Seafoam Second Opinion
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NuclearN8
New member
I tend to agree. If Toyota thought these sorts of products would improve it's engine QDR (Quality, Durability, Reliabilty) they'd require them in the maintenance manual.
I'm not opposed to running a fuel system cleaner like Techron through once a year but admittadly that's not required either, I just do it out off boredom and to feel like I'm doing something important.
I'm not opposed to running a fuel system cleaner like Techron through once a year but admittadly that's not required either, I just do it out off boredom and to feel like I'm doing something important.
snowboardwcu
Member
In your attached picture, front most hose in the center of the block.
Seafoam is not overhyped. It can make a significant difference is your performance. A little in the gas tank, a little in the oil, a little in the vacuum lines goes a long way on a high mileage gunked up machine. It's truly a great product, been using for years.
Just be sure to give her a hard run ( 'spirited'is the preferred term) after
Seafoam is not overhyped. It can make a significant difference is your performance. A little in the gas tank, a little in the oil, a little in the vacuum lines goes a long way on a high mileage gunked up machine. It's truly a great product, been using for years.
Just be sure to give her a hard run ( 'spirited'is the preferred term) after
snowboardwcu
Member
*front most vacuum hose
snowboardwcu
Member
that is the one. was on my phone earlier and couldn't make an arrow on the pic.
i'm surprised at all the 'hate' on the seafoam here. i thought it was generally well received here while doing my initial research on which hose to use. saw some good videos that proved it works. i saw some power/mileage increases after my treatment (142k).
toyo
Member
Basically you just want the SF to be ingested. It will ingest into the valves pretty much anywhere you inject it into the intake plenum. You really are not cleaning the plenum, the valves are what is the major concern. Deposits to form on the valves, especially if you use a low quality grade of fuel and do a lot of city driving.
Don't skip the cleaning of the TB as well. If it's dirty you will feel a pretty good difference in the idle for sure.
Don't skip the cleaning of the TB as well. If it's dirty you will feel a pretty good difference in the idle for sure.
Ogre Ray
New member
Seafoam
I recently watched a video comparing seafoam to heet (and ipa)....
For what it is worth, here's the video
https://youtu.be/ElbgPhujl_M
I recently watched a video comparing seafoam to heet (and ipa)....
For what it is worth, here's the video
https://youtu.be/ElbgPhujl_M
Just seafoamed my 4th gen v8 today... 240k kms (Canada) on it, don't really notice it running different, has been maintained perfectly since day 1 and ran perfect before, runs perfect now...
Lots of blue smoke so I guess that means it helped? I used 3/4 of a can and used it in that vacuum nipple that has the black cap at the front of intake manifold... Took cap off, hooked up vacuum hose with a hose clamp, rev and put the hose into the bottle... Make sure you don't let it stall out.
Hope that's clear, researched for a while and it was hard to find the right answer... This is it. Good luck and enjoy!
Lots of blue smoke so I guess that means it helped? I used 3/4 of a can and used it in that vacuum nipple that has the black cap at the front of intake manifold... Took cap off, hooked up vacuum hose with a hose clamp, rev and put the hose into the bottle... Make sure you don't let it stall out.
Hope that's clear, researched for a while and it was hard to find the right answer... This is it. Good luck and enjoy!
That's the right one... Pull black cap off, vacuum line with hose clamp if necessary, stick hose into seafoam, rev engine and go... Don't let it stall, just dip the hose in then remove...
BlackWorksInc
New member
Eh, I don't really think of Seafoam as a fuel stabilizer; but I guess it does work that way.
These are some interesting videos, I had been wondering if anyone did real world testing with a borescope.
In a lawnmower:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdT4DPFXIkM
In a bigger lawnmower:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6UeJXkzDW8
The pistons weren't too bad in either engine to begin with, but it does give a decent idea of the cleaning properties. The basic thing to take away here is that Seafoam is a double edged sword, you can use it as a preventative maintenance every oil change or every other oil change to help reduce carbon build-up (in which case you may not see any noticeable results, because well there's not a lot of carbon anyways.) Or you can use it as a deep soak, carbon buster (which I have done on a few heavily carboned vehicles), in which case you run the risk of breaking loose chunks of carbon and/or unplugging what that gunk was plugging up.
You don't NEED Seafoam to keep your engine running good, but for the most part it does do what it is designed to do and using it as preventative maintenance doesn't hurt much either. The main thing take away is that you're using Seafoam mainly to break down carbon on the valves, pistons, and injector tips. Depending on things like severity and how you use the product, your mileage may vary.
While these types of products aren't usually called out in maintenance manuals for traditional gasoline engines, you do see many manufacturers starting to call for them in the newer GDI engines because the carbon build-up on the valves gets pretty nasty.
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chitown40
Member
While I always have a lot of respect for [MENTION=66389]BlackWorksInc[/MENTION] replies and automotive knowledge, I'm still going to say that Sea Foam sucked in through a vac line is a waste of $7. The Sea Foam can't possibly stay on any surface long enough to clean anything. If you mixed it with your fuel, I could see it providing some cleaning properties especially if you have crappy fuel near you with few additives.
There are more people that don't understand what they are doing and hydro-lock their engines than people that gain any benefit from sucking Sea Foam through the intake. Don't be one of those people.
There are more people that don't understand what they are doing and hydro-lock their engines than people that gain any benefit from sucking Sea Foam through the intake. Don't be one of those people.
KidVermicious
New member
:bravo:
I've used Seafoam twice, on older motors I'd just bought and thought I'd "freshen up". Each was running ok before, and each burned a valve shortly after. I think there's a lot of validity to what Blackworks is saying here, and the OP should consider why he thinks his motor needs Seafoam - if it doesn't need it, it doesn't need it, and if it DOES need it, figure out why and fix it.
Proper OCI and a bottle of Techron every six months keeps a motor pretty danged clean in my opinion, and the same treatment can bring a motor slowly and safely back from a sludgy doom.
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BlackWorksInc
New member
While I always have a lot of respect for [MENTION=66389]BlackWorksInc[/MENTION] replies and automotive knowledge, I'm still going to say that Sea Foam sucked in through a vac line is a waste of $7. The Sea Foam can't possibly stay on any surface long enough to clean anything. If you mixed it with your fuel, I could see it providing some cleaning properties especially if you have crappy fuel near you with few additives.
There are more people that don't understand what they are doing and hydro-lock their engines than people that gain any benefit from sucking Sea Foam through the intake. Don't be one of those people.
I agree, as the videos I linked showed; the cleaning effect in the combustion chamber was minor and that was a very rich rib (more white smoke means it's burning more seafoam inefficiently than gas.) It would probably clean the valves a bit better as it will sit on them a bit before they open and it gets sucked in and burns up in the combustion chamber. Hence why I think of it as preventative vs. Remedy (for a heavily carboned piston, soaking works better, otherwise you have to do multiple rounds via vacuum.) But I totally agree, you need to know what you're doing and what the product does otherwise you can cause problems, but when used right it does have benefits.
