Will Seafoam foul my plugs?

[Pat M.]

I've got a minor knock and rough idle. I cleaned my TB today to find no improvement. I was wondering if I seafoamed or B12ed if it would ruin my plugs. They are only about 800miles old so they have a longtime till replacement.


My car is carboned up and i'm looking to improve MPG and power. I've run Chevron, clean tank, redline, clean tank since I've had it. (1100mi)


Thanks.

 

[Steelhead]

just pull and wire brush plugs after Seafoam/B12 or even better, give it a shot of water, 1 qt, down the TB plate at 2k rpm hot....
plugs and combustion chamber like a new engine on assembly line

Spitfires with the water injected Merlins never had a problem with fouled plugs or deposit buildup
the Pratt&Whitneys fell out of the sky like dead ducks with fouled plugs and deposit preignition engine damage.

let the Seafoam flood the engine at the end, 1 whole can in....then set and soak the crud for 2 hrs....hard freeway run with several pedals to the metal, redline NASCAR runs
run best done in the dark with no moon, state troopers frown upon gut pucking oil smoke clouds

or use a couple ounces of LC down each plug hole on vertical engine and let set for couple hours....just did on wife's CRV...noticibly smoother running engine....fuel mileage up by 2 over 5 tanks...cleans ring pack

did not get much Seafoam type white smoke from LC out the exhaust on the hotrod freeway redline run but the exhaust smell was similar to a large open garbage dump in mid summer...

wife noticed performance improvement...asked me what I had done to HER car?

[ August 20, 2006, 12:38 AM: Message edited by: Steelhead ]

 

[Pat M.]

Thanks. I guess I should note that this is a 1994 Buick Century Sp and that the MAFS is mounted infont of the TB so I can't run stuff through there too well, atleast not without that removed and the subsequent check engine light.

 

[Steelhead]

just disconnect the neg. batt. lead after you are done cleaning/maint...clears any codes and you are good to go
I have both MAF and MAP vehicles and never get a CEL by pulling TB feed tube and running engine? go figure
a CEL by itself does not harm engine, just telling you something was out of it's expected parameters

kind of like forgetting one thing on Honey's List, No Fear

a heavy carbon load in combustion chamber will affect the ECU fuel mix parameters and the adapative fuel tables need to be cleared anyway
ECU relearns in 10-20 miles of varied driving which is a good thing to do occassionaly

dealership shops run cleaner thru the tb regularly, a big money maker at $50 plus per shot

 

[mechtech]

Any deposits should burn off. We don't use leaded fuel anymore.
I would drive it hard until everything was blown out. If you start it and don't drive it much, the cool plugs may get short inducing deposits on them. Then, they won't fire right to burn them off.
BTW, water injection and Seafoam injection can't be compared.

 

[BrianWC]

foam or b-12 away. Never had a problem. Matter of fact, I've cleaned up my plugs w/ b-12 before...

 

[Tempest]

Can someone please explain why the plugs are supposed to become fouled? I'm not grasping why this should happen.

 

[mburnickas]

I do not think it should. I did 2 seafoams and (1) deep creep and no fouling.

 

[Pat M.]

Sounds good guys. I just found the perfect spot to do a traditional tuneup, very low traffic and a 55mph speedlimit. I'll think about the seafoaming...I guess i'm kinda in the "if it isn't broken, dont fix it" camp right now. Thanks.

 

[unDummy]

Whatever happened to just dumping the can(or any other quality FI cleaner) into your gas tank at your next fillup?

 

[gtx510]

smoke is cooler

 

[andyd]

uhhmn the ceramic insulation doesnt take wire brushing very well. At least on the Bosch plugs Ive tried brushing. I would recommend an Italian tuneup instead.

 

[Drew99GT]

quote:

---

Originally posted by unDummy:
Whatever happened to just dumping the can(or any other quality FI cleaner) into your gas tank at your next fillup?

---

Cause it doesn't work to get rid of carbon deposits. Seafoam through the throttle body with a hot running engine was the only thing that did it for me (never tried water though). Before that, I had run about 10 bottles of various fuel system cleaners and they didn't do squat for the tops of the pistons.

 

[mechtech]

I'd be more concerned about particulate matter in the catalytic converter, after a harsh solvent treatment.
And, NEVER wire brush a plug.
The steel or brass will impregnate the ceramic, and being great conductors, will short out the plug under certain circumstances.

 

[skate1968]

quote:

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Originally posted by mechtech:
BTW, water injection and Seafoam injection can't be compared.

---

My mechanical knowledge is limited and i don't wish to provoke an argument.

But what is the advantage of water injection vs seafoam or vice versa?

thanks

 

[unDummy]

Sorry, but cleaners added to the tank will remove carbon. But, owners tend to wait too long to use them and expect miracles.

Without using a fuel additive, all the seafoaming/water injecting won't do anything for dirty clogged fuel injectors with poor spray patterns, that'll lead to the carbon issue.

Berryman/lubegard have kits that work well for the backyard mechanic. I don't see seafoam or water as idiot proof enough to recommend it to everyone.

Search for this online:
B-12 CHEMTOOL® TOTAL COMBUSTION SYSTEM CLEANING KIT

http://www.lubegard.com/automotive/fuelsystem_instructions.pdf

I'm hoping that Seafoam comes out with something similar to the above to kits.

 

[Soupy]

unDummy, I bought the B-12 kit. Does the MAP have to be disconnected. It is located right behind the air filter on my 00 Silverado 5.3L. Everything else seems Idiot proof except for this.

It does say to try and find a vacuum nearest to center of manifold, but the brake booster and PCV are located on the rear. Does anyone know of another vacuum on the 5.3L/

Thanks,