Wow, thank you so much Gwen! So what side do I disconnect to suck the seafoam in? And last and hopefully least do you recommend the PCV hose or the brake booster? Thanks again as always!
Merry Christmas to all!
Wow, thank you so much Gwen! So what side do I disconnect to suck the seafoam in? And last and hopefully least do you recommend the PCV hose or the brake booster? Thanks again as always!
Merry Christmas to all!
Last edited by llamavan; 12-25-2010 at 04:39 PM. Reason: removed bandwidth-devouring full (photos and all) quote
Oh and one other...... The place where I disconnect the hose I end up using, should I cap it off u ntil done when the hose? Make since?
I'm planning to use the brake booster hose. Since the point is to get the Seafoam into the cylinders via the intake manifold (AND to have vacuum to do it with), I'll disconnect the end of the hose furthest from the intake manifold; in the case of the brake booster, that means disconnecting the end that's on the metal line against the firewall. Shouldn't need to plug the open end of the metal line 'cuz the parking brake will be set and I wouldn't anticipate needing to use the brakes during this part of the procedure.
Gwen
1985 5-speed window cargo van set up for llama haulin'; 345K ("Trustyvan")
1989 4WD 5-speed DLX; 410K and an odd sense of humor ("Skylervan")
Sorry for the late reply. I've been out of state for Christmas and just returned. The last post I made while my wife was standing in the hall saying "come on Tim, we'll miss our flight". Well, needless to say, airport security was a breeze and we sat for over 2 hrs in the airport waiting to board our delayed flight.
Anyhow I just came here to make some nice pics with arrows, but I see Gwen beat me to it. Thanks Gwen for the awesome pics. Tim
I really want to try this but kind of nervous I'm going to do more harm then good
It's not likely, but conceivable that if too much were introduced it could hydro-lock the engine. Of course that would take a high concentration of fluid in a cylinder and it's not likely it could flow that fast through a vacuum hose anyhow. IMO even though it's a small risk, risk vs payoff would be minimal at best. Now if you had an old flat head or a carbureted engine prone to excessive carbon build ups, and you were having a problem associated with said build-ups, AND assuming their product actually does what they say it does, then I'd say the risk vs payoff was reasonable.
Considering these are modern, clean burning, fuel injected engines, not likely to have excessive deposits (except maybe in the PCV intake chamber), I don't think you would benefit much (if any) from using this product (even if it does work).
The best advice I have is to keep your emissions equipment in good working order and enjoy the benefits of your fuel injection system. Introducing a foreign substance that the EFI system is not designed for is only asking for trouble (IMHO). Tim
Well put and now probably going to put the bottle down and walk away...Any other additives you do suggest? Such as fuel treatments, oil treatments, etc etc? Thanks Tim
Keep in mind this is a hotly debated subject and there are going to be many different views. Frankly I don't know who to believe, so I've formed my own opinions.
My general attitude on additives is they are gimmicky and probably don't help.......in some cases they may even hurt. Keep in mind that oil and gasoline manufacturers can put anything they want into their products........so if adding this or that during manufacturing would make their product better, why wouldn't they add? Since I don't know who or what to believe I just spend a little more money on what I consider to be quality products (oil, antifreeze, gear oil, etc) and let these products do their jobs as the manufacturers intended. Since I don't have a chemical engineering degree, I'm under the impression that if I blindly start adding this or that I might actually be spending my time and money to make things worse.........so why chance it?
I'm not saying none of them work, I'm just saying I'm not qualified to know which ones they are. There is simply too much hype and BS to sort through. There is a huge market for this stuff. All these guys have to do is come up with some junk science and a good marketing scheme and people will buy it. I hear people raving about all sorts of products, but I'm skeptical of all of them because it's human nature to claim stuff works rather than admit you got duped.
The only additives I use are fuel preservatives (for long term storage) and Water Wetter or Purple Ice for improved surface contact & heat dissipation (goes in the coolant). Back when I had high compression hot-rods I also used octane booster (for when I couldn't get Av-gas). I don't have anything that requires high octane gasoline anymore, so I no longer buy or use it. On occasion I've also used Heat (a fuel additive) in instances when I thought I might have water in my gas. It's basically just alcohol that acts as a mixing agent to help the fuel absorb the water in the tank (it helps you get rid of it without dropping the tank). Then there's the stop-leak products (that actually do work), but they only offer a temporary solution and over time they often create bigger problems than the ones they solve. Tim
So I looked through some of the archives on TVP about the seafoam and additives topics and came up with people saying they just added the seafoam to their fuel tank.... Is that OK to just pour the whole bottle into the tank instead of splitting it up 1/3 in vac hose 1/3 oil and 1/3 gas tank???/
Yeah, I don't see how it could hurt anything.
Sweet! I'm going on a trip tomorrow morning and figure what a perfect time to try it! Should I pour it in then fill up or fill up the pour in OR pour it in with my tank on half like it is right now and run it around tonight get rid of the smoke and fill up in the morn?
Bought some!! Going to put half into my tank in the morning when I fill up and maybe a little in my oil..... Excited but nervous at the same time!
If you put it in your oil, you should change it pretty quick. It's not something you want to run with in your crankcase long term, as if it does what it's supposed to do, you're going to muck up your oil real good. I think I was told, by some folks on a Ford forum a few years ago when I tried it for the first time on my '69 F100, to keep it under 500 miles or so before changing it.
-Sam
Update!!!!! So, before I left for Oxnard,CA(50 miles or so) I poured 1/2-3/4 in the fuel tank and 1/4 into the oil via dip stick line and then filled up. Absolutely no smoke! Not even for a second!! :( whats up with that..... Very sad! Ha ha ha
Any suggestions why? Maybe only smokes when ran through vacuum line? Maybe nothing to burn? So far kind of disappointed....
Thanks,
Ronnie
Yes... only what is added through the intake manifold will smoke.
Hopefully, what you add to your oil will never burn and what you add to a tank of gas is too dilute to smoke much if at all.
-Jim
Oh ok! That's kind of a bummer.... I just didn't want to risk screwing something up. Oh eel, at least it got through two of the three.
How do you guys fill about full engine flushes? Like the kind they hook a machine up to that sucks all the roflroflroflrofl and fluid out and then refill? Did it once on my Toyota pickup but just to my tranny....
Thanks guys
I wouldn't pay those guys to do anything. Just change your oil at regular intervals and you'll be fine. Tim
Originally Posted by timsrv
I agree about our modern fuel injected engines not needing exotic additives and flushes. For new cars, Toyota recently sent out a memo stating that these additives/flushes were not necessary and in some cases would void a warranty. Most new car dealers still recommend the a/t flush/additive, oil flush/additive, coolant additive/flushes, brake flush, ps flush/additive at 30k, 60k, 90k intervals. In my opinion and the opinion of the OEM this is not necessary and in most cases causes more harm than good.
As far as aftermarket fuel/oil/coolant additives are concerned: I also have no chemical engineering degree but I have spent time working in machine shops. Many oil additives which claim to make oil slipperier/improve mpg actually do. The manufacturers fail to mention that it alters the PH of the oil, causing an acidic situation which eats away at the main bearings. I have seen this first hand many times. In my opinion it is best to use the fluids/service intervals that the OEM recommends and leave it at that.
I will say that synthetic oils are "better" in that they work better under extreme heat and take longer to break down. Synthetic oil will not make your engine run any better or worse. Running synthetic oil does not mean you can go 10k before changing your oil. Synthetic oil gets dirty just as quick as normal oil and doesn't really offer much when you consider the cost.
I do recommend the transmission flush as it runs 12-14 qts of clean fluid through the transmission/cooler rather than just drain/fill which only really gets half the dirty fluid out. If you go to a shop to get the transmission flush ask them not to use the chemical additives as they will weaken the rubber seals in your transmission.
Oooooo ok. So should I not switch out to synthetic on my next oil change? You would also opt out of doing a full engine flush and refill? I figured it would do my little van some good...
I definitely am going to do a tranny flush and refill adding some lucas transmission fix though to hopefully get rid of the little kick i've got going on!
OH and would draining the rear end and refilling with synthetic be good or just use regular old gear oil? I would rather spend a little more money for a better product that will keep my van on the road longer
Last edited by pastadog; 01-02-2011 at 12:57 AM. Reason: didnt finish what i was asking.... brain fart sorry!
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