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I’ve never seen Seafoam hurt anything, but I’m not going to say it can’t happen. I’ve used it on both of my Subarus. Granted, I didn’t notice much of a difference, if any difference at all (I can’t remember at present moment, but I’m drunk to the point where I’m kind of suprised that I’m typing), but it did make one rather impressive plume of smoke when I ran it through a vacuum line.
I posted a recipe over in the tool forum if you want to try making it yourself. A gallon of it can be made for about the cost of a can of Seafoam. The thread is called homebrew automotive chemical recipes, or something along those lines. I can’t remember at present.
Only thing I’ve seen seafoam do is foul out plugs if you run it through your vacuum lines, and that is with more than one use, also depending on how dirty your engine is. BTW I filled my new fuel filter on my diesel 6.2 with seafoam and I think it ruined the filter, so I learned my lesson there.
Thrasher
I’m not having any issues, well.. other than when idleing (usually at lights) my engine…. I’ll leave that for a nother post. No major issues. I”ve just heard stories about Sea Foam and was curious to know if all the hype was true.
I’ve been running Seafoam thru my vehicles(all domestics)and my tractors for several years. Never had an injector or carb problem. Think that it works better as prevention then cure.
jhn9840
JohnI never had any problems with seafoam. I didn’t notice a difference either. I agree, I think it’s just for preventitive maintenance.
Last may I added sea foam to my fuel tank. 3 months later after work one night i had a heck of a time starting my car. Luckily it finally started and never acted up again, but a week later one morning the fuel pump was dead. i was able to diagnose it because of Eric’s video.
I have a 2003 grand am 74,000 miles How likely is it or unlikely that sea foam killed my pump?
Thank you
After 3 months? I’d say that the Seafoam had nothing to do with the fuel pump failing. GM fuel pumps are sometimes extremely reliable, other times they’re little more than junk. There’s unfortunately no way to tell exactly what kind of fuel pump you’re going to get. The only advice I can give to keep them alive is to never let your car get below a quarter of a tank of gas. The gas acts as a lubricant and a coolant for the in-tank pump, and when the fuel level gets low enough to turn the fuel light on, you’re running the pump hot, and comparatively un-lubricated.
On a more personal note, I’ve replaced the fuel pump in my wife’s ’04 Outback twice now in the two years we’ve owned it because she never fills the tank and will drive it until the low fuel light starts flashing. Fortunately for me those are easy pumps to replace, since there’s an access panel under the back seat, but still, I don’t like shelling out $150 every 10 months or so because she can’t keep gas in the tank.
Sea Foam, can help with an idle. No real cleaning benefits in the fuel system, more of a ‘maintenance dosage’ type product. If you look around for the ingredients it is basically pale oil with a mild solvent.
Get a true PEA containing fuel system cleaner for the tank, like Red Line SI-1 or Amsoil Pi(Performance Improver). Chevron with Techron additive has a good amount of PEA, too. A real detergent-based cleaner. They clean the PCV system, too.
Otherwise, Kreen; sold by Kano Labs(google them) sells in quarts(important because gallons and larger are HAZARDOUS chems and shipping is more insane)…
Kreen is great for piston soaks, cleaning up an engine while driving, etc.
Lots of talk on BITOG forums about it, but I don’t want to product push here.
IF the idea is to clean the top-end(ie brake booster use with Sea Foam was the primary purpose?):
Instead of Sea Foam(a poor product for that application), use a true foam type cleanser marketed/designed for top-end cleaning. I prefer Amsoil’s Power Foam, but locally at a CDJ dealership you can get a Mopar product called Combustion Chamber Cleaner.
Basically with the engine a full temp, mid-day(a hot one if possible); on non-MAF equipped vehicles(possible to use but not recommended), you spray it in the throttle body until the can is empty and then IMMEDIATELY shut the car off. Close the hood.
Wait 1-2 hours(max) later for the restart(wait at LEAST 30 minutes, the 5-10 minutes on the can are barely enough to get the most use out of such a product IMO…the longer it can ‘soak’ at the deposits etc the better, but of course cooling down completely they just reharden, I find 1 hour is optimal)…by the way only keep the RPMs high enough to prevent stalling; on my Civic it took around 1,2000 so no more than 1,500 on your Civic is all that should be needed.
Re-start, allow vehicle to idle for about 5 minutes. Punch the throttle a couple of times in neutral, then drive WOT with no one behind you and expell what was loosened. The Amsoil Power Foam is such a large can it cleans the Throttle Body/plate, IACV, intake manifold/runners, EGR system(not sure about PCV?), and of course the top of the cylinder heads.
Change your oil afterward. That is important.
Like SeaFoam, any time you ‘tune up’ this way it risks fouling an 02 sensor or spark plug. Generally speaking, they were about to fail anyway. I just prefer alternatives to Sea Foam. While I must admit Sea Foam initially had me interested, it was finding better products. I’d use MMO before Sea Foam again, for the fuel regular maintenance or with oil for mild cleansing.
Yes SeaFoam is safe for imports as well. But i heard using too much fuel cleaner can be harmful. So i only recommend it during oil changes.
Sea foam to me seams more of a novelty item for car guys more than anything. I usually only do it once, just for show, in the parkinglot of the apartment complex were 8 live. But yeah if your really interested in cleaning the intake then do it right otherwise you’ll pay way more in unnecessary repairs..man this ranchero steak meal from rancheritos is huge!
when adding sea foam to your oil do u have to change oil or can you drive with it. and if do have to change oil do u let the engine idle for a couple of minutes. i just bought a quart of motor flush from AZ to use for my next oil change and i know the procedure for it is to add when engine is cold and then let idle for 5 minutes but do not drive. then shut it down and do a normal oil change. is sea foam similar?
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