessions should do it.
or
2] mix 2/3 of a can of Seafoam into a gallon of gas or gas-oil mix, as appropriate. Put the rest of the Seafoam into a spray bottle. Take out the spark plugs, and wet the crap out of the cylinders with Seafoam. Replace the plugs. Let sit at least 15 minutes. Over night is even better. Turn motor over a few turns without starting it to make sure it doesn't hydrolock. Then start and run, and spray the rest of the Seafoam down the carb throats at a rapid pace so that the motor almost stalls, but not quite.
I have only used method 2. And for no particular reason other than that was the first one I read about. I'm sure there are other methods, too.
-Peter
Jefecinco posted 03-09-2010 10:05 AM ET (US)
I wonder what effect the chemicals may have on a catalytic converter.
Also, given that we all use unleaded gasoline exclusively in our vehicles (except diesels, of course) and that we do not mix oil in the fuel why bother to run the chemicals through the intake and exhaust system.
It may make us feel good to see all that smoke coming out the exhaust pipe but is it doing anything beneficial? I doubt it.
Butch
pcrussell50 posted 03-09-2010 04:18 PM ET (US)
Jefe,
As someone who builds/rebuilds my own automotive race engines, I can tell you that they DO carbon-up. And I don't think it has anything to do with lead or carburetors. See, my engines are all EFI, and run on unleaded. [Yes, they sell 100 octane unleaded race gas]. I don't see THAT much carbon, but that's just me, as my race motors rarely see much more than 5k miles before they blow, or I have the heads off for one reason or another. That said, after being so happy with Seafoam results in my 2-strokes, I have been thinking about trying it in my auto motors. I [obviously] don't run cats on the race car, but I DO run oxygen sensors on it, and I also wonder what effect Seafom treatment might have on them?
I also wonder how/if Seafoam might degrade the anti-explosion foam filler in the bladder of my race car's 22 gallon fuel cell?
-Peter
Jefecinco posted 03-09-2010 06:24 PM ET (US)
Peter,
I don't doubt that automotive engines get some carbon on the pistons and valves but I doubt it is much. It's been a very long time since I did engine rebuilds so I admit to a certain level of ignorance. My opinion is based mostly on the frequency of spark plug replacement required by modern engines.
Every car engine I've owned for the past several years has never required new spark plugs. I've had service writers try to sell me a special cleaning package to clean the O2 sensor and throttle body. As this service was not recommended by the manufacturer I gave it a pass suspecting it was just added dealer service department profit.
Thanks for your perspective.
Butch
deepwater posted 03-09-2010 06:42 PM ET (US)
jefecinco,,I tried to send you a pic of the results of using sea foam but your posted email is no good ,,would you like to see the pic

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Author	Topic: Seafoam Use
gobama	posted 03-03-2010 12:56 PM ET (US) What is the proper way to apply aerosol Seafoam to a running boat motor? Maybe I just can't read but the instructions on the can are confusing.
deepwater	posted 03-03-2010 07:33 PM ET (US) Your motor will have a cover over the carbs,,Remove the cover start the motor and let it idle for 15 or 20 min,,If your motor is a 4 cylinder you can spray all 4 carbs rather quickly untill the motor stalls and let the motor sit for an hour or 2,,Start and repeat the steps 3x and on the 4th time let the motor sit over night and repeat 2x and the motor and exhaust should be clear of carbon,,lots of smoke and lots of yuck comes out the exhaust hub,,There is a great pic of my hub when I cleaned out many many years of OEM cleaner/tuner and fogging products,,Seafoam is the best,,Works great in guns to
tedious	posted 03-04-2010 11:41 AM ET (US) If you have an OMC motor with the maintenance port, the aerosol Seafoam should be able to hook up to it directly. In addition to using it through the intake, I like to remove the plugs and give a healthy squirt into each cylinder. Then crank the motor over, but don't start it, to spread the full-strength seafoam around. Let sit for a couple of hours, then start up and watch the smoke! Repeat a few times until the smoke seems to diminish, and you should be good to go. Tim
cgodfrey	posted 03-04-2010 08:32 PM ET (US) Be considerate of your neighbors when you Seafoam any engine. If you live in an upscale suburb with uptight neighbors, you can usually count on a visit from your local police department... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmRXGEl-D5k http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X832d4MtYUc
gobama	posted 03-05-2010 12:41 PM ET (US) OK thanks for the replies. One question I have is how often should an outboard be seafoamed? I also saw on you tube that car engines can be seafoamed. Question is on these fuel injected auto engines where do you introduce the stuff?
sternorama	posted 03-05-2010 01:51 PM ET (US) Do people use Seafoam on inboard V8 engines?
cgodfrey	posted 03-05-2010 02:09 PM ET (US) It varies a little bit from vehicle to vehicle. Unless you drive something brand new or extra quirky, odds are pretty good you can find a complete walkthru, specific to your car, online somewhere. But the basic version for a fuel injected engine is typically you plug a small rubber hose (fuel line hose) into the intake tree, and while the engine is running, intermittently dip the other end of that hose into the container of Seafoam-it will siphon it up and the engine will begin to choke and cough. Once you're about halfway through the can, leave the siphon hose in the Seafoam and let the engine struggle until it dies. Let sit for 15 minutes. The Seafoam, (which is a solvent) in theory is now dissolving and breaking carbon deposits free from the internals of your engine. After the 15 minute soak is up, reattach any hoses you might have removed from the intake tree. Restart your vehicle. It might be a bit difficult to restart, and your check engine light will probably be on if so equipped. Eventually it should start. Be prepared for more thick, white smoke out of the exhaust than you've ever seen. Huge billowing clouds of it for 5-10 minutes. You can simply wait for the Seafoam to evacuate the idling engine, but some recommend revving the engine hard as to blow out the gunk. I can make no recommendations as to which method is more effective. There are many Seafoam success stories, but there are also no shortage of horror stories claiming the Seafoam application ruined their engine or Catalytic Converter. The Seafoam application, in theory, can expose and exacerbate underlying engine problems, so use at your own risk. CG
deepwater	posted 03-05-2010 06:49 PM ET (US) You can buy the liquid Sea foam,,The spray stuff is called Deep Creep and you can use it in any motor per the instructions,,I only use it in 2 cycle things and use Marvel Mystery Oil in my trucks gas and crankcase,,As with anything you can over do it and cause a lean condition in a 2 cycle motor so go a little stiff on the oil and normal driving keeps most car/truck motors clean,,its the long overdue oil changes back to back and long idling that carbons up an exhaust valve system,,Keeping up with the basics and you wont need Sea Foam for your truck,,I just use the Marvel Mystery Oil because it smells really good,,^@^,,,Hey max
pcrussell50	posted 03-09-2010 03:09 AM ET (US) There are lots of techniques out there, actually. The synopses of two that come to mind are thus: 1] Mix a whole can of Seafoam into a gallon of gas, [don't forget to premix oil if you have a two-stroke]. Remove the ball valve from the gas tank end of a fuel line and hold it into the gas/Seafoam mixture. Start and idle for 15 minutes. Let sit. Repeat. Two or three 15 minute idle sessions should do it. or 2] mix 2/3 of a can of Seafoam into a gallon of gas or gas-oil mix, as appropriate. Put the rest of the Seafoam into a spray bottle. Take out the spark plugs, and wet the crap out of the cylinders with Seafoam. Replace the plugs. Let sit at least 15 minutes. Over night is even better. Turn motor over a few turns without starting it to make sure it doesn't hydrolock. Then start and run, and spray the rest of the Seafoam down the carb throats at a rapid pace so that the motor almost stalls, but not quite. I have only used method 2. And for no particular reason other than that was the first one I read about. I'm sure there are other methods, too. -Peter
Jefecinco	posted 03-09-2010 10:05 AM ET (US) I wonder what effect the chemicals may have on a catalytic converter. Also, given that we all use unleaded gasoline exclusively in our vehicles (except diesels, of course) and that we do not mix oil in the fuel why bother to run the chemicals through the intake and exhaust system. It may make us feel good to see all that smoke coming out the exhaust pipe but is it doing anything beneficial? I doubt it. Butch
pcrussell50	posted 03-09-2010 04:18 PM ET (US) Jefe, As someone who builds/rebuilds my own automotive race engines, I can tell you that they DO carbon-up. And I don't think it has anything to do with lead or carburetors. See, my engines are all EFI, and run on unleaded. [Yes, they sell 100 octane unleaded race gas]. I don't see THAT much carbon, but that's just me, as my race motors rarely see much more than 5k miles before they blow, or I have the heads off for one reason or another. That said, after being so happy with Seafoam results in my 2-strokes, I have been thinking about trying it in my auto motors. I [obviously] don't run cats on the race car, but I DO run oxygen sensors on it, and I also wonder what effect Seafom treatment might have on them? I also wonder how/if Seafoam might degrade the anti-explosion foam filler in the bladder of my race car's 22 gallon fuel cell? -Peter
Jefecinco	posted 03-09-2010 06:24 PM ET (US) Peter, I don't doubt that automotive engines get some carbon on the pistons and valves but I doubt it is much. It's been a very long time since I did engine rebuilds so I admit to a certain level of ignorance. My opinion is based mostly on the frequency of spark plug replacement required by modern engines. Every car engine I've owned for the past several years has never required new spark plugs. I've had service writers try to sell me a special cleaning package to clean the O2 sensor and throttle body. As this service was not recommended by the manufacturer I gave it a pass suspecting it was just added dealer service department profit. Thanks for your perspective. Butch
deepwater	posted 03-09-2010 06:42 PM ET (US) jefecinco,,I tried to send you a pic of the results of using sea foam but your posted email is no good ,,would you like to see the pic