Seafoam

[TheDirtyJeep401]

I'm getting ready to sea foam my 86 2.5 and was wondering where the best place would be to pour it in, ive heard the 1/3 1/3 1/3, or Putting half in the vacuum lines and the rest either in the throttle body and gas tank.  Anybody done it both ways or know the right way? Which had better results? Thanks in Advance 

[Minuit]

When I did it I put half in the TB with the engine idling (be careful to not pour too fast) let it sit for 15 minutes, and drove it hard for a few miles. The rest went in the gas tank. You can put it in the oil but you'll have to change the oil after a few days.

[Blue88Comanche]

When I did mine I put half a can in the vac line for the brake booster, and half in the oil, and a half can in the gas. Because you have the 2.5 I may would only do a third can in the vac, and oil. I changed the oil about 300-500 miles later.

 

I let it sit 10-20 min and started up the motor, it was having issues idling with the brake booster vac line connected, so I disconnected it again and let it run till it burned off enough stuff to idle with the BB connected. While the BB line was disconnected (and parked) I revved the engine. After a few min I reconnected the BB vac line and took it for a spin with a few hard accelerations and maintained higher than normal rpms. All said and done, I think it did help it idle smoother.

 

And my 1/2, 1/2, 1/2 math works out to 3 cans... For 2 I-6 MJs

 

Once I did put a whole can of sea foam in the oil AFTER my oil change not thinking about it, 3000 miles later it was still doing fine.

 

I did the same treatment to my 4.7L WK, only 1/2 oil, 1/2 vac, 1/1 gas. The wk put out more white smoke than my Blue MJ.

[jimoshel]

Drank a half a can of Sea Foam. poured the rest in the gas tank. Nor sure which one of us ran the better.

[Tactical Bacon]

Be cautious with putting Seafoam in the oil and then driving around for a while. I've heard many a tale of spun bearings resulting from such practices. Personally, I recommend half a can and idle for 10 minutes before an oil change. Works pretty well for me.

[TheDirtyJeep401]

Thanks for the responses guys

 

When I did it I put half in the TB with the engine idling (be careful to not pour too fast) let it sit for 15 minutes, and drove it hard for a few miles. The rest went in the gas tank. You can put it in the oil but you'll have to change the oil after a few days.

Would you have to change the filter too? Or just do it before you have your schedule oil change?

 

 

When I did mine I put half a can in the vac line for the brake booster, and half in the oil, and a half can in the gas. Because you have the 2.5 I may would only do a third can in the vac, and oil. I changed the oil about 300-500 miles later. I let it sit 10-20 min and started up the motor, it was having issues idling with the brake booster vac line connected, so I disconnected it again and let it run till it burned off enough stuff to idle with the BB connected. While the BB line was disconnected (and parked) I revved the engine. After a few min I reconnected the BB vac line and took it for a spin with a few hard accelerations and maintained higher than normal rpms. All said and done, I think it did help it idle smoother. And my 1/2, 1/2, 1/2 math works out to 3 cans... For 2 I-6 MJs Once I did put a whole can of sea foam in the oil AFTER my oil change not thinking about it, 3000 miles later it was still doing fine. I did the same treatment to my 4.7L WK, only 1/2 oil, 1/2 vac, 1/1 gas. The wk put out more white smoke than my Blue MJ.

So would you recommend 2 or 3 cans?

 

 

Drank a half a can of Sea Foam. poured the rest in the gas tank. Nor sure which one of us ran the better.

You didnt blow white smoke everywhere did you?  :laughin:

 

 

Be cautious with putting Seafoam in the oil and then driving around for a while. I've heard many a tale of spun bearings resulting from such practices. Personally, I recommend half a can and idle for 10 minutes before an oil change. Works pretty well for me.

Ive never heard of it in the oil, does it help not smoke or something?

[Blue88Comanche]

Be cautious with putting Seafoam in the oil and then driving around for a while. I've heard many a tale of spun bearings resulting from such practices. Personally, I recommend half a can and idle for 10 minutes before an oil change. Works pretty well for me.

 

Spun bearing? I am not sure what that is...  But I can see the oil filter getting clogged faster if the engine is very dirty inside.

 

10 min before an oil change does not give it much time to work,  most everyone I have seen use sea foam usually say at least 200 miles.  I think it says there is not a problem running it full time in the oil on the can.  I will buy one on my way home tonight and read over it.  I remember someone on another jeep forum saying its ok to use between oil changes from the start, the only issue is the crud it gets loose and into the oil filter.  

 

There was another oil additive one of my mechanics told me to use, it helps clean the engine as well... I can't remember the name of it at the moment but when I am at the parts store I will try to find it.  I know it comes in a 1 quart container, it is not Lucas. (But Lucas is good stuff as well)

 

Would you have to change the filter too? Or just do it before you have your schedule oil change?

always change the oil filter when you change the oil!   just plan to change your oil about a week after you put the sea foam in the oil.

 

 

When I did mine I put half a can in the vac line for the brake booster, and half in the oil, and a half can in the gas. Because you have the 2.5 I may would only do a third can in the vac, and oil. I changed the oil about 300-500 miles later. I let it sit 10-20 min and started up the motor, it was having issues idling with the brake booster vac line connected, so I disconnected it again and let it run till it burned off enough stuff to idle with the BB connected. While the BB line was disconnected (and parked) I revved the engine. After a few min I reconnected the BB vac line and took it for a spin with a few hard accelerations and maintained higher than normal rpms. All said and done, I think it did help it idle smoother. And my 1/2, 1/2, 1/2 math works out to 3 cans... For 2 I-6 MJs Once I did put a whole can of sea foam in the oil AFTER my oil change not thinking about it, 3000 miles later it was still doing fine. I did the same treatment to my 4.7L WK, only 1/2 oil, 1/2 vac, 1/1 gas. The wk put out more white smoke than my Blue MJ.

So would you recommend 2 or 3 cans?

for you 1 can, third it between gas, oil, and intake (i use the Brake booster hose and a funnel).  Just remember the jeep needs to be running while you add the stuff to the intake, and to do it slowly.. too fast will cause the engine to stall.

 

 

also do this in an open area and if possible keep the smoke down wind of you, the fumes are toxic.

[mpace6a]

I dumped 1/3rd in about a 1/4 full gas tank,1/3rd in the oil, and the last third in the bb vacuum line. Drove about 25-30 miles and changed the oil. I wouldn't want the stuff in my oil and longer that that

[GirsMJ86]

Ive never heard of it in the oil, does it help not smoke or something?

It cleans all the gunk out so that when you change the oil, the fresh stuff is going into a cleaner engine then if you only drained the oil. I've always done this right before an oil change, don't think adding it while doing a fresh oil change would be very beneficial because it is just going to start cleaning and expedite the process of the new oil getting dirty. It's mainly used as a cleaner.

 

I normally will dump a full can in a nearly empty tank of gas at fill up at least twice a year. I did the oil trick once and it was extremely dark oil when I then changed it, afterwards I switched to pure synthetic. I've never done the TB trick.

[TheDirtyJeep401]

Well, I sea foamed it, and I have to say I'm impressed. it dosent choke taking off anymore, gained more power, idles better and sounds better. put 1/4 in the Brake booster line and 1/4 in the throttle body and the rest in the gas tank. I'm gonna try it when i change my oil too.

 

Thanks for the help guys!

[glundblad]

Drank a half a can of Sea Foam. poured the rest in the gas tank. Nor sure which one of us ran the better.

 

Where does this guy come up with this stuff? :rotf:

[GirsMJ86]

 

Drank a half a can of Sea Foam. poured the rest in the gas tank. Nor sure which one of us ran the better.

 

Where does this guy come up with this stuff? :rotf:

 

Experience.

[Alexia]

Blue88Comanche, on 26 Sept 2013 - 12:46, said:

 

 

91Comanche91Kid, on 25 Sept 2013 - 23:34, said:

Be cautious with putting Seafoam in the oil and then driving around for a while. I've heard many a tale of spun bearings resulting from such practices. Personally, I recommend half a can and idle for 10 minutes before an oil change. Works pretty well for me.

Spun bearing? I am not sure what that is... But I can see the oil filter getting clogged faster if the engine is very dirty inside.

 

10 min before an oil change does not give it much time to work, most everyone I have seen use sea foam usually say at least 200 miles. I think it says there is not a problem running it full time in the oil on the can. I will buy one on my way home tonight and read over it. I remember someone on another jeep forum saying its ok to use between oil changes from the start, the only issue is the crud it gets loose and into the oil filter.

 

Spinning a bearing means there was poor lubrication and the bearing friction welded to the crankshaft causing it to spin in the bore. If the oil is diluted enough it is certainly possible for this to happen. That along with the oil filter no longer able to pass oil due to being clogged. Basically, if Seafoam is used in the oil it has to be checked every single drive for the condition of the oil. A heavily sludge engine may very quickly cause an oil starvation condition.

 

Seafoam contains Pale Oil, Naphtha, and Isopropyl Alcohol.

http://hildstrom.com/projects/seafoam/

[cruiser54]

I'm not keen with something like Seafoam in the oil. Marvel Mystery Oil works well and is more a lubricant than a solvent.

[Oyaji]

I'm not big on either Sea Foam or Marvel Mystery Oil - I put both in the "snake oil" category. But the one thing  I see they do accomplish  - removing sludge from an old engine - I get in a different way.

.

Here is a tip I picked up from a master mechanic I worked for to make money for college after I left the farm: every couple years and just before an oil change when the engine oil is a quart low, add a quart of automatic transmission fluid and drive under light load for 50-75 miles. Make sure the change the oil and filter that same day, just as soon as the engine cools enough that you can.

.

This works wonders. I had the proof of it firsthand the very first time he talked me into it. I was adjusting the valves of my old 1972 Datsun pickup, and was scooping enormous gobs of sludge from the valve cover, wondering about how to get all the crap out from under the separator chamber below the PCV, when he walked past and asked  WTH I was doing. When I replied that I was saving time by cleaning the valve cover up now so when I did my planned overhaul in a few months then I'd have that much less to do, he laughed and told me I was wasting my time because there was a much easier way to get it clean - and told me the ATF trick. When I was incredulous and voiced my fear that it would dilute the engine oil too much, he pointed out that the trick was not to leave the ATF/engine oil mix in there for very long and to drive under only light load.

.

Well, he finally convinced me to try it. When I drained the oil  a little later, it looked like Hershey's Chocolate syrup! The compression went up across all cylinders (a little - about 5 PSI IIRC - likely from de-sludging gummed-up rings), and when I pulled the engine down a few months later, aside from a little grainy residue in the oil pan that wouldn't drain out with the oil, it was  spotless inside. That included the half-cleaned valve cover, which I had put back on the engine with 2 inches of sludge still stuck to the underside but was now so clean I could see all the scrape marks from where I had been gouging out chunks of the  sludge with a putty knife. Further, rubber engine seals that are normally  pretty stiff and brittle after 200,000+ miles felt lively and nearly as soft as the new ones  Ireplaced them with! My boss attributed that to the different composition of ATF. He said the  superb cleaning action resulted from the detergents used in ATF, but I am unsure on that - I was thinking it could result purely from the thinning of the oil. Whatever the cause, there was no arguing with the results.

.

That  very first experience made me a believer. I suppose you might get similar results from diluting the engine oil with anything, but I'll stick with what I and people I know well have experience with. Those solvents scare me off, to tell the truth.

[Zebvance]

After you did that and put fresh oil in, how did the vehicle run and feel? Noticeable power regains?

[Blue88Comanche]

 

This is what my mechanic said to use.

[TheDirtyJeep401]

Hmm i might look into the ATF thing, i might see. Still sounds a little sketchy to me. But hey if it works, then it works.

[JeepcoMJ]

I will not sea foam an engine. Period.

 

 

The oil filter is only filtering 10% of the oil passing through at most. The rest is bypassed.

 

 

The sludge, gunk, grime buildup is such that if you break it loose, it will clog oil passages, ruin bearings. Even an ounce of sea foam will thin out the oil and cause minor damage. The more you treat, the more you damage.

 

 

The only way to clean a gunked motor without full disassembly and having it dipped is with the oil pan off and scrape then spray it out. Even at that, there is still a chance of loose debris causing damage.

 

 

Anyone buying into sea foam or other mystery oils hasn't been inside a motor enough to know better.

[gogmorgo]

A couple winters ago, my teenaged sister had been regularly driving my Dad's van, a known oil burning/leaking Chevy 305, but kept neglecting to check the oil. One day it didn't start. So she checked the oil and of course there was almost none. So she poured in the "oil in the white jug that was in the back of the van". And the van fired up. (Thank god for low-oil safety switches, eh?) About a month and a half later, my dad went to top off the atf, also known to leak very slowly around the pan, and there was nothing in the jug. Turns out my sister had just grabbed a jug in the dark without looking at it, and dumped nearly a gallon of atf into the crankcase. He freaked out and called me, and I told him to change the oil. Apparently it came out a "dark rusty colour". But the van still runs fine to this day despite running on mostly ATF for about 2300km... my Dad's even been dd'ing it since my sister wrote off his car in January.

 

That's my only experience with atf in the oil that I know of. Didn't seem to have adversely affected the engine.

[TheDirtyJeep401]

I will not sea foam an engine. Period.

 

 

The oil filter is only filtering 10% of the oil passing through at most. The rest is bypassed.

 

 

The sludge, gunk, grime buildup is such that if you break it loose, it will clog oil passages, ruin bearings. Even an ounce of sea foam will thin out the oil and cause minor damage. The more you treat, the more you damage.

 

 

The only way to clean a gunked motor without full disassembly and having it dipped is with the oil pan off and scrape then spray it out. Even at that, there is still a chance of loose debris causing damage.

 

 

Anyone buying into sea foam or other mystery oils hasn't been inside a motor enough to know better.

In the oil or just in general????

[Oyaji]

After you did that and put fresh oil in, how did the vehicle run and feel? Noticeable power regains?

.

Nope, no noticeable power gains... but remember, that engine was near the end of its life.   But when I did pull it down for overhaul a few months later, it looked like new inside - there were no deposits built up anywhere. (Remember, there were 2 inched of sludge built up under the valve cover a few months earlier.) Even the piston ring grooves were spotless (though stained), as were the passages behind them. There was nothing to clean out of the grooves, though I tried using a broken ring to scrape them out just to be sure - not even a little coke remained there. I used the same pistons since they mic'ed out within spec (as did the cylinder bores - could still see the original hone marks everywhere), and just  put in new rings. A couple of the rod bearings were showing copper and I swapped them for new ones, but used the same main bearings (crank and rod ends mic'ed out good too).

.

I just fired that engine up last week  (after  the truck it is in sat unused in the barn for the last 20 years) - needs a bit of work on the carb (idle jet is plugged at least), but once I redo  that and the brakes  and put on new tires I think I'll put it back on the road.      :)

[Oyaji]

A couple winters ago, my teenaged sister had been regularly driving my Dad's van, a known oil burning/leaking Chevy 305, but kept neglecting to check the oil. One day it didn't start. So she checked the oil and of course there was almost none. So she poured in the "oil in the white jug that was in the back of the van". And the van fired up. (Thank god for low-oil safety switches, eh?) About a month and a half later, my dad went to top off the atf, also known to leak very slowly around the pan, and there was nothing in the jug. Turns out my sister had just grabbed a jug in the dark without looking at it, and dumped nearly a gallon of atf into the crankcase. He freaked out and called me, and I told him to change the oil. Apparently it came out a "dark rusty colour". But the van still runs fine to this day despite running on mostly ATF for about 2300km... my Dad's even been dd'ing it since my sister wrote off his car in January.

 

That's my only experience with atf in the oil that I know of. Didn't seem to have adversely affected the engine.

.

WOW.

.

That there is as good a testimonial that ATF won't destroy an engine as you will ever hear, I reckon. I would still be worried that it might soften the seals too much, but still, this particular engine seems to have tolerated the ATF very well.

.

I am curious - after the ATF incident, did the oil leaks subside any?

[gogmorgo]

Well, it still uses about the same amount of oil it always has, so I don't know that it did much for that. But about the same time this happened, the oil pressure started spiking, completely pinning the gauge, but then goes back to normal after about a minute or so. It does that a couple times an hour, unrelated to vehicle speed or rpm, so my guess is there are probably a couple chunks of something floating around and clogging the outtake of the pump and then getting blasted out. (that or there are some gremlins in the 30 year old wires) I've changed the oil myself a few times since, and there's usually a soft lump or two of sludge that comes out. But no metal shavings yet.

 

Mind you, this is an '80's sbc we're talking about here. It's almost an accomplishment to kill one of those...