Cleans out carbon deposits and makes the engine run a lot smoother depending on how bad your carbon buildup is.

 

i also would like to do the brake booster method, but i will wait until im around people who have done it this way, because if i do it solo, im bound to f something up.

 

I waited around for a few months before trying it because I was unsure and didnt want to F things up, but once you find the brake booster hose you will realize how easy this is. takes about 3 mins to do.

 

did you notice a large improvement with it? i've got 119k on my baby, and i did the crankcase and gas tank. Dont know if i felt anything or not. Maybe responsiveness. It hasnt had anything like seafoam done to it throughout the duration of its life, so im assuming it will help it out a lot. What exactly does the seafoam clean out through the brake booster?

 

I did it last week. Piece of cake although I did have my SES light go on just after, and then it came on again a couple days later. Now it's gone again. The code was 'random cylinder misfire'. Must have not been that gummed up because I only had 1 small puff of smoke.

I'd be happy to help when you do it. With 119K, we're gonna see a LOT of smoke.

 

I did it the day before the track, my car felt weaker. Had smoke coming out for 10 minutes or so but I know it was just crap from the intake manifold and not the engine itself. Davey, I can walk you through it if you want and if Tom doesn't mind. It's a piece of cake, even you can't mess it up.

 

haha, thats awesome tom. my neighbors will really love me then. the exhaust, the subwoofers, now LOTS of smoke through the neighborhood...hmmm. and thanks dave, need i remind you im a genius? that game said so. I'll probably call you up later this week or the weekend. Did you throw a cel davE?

 

No problem, Dave.

 

I just did it again this weekend and drove my family to breakfast afterward. I was laughing my as$ off looking at the guy on his motorcycle behind me trying to avoid the white smoke.

 

lemme know where you guys are gonna meet so that i can join too

 

I'm not sure if we're gonne meet or not. I was just planning on telling him over the phobe or sending pics.

 

At what mileage would it be recommended to start using this stuff? My car runs perfectly (58K) and I'm a believer in if it ain't broke don't fix it. Is it something that one would start using at more like 100K? My car has mostly (80% plus) highway miles on it.

Is this product intended for marine applications, ie. boat motors?

 

How does the valvetrain and intake manifold look? If clean, no. If varnished and dirty, yes.

 

ohhkk ... pics if you have will be great along with some simple instructions

I'm thinkin of doing it at autozone or some place like that where they don't mind ppl workin on their cars i don't wanna scare neighbors as i live in an apartment complex ...

btw, my car has 114k miles on it ... was actually thinkin of doing auto-rx too but as i went thru couple of threads on bitog, some ppl say that it's better to do seafoam first and then auto-rx I'll do auto-rx after 120k

 

I can't believe you said that. Don't say things like that if you have no clue.

 

Quick question. I just did an oil change less than 1000 miles ago w/ synthetic, and don't want to change the oil again before at least 6000. If I run the seafoam through the brake booster line, is an oil change required?

 

no.........

 

not required but i would recommend it. some of the carbon breakup will burn off (smoke) and the other will find its way into the oil. i would just hold off til the next oil change.

 

So you really don't think you will hydrolock your engine if you pour in too much at one time? It can happen that's why you're supposed to suck it in a little at a time. When I do it, I don't even submerge the vacuum line into the Seafoam. I keep the hose at the edge of the fluid line and let it suck a little at a time.

 

will seafoam in gas tank help getting better mileage ?!? i'm right now getting abt 19 in exclusive city driving and recently got abt 25+ on exclusively highway driving

I'm tempted to ask this question after i saw some 4th gen maxis get their owners abt 30 mpg on highway

Anyways, i'm abt 500 miles away from oil change, so i will do the brakebooster and crankcase methods right before the oil change :-)

 

Seafoam is a waste as far as my experiences. Putting it in the gas tank helps a bit but only cause it has the same ingredients they put in those POS OCTANE BOOSTERS. Unless you use seafom regularly it does absolutely nothing.

 

I am somewhat reluctant to try Seafoam and am even questioning whether or no to use the bottle of Chevron Techron I bought a month ago. I can't understand how so many people get carbon buildups that would necessitate the use of this stuff. I wouldn't know a carbon buildup if it bit me in the a$$. I've never had one. What's it from - stop and go city driving or what?

 

It comes from driving short distances. If the engine never gets hot enough to blow that crap out, it just builds up.

 

I see. Well for the time being I won't worry about it. My car is 80% plus highway miles and I've been doing a lot of 45-mile round trip highway runs this past winter. When I do take short runs I try and go the circuitous route to ensure the car is warmed up.

I am hard pressed to understand how, despite short runs, so many orgers get carbon buidlup because it seems the majority flog their car like a rented mule, lol!

 

So you're telling me you took your engine apart and saw no carbon build up at all? Very believable.

 

The combustion process isn't 100% efficent. If it was,we would be getting close to 40 % mileage and there would be zero emissions. My point is no matter how you drive you will have some amount of carbon in your heads/pistons. And since you have a functioning EGR valve, you will get carbon gunk in the intake manifold.

Now doing lot's highway driving will minimize the carbon quite a bit. Short, frequent trips will maximize carbon buildup.

Whether or not you need it:

1) though the intake manifold: Look though the throttle body and see. But imho, probably not.
2) gas tank, probably not a bad idea but you have the techron already. Just use it.
3) in the oil. inspect the valvetrain like I've already stated. Varnish? Yes. No varnish. No.

 

Well, I guess I'll take a look. I'm half way between oil changes and think I'll hold off on the Techron until I'm about 200 or 300 miles away from my next oil change as I have seen that recommended recently.

 

i figure, what can it hurt? no one has reported damages done by using it. I've done the crankcase and gas tank methods, soon to be brake booster method when i need another oil change. like i said, i've got 119k, and i dont see it doing any harm.

 

Techron goes in the gas tank. No affect on the oil. If you want to use it in the oil, wait until you are about 100-200 miles from the next oil change and add it. Take it easy on the engine while it's in there.

 

No I don't intend to put the Techron anywhere but in the gas tank. I have read at least twice recently to do it just before a required oil change as it can affect the viscosity of the oil. Not too sure about that.

 

I've used Techron in the tank in the past. No problems there either.

 

You don't need an oil change for using Techron or Sea Foam in your gas tank. You need one if you put Sea Foam in your oil...

 

Exactly...

 

rmurdoch, thats why once you put the seafoam or whatever into the crankcase, you drive with for a little bit, then change your oil. I ran mine for 4 days in the crankcase, then changed my oil.

 

Here's my take on all this Sea Foam hysteria. I have not seen where anyone has done a comparative test pitting Sea Foam against other additives. I would bet a dollar to doughnuts that if you added the stuff I use to a Max which has not had anything added before, that you would also get the same, "Gee Whiz, it runs so much better" effect from its driver.

Anyone care to do a double-blind test of this stuff?

 

Since you are willing to risk all those precious doughnuts, I nominate you to perform this test.

 

or if you run it through the brake booster line, as some of the grime will find it's way into your oil...

but what is the point of that? if seafoam can do the job as well or better, i don't understand how if i were to add 'the stuff you use' would make any difference....seafoam is, what? $6.00 a bottle? IMO that's more than worth the after effects...and i would rather stick with something that i know works than buy something else for close to the same price...call me crazy...

also, how exactly would you go about doing this 'comparitive test' between seafoam and other additives? what's to test? It all depends on the car and how much it needs it or not...there's no way to do a factual or equal test on this....that being said, i think i'll stick with seafoam...

EDIT: and i'm shocked to see that my thread has lasted this long! lol i haven't peeked into the fluids/lubricants section in a looong time

 

LubeControl LC is a better product to add to your crankcase than Seafoam and LubeControl FP is a better fuel system additive than Seafoam. This is the consensus of opinion that I have gleaned on bobistheoilguy.com. I have never used Seafoam and would only use it through a brake booster or PCV hose, not a crankcase or gas tank.

 

What is "factual or equal" about all these anecdotal reports?

What makes someone want to put this stuff into their car...any car? Answer: "to make it run better in the opinion of the driver."

Opinions are qualitative and not quantitative...but we can still measure them scientifically.

Doing my comparative test is fairly straightforward:

Find ten Maxima owners who have never put any cleaning additives in their cars, and ask them if they would like a "free engine cleaning." Just be sure not to tell them exactly how their engines will be cleaned. Randomly assign five Maximas to the Seafoam group and five Maximas to the "Brand X" group. Clean the engines according to manufacturer's specs. Make sure that all the aftereffects of the cleaning are gone; e.g. smoke.

Return the Maximas to their owners and let them drive their cars for a week. Then, given all of them a survey that asks them to rate how much better (or worse) is their car's idle, responsiveness, performance, gas mileage, etc. following the engine treatment.

Compare the results.

If Seafoam is as great as everyone says it is, then it should receive higher ratings than "Brand X" on every question.

If there are very few differences in ratings between the two, or if Brand X scores higher on one or more questions, and Brand X costs less than Seafoam, then what other reasons would there be to buy it?

 

exactly my point...half of the results of the seafoam/brand x have to do with the mind...one driver may notice something that another does not....the other half has to do with the car...where has it been throughout it's life? how many miles does it have? Was it mostly city or highway mileage? has it had all of it's scheduled maintenance? I seriously doubt that you would be able to locate 10 maximas that have had anywhere close to the same pasts and since neither of these factors are quantitative, it would be next to impossible to create a fair test between these products...