benefits of seafoming?

[Clevy]

The water drip into the intake may work for carbon build up in the combustion chambers but it does nothing for dissolving anything as far as the vacuum lines and so on.
I seafoam everything as soon as I notice a surging idle or sluggish running and it seems to help regain the lost pep.
Lately I've been using the stp version in the same can as seafoam. Doesn't seem to work as well as seafoam in the vacuum lines but did help a tick my girls van developed that the seafoam didn't help.
Use it. It does no harm and might help if your having an issue.
Don't bother adding it to fuel. Regane or techron work far better in the fuel.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Clevy
The water drip into the intake may work for carbon build up in the combustion chambers but it does nothing for dissolving anything as far as the vacuum lines and so on.
I seafoam everything as soon as I notice a surging idle or sluggish running and it seems to help regain the lost pep.
Lately I've been using the stp version in the same can as seafoam. Doesn't seem to work as well as seafoam in the vacuum lines but did help a tick my girls van developed that the seafoam didn't help.
Use it. It does no harm and might help if your having an issue.
Don't bother adding it to fuel. Regane or techron work far better in the fuel.


I've owned a lot of high mileage cars and have never had one with varnish in the vacuum lines

It is carbon in the chambers that causes knock/ping. In a port injected application, the valves should always be clean because of the injector washing them down.

When I had the heads off my 302, despite the fact that it had never seen magic seafoam POWA!!! The intake runners were pretty clean, the runners into the heads were extremely clean, the chambers and piston tops were pretty bloody clean too. And it had 280,000Km on it at the time.

Using high quality gas in an engine that is in tune, you shouldn't need to be dumping solvent/pale oil down your vacuum lines, the engine should already be clean inside.

 

[Kruse]

Originally Posted By: PZR2874
Originally Posted By: Kruse
Originally Posted By: Phishin
Save your money and buy a gallon jug of distilled water.


I've used the kinked garden hose trick many of times to break up carbon. In your opinion, why does the water have to be distilled?


Please elaborate on this "hose" method.


Turn on a water hydrant that has a garden hose attached to it. At the very end of the garden hose, kink it and the amount of water going through the garden hose is regulated by the amount of squeeze that you put on the hose by your hand. Hold the end of the garden hose over the top of the carburetor and vary the amount of water entering your engine by the amount of squeeze that you put on the hose. (Sidenote: I fully realize that there are few carburetors around any more, I'm just keeping it simple) The fast RPM is regulated by your other hand. With an RPM of 2000-2500, you can easily and have the engine swallow a gallon of water in a few minutes. Of course, you don't want it to suck too much water or you can hydro lock an engine.

 

[bdcardinal]

Originally Posted By: skyship
I was under the impression that spark plugs that are dirty should be replaced, or if they are expensive ones a mini sandblaster can be used to clean them if they are still good.


It isn't to clean the plugs. It is to break up the carbon in the interference fit portion to keep them from breaking off in the head when you remove them.

 

[lexus114]

I had mentioned this before. When I did the Seafoam through the pcv line on my RX, the car wouldnt shut off. I had a Helluva time getting it to shut off. kept Dieseling on me.

 

[jdawg89]

Its a 96 dodge ram with a 318. V8. I'm just fugureing I shouldd because I don't know this vehicle history besides the last 10,000...and its been pretty much babied. Has a very brief occasional wot run. Have seen about 95 with it once lol. Just wanted to clean it for the fun of it. Should I do it just befoore an oil change?

 

[Phishin]

Hold the RPM's to about 2500 and let the PCV system or brake booster drink the water. Start slowly and slowly increase the rate of water consumption until the engine starts to bog a bit. Back off the water until it runs good again, and then give it more water until it begins to bog again. Do this until you have a gallon or two all gone.

If you yard doesn't smell like a burnt firecracker, then your engine was clean to begin with.

You don't need distilled water, but that's what I use because my water is real hard (lots of calcium and magnesium carbonate....and iron) so when the water evaporates in the combustion chamber, you'll get hard water scale deposits....which is basically limestone.

 

[addyguy]

Originally Posted By: Phishin
Save your money and buy a gallon jug of distilled water. It works better than anything I've tried.


+1.

 

[occupant]

GM Top End Cleaner
Mopar Combustion Chamber Cleaner
Mazda Zoom Zoom Cleaner

What other makes have a specific cleaner for this? Is there a Ford equivalent? The GM one I have heard plenty of good things about on GM-centered forums and it's almost always recommended over Seafoam. I plan to use it when the Suburban hits 200K and I perform tune up #2.

 

[Silverado12]

I've seen old mechanics do the water trick with a spray bottle down the carb.

 

[mechtech2]

Get a bottle or two of Techron type cleaner , and add it to the tank.
Like Phishin said, water is great in the intake/PCV.