SeaFoam question?

[ondarvr]

I'm not going to claim any of these snake oils do everything they say they will on the label, or in folklore, but there are things they can do.

Water doesn't remove carbon either, but inject a little into the combustion chamber and it will clean every bit of carbon off and leave a shiny surface.
So just because you soak something in a liquid doesn't mean you will get the same results with it in a combustion chamber.

In one of the independent studies it showed Seafoam to be very good at preventing corrosion on metal parts soaked in a mix of fuel and saltwater. In the same test Sta-Bil had no effect on preventing corrosion.

If whatever crap is in your carb can be dissolved by the isopropyl alcohol and Naphtha in Seafoam, then it may help clean it, if not it won't help.

Personally I don't think I've ever seen a change in any aspect of how a motor runs, or witnessed the massive cloud smoke supposedly produced when decarbing with any product.

I believe about 2% of what's claimed on the label for any of these types of products.

 

[Silvertip]

Anyone who has ever seen the inside of an engine that was "smoked" because of no oil knows that the tan/orange varnish deposit left on the inside of an aluminum cam cover or valve cover is nearly impossible to get off with conventional cleaning fluids including lacquer thinner and acetone. Now this is comment is not about Sea Foam (I'll get to that later) but another so called snake oil called Rislone which has been around for decades. This very high detergency 5 Weight oil cleaned up a Toyota engine after rebuild that was so clean in 500 miles you could eat out of the cam cover. My work on diesels with stuck rings causing very high oil consumption was either cured or consumption dropped dramatically with a couple of oil changes at 500 - 1000 mile intervals with Rislone replacing one quart of oil. Sea Foam has it's applications and carbon removal is one of them. GM began using hydraulic lifters on some engines in in the 1950 model year. Oils were not what they are today so oil filters hit the market to help prolong the time between oil changes. Regardless, lifter noise was common as varnish built up. Rislone was a very common additive in the day and it worked well. No! -- Soaking carbon coated parts in Sea Foam is not a valid application. Running it through a hot engine in high concentrations is a valid application. I own 25 year old two-stroke yard equipment that sees regular use of Sea Foam and the carbs on these engines have never been apart and the engines are relatively carbon free. Check the data label on most yard equipment engines sold today and you will find a "life expectancy" number in the 25 hour range. So much for Sea Foam hurting an engine. Does it need to be used every tank, every other tank, not at all? Only you can figure this out as we don't know your maintenance routines, where your fuel is purchased, how much fuel goes through the engine in a given period of time, storage conditions, temperature extremes, and the other variables. I use it because it makes me feel good. I don't have to ask myself -- "I wonder if this would have happened had I used Sea Foam or "xxxxxx". I suppose the nay-sayers might contend "I wonder if this happened because I used Sea Foam or "xxxxxxx". So there ya go. One of those yes you should - no you shouldn't arguments.

 

[bruceb58]

I use it because it makes me feel good.

Hence the attraction of snake oil!

Funny how we have people that think the snake oil in combination with heat is the reason it works! I have a friend who is a chemical engineer for Chevron who would disagree.

 

[WIMUSKY]

I use it because it makes me feel good.

And that's why I use it......

 

[Bondo]

Hence the attraction of snake oil!

Funny how we have people that think the snake oil in combination with heat is the reason it works! I have a friend who is a chemical engineer for Chevron who would disagree.

Ayuh,..... Speakin' of Snake Oil,.....

How's that Fluid Film workin' for ya,..??

I'm 'bout to order me another case of spray cans,......

Sea Foam, I'm sure has it uses, I didn't see it as much more than penatratin' oil,...

Might be good for decarbonizin' a 2 stroke,....

For a 4 stroke or a diesel, Water works the best for that purpose,....

 

[bruceb58]

Fluid Film works great! I use it on my intake manifold since I get water dripping on it where the engine cover meets the bulkhead.

I use it on areas of my trailer as well like the leaf springs.

 

[redneck joe]

Ayuh,..... Speakin' of Snake Oil,.....

How's that Fluid Film workin' for ya,..??

I'm 'bout to order me another case of spray cans,......

Sea Foam, I'm sure has it uses, I didn't see it as much more than penatratin' oil,...

Might be good for decarbonizin' a 2 stroke,....

For a 4 stroke or a diesel, Water works the best for that purpose,....

How would one use water ?

 

[Bondo]

How would one use water ?

Ayuh,.... With a warm motor, run it up to 1500/ 1800 rpms,.....
Pour a soda battle of water down the throat of the carb, fast enough to just labor the motor,....

When the soda bottle is empty, the motor's combustion chambers will be as clean as the day they were new,....

Pretty much straight from a late 1960s British Leyland Land Rover shop manual,....

If ya know yer gonna rebuild a motor, it shortens clean up time immensely,...
No wire brushin' pistons, 'n heads,...

 

[redneck joe]

Huh, cool and thanks.

 

[WIMUSKY]

Water works great cleaning combustion chambers, especially if you have a blown head gasket. No doubt which cylinder the water is entering...... Yep, been there, done that....