Sea Foam

P

pfoley

Seaman
Joined
Mar 19, 2006
Messages
52
I have a 78 1150 IL Merc. In an effort to smoothe out the idle a little, I was told to go buy some SeaFoam fuel/oil treatment to clean up the carbs a little. I did, but I'm not perfectly clear on how to use it. The can is a little vague too.<br /><br />What should I do for a good carb cleaning?
 
B

briannh1234

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
May 19, 2003
Messages
233
Re: Sea Foam

Just pour the can of seafoam into your gas tank and then go for a boat ride for about 20 minutes. The boat ride should mix the seafoam into the gas, and then it should make it's way to the carberators. Then park the boat overnite.
 
rickdb1boat

rickdb1boat

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Jan 23, 2002
Messages
11,195
Re: Sea Foam

Or if you want to give it a "Shock" dose, get a portable fuel tank and put a gallon of gas in it, a few ounces of TCW-3 oil and the can of seafoam. Run it on the muffs with the mix and then shut it down and let it sit overnight. Then hook up your regular mix of fuel/oil and take it out for a good run on the lake to blow it out...
 
timmathis

timmathis

Lieutenant
Joined
Apr 24, 2005
Messages
1,295
Re: Sea Foam

You can also run a few oz in each tank after that..
 
M

Mercr

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Mar 30, 2006
Messages
40
Re: Sea Foam

So far, two out of two of the Marine shops I've called have "never heard of SeaFoam". <br /> <br />The local NAPA: "OH YEAH!... you can use it in EVERYTHING - autos, diesels, boats, 'bikes, lawnmowers... it's GOOD stuff!" <br /> <br />So whats up with these marine shops?
 
P

pfoley

Seaman
Joined
Mar 19, 2006
Messages
52
Re: Sea Foam

Yes, hence my concern. I had never heard of it either. But, because of my unbridaled faith in this board and those who participate in it, I decided to give it a try! <br /><br />I'll post the results in a few days.
 
rickdb1boat

rickdb1boat

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Jan 23, 2002
Messages
11,195
Re: Sea Foam

Maybe the Marine shops want to sell what they carry......
 
M

Mercr

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Mar 30, 2006
Messages
40
Re: Sea Foam

I wuz thinkin that maybe they'd lose too much $90/hr business - running it through themselves ( their "secret ingredient"?)
 
D

dajohnson53

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Apr 28, 2004
Messages
1,627
Re: Sea Foam

Pfoley, go to the faq iboats repair faq <br /><br />There are very explicit instructions for decarbing using Seafoam and similar products. Should be easy to follow. I prefer the "tank" method over the "spray" method.
 
B

B.M.W II

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Mar 29, 2006
Messages
89
Re: Sea Foam

Pfoley do what D. said I used the steps in the faq to decarb my merc 150 about 2 weeks ago, Man !! what a difference. Runs like a totaly different motor. 16oz of sea foam 1gal of gas 3oz of tc3 oil. Take the fuel line loose at the water/fuel seperator stick it in a small gas can and let her run for 15min then let it set for 15min. Should be enough to do it 4 times. Send the neighbors running for the house. :D It will smoke real bad from the carbon burning out of the cylinders. :eek: Oh and dont do this in the grass as you will see all kinds of black tar looking stuff come from the exhaust. :eek: Good luck, Joe :cool:
 
K

KCLOST

Commander
Joined
Jun 22, 2002
Messages
2,095
Re: Sea Foam

Seafoam is great for a good decarb.... It will do exactly as BMW describes if you do it as he states...<br /><br />But it will not thoroughly clean out the carbs, jets, varnish, that may cause a stuck float..<br /><br />Try it, and if no improvement, you need to take out the carbs and give them a total clean job as described in the manual...<br /><br />Good luck and let us know...
 
P

pfoley

Seaman
Joined
Mar 19, 2006
Messages
52
Re: Sea Foam

Update: Last night I performed the two 15 minute runs with the the SeaFoam/Gallon/TCW3 mix(didn't have time for a third). Smoked a bunch each time. Interestingly, it was about ten minutes into the first run before it started smoking much at all. At the end of the second 15 min run, I turned the key off and went to dinner. I took a peak this morning and, sure enough, there's nasty black tar dripping out of it.<br /><br />When I get home tonight, I'll run it a little with the regular 50:1 to clear it out. I will let you know what happens. As long as doesn't run any worse than before, I guess it will have been a good excersise
 
M

Mercr

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Mar 30, 2006
Messages
40
Re: Sea Foam

NAPA had a case of Sea Foam. The NAPA guy was surprised that the local marine store seemed clueless. He said he might run some over to them. I said "That's OK. I'll just buy it from you..." :rolleyes:
 
Texasmark

Texasmark

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Dec 20, 2005
Messages
14,568
Re: Sea Foam

Studly, why? The Sea Foam is displacing gasoline not oil...but I sometimes add a little oil to the tank because I like to run fast and want a little more than 50:1 mix....totally unrelated to Sea Foam.<br /><br />I joined in Dec. Had never heard of it. I resisted for awhile but my engine was not up to snuff; hard starting and rough idle....top end was just fine. I have been adding to my fuel at fillup since February. No doubt in my mind this stuff works...just bought 2 more pints yesterday from my local NAPA dealer; had a display of it sitting out in the middle of the floor.....there are no marine dealers within 30 miles of me.<br /><br />Autozone had it on the shelf too.<br /><br />Too many old salts and others on here swear by it. With that many pushing it I had to give in and try it....smart move on my part.<br /><br />How much? I added 1/2 pint to 10 gal to start and now run about 4 to 6 oz per 10 gallons. Works for me. Am I using it correctly? Dunno but it's working. By adding to the gas, it works on your engine every time you are out and inbetween times it is soaking the engine with residual fuel. Engine runs better every time I go out....but the weather is warming up too and that could be part of it.<br /><br />Good stuff.<br /><br />Mark
 
studlymandingo

studlymandingo

Commander
Joined
Mar 22, 2006
Messages
2,716
Re: Sea Foam

I was referring to the concentrated flush, I want to do the decarb, and every post says to mix 3 OZ with the gallon of gas, Sea Foam. My auto injection works fine, so I was wondering if there was a reason to add extra oil for the decarb, or if that was for people who pre-mix.
 
P

pfoley

Seaman
Joined
Mar 19, 2006
Messages
52
Re: Sea Foam

Okay, I ran her last night with the muffs and the regular 50:1 to get the seafoam stuff out. It ran okay, but I can still see "tar" coming out. I was hoping to take her out on the water at full throttle to blow the junk out, but the weather turned snotty on me. So here I am with an engine full of sludge on a rainy day. Will this carbon/fuel sludge hurt anything while the boat is waiting to be run hard? Maybe three days? I was told to never run the engine on muffs at high rpms, so I could't get all the sludge out last night.
 
B

B.M.W II

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Mar 29, 2006
Messages
89
Re: Sea Foam

Pfoly: It was about two or three days before I got the chance to get on the lake to run mine. I dont think it will hurt for it to set a day or so. But dont be surprised if you get it in the water and on the first start it still smokes bad and may sputter a little at first. It will clear up when you open it up. :D I did like you and run 50.1 through it after the decarb and mine still smoked and sputtered on the first start up at the lake. I think you will be surprised at the difference in the way it runs and sounds after this. Mine ran smoother and guieter.Good luck, Joe :cool:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top