Any luck using Sea Foam?

Thanks for all of the insight. I added 4 ounces to the crank case and about 8 ounces to the gas tank (half full) and filled it up the following morning. It's running smoother now and I was also able to clean the igniter plug and got rid of the P1300 code. Still reads the P171 code. I cleaned the throttle body but can't get that check engine light to stay off.....

 

I use sea foam on my lawn mower and weed wacker when they have been sitting for awhile and difficult to start but i will not use it in vehicles

 

I run a bottle threw mine every couple of months and keep track of my mileage on every tank. I just ran a bottle threw the other day and got 245 miles out of tank. I run it till the gas light comes on and fill it up at the same gas station just about everytime. I average about 235 miles on a normal tank with no seafoam. I think it helps but people have there own opinion.

 

The sea foam worked well on my '96 Tacoma 3.4. Videos all over youtube on using the stuff. Most of them tell you to suck it through the brake booster, however that is a poor method for the 3.4 Liter engine because the brake booster line will only feed one cylinder on the intake plenum. The better method would be to use the PCV line to suck it through. Don't suck it through so fast that it kills the engine or you could get hydrolock on your motor. (Suck it through while idling up your motor a little). Many only use 1/3 of a can and put the rest in the tank and crankcase, however I ran a whole can through the PCV vacuum line on my tacoma. The results were impressive. Even my wife noticed how much smoother it ran. '96 Tacoma 269,000 miles. Also recently replaced the valve cover gaskets and recommend cleaning the throttle body and intake plenum good before reinstalling them if you go that far (you have to remove them anyway on the 3.4L engine to do valve covers)

 

i run a tank of 93 octane no ethenol! once a month in my truck, it has made a difference

 

I bought a whole gallon of the Sea Foam for $52 at Auto Zone and and after the results I had with it on my Tacoma I am going to run it through the vacuum line on my other 3 cars as well.

 

Why would you fail emissions if you are running too lean? Or, will they not let you pass because you have a code? Emissions testing... what a racket.

When I lived in Colorado I had to bribe several shops just so I could pass. I don't know how that could fly since their computer does the analysis, but they gladly took my $20 cash and allowed me to pass.

 

All of the concerns here are valid. I haven't run Seafoam in my tacoma yet, but I have done it a few times on other cars in the past (Acura Legend, Mitsubishi Eclipse 3G).

1. If you want to use it in the engine, slowly pour some into the brake booster line (let the booster line suck it from a small cup). This is the way that cleans a lot of stuff. Pour it in slowly so your engine doesn't die, then shut your truck off for a few minutes to let it do its work. When you turn it back on, wait until the smoke clears and then do some highway driving.
2. Make sure you're away from people. The initial smoke is very strong.
3. Be prepared for throwing new codes. You're pouring a liquid into your engine that's dissolving buildup and allowing it to be burned. There's a strong possibility of new sensor codes being triggered. You'll need to clear them once you've burned off all the gunk.
4. If your oxygen sensors and/or cat are almost gone, this might kill them. Just a heads up. Ever seen a diesel rolling coal? It's going to look like that but smell worse.
5. You should be fine using it in your gas tank any time. I prefer B12 Chemtool for the gas tank because in other cars I've seen similar short-term boosts in MPG as I have with Seafoam but it costs about 1/2 to 2/3 as much. If your fuel filter clogs by using Seafoam in the tank, it was probably about done anyways. I like to do a bottle of seafoam/chemtool in the tank at least once every 6-8 months.

tl;dr: Use with caution and you'll be fine.

 

IF you follow the brake booster vacuum line out on the 3.4 L motor you will find it only feeds one cylinder on the intake plenum. That is very obvious when you remove the intake and look where the line feeds in the plenum. There is no way it can feed any of the other cylinders. That is why the PCV valve vacuum line is the preferred entry point on the 3.4 L engine.

On another note you can use the vacuum line to suck the Sea Foam out of a cup. Just allow it to suck enough at a time that it does not kill the engine. You can do this manually by raising and lowering vacuum line into the liquid as you listen to the engine idle. Don't even try to use a styrofoam cup. It will melt through the cup and make a mess.

 

I wouldnt run it extended periods of time in the crankcase...I think it would thin out the oil too much. I'd like to try the PCV valve trick and see how that works.

If you are losing compression because of this...most likely its your rings are worn and your engine needs a rebuild. I wouldnt blame Seafoam because it cleaned out what it was supposed to IMO...

 

IMO it's just relic snake oil left over from the days when fuel and oil was shit with no detergents etc and a carburetor was nothing more than spray and pray fuel contraption at certain engine RPMs

 

I ran it in my Tercel it was burning oil prior to seafoam. Afterwards it easily doubled oil consumption but ran like a top. Eventually I rerung the engine and found what I had expected. The carbon on the rings was the only thing slowing it from burning more oil and seafoam did a great job of cleaning them. I did notice that even though I did 3 step deal. carbon on the valves was almost untouched and required a major cleaning.
Be careful with the miracle juice!!! Could be the death of your motor if you have some sloppy tolerances, sometimes a carbon buildup isn't the worst thing in the world.

(ps. blue clouds on hard down shifts is way cooler than the diesel guys rolling coal!)

 

Since we're on Seafoam, Hydra Trans Tune actually worked well for me. 3 ounces in my ps system and 13 ounces in my tranny itself. PS feels a little more direct and less play, but that could be because I also replaced my pump and entire hose assembly besides rack and pinion. When the tranny got a complete flush, small amounts of carbon actually came out, no major metal on the magnets at all either. I put the trans tune in about 60 miles before I did the flush, Seafoam suggests at least 30. Then I threw another whole bottle in when I refilled the tranny with new fluid because it also acts as a conditioner, shifts do seem smoother, especially when I am going through a parking lot, say I need to accelerate a little faster, before the truck would jerk into gear to get moving, now it engages pretty smooth and holds well. Even the shake of drive shaft on acceleration is less, I only have it because carrier bearing is bad, going to switch to single piece soon.

 

The spray being referred to in above quote is made with a special straw that inserts into the throttle body and you spray it in as the engine runs. I tried this product and had no noticeable improvement to my tacoma. However when I used the vacuum line method with the whole can of sea foam there were significant improvements in the running of the truck. Ran better, more responsive, it slowed down the idle and became quieter. (My wife even commented on it, and it did not run badly badly before.)

Most of the comments I read and videos I saw described running it through the brake booster though. (Not the best place to feed it into the 3.4 L motor). PCV hose is a superior option.