Nikolai Posted January 12, 2006 Report Share Posted January 12, 2006 Like the title, has anyone done this to their car? Opinions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigjayzway Posted January 12, 2006 Report Share Posted January 12, 2006 I have heard a lot of good things about this product, although I have never tried it myself. I would be intrested to know if anyone else has as well? Big Jay Life is too short to grow up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimD Posted January 12, 2006 Report Share Posted January 12, 2006 Like the title, has anyone done this to their car? Opinions? Here comes an opinion; I have not and will not use any 'engine-repair-in-a-bottle' product. What do you want to accomplish? If your goal is cleaning out the combustion chamber, spend your money on a few gallons of gas and do a series (10 or more) of WOT exercises. Jim Drive your car. Use your cell phone. CHOOSE ONE ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chazglenn3 Posted January 12, 2006 Report Share Posted January 12, 2006 I use it from time to time in my 1987 Toyota Supra. The car is a 5-speed, and I haven't been able to get the same effect of a WOT that I achieve with an automatic. The car builds up carbon and starts to ping using regular fuel. I use the Seafoam to try to clean the carbon out, but lately all that totally stops the pinging is using premium fuel. Charles Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarrenJ Posted January 13, 2006 Report Share Posted January 13, 2006 Okay, let's see: You're visiting a car enthusiasts website. Chances are you take good care of your car, right? You periodically change belts, hoses etc. even if they don't need replacement. Change your battery every several years, yes? You're smarter than the average automobile owner, right? So then why in HELL can you possibly believe that some sort of magic elixer will turn your car into a Corvette eater? C'mon . . . . just put good gas in that tank! Regards, Warren There is no means of avoiding the final collapse of a boom brought about by credit expansion. The alternative is only whether the crisis should come sooner as the result of a voluntary abandonment of further credit expansion, or later as a final and total catastrophe of the currency system involved. - Ludwig von Mises Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonA Posted January 13, 2006 Report Share Posted January 13, 2006 I haven't used it in the Cadillac, but have in two other vehicles. Actually, it wasn't Sea Foam brand, it was GM's Top Engine Cleaner, a solution GM uses and sells for this specific purpose. Sometimes there is carbon in the combustion chambers that WOT will just not extract. It's been my experience that using a product like this will clean your engine better than you can just by using good fuel. It's like saying you can take a good bath just by using filtered water. There is a specific reason I haven't used it in the Cadillac... One, I haven't had the need like some others here have had (like cold carbon rap or pinging). Two, the compression ratio is so high (10.3:1), you stand a moderate chance of hydrolocking the engine if the procedure isn't done carefully. On my old Oldsmobile (8:1), you were supposed to pour this liquid in until the bottle was 2/3 gone, then dump the rest in as one big gulp to stall the engine and let the cleaner soak in the chambers. Worked fine on that car but I wouldn't do it on the Northstar. GM has a method of cleaning the combustion chambers, and it's by removing the spark plugs and injecting a metered amount of solvent in there and letting it sit. I don't have any particular comments on the Sea Foam brand, but there is a valid reason for these types of solvents, and GM does indeed sell one of its own (and use it during service work related to dirty combustion chambers). Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond) "When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikolai Posted January 14, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2006 Yeah, I was just curious if anyone had done it to the Northstar. It did wonders to clean up my brothers old dodge with 100k miles on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarrenJ Posted January 15, 2006 Report Share Posted January 15, 2006 I use it from time to time in my 1987 Toyota Supra . . . . but lately all that totally stops the pinging is using premium fuel. Charles Yup, completely understandable. However, you use the term "lately." Do you mean to suggest that in the past you enjoyed different results? Regards, Warren There is no means of avoiding the final collapse of a boom brought about by credit expansion. The alternative is only whether the crisis should come sooner as the result of a voluntary abandonment of further credit expansion, or later as a final and total catastrophe of the currency system involved. - Ludwig von Mises Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarrenJ Posted January 15, 2006 Report Share Posted January 15, 2006 I haven't used it in the Cadillac, but have in two other vehicles. Actually, it wasn't Sea Foam brand, it was GM's Top Engine Cleaner . . . . There is a specific reason I haven't used it in the Cadillac... One, I haven't had the need like some others here have had (like cold carbon rap or pinging). Two, the compression ratio is so high (10.3:1), you stand a moderate chance of hydrolocking the engine if the procedure isn't done carefully . . . . I don't have any particular comments on the Sea Foam brand, but there is a valid reason for these types of solvents . . . . JasonA, You are an obviously articulate and knowledgeble member here and I respect and value your opinion, but you're all over the map here! Sea Foam yes/no: ("Actually, it wasn't Sea Foam brand")? GM's Top Engine Cleaner yes/no: ("you stand a moderate chance of hydrolocking the engine if the procedure isn't done carefully")? Cadillac yes/no? . . . . ??? I'll stand with your first comment, "I haven't used it in the Cadillac." Me neither. Regards, Warren There is no means of avoiding the final collapse of a boom brought about by credit expansion. The alternative is only whether the crisis should come sooner as the result of a voluntary abandonment of further credit expansion, or later as a final and total catastrophe of the currency system involved. - Ludwig von Mises Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonA Posted January 15, 2006 Report Share Posted January 15, 2006 You are an obviously articulate and knowledgeble member here and I respect and value your opinion, but you're all over the map here! Sea Foam yes/no: ("Actually, it wasn't Sea Foam brand")? GM's Top Engine Cleaner yes/no: ("you stand a moderate chance of hydrolocking the engine if the procedure isn't done carefully")? Cadillac yes/no? . . . . ??? I'll stand with your first comment, "I haven't used it in the Cadillac." Me neither. Warren, I believe my post is clear if you re-read it. If not, let me articulate: SeaFoam, at least in this context, is used to clean carbon and other deposits from the combustion chamber, right? I said up front that I haven't used the SeaFoam brand, but I did use another product in the past for this purpose, GM's Top Engine Cleaner. I also stated that the vehicle I used it on wasn't my Cadillac, and had a relatively low compression ratio (8:1). The procedure involved dumping the actual liquid down the carburetor while the engine was running. We know from experience and from dialog with certain folks that a Northstar engine, or anything with a 10.3:1 compression ratio will be relatively easy to hydrolock. That's why I made the comment that unless the combustion chamber cleaning procedure was done carefully, you stand a chance of hydrolocking the engine, if you're doing it to a Northstar. I also stated that I hadn't yet used a product like this in my particular car because I haven't come across the need yet. I will say that when my mother owned the car, the dealer performed this procedure...I think where they remove the plugs and inject a solution (probably GM's Top Engine Cleaner) directly into the cylinders. Whether that procedure helped this '97 Seville when mom owned it, I don't know. What I did say before is that GM's Top Engine Cleaner did help the other vehicles on which I have used it, and were my Cadillac to develop symptoms that indicated a deep cleaning was necessary, I have no doubt that a solution such as this would be more effective than going out for a hard ride. That's good "preventative maintenance", but we shouldn't presume that deposits still couldn't become a problem, even in the hardest driven of vehicles. Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond) "When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarrenJ Posted January 15, 2006 Report Share Posted January 15, 2006 No hard feelings, I hope. Certainly none were intended. Regards, Warren There is no means of avoiding the final collapse of a boom brought about by credit expansion. The alternative is only whether the crisis should come sooner as the result of a voluntary abandonment of further credit expansion, or later as a final and total catastrophe of the currency system involved. - Ludwig von Mises Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justgreat Posted January 15, 2006 Report Share Posted January 15, 2006 I use it from time to time in my 1987 Toyota Supra. The car is a 5-speed, and I haven't been able to get the same effect of a WOT that I achieve with an automatic. The car builds up carbon and starts to ping using regular fuel. I use the Seafoam to try to clean the carbon out, but lately all that totally stops the pinging is using premium fuel. Charles that's a nice ride, especially with the manual tranny....you have the PERFECT setup for cleaning out your carbon build-up...just take it up to redline in 2nd gear and back off (throttle brake) to around 3k and do it again...maybe a half dozen times...that's the preferred method for cleaning out the combustion chambers and valves. jackg 90seville 99k Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonA Posted January 16, 2006 Report Share Posted January 16, 2006 No hard feelings, I hope. Certainly none were intended. Warren, none here. I appreciate the opportunity to better articulate what I said. Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond) "When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spurlee Posted January 16, 2006 Report Share Posted January 16, 2006 I use Seafoam in my El Dorado and Chevy Truck and, yes, even my 2000 Corvette. With a warm engine, slowly ingest a quarter cup or so in the throttle body then shut it down and let it sit for 1/2 hour. Start it up, let it idle and stand back while you fog the neighborhood. It's also really good for older 2 stroke outboards with carbon build up. It's also a fuel stabilizer, and oil additive. Too good to be true? Probably, but I do it once a year anyway. Scott Scott 1996 El Dorado 2006 STS 2000 Corvette Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonA Posted January 17, 2006 Report Share Posted January 17, 2006 With a warm engine, slowly ingest a quarter cup or so in the throttle body then shut it down and let it sit for 1/2 hour. Start it up, let it idle and stand back while you fog the neighborhood. Scott, is this how you administer it to your Eldorado? Do you use the aerosol type or liquid type? Do you literally "spoon feed" the throttle body as the engine runs, and as you pedal it with the throttle linkage? Thanks, Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond) "When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spurlee Posted January 17, 2006 Report Share Posted January 17, 2006 With a warm engine, slowly ingest a quarter cup or so in the throttle body then shut it down and let it sit for 1/2 hour. Start it up, let it idle and stand back while you fog the neighborhood. Scott, is this how you administer it to your Eldorado? Do you use the aerosol type or liquid type? Do you literally "spoon feed" the throttle body as the engine runs, and as you pedal it with the throttle linkage? Thanks, Jason: I use the liguid. I disconnect the air filter box, flip up the hard plastic pipe leading from it to the throttle body and pour a thin stream in from a pre-measured cup. I do it sort of rapidly and have someone shut off the engine right away to there's a lot left in the internals to get things soaked. Not enough to hydrolock though. Let it idle when you restart - no big RPM's until it's done smoking. After what I've learned here I'd probably take it out and run it through the 2nd gear high RPM process a couple of times and be done with it. Scott Scott 1996 El Dorado 2006 STS 2000 Corvette Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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