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Just cleaned intake manifold +++

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Old 10-24-2004 | 04:34 PM
  #41  
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A more clear pic of the hose::

Old 10-24-2004 | 10:38 PM
  #42  
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Originally Posted by soonerfan
Background
I regularly clean my throttle body by removing it so I can clean both sides and I use BG44K to clean injectors, etc. I have been wanting to clean the intake manifold since I was cleaning the two main things on either side of it.
I looked around to get info and pricing - dealership charges $100+ and most auto shops charge $80+

Well I found some stuff called Sea Foam for $6 and used it. It is supposed to "Clean carbon build up, Clean intake valves and pistons, Give smoother idle, Clean catalytic converter odors , Cure hesitations and pings, and Restore power and pickup" http://www.seafoamsales.com/motorTuneUp.htm
It is not carried by most auto part chains (advance, autozone, etc) I got it at a local place (for local N VA guys - Fairfax Auto Parts)

How to use it
1. Run car to normal operating temp.
2. Disconnect brake booster vacuum line (big hose that connects to brake master cylinder)
3. Pour liquid into a paper cup (makes it easier to handle)
4. Start car
5. Dip vacuum line into cup of fluid (do not just stick it in and leave it, it will kill the car. dip it it for a few seconds until you hear the car about to die then take it out. repeat this until you are done. i used the suggested amount which is 1/3 of the bottle)
6. Turn off the car
7. Let sit for five minutes (the liquid will eat away at all the dirt and carbon in the intake manifold, cylinders, valves, etc)
8. Reconnect brake booster vacuum line
9. Start car (you will see ALOT of white smoke coming out of the exhaust, that is all that nasty cr@p coming out. mine had 88K miles worth of nasty cr@p!!!)
10. let car run at about 3K RMPs for a few minutes to get everything out.

My opinion -


AMAZING. Throttle response is quicker then it ever was (car had 50K miles on it when I bought it) Start up is quicker and smoother. Idle is more smooth and quiet. Drives like a new car. I wish I could see the inside so I could see how clean it was.

I recommend that everyone do this. If you have any questions let me know.

Im going to do their Trans-Tune next!! http://www.seafoamsales.com/transTuneConsumer.htm

HAve you done the Trans yet? I just got my tranny fluid changed, but I am not sure how this would work for it...
Old 12-15-2004 | 08:49 PM
  #43  
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Hi, just did it to my car, but the service engine soon light has came on, what should I do??? Should I just disconnect negative battery cable and let ECU restart, or did I do something wrong, HELP!!!!
Old 12-16-2004 | 12:39 PM
  #44  
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Originally Posted by Santa29
Hi, just did it to my car, but the service engine soon light has came on, what should I do??? Should I just disconnect negative battery cable and let ECU restart, or did I do something wrong, HELP!!!!
Did you unplug anything that you forgot to plug back? Check the codes to see what it is and then reset it
Old 01-02-2005 | 01:12 PM
  #45  
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thanx for the write up soonerfan,
i need to do this too but unfortuntly just did an oil change today.
hopefully it will clean out some crud from my car.
Old 01-02-2005 | 09:57 PM
  #46  
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From bobistheoilguy.com forum:

"A part of the reason Seafoam "seems" to work is that it has volatile solvents in it....when they are absorbed by the carbon and other surfaces in the intake tract...they richen the mixture for awhile and make the car run smoother.

Not saying that Seafoam doesn't clean...but this is part of the reason it runs better right after it's put into the intake."
Old 01-07-2005 | 12:38 PM
  #47  
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I am sure Seafoam isn't the only engine liquid product to have the "volatile" solvents.
Old 01-29-2005 | 04:09 PM
  #48  
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stupid questions....
should i avoid using seafoam & a fuel system cleaner together??? maybe wait a couple thousand miles after using seafoam to use a fuel system cleaner??? which should i use first?? or does it not matter?
Old 02-27-2005 | 04:28 PM
  #49  
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like santa29, i used seafoam and my "check engine soon" light came on. the light came on after driving about 10 miles. can anyone offer any suggestions as to what the problem is? i changed my oil and filter after using seafoam as well. any help would be appreciated!
Old 02-27-2006 | 08:17 PM
  #50  
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Originally Posted by danyboie
like santa29, i used seafoam and my "check engine soon" light came on. the light came on after driving about 10 miles. can anyone offer any suggestions as to what the problem is? i changed my oil and filter after using seafoam as well. any help would be appreciated!
The only thing anyone can really tell you at this point is to get the codes pulled, without the codes no one can know why the light came on.
Old 02-27-2006 | 10:35 PM
  #51  
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I'm not sure some little cleaning will make a noticeable difference in engine response. Preventative maintenance is good though.
Old 03-01-2006 | 09:04 AM
  #52  
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seems very interesting. question about pouring this into the gas tank. how much?
Old 03-01-2006 | 02:34 PM
  #53  
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Ok, I just got my can Of Seafoam from Autozone. I want to to this treatment now, but how long can you wait until you need to change your oil? Can I wait a few days or should I do it immediately?
Old 03-01-2006 | 03:48 PM
  #54  
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If you're putting it in your oil then change the oil within 100-200 miles (everyone has diff opinion on how long you should keep it in there)

If you're sucking it into the brake booster then why change the oil?
Old 03-03-2006 | 01:21 PM
  #55  
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Oh man not the horrible ICS idle rpm higher than expected DTC. That would be code P0507.

I got this BS after someone told me to clean the throttle body. I ended up having nissan look at it, they made it worse and just finally bought a used throttle body. Nissan had to run the Idle air volume learn with consult II.

I am worried about trying this and ending up having to replace the throttle body again.

- No updates about what DTCs are being pulled after trying the sea foam? I imagine it might be something along the lines of an O2 sensor not reading right because the Air/fuel ratio might be off from using the sea foam.
Old 03-07-2006 | 09:58 AM
  #56  
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can wait to try this
Old 03-07-2006 | 10:02 AM
  #57  
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Originally Posted by RR5
Oh man not the horrible ICS idle rpm higher than expected DTC. That would be code P0507.

I got this BS after someone told me to clean the throttle body. I ended up having nissan look at it, they made it worse and just finally bought a used throttle body. Nissan had to run the Idle air volume learn with consult II.

I am worried about trying this and ending up having to replace the throttle body again.

- No updates about what DTCs are being pulled after trying the sea foam? I imagine it might be something along the lines of an O2 sensor not reading right because the Air/fuel ratio might be off from using the sea foam.
It should bypass your TB if you run it through the brake booster.
Old 03-07-2006 | 02:32 PM
  #58  
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don't waste your time dumping it into the intake manifold unless you have EGR or IACV problems. the stuff just rinses off deposits that normally accumulate in the IM and don't really cause any difference in performance. if your IACV, TB, EGR, etc have problems sticking because of deposits, then you need to look at the health of the engine anyway.. you will probably have an issue with excess oil blow-by causing the PCV valve to dump tons of oil into the intake tubing. that stuff is what causes the big issues..

Cliff's Notes:
If your engine is healthy and running okay, don't waste your time.
Old 03-07-2006 | 03:58 PM
  #59  
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Originally Posted by Matt93SE
don't waste your time dumping it into the intake manifold unless you have EGR or IACV problems. the stuff just rinses off deposits that normally accumulate in the IM and don't really cause any difference in performance. if your IACV, TB, EGR, etc have problems sticking because of deposits, then you need to look at the health of the engine anyway.. you will probably have an issue with excess oil blow-by causing the PCV valve to dump tons of oil into the intake tubing. that stuff is what causes the big issues..

Cliff's Notes:
If your engine is healthy and running okay, don't waste your time.
are you saying that all those people who tried it and saw an increase in performance had engine problems?
Old 03-24-2006 | 06:17 AM
  #60  
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Originally Posted by Matt93SE
don't waste your time dumping it into the intake manifold unless you have EGR or IACV problems. the stuff just rinses off deposits that normally accumulate in the IM and don't really cause any difference in performance. if your IACV, TB, EGR, etc have problems sticking because of deposits, then you need to look at the health of the engine anyway.. you will probably have an issue with excess oil blow-by causing the PCV valve to dump tons of oil into the intake tubing. that stuff is what causes the big issues..

Cliff's Notes:
If your engine is healthy and running okay, don't waste your time.

Originally Posted by DrKlop
are you saying that all those people who tried it and saw an increase in performance had engine problems?
Yes, please unpack this more. It seems your opinion is the only one that is in disagreement with the rest and it disturbs me because you are quite knowledgeable.
Old 03-24-2006 | 07:01 AM
  #61  
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Just for everyone's info, seafoam doesn't even come close to cleaning the inside of the intake manifold, at all. The only way to really clean it is to hot tank it some other parts cleaner that shops have using heated mineral spirits. Ditto intake valves...


And in case your wondering, yes i'm speaking from experience. I used it, removed the upper manifold and it looked dirty as ever. Same with the lower manifold and intake valves when i flashed a light down there.
Old 03-24-2006 | 08:31 AM
  #62  
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Originally Posted by nismology
Just for everyone's info, seafoam doesn't even come close to cleaning the inside of the intake manifold, at all. The only way to really clean it is to hot tank it some other parts cleaner that shops have using heated mineral spirits. Ditto intake valves...


And in case your wondering, yes i'm speaking from experience. I used it, removed the upper manifold and it looked dirty as ever. Same with the lower manifold and intake valves when i flashed a light down there.
So what carbon does seafoam clean up? Also, is the white smoke out of the exhaust just Seafoam and not "dirt"? Are all improvements placebo?
Old 03-24-2006 | 01:05 PM
  #63  
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Originally Posted by Progress
Yes, please unpack this more. It seems your opinion is the only one that is in disagreement with the rest and it disturbs me because you are quite knowledgeable.

Oh yeah that's it! Tell me I'm knowledgeable again. Tell me while I'm sticking this in your azz.
Old 03-24-2006 | 01:19 PM
  #64  
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Originally Posted by maxfanfromohio
Oh yeah that's it! Tell me I'm knowledgeable again. Tell me while I'm sticking this in your azz.


Oh man. You made me just about lose it.
Old 04-30-2006 | 06:04 PM
  #65  
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I Just Bought Some Sea Foam And I Can Not Wait To Do This Tomorrowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
Old 05-01-2006 | 12:28 PM
  #66  
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i did the treatment, my car runs orgasmicallyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
Old 03-01-2007 | 06:16 AM
  #67  
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bringing this to the top since there have been a lot of seafoam threads in the 5th gen forum lately.
Old 06-07-2007 | 09:39 AM
  #68  
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runs great

I just did this yesterday on my 98 SE with 155k on it and my buddy's integra and they both run great! I could feel a smoother idle after the first startup and a slight difference in the throttle response.

Thanks for the tips!
Old 06-14-2007 | 06:43 PM
  #69  
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whats the best intake, injen or berk?
Old 07-24-2007 | 01:22 PM
  #70  
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when you say let the car run at 3k, do i put it in park and rev it up to 3k? if that is the case, will it damage the engine?
Old 07-24-2007 | 04:37 PM
  #71  
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First: Does driving up a big hill on the highway at 3k RPM break your engine?

Is the moon whole?

Well it's not great for the engine, but if thats what it take, then thats what you do.

I haven't realized a great differance in anything so far. I think it's more in the head than in the car, not that I'm saying that theres no differance, there is, but minimal.
Old 07-24-2007 | 07:32 PM
  #72  
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Originally Posted by jattdemaxima
whats the best intake, injen or berk?
Old 07-24-2007 | 08:04 PM
  #73  
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In addition to what you said:


:attention
Old 06-08-2008 | 01:44 PM
  #74  
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i know this is a old thread but can you repost the pictures so i know where to put the stuff?
Old 06-08-2008 | 10:16 PM
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im bringing this thread back because i just purchased some sea foam to run through my 01 max with 102k miles........

Hey sooner or ANYONE, where is the break booster line i need to look for on my 2001?
Old 06-09-2008 | 08:04 AM
  #76  
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Originally Posted by hi-tek22
im bringing this thread back because i just purchased some sea foam to run through my 01 max with 102k miles........

Hey sooner or ANYONE, where is the break booster line i need to look for on my 2001?
Look on the passenger side rear of your intake manifold theres a hose connected to a nipple on the corner of it.
Old 06-09-2008 | 06:52 PM
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Originally Posted by ajcool2
Look on the passenger side rear of your intake manifold theres a hose connected to a nipple on the corner of it.
AHHHH, ok gotcha....i appreciate it...will do this tomorrow
Old 07-03-2008 | 06:50 AM
  #78  
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SeaFoam is available in Canada at CarQuest. Other places may have it, but, more expensive for the same tin.
Old 07-03-2008 | 08:41 AM
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to everybody considering seafoam... i'm not saying it doesn't work, because i've never tried it.. but just BE CAREFUL and make SURE you do it right.. LOTS of people have had problems in doing this seafoam incorrectly and having their car run poorly
Old 07-03-2008 | 08:47 AM
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maybe the issue is where do you disconnect the vacuum line? is it at the Brake Booster itself so the SF goes back into the line away from the booster or do you disconnect the line where there is enough hose to allow the SF to go into the Booster? My thoughts are the former, but, a mistake could be made...


Quick Reply: Just cleaned intake manifold +++



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