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Topic: The miracle of Seafoam! (Read 3099 times) previous topic - next topic

The miracle of Seafoam!

Reply #15
Think of the Seafoam like paint remover.  You have to let paint remover begin the chemical process of removing the paint - same thing with Seafoam.  You want to get in in as quickly as possible for a better soak, let it sit - give it a chance to work for you, then fire the car up and let the internal combustion burn off all of the stuff you have removed. LOTS of smoke.  The more smoke, the more  you're burning off.  In this case smoke is your friend. If you have an area that has a lot of mosquitoes, this is a good place to let it run.:D

88 Cougar LS 5.0

 

The miracle of Seafoam!

Reply #16
another note would be to let the car warm up 1st, if your going the vacuum line route.
1979 Ford Fairmont
[/B]
5.0L/4R70W/8.8"/5-lug/3" Exhuast


The miracle of Seafoam!

Reply #17
Quote from: sansabar
The more smoke, the more  you're burning off.  In this case smoke is your friend. If you have an area that has a lot of mosquitoes, this is a good place to let it run.:D

Just don't do it in an underground parking lot in front of the Canadian Tire because it's raining out and you don't want to get wet. :nono:

Don't ask me how I know this. Let's just say the Bedford Fire Department was unimpressed :hick: (In retrospect it was not Seafoam but a simple carb cleaner used in the "incident" about 15 years ago, but smoke is smoke :evilgrin:)
2015 Mustang GT Premium - 5.0, 6-speed, Guard Green - too much awesome for one car

1988 5.0 Thunderbird :birdsmily: SOLD SEPT 11 2010: TC front clip/hood ♣ Body & paint completed Oct 2007 ♣ 3.55 TC rear end and front brakes ♣ TC interior ♣ CHE rear control arms (adjustable lowers) ♣ 2001 Bullitt springs ♣ Energy suspension poly busings ♣ Kenne Brown subframe connectors ♣ CWE engine mounts ♣ Thundercat sequential turn signals ♣ Explorer overhead console (temp/compass display) ♣ 2.25" off-road dual exhaust ♣ T-5 transmission swap completed Jan 2009 ♣

The miracle of Seafoam!

Reply #18
Bringing this back up, I've got a question/thoughts on this very task.

I've always wondered about people's opinions or experience on this regarding how much ring/cylinder wear the engine will experience as this WILL also remove the oil film from the cylinder walls for a few rotations. If one were to do this once every 6 months, would there be a measurement amount of additional wear/cylinder hone wear over 10 years? I would think so and once those hone marks are gone, wear will be quicker.

I'm more of a fan of preventative solutions to keep oil out of the intake and perhaps using a little marvel mystery oil in the gas take to keep the injectors and cylinders clean.
1988 Thunderbird Sport

The miracle of Seafoam!

Reply #19
i dont see how all of you think adding seafoam to the brake booser line is going to clean out the whole vac system especially since all vac lines on the car are parallel branches off the tree.  You'd have to add it to each far end vac termination connection in order to clean the whole system.

The miracle of Seafoam!

Reply #20
Quote from: jcassity;294491
i dont see how all of you think adding seafoam to the brake booser line is going to clean out the whole vac system especially since all vac lines on the car are parallel branches off the tree.  You'd have to add it to each far end vac termination connection in order to clean the whole system.


WTF? vac system?

you put it in there to clean the intake runners. not parts hooked to a vacuum line.
1979 Ford Fairmont
[/B]
5.0L/4R70W/8.8"/5-lug/3" Exhuast


The miracle of Seafoam!

Reply #21
Yeah cougrrrr may have misunderstood something ipsd said, HE initially suggested "oh it will clean out the whole vac system" not scott.
 
All it really could have done was clean out which ever line you used ipsd, which MAY have been clogged who knows. But yeah its only gonna go straight thru that one line to the manifold lol.
 
This is THE reason I completely blocked off my EGR as low down as I could....the explorer intake I got was CLEAN inside...and I want it and everything else to stay that way, not get exhaust particles all over everything which will then turn to gunk and sludge with fuel mist and moisture hitting it etc. Maybe I wont ever need to do this kinda thing...
1987 20th Anniversary Cougar, 302 "5.0" GT-40 heads (F3ZE '93 Cobra) and TMoss Ported H.O. intake, H.O. camshaft
2.5" Duals, no cats, Flowmaster 40s, Richmond 3.73s w/ Trac-Lok, maxed out Baumann shift kit, 3000 RPM Dirty Dog non-lock TC
Aside from the Mustang crinkle headers, still looks like it's only 150 HP...
1988 Black XR7 Trick Flow top end, Tremec 3550
1988 Black XR7 Procharger P600B intercooled, Edelbrock Performer non-RPM heads, GT40 intake AOD, 13 PSI @5000 RPM. 93 octane

The miracle of Seafoam!

Reply #22
The Seafoam is NOT what corrected the low vacuum at idle.  Something that got moved, taken off, and re-installed is what corrected the vacuum.  Low vacuum at idle is a leak, and normally results in a fast idle, albeit a lean idle.  Either way, NOT a good idle.
 
Been there, done that, with a failed gasket between the plenum and the lower intake on my F-150.  The vacuum gauge is exactly what told me I had a leak.  Then, it was up to me by process of elimination to find WHAT was leaking.  After disconnecting and plugging everything except the MAP and FPR vacuum lines, and STILL finding a low vacuum, I used an unlit propane torch to point propane all around the intake.  Amazing how quick that will show you an intake leak.
 
The Seafoam is great stuff, I use it myself, but it won't do diddly for a vacuum leak.  I won't take anything away from it for cleaning injectors and intake runners, throttle body, etc, etc.  The ONLY way it could improve vacuum is if the throttle body or IAC was sticking open, and the Seafoam washed out some crud and freed up whatever was stuck.  In which case, the Seafoam STILL did nothing to help the vacuum.  Fixing a defective part fixed the low vacuum issue.
:birdsmily:
(X2) '86 Thunderbird, 3.8L CFI, C5 Tranny
 
'92 F-150, 5.0L EFI (SD), M5OD Tranny, 3.08 Dif
 
'70 VW Beetle, 1780cc, twin Solex 43's.

The miracle of Seafoam!

Reply #23
Quote from: cougrrr302;90745
Sadly I have to ask. Where the hell is the brake booster hose? And officially my Walmart is gay. They dont carry Seafoam. So Far I understand how to do this, and its as easy as I thought, and I knew how to do it without realizing it


Advance Auto Parts sells Seafoam...

The miracle of Seafoam!

Reply #24
Ive tried Sea-Foam once.  I have mixed feelings about it. 

I tore down an old 302 and had to soak the pistons in Berryman B12 Chemtool for hours and still had to se the wrinkled carbon off with a plastic ser.  I tried carb cleaner, brake clean, and others.  Nothing even began to touch the carbon buildup (which was up to about 1/16" thick in some areas). 

I think the solution would have to sit in the engine for hours to even begin to loosen that crud.  Even then, if they made stuff strong enough to melt the carbon (like B12) its probably going to rot out any rubber hose it sits in long enough.

On the other hand, Seafoam works pretty good on stuck IACs.  I usually remove them, knock any junk free, and then fill them up and let them sit.  Then again, just knocking the junk out of them might be the trick.

When my SC blew the headgasket, it scrubbed a piston clean.  Maybe I will tap a pipe fitting into one runner on an old intake before I tear the next engine apart.  Then I can run Seafoam through just one cyl and compare it to non-cleaned pistons.

Clean piston on the left, dirty pistons middle and right.
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