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Sea foam use in the engine

148K views 160 replies 94 participants last post by  pocobind 
#1 ·
#78 ·
OK,been reading about sea-foam a lot here so I picked some up today at wally-world.Put a little in the oil to clean it up some before I do a oil change and some in the tank because of some carbon build up that was on the old spark plug.Hope it does the trick,I'm taking everyone's word for it.Do the ones that use it often use it all the time or just on an,as needed basis?
 
#80 ·
I wondered because how some spoke of how it will make it smoke,didn't think they would want to use it all the time for that reason.
 
#84 ·
I'm another recent convert, read all the posts before, thought it was a bunch of crap. WRONG! A friend, a marine mechanic, gave me a part bottle. Weedwacker ran with choke on the last 5-6 years, less than 5 minutes with seafoam and the choke wasn't needed. Put it in an old chainsaw and gave it a couple pulls each day - after a few days it started. Went bought a bottle.
 
#85 ·
:r_c:I have a few chain saws and weed eaters then are hard to start, or do not start at all.
I also have a weed eater that will only run with the choke on...

My question is where do I buy sea foam? So I can try it. After I try it it I will report back.:r_c:
 
#87 ·
x2, got mine from advanced auto, made an improvement for the 2 stroke chainsaws, and prevented the black build up I kept getting in the bayous carb tunnel away, but I've noticed a purple build up in the carb bowl instead...
 
#89 ·
I have used it in an outboard motor with great results. The motor had set up for a while and would cut in and out when I would speed it up. After adding seafoam and running a tank of fuel through the motor it began running smooth. Never thought about using it in my atv.
 
#90 ·
the only way i would use sea foam is if i bought a brand new truck, 4 wheeler, car, chain saw, etc, and used it from day one. i dont think i would ever use it on something thats more then 1 year old. i would be afraid it would knock a big chunk of gunk loose and put it somewhere its not supposed to be and scrap my engine.
 
#92 ·
Got a lot of carbon build-up

Howdy All,

When I was checking the valve clearance on my 05' Rancher 400 AT, I pulled the spark plug to set TDC. I decided to peek into the cylinder with my bore scope and noticed a lot of carbon build-up on the top of the piston.

This makes sense, since the first five years of this wheeler's life was as a ranch workhorse - feeding the horses, building fences, etc. Lot's of hours idling with a dirty air filter means a rich mixture and carbon build-up on piston heads and valves.

As I'm reading all of the threads about this Seafoam stuff, I'm thinking that maybe this is a viable alternative to breaking down the top end and cleaning it manually. I'd prefer not to break it down if I don't have to. So, here are my questions:

1. Which is more effective: run it through the gas, spray directly into intake, or both?

2. Can it be sprayed through the plug hole into the cylinder without damage?

3. The Seafoam website says up to 2 oz/gal of fuel, even though the label recommends 1.5 oz/gal. Anyone have any experience with the higher concentration?

4. How long (or how many gallons) will it take to remove the deposits?

5. Any other suggestions on its use?

Thanks -

Melsman
 
#93 ·
You can run as much in the gas as you need (to reasonable extent). More to clean, less to maintain, I'd put a gallon in the tank and run 3 oz in it, run it out then go back to the regular mixture. You can pop off the air cleaner and run the bike (in a clean area) and spray some in there as it runs, once you get a good amount in there, shut it off, let it sit for 15 minutes, then start it up (with the air cleaner back on) and horse on it until it stops smoking.

On a side note though, carbon build up on a piston is pretty common, not something I would worry about...
 
#99 ·
i knew a guy that had a VTX1300. needed a carb clean, i told him how to clean it but he was too lazy to fix it....so he dumped an entire bottle of seafoam into his full tank of gas....smoked like a bandit but it actually cleared it up......surprised the hell out of me
 
#94 ·
Thanks, Dan, for the reply. That's exactly the type of info I was looking for.

And you're right - moderate carbon buildup is not something to get too worked up about. But I'm kinda anal that way, plus I like to tinker and learn. My wife gives me crap about reading "books about how paint dries", but when she bought her 50% restored '68 Camaro, guess who restored the other 50%? Me and my "how paint dries" books and forums...

Melsman
 
#100 ·
nothing will get hurt . i use it in the oil if i get a little water in crank case.
 
#102 ·
it hasnt yet . but i only use 2oz of seafome with almost 3qts of oil so i realy dont worry about it wrecking the clutches
 
#107 ·
I've had good luck with Seafoam on equipment that sits for a long time, pressure washers, woodchippers, snowblowers. The can says 'instant action' and I believe it, as I've added it to old gas in a tank, let it sit a bit and I can usually get the engine to start pretty easily. I try to drain tanks if I have easy access, otherwise I use the Seafoam.
 
#108 ·
I pour a lil shot of it in everything I run, gas & oil. Especially after a good swim in the creek. The way gas is now days, can't hardly find some that ain't already full of water.
 
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