Seafoam Treatment

[NeXJ]

You should be okay, just change your coil asap now.

But I don't HAVE a coil.. it's EFI...!!! haha. No - I did FIRST thing. I gotta say - the thing seems to be running INSANELY well right now... SUPER SMOOTH!!!!!! Hopefully I haven't screwed the motor up in some deeper way. But all is good so far... maybe driving 800 miles in 5th gear is a little like driving 50 miles around town...

 

[kf_chris]

i have done it at least three times never failed 02 or pluges

Well I have done it about 15 times on 4 vehicles and never had the problem.
I have, however, heard of this issue on other forums with other guys having that happen as a result of Seafoam.

It was just a warning, and information, more of which is better than less

 

[kf_chris]

I'm curious as to why so many people say you have to immediately change the oil after putting Sea Foam in. I've seen people say they've run it in engines for the normal change intervals without issue, and there's nothing on the website about needing to change it immediately. Is it because of the chance of the dissolved crap clogging the filter, or what exactly?

I personally don't have any research into leaving it in, I just don't want to run that stuff in my oil regularly, never have. I put it in and drive it about 10 miles then change the oil. And when my engine was taken apart for the stroker build everything inside was VERY clean

 

[Johnnie Walker]

But I don't HAVE a coil.. it's EFI...!!! haha. No - I did FIRST thing. I gotta say - the thing seems to be running INSANELY well right now... SUPER SMOOTH!!!!!! Hopefully I haven't screwed the motor up in some deeper way. But all is good so far... maybe driving 800 miles in 5th gear is a little like driving 50 miles around town...

Yes, it was a typo. And someone else caught it before I did.
As far as running it through change intervals, on the bottle it says you can. But, the fact that it is a solvent, means that it can break down the oil. Most I have ever gone was 1000 miles, and that was not on purpose.

 

[NeXJ]

Yeah- I think we were just having fun with your typo... not to worry or be taken personally...!

The thing about solvents is... well... every quart of oil you put in is also a solvent. A solvent simply means that one solution will mix with another solution. And hence water is a solvent for, let's say, lemonade - since lemonade is made up of water. So- being a solvent alone does not mean the oil will lose it's lubricating properties. Seafoam IS a petroleum product - but since has VERY LOW viscosity it will reduce the viscosity of the oil in the crankcase, once well mixed. I think that's the only threat... and that is what allows the carbon busting to happen.

I think the way it really works is that seafoam is a petroleum product whose long chain carbons have been separated out - and hence it READILY combines with the carbon build-up in the engine and therefore reduces the problems created by such buildup...

 

[heyhar]

And their lawyers probably made them put that warning on the can. Yes, it is a petroleum distillate, more than likely high detergent, and fully soluble in oil, but you wouldn't want to run the Indy 500 with it. But, it's only 500 miles!

 

[NeXJ]

well... I'm just saying that if something is a solvent - IN GENERAL - that means it won't be dangerous to the host solution... i.e. wont' break down the host solution... the worst that can happen is thin it...

and NO of course you don't want EVER to run seafoam IN PLACE of oil except it was maybe one second at 200 RPM (i.e. a couple revolutions)

 

[hubs97xj]

Hmm, guess I could have read the rest of their webpage. So we're talking 9oz of Sea Foam in 192oz of oil. I run 10W30 year round, and I doubt the viscosity is reduced enough to cause problems- but at 160K and counting, I'll probably still stick to doing it periodically before an oil change anyway. I'd be more concerned with loading the filter with sludge than oil viscosity, but I was curious about the warnings about using it in the crankcase.

To clean oil rings and lifters, add 1½ oz. Sea Foam to each quart of oil. Sea Foam will slowly re-liquefy the old oil varnish residue that builds up on lifters and rings and prevents them from functioning normally. This process can be done as part of a pre service cleaning by adding the Sea Foam to the oil at least 30 miles before the next oil change interval. OR it can be done as a preventative maintenance process without changing the oil. You can leave Sea Foam in the oil indefinitely as long as the oil is clean. The addition of a high-detergent oil like Sea Foam may cause the oil to become dirty faster than normal as buildup oil residue and contamination are cleaned. Check the oil at regular intervals and when it gets dirty, change it.