Topic: How To: Sea Foam Your Car

[TOMBONOMBONA]

This is a quick but simple guide for sea foaming your car. Thanks to Apple2noe for filming it.

Step 1: Start the car and let it warm up.

Step 2: Unplug a vacuum line. I used the one on the recirculation valve as it is very easy to get at.

Step 3: Plug either some small hose or a funnel into the vacuum line. I used the funnel approach.

Step 4: If you are using the funnel method, slowly pour the sea foam in, try not to stall out the engine because if you put too much in at once it will stall. If you are using the hose method, quickly and repeatedly dip the open end of the hose into the sea foam, again being careful not to stall it.

Step 5: Once you have poured approximately one third ( 1/3 ) of the can in, shut the engine off. Wait five minutes.

Step 6: After waiting for five minutes, turn on the car and enjoy the smoke show.

Here is a video for visual reference.

[Zaider]

Thanks for the writeup!

What're your impressions after doing the Sea Foam?

[TOMBONOMBONA]

Well, seeings how my car is lower km ( rolled over 50k on the way back from the meat ) it still seems brand new. But any little bit of shaking the engine did at idle is now gone. Next I'm going to dump a bunch in the oil a little while before i change it, see how clean it makes it.

[Hurricane]

Be sure not to do this in your neighborhood, unless you like pissing off the neighbors.

There are three schools of thought regarding Sea Foam, some think it is a miracle cure, some think it is a waste of time and money, and some feel it is detrimental to the engine.

I have a can in the garage, I use it mainly to look for exhaust leaks.  When I did use it for "cleaning" I found no appreciable affect after use.  YMMV.

BTW you might want to fix the thread title, I thought you were talking about sealing up your car.

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

I used it on my civic (~180K at the time) and it seemed to help out. As for appreciable effects, I like it for the show more than anything. The other thing is that sometimes, the carbon build up actually helps seal the motor, so after using sea foam on older motors, you may develop leaks and such.

I know autovalue in Calgary used to carry it, but last time I as there, they didn't have it anymore.

[Hurricane]

I've seen it lately at the AutoValue off Bannister and I know that NAPA carries it.

[matk13]

 ya we carry it at napa you can also get it in a 4L if your really feeling squirrely.

[honz]

There are recommendations to put some in with your engine oil before a change, does anyone have some insight into this? I have done it, I cannot say whether it helps or does not.

Canadian Tire sells it by the boatload as well. I have used it now and again and sometimes see an effect but it is not measurable. Also, this line of has been mentioned to help get water out of the engine ('fog', 'seafoam foam', PCL water treatment).

[dub c]

I just did mine a week or so ago, don't really have anything to report as I haven't driven it.
I put it it my oil and did the vacuum lines.
It also claims to be a fuel system and injector cleaner when added to the fuel tank.
I know most car makers have their own special formula they use.
I'd like to get my hands on some Subaru brand, anybody know anything about that?

[AdamMc]

Ive used Seafoam 1 time.  My experience was with my 2.5RS when it was @ around 106,000 KM's.  I was typically getting ~300km on a tank of fuel, but after a half decent smoke show, i was easily getting 450-500km to a tank.  So my experience really helped.


This is my car:

[600rr]

I have used it twice on my car, mainly because subaru's build up carbon so fast. The first time (210k km on the clock) it really smoked, turbo spool was much quicker and the car felt much more stable through the gears and pulled much harder.
My origional intent was to simply look for any leaks in the exhaust system, but it proved to do much more then that.

[97STB]

Ok, I want to do this to my Forester when it arrives but have never done it before since only people I've talked to about it had higher KM cars so they did not recommend it, my Forester will be mid 80,000km so I think I'm going to do this, you just suck it into any vacuum line, and then add some to your oil before you change it?? So how long are you supposed to drive with the sea foam in your engine before you change the oil?? I would probably flush some crapy oil through the system afterwards as well or no? is this smoke coming from the exhausts happening after you put it in a vacuum line? I've also read that as far as a fuel system cleaner that BG44K cannot be beat so I will probably use that for the fuel

[honz]

I have seafoamed my old 2.5, a Forester 2.5, and my 2.0 after getting water in the engine.

When I seafoam, I use a tank around 1/3-1/4 full, pour 1/3 of the seafoam in the gas. Put 1/3 of it in the oil and then the remainder goes into the vacuum hose, where I have let the engine stall out as I finish off the sea foam. Then I let it sit for about half an hour and run it through the smoke show (driving), when I return the the oil gets changed.

I've done this several times and it's a great smoke show. The car generally idled a bit better but I have not really noticed a massive improvement in fuel consumption (always ~450km/tank on all motors).

[tperkins]

Here is a thread on the topic of whether or not to seafoam:

http://www.westernsubaruclub.com/smf/index.php?topic=21577.0

Where I look stupid a 2-3 times lol.

I ended up doing the 1/3 treatment on my Subaru, my recommendation would be if nothing is wrong, don't fix it. I have done it to two of my vehicles and helped a friend do it to his, I didn't notice any difference in mine and I don't think my friend noticed any difference in his. On my Tacoma and on my Subaru, both developed issues (that may or may not be related to the seafoam) soon there after. Correlation does not mean causation, but I don't think that I will be doing it again. I am done "fixing" things that aren't broken lol.

That being said, I understand that this is a DIY thread, not a seafoam experiences thread. Good write up! There are also a couple more how-to's that I have linked in that  thread.

[Roadwarrior]

When I did it on my old Mystique i did it this same way, but instead of trying to dip the hose in and keep it from stalling i just left the hose in and used a pair of needle nose vice grips on the hose to control the flow and keep it from stalling, once i found a good spot i just let it go till it emptied the bottle.

[97STB]

Ya after checking it all out, I think I'm actually going to use Auto RX, seems to be a safer more effective solution, except for that it takes 3000miles to work so its a longer process but I have heard only good things about it. Then BG44K the fuel system and lube it up with Lucas oil fuel line lube afterwards. Then just stick to regular synthetic oil changes and good fuel

[alistairh]

Ya after checking it all out, I think I'm actually going to use Auto RX, seems to be a safer more effective solution, except for that it takes 3000miles to work so its a longer process but I have heard only good things about it. Then BG44K the fuel system and lube it up with Lucas oil fuel line lube afterwards. Then just stick to regular synthetic oil changes and good fuel

My buddys shop actually sells some TUV certified fuel system cleaner. You don't get that certification if your product doesn't do anything.

Problem with a free market is, anyone can put a product on the shelf and make magical claims with pseudo science to back it up.

Seafoaming sounds like a fantastic way to make your o2 sensors angry, if you're feeding it in via a vaccum line.

There are products like motorvac and the detergents that go with it that does stuff. Also, keep in mind that going to a synthetic may actually cause an engine that has no or minor oil leaks, to start leaking oil.

Putting random solvents into my engine oil, which has unknown reactions with the additives already in my oil, placed there by the oil company who has spent millions and millions of dollars in research formulating their blend and additives to work well in a large variety of engines, doesn't seem like a good idea at all.

[97STB]

Ya I've read too many mixed reviews to be comfortable with anything other then the AutoRX mixed with the oil, better safer then sorry. What does your friend use for the fuel system?