My char is reaching 200k miles and the idle is a little rough so I was thinking of getting some seafoam. Have you guys used it and what are your experiences? It can only do good so I'm going to buy some when I have time but I'd like some input.

 

Do a search. Several others on the forum have written about their experience, and the overall concensus is that if it is used CORRECTLY, it does help.

 

Another product that works well is BG-44K fuel injector cleaner

 

I have yet to use Seafoam on my 850 but I can tell you that it made a world of difference on my SC300.

I bought the SC from the original owner, but obviously he only had it maintained at the Lexus dealer.

Regardless, I figured an engine with over 100k miles could still benefit.

i do it twice a year.

I do it at oil change intervals. I run a little into a vacuum line, some in the crank case, and the rest in the gas tank.

Let it set in the engine for five minutes, and then pour in something like Gunk's engine flush. Run for five minutes (NO MORE THAN THAT). Then drain your oil IMMEDIATELY.

Now, even at my oil changes, the oil still looks like I put it in a week ago. Honey gold and very healthy.

 

Oh and improper use would be just pouring it in your crankcase and letting it sit there.

That WILL eat away at your seals over time.

 

This was recently discussed over on Matthewsvolvosite and I took the liberty of contacting Seafoam directly. They sent three technical bulletins which should answer the questions for the most part...

Sea Foam Amounts in Fuel

4 Cycle Type Engines

Diesel

Rotary (Wankel)

2 Cycle type Engines

Sea Foam Products recommends an average of 1 ounce Sea Foam Motor Treatment to each gallon of Gasoline (including 5%, 10%, 12% & 15% Ethanol) and Diesel fuel, including (off road low sulfur) & Ultra Low Sulfur blends.
With any vehicle or system using E-85 fuel, use 2 ounces Sea foam per gallon of the fuel.
For Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel blends, Sea Foam recommends a MINIMUM of 1 ounce Sea Foam Motor Treatment per gallon of the Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel fuel. Using more Sea Foam adds more Lubricity.

Parameters are: 1 – 16 ounce can of Sea Foam Motor Treatment to a MINIMUM of 8 gallons of fuel, Maximum 25 gallons fuel to a 16 ounce can for maintenance. Follow the instructions above for OIL INJECTED engines also. (NO Sea Foam Motor Treatment ever goes into the oil reserve tank for oil injection engines!).

***For all gas/oil mixed fuels (2 cycle) use 2 ounces Sea Foam per gallon of the mix. If your fuel is E-85, use 3 ounces per gallon of the E-85 and oil mix.

Sea Foam Motor Treatment is blended OIL, and will not run a gasoline, Gas/oil mix or Ethanol engine without introducing HYDROCARBONS (gasoline or gas/ethanol blend) .

Fuel injector cleaning machines in a controlled environment use Sea Foam Motor Treatment as their safe Cleaning agent mixed with gasoline or ethanol blend at a ratio of 50 to 60% Gasoline/Ethanol blend PLUS 40 to 50% Sea Foam Motor Treatment.


Technical Services Department
Sea Foam Sales Company
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Updated July, 2008 DD

 

Here's the 2nd...

Sea Foam Motor Treatment used in Crankcase Oil

All Gasoline and Diesel, Rotary style engines

Sea Foam Motor Treatment is a Blended Petroleum Product, NOT A CHEMICAL and is widely used as an old oil residue reducer and moisture drier in any oil crankcase.
Sea Foam Motor Treatment is most commonly used as a pre service, old oil residue re-liquefier / cleaner / diagnostic tool, and moisture drier, and is also used as an after service additive. Sea Foam Motor Treatment does NOT add significantly to oil volume, so removing oil is NOT required for use, when used according to printed directions on the product container.
1. As a PRE SERVICE CLEANER for old oil residue, (sticky rings or valve train noise, diagnostics), pour 1 ½ ounces of Sea Foam Motor Treatment into the engine oil crankcase for EACH quart of crankcase oil capacity including filter. (Diesels use 1 pint Sea Foam to 4 gallons of oil, please.) Drive a MINIMUM of 30 minutes/miles, MAXIMUM 200 miles, (Diesels 1 hour drive/run time MINIMUM) and then do your oil change service (LOF). This is the process of safely/slowly re liquefying the old oil residue so contaminants may flow and be filtered. This also makes your old oil dirtier, quickly, so a LOF service is necessary when the oil gets dirty. Great for Turbo & Supercharged applications where hot oils deteriorate so quickly due to heat, those residues NEED CLEANING. (LOF = Lube oil & Filter service = OIL CHANGE).
2. As an AFTER SERVICE ADDITIVE into fresh oil, nearly fresh oil, or oil (used condition) that is NOT ready to be changed (by mileage), put 1 ½ ounces Sea Foam Motor Treatment into the crankcase per quart of capacity as described above, then SELF SET a program to MONITOR your oil for proper level, color and clarity on a mileage, timed, or event basis (like every time you add fuel, etc.) to determine when an oil service is necessary. (LOF) When the oil gets dirty, CHANGE IT!
Sea Foam Motor Treatment will safely and slowly re liquefy old oil residue, This will usually make your oil need changing BEFORE your normal scheduled LOF service. Only your monitoring of the oil for color and clarity can tell when it is time to do LOF (oil change service), or 3,000 miles, whichever comes first.
Synthetic oils, both blends and 100%, were engineered and are manufactured to be 100% compatible with petroleum based oils, all brands, and vice/versa. Without compatibility, oil manufacturers and engineers would be liable for the results of mixing non-compatible lubricants.
Check your oil; monitor its level, color & clarity to determine the need for an LOF service! Change your oil when it gets dirty!
Technical Services Department July 2008 DD
Sea Foam Sales Company

 

and the 3rd...

Sea Foam Uses in Fuels

Sea Foam Motor Treatment #’s SF-16 (16 ounce), SF-128 (gallon container) and
SF-55 (a 55 gallon drum) is registered with the EPA as a fuel additive for use in all Gasoline, all Ethanol fuels, Gas/oil mixes & ALL Diesel fuels. Including all brands and qualities of available fuels.
When added to these fuels, Sea Foam Motor Treatment was specifically designed to Safely do five (5) simple, yet important, tasks for you, SIMPLY. They are:

1. Sea Foam Motor Treatment is a 100% blended petroleum product. That means Sea Foam is OIL, so adding Sea Foam to ANY fuel, adds lubricity for Fuel systems, Induction systems (Including Drawn through Supercharged applications), upper cylinders, fuel pumps, and related fuel system & exhaust (Turbocharged) components. Ethanol fuels need LUBRICITY, Sea Foam supplies that Lubricity! All common available fuels lack "Protecting" lubrication.
Advantage: "Sea Foam".
2. Sea Foam Motor Treatment contains an engineered oil that dries fuel moisture. Moisture breaks down into its basic components of hydrogen and oxygen when Sea Foam Motor Treatment is added to any of the above listed fuels. This allows Sea Foam Motor Treatment to help eliminate problems caused by moisture, like diesel fuel gelling and Ethanol "Phase Separation". Ethanol absorbs moisture, Sea Foam dries it! Advantage: "Sea Foam".
[*]Sea Foam Motor Treatment contains an oil based high detergent fuel residue cleaner. Using Sea Foam Motor Treatment in your fuel system makes that old fuel residue safely back into liquid. Old fuel residues become a "non issue", allowing contaminants to be filtered, as engineered by the system manufacturer.
Advantage: "Sea Foam". [*]Sea Foam Motor Treatments exclusive formula is blended specifically to clean carbon out of the engine as the engine is run. This is accomplished by our cleaning oil formula eliminating old sticky oil residue that holds carbon and allows that carbon dust to flow out of the engine dust particle by dust particle. Advantage: "Sea Foam".[/ol]
5. Sea Foam Motor Treatment adds volatility to fuel and slows down the rate at which that fuel looses its ability to properly burn. When added to fuel and the fuel is in properly sealed containers or fuel systems, per printed container instructions, Sea Foam Motor Treatment is a fuel stabilizer for up to 2 years. Always run the engine for a long enough period of time to assure the entire system is protected. Advantage: "Sea Foam".
Technical Services Department
Sea Foam Sales Company
Updated July, 2008 DD

 

Just some food for thought, but if you read the 2nd bulletin, they recommend 30 minutes, although by adding a solvent-like cleaner, you probably don't want to have it in there for long. And I don't know that I'd be adding a solvent or any other chemical in addition to it, without maybe getting some feedback on whether that will cause a reaction of some kind. You might want to go to the seafoam website and mail their technical support people. I exchanged a few emails with them and found themvery willing to answer questions.

 

I may sound stupid, but I am a newbie with under the hood stuff. For the crank case seafoam, do you just pour it where you pour the oil into the engine?

 

yes the crankcase treatment is poured into the oil...i did seafoam my 850 about 1k ago but did not pour it in the crankcase because she was not due for an oil change yet.just in the fuel and vaccum induction