Wiking

Used to be in the 'old days of mice', that 'drinking' the soot clogged car water, down the carburetor at 3000rpm, would steamclean all and kick soot out via the exhaust pipe.

Definitely my granpa driven car is now clogged with soot on valves, piston heads etc. etc... The revs seldom top 2000 with nice drive, that leaves deposits on engine guts.

Question:
How is it now on this Cat -age: if I clean my engine with injecting it water at 3000rpm, the soot will fly off as it used to. But will my CAT be killed, will I drop to the ol' mouse century again... = CAT kaputt?

In other words, How many lives do CATS have? And do I have to accept the accumulated soot?


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Edited:

THANKS for the info!

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

Seafoam...........

Matt93SE

iTrader: (44)

you can use small amounts of water, or you can use ATF (auto tranny fluid).. the ATF has more detergents and will help clean the walls on the intake manifold as well, but it will smoke like a b!tch for about 15-20 minutes.
it shouldn't hurt your cat at all since those deposits should be completely burned inside the engine and they're in a gas form before they get to the cat..

If you're really concerned about it, pull the cat off when you do it. it'll be loud, but not that big of a deal for a short time.

Wiking

- Is Seafoam an american trade mark - if so, is there a general name I could ask here? What are its ingredients?

- I am afraid to touch my exhaust 80k original pipe... I think it might la$t a couple of years if nobody tickles me, but taking it off, no way to get it back...

If no protest arise here, I´ll just might do the ol' steamy jippo: take idle tube off and inject water so that it barely 'survives' running 3000rpm.

Mizeree_X

iTrader: (9)

http://www.seafoamsales.com/motorTuneUp.htm

The ingredients are a combo of pale oil, isopropyl alcohol and naptha.

nelledge

iTrader: (6)

Seafoam is great stuff. Exceptional results IMO. As far as using ATF, it works great too. The method I use for it: add a quart to your crankcase (after draining about a quart, if it's not low) about 200 miles before your next oil change(depending on how fast you rack up miles). Just make sure not to procrastiNate on that oil change. I don't do this very often. Maybe once every 25k miles. That with the Seafoam? Unbelievably clean pistons, valves, walls, heads, etc. BTW this may help introduce other problems when that sludge is gone. Heh, what can you do?

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

I don't think it's safe to run an entire quart of Seafoam in the oil as:
1) it evaporates out
2) after that, your oil will be one quart low and dirty.

Make sure you read the directions on the label before using

Pour 1/3 to 1/2 pint into oil crank case to clean rings, lifters, dirty parts and remove moisture.

nelledge

iTrader: (6)

Jeff, my quart amount was for the use of ATF in the crankcase. Not Seafoam. ATF is going nowhere until that oil change.

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

My apologies Nelledge. on me

MrGone

iTrader: (30)

Marvel Mystery Oil is good stuff too

bhunter

iTrader: (3)

I agree with all about Seafoam, but if one of the components of combustion is H2O, why would injecting water be any worse on the CAT?

Matt93SE

iTrader: (44)

bhunter, the main issue is the stuff inside the engine that brakes loose. people are concerned that the deposits on the valves that come off will get stuck in the cat and clog it.


Wiking, unles you have severe rust problems on the exhaust, then I wouldn't worry too much about pulling it apart. I realize rust is a bigger issue there than it is in sunny Texas, but my car has over 200,000 miles on it and the exhaust comes apart with ease.
Usually the big issue are the bolts going into the cat. If they break off, then you can just drill them out with a 3/8" (10mm) drill bit and replace them with bolts and nuts. just put some anti-sieze compound on them and you won't have any problems.

Wiking

What you basically say is that either u have info via someones experience, or anyway are concerned that cat will be really blocked if all soot (80k) after driving granpa style gets loose?

Thanks for input.

Oh well. Life would be too easy without cat, and the environment would be free of those carcinogenou$ metals... Seems that I'll drive with my soot, electronics work is ok, but exhaust job is for somebody more virile.

If I had pwr for that exhaust job, I would take the CAT off and have it on just for inspection. It about never fires anyway. It comes ON only after 8miles 2500rpm drive (=once a week for me), so in everyday use its almost always nonusable stupid expensive nuisance...