[Mojoack66]

The other day I saw a video on youtube, this guy used and aerosolized can of sea foam to remove the built up carbon on his pistons.

Its an aerosol can that comes with a little spray tube, kind of like wd-40. apparently you just slide the tube under the factory intake tube and then clamp it back shut so its sealed. while the engine is running he sprays the entire can into the intake system.

The car began to smoke a lot a lot, he claims this is the carbon burning off. He shows a before and after with a camera going through the port for the sparkplugs, which showed a fair amount removed. I'm just looking at preventative measures for my own car and thought this might help keep things running smooth. Does anyone have any input on the subject?

 

[t-rd]

That's the ChrisFix video.

The way I always do it is the old school way, using a standard bottle without the spray nozzle:
- Remove a vacuum hose from the intake manifold, there is one by the throttle body and another few in the rear of the manifold. There is a debate that using either creates a different or better result, but I haven't seen any difference.
- pour a third of the bottle of the sea from into a small plastic cup, start the engine and slowly suck sea foam in. Don't submerge the hose into the entire cup of fluid or you'll stall the engine.
- shut engine off
- dump another 1/3 into the engine through the oil cap
- dump the last 1/3 into the gas tank

I have not seen any dramatic improvement on the 7th gen V6 engine, I've done it 3 times in 225k miles. But the effect of sea foam on my old 98 V6 was dramatic. The first generation J series engine had a design problem with the EGR return port into the intake manifold. Sea foam would melt all the carbon sludge off and improve gas mileage.

 

[qman]

Ya you could do that. Do more youtube searching and you'll find guys who do the same thing using water.

Just realize that your engine is designed to burn gas (a hydrocarbon) which means you'll end up with more carbon build up in no time. You'll clean it and then it will build right back up. Just remember that the carbon build up on your pistons reaches an equilibrium where no more builds up. You're probably there right now.

I wouldn't waste the time or money. Even though there are guys on youtube that show you how to remove carbon from your pistons, I have yet to see anybody that can really quantify what this does for you. Nobody has yet to say how fast it builds back up. For all we know, it builds right back up in 4.7 seconds and then never grows from there. Until such a complete study exists . . . go fishing.

FWIW, I've used Seafoam a half dozen times on different cars and have seen/felt no noticable effects from it. If you really wanna do your car a solid, use top tier gas.

Top Tier Gasoline

 

[Catfisha]

The other day I saw a video on youtube, this guy used and aerosolized can of sea foam to remove the built up carbon on his pistons.

Its an aerosol can that comes with a little spray tube, kind of like wd-40. apparently you just slide the tube under the factory intake tube and then clamp it back shut so its sealed. while the engine is running he sprays the entire can into the intake system.

The car began to smoke a lot a lot, he claims this is the carbon burning off. He shows a before and after with a camera going through the port for the sparkplugs, which showed a fair amount removed. I'm just looking at preventative measures for my own car and thought this might help keep things running smooth. Does anyone have any input on the subject?

An aerosol? I've used it before, but it wasn't a spray... I SLOWLY allowed my already warmed up engine to suck "sips" of it up through the PCV vacuum line.....SLOWLY!!! Then turn the car off...

Then you let it sit for a fifteen minutes, and then drive around with a James Bond-like smoke screen!!! LOL!

 

[demonics12]

I've never done it, seems like more work than it's worth, plus, you have to buy plugs usually, after you do the Seafoam.

I just clean the throttle body, keep a good tuneup, and run premium every so often, along with doing a few WOT runs getting on the freeway to clear the carbon out. My car runs like butter all of the time.

 

[qman]

FWIW, running premium doesn't do anything for you either. Higher octane gas is not cleaner or better. It merely possesses the ability to withstand a higher pressure before it will self-ignite. It is intended for higher compression engines. That's all.

 

[t-rd]

I've never done it, seems like more work than it's worth, plus, you have to buy plugs usually, after you do the Seafoam.

Where are you getting this from?

I have never changed plugs after using sea foam in 400k miles across two cars, used sea foam maybe 10 times.

 

[slimm1469]

In my 7th gen and 8th gen owners manual, it advises the use of gasoline with a cleaning agent. It doesn't mention brand names, but Chevron and Texaco have Techron. Those are the ONLY brands of gas I use. Both of these Accords are/were fairly high mileage and I get the same gas mileage as when they were new. The performance has been outstanding.

 

[qman]

In my 7th gen and 8th gen owners manual, it advises the use of gasoline with a cleaning agent. It doesn't mention brand names, but Chevron and Texaco have Techron. Those are the ONLY brands of gas I use. Both of these Accords are/were fairly high mileage and I get the same gas mileage as when they were new. The performance has been outstanding.

Both are brands of gas are top tier fuels.

 

[travrach]

While using fuel with cleaning additives is good, not everyone has purchased the car new. In such cases it is worth while using a cleaner to care for intake and valves, etc.

 

[demonics12]

Where are you getting this from?

I have never changed plugs after using sea foam in 400k miles across two cars, used sea foam maybe 10 times.

I hear it fouls plugs, when you use it in the intake, gas and oil.

But I haven't used it, so I can't say from personal experience.

 

[ctandc]

Where are you getting this from?

I have never changed plugs after using sea foam in 400k miles across two cars, used sea foam maybe 10 times.

Actually if you do it right, the seafoam will clean the plugs.

 

[remix]

All I can say on this topic is I Seafoam my brothers 2005 civic boy was it fun we made huge clouds of smoke.

 

[user456101]

Scotty Kilmer, a famous YouTube mechanic, suggests adding a gallon of automotive paint grade lacquer thinner in the gas tank, at a ratio of 9 gallons of gas to 1 gallon of thinner, to clean the fuel system including the fuel injectors, which have really, really small holes and therefore are the most likely thing to clog in the system, if you don't use gas with good detergent/cleaner additives. It also helps clean the catalytic converter. I've done it on both my 6th gen and 7th gen Accords as a preventive measure to keep the fuel injectors and the CATs clean, but it should also remove lacquer/carbond buildup on the valves and cylinders IMHO. You can get it at an automotive paint dealer and I have also seen it at Advance Auto. Just don't drip it on the paint and leave it when you're adding it to the fuel tank .

 

[Mojoack66]

Thank you everyone for your responses and added info...

After much deliberation- since my engine is running fine, and all I was looking for was a little preventive maintenance. Ill go ahead with an oil change, air filter, a full tank of 91 grade fuel with some cleaning additives. Also I'll go ahead and clean the throttle body and MAF sensor.

It seems like I've found an even mix of people who stand on both side of the line on whether to " sea foam" or not too "Sea foam"...lol.

Thanks Again all

 

[ctandc]

Scotty Kilmer, a famous YouTube mechanic, suggests adding a gallon of automotive paint grade lacquer thinner in the gas tank, at a ratio of 9 gallons of gas to 1 gallon of thinner, to clean the fuel system including the fuel injectors, which have really, really small holes and therefore are the most likely thing to clog in the system, if you don't use gas with good detergent/cleaner additives. It also helps clean the catalytic converter. I've done it on both my 6th gen and 7th gen Accords as a preventive measure to keep the fuel injectors and the CATs clean, but it should also remove lacquer/carbond buildup on the valves and cylinders IMHO. You can get it at an automotive paint dealer and I have also seen it at Advance Auto. Just don't drip it on the paint and leave it when you're adding it to the fuel tank .

That "trick" has been around for a LONG time.

There is no reason to use paint thinner (more specifically acetone and there are types of this you wouldn't want to use) when there are products out there that do the same thing for the same or less cash.

Before Seafoam and other things, it was ATF. We'd trickle that into the carb / throttle body while the engine was running and it would clean the intake / pistons / etc.

Before that is was plain WATER. Trickle it in the intake / carb (keeping the engine running and being careful not to drown the engine out) and it would clean the top end / valves / combustion chambers as well.



If your car is running smooth and efficiently, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[qman]

Ill go ahead with an oil change, air filter, a full tank of 91 grade fuel

Don't waste cash on 91 octane fuel. It does zip for your engine. Absolutely zip. 91 octane fuel is for higher compression engines. It doesn't clean anything, it doesn't condition leather or steel, remove carbon deposits, lower your cholesterol . . . nothing. My buddy's Corvette required 91 octane. If he put anything less than 91 in there his engine would ping. 91 octane resists the ping better than 89, 87, or 85. That's all absolutely all it does.

 

[enne]

There should be a sticky: "STOP PUTTING 91 IN YOUR 87-TUNED STOCK ENGINES. JUST STOP."

 

[fishymamba]

I seafoamed my engine a while ago, no difference before and after. Also did chevron techron fuel treatment, no difference felt while driving. Did it actually clean the engine internals? I don't know, I only have this car and I don't want to open up the engine and screw it up.

 

[Borscht]

snip

That same Kilmer is also claiming that anything that costs more than few thousand dollars is stupid and useless.

Also, open any injector cleaner. Do you recognize the smell? Acetone.
Seafoam itself is made from a mix of hydrocarbon blend and isopropyl alcohol.

There should be a sticky: "STOP PUTTING 91 IN YOUR 87-TUNED STOCK ENGINES. JUST STOP."

Federal Trade Commision telling people not to spend money! Shocker!