difference between seafoam and carb cleaning

NYGiants

Chief Petty Officer
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i was wondering what the difference between seafoam and cleaning your carb is.
 

jfadool

Petty Officer 2nd Class
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May 25, 2009
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Re: difference between seafoam and carb cleaning

Seafoam is not a carb cleaner. It can be used to de-carbonize the cylinders.

Many will say that running it in with gas will clean your carb but I have never found that to be the case(boats and motorcycles).

For 3 dollars you can get a can of spray carb cleaner pull and clean a carb in about an hour. You will still have about 7/8ths of a can of cleaner when you are done. Seafoam is about $8 here and you use the whole bottle doing nothing.
 

Texasmark

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Dec 20, 2005
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Re: difference between seafoam and carb cleaning

If I have a really nasty carb I always used Berryman's Chem Tool in either the spray or the liquid. Really bad stuff and paint hates it, so do your hands, makes them crack with no natural oil left.

I think if you have a varnished carb, SF will do nothing for you. I have restored what I thought to be beyond use equipment, especially 2 cycle with it, but none of the "been sitting 2 years" stuff. Worked great for what I use it for, but I used a lot more than the recommendations on the can, initially. Never did/had to do the "decarb" procedure you will find on here in the archives section.

Worst thing in SF is Naptha (paint thinner per se). Worse thing in Berryman's is like Acetone, or MEK or bad stuff that really attacks crud.

HTH

Mark
 

5150abf

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Re: difference between seafoam and carb cleaning

No chemical cleaner can take the place of actually cleaning the carb by hand.

You have to pull the jets and run a copper wire through them to get them really clean, chemicals will break things loose and usually clog a passage.

After cleaning a chemical cleaner will help keep it clean but to get them really clean you have to that by hand, I use Lucas gas treatment along with the new fuel line and draining the float bowls over the winter and I haven't cleaned mine in 2 years.

Changing gas line and a filter make the biggest difference, alot of guys are running 10-20 year old engines with the original gas line, peices flake off and gum up the carbs, also letting gas sit over the winter will varnish the inside of the jets and make them run bad.
 

tashasdaddy

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Re: difference between seafoam and carb cleaning

seafoam, added to the fuel, keeps a clean carb clean, nothing will clean a 2 stroke carb, except dismantling, and cleaning it, new carb kit.
 

ENSIGN

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Re: difference between seafoam and carb cleaning

If you suspect a carb problem take it apart,soak it in carb cleaner and clean and blow everything out.Otherwise you're just beating a dead horse...
 

NYGiants

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Re: difference between seafoam and carb cleaning

i have a 2007 honda 2hp 4 stroke. would adding seafoam to its fuel make a difference? i dont really suspect anything is wrong.
when you say changing the original gas line do you mean the line running from the tank to the motor?
 

5150abf

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Re: difference between seafoam and carb cleaning

Yes , all original gas line, normally from the tank to the engine and then there is line inside the cowl too, that alot of people forget.

On an 07 I think you are good, I was speaking more to engines from the 80-90, mine is an 81 and I just last year changed the line under the cowl, of coarse I had changed the line from the tank to the engine btu never thought about under the hood.
 

tashasdaddy

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Re: difference between seafoam and carb cleaning

2007 would already have new lines.
 

NYGiants

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Re: difference between seafoam and carb cleaning

allright
thanks!
 
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