[Fantom]

In earlier threads I have mentioned some of the issues and test results from my engine.
Well in a never ending quest to keep the girl running well for as long a possible, I have decided to use the Sea Foam product.
3B. 449,000kms. new glow plugs, rebuilt injectors.
Below is the process I used and the results it had:

I purchased 2 cans of Sea Foam (under $10 each) and 5' of 5/16 and 1/4 fuel line along with some clamps, fuel and oil filters and oil.
I used 2 coffee cans for this, in hind sight 1 coffee can and a much smaller container will do.
Remove the fuel filter and drain the fuel, fill up with sea foam, reinstall.
Punch 2 holes in 1 can and 1 hole in the other container (lid).
Fill the coffee can with equal parts 1 can Sea Foam, Diesel fuel (1:1).
Disconnect the main fuel line going into the pump and plug the soft line, take a section of the 5/16 fuel hose from the Sea Foam/Diesel can and attach to the fuel pump. This is your new gas tank.
Remove the fuel return soft line (at the # 4 injector) completely. Take the 1/4 hose from the Sea Foam/Diesel can to the input of the fuel return - the hard pipe that goes back to the pump.
Take the out put from the return line (injector side) and with 1/4 hose run it to the other container. This is done so that whatever dirt is in the pump is washed out of the system and does not circulate back. There is not a lot of fuel returning so a smaller container is fine.

I ran my engine at idle for 10 min, then 2500RPM for 20 min and then idle again for a unitl I almost ran out of fuel in the can.

Replace the fuel filter with a new one - if you fill it with diesel it makes it easier to start. Reconnect everything and fire it up. Some bleeding may be necessary.

I then used 1/2 can in the oil and ran it for 30 min, alternating speeds from idle to 2000RPM.

Drain the oil, change filter, refill, run.

Finally I noticed a lot of black build up inside my intake, in my case this must be due to the slight leak at the intake valves. I slowly pured Sea Foam into the air intake (once the air filter hose is removed) with the engine running, to help clean up the manifold and the valves.

Results:
During the cleaning process I saw only a bit of black/blue smoke while cleaning the fuel system. The engine seems to run smoother and the acceleration is smoother as well.
My compression prior to this was:
1 - 505
2 - 510
3 - 475
4 - 500
After:
1 - 505
2 - 510
3 - 485
4 - 490

I still have a bit of a leak on the intake valves.
In summary, so far, other then smoother running, there is no real difference (not that I was expecting one), I will let you know how it's doing in a day or 2.

The new coffe powered cruiser:

[Fantom]

More pics:

[Ron R]

Good info, I'm very interested in knowing the final results!!

[prado t]

good job MAT i like the yellow valve cover
aaron

[mainlander]

Hey Mat, care to set up a little service for all us diesel heads in the Lower Mainland??

[brownbear]

Very cool Mat!

Only difference I would do is not mix the seafoam with the diesel. Run it straight. I did that on my Mercedes and it runs fine on it. Get the most out of the clean job.

Other thing is I would just use one can, but have a clear inline filter hooked up to the inlet fuel line. Then you cannot get any crap in there.

So did you see a lot of black gunk come out into the dirty can?

I think the two can system is fine. I just ran 2 bottles of seafoam straight into the engine, with the return dumping the dirty, Then my inlet would suck it up/filter and keep going.

[cody c]

Brownbear, so you just ran your 3B on to cans of straight seafoam and it ran normal? i thought there wouldnt be enough lubricity and this would have killed the engine.


Fantom, when you changed the oil after, did you notice alot of crap come out with the oil in comparison to not using the seafoam.

When i turbo-ed my 3B i pulled the oil pan to weld a bung on for the oil return, and cleaned it out really good with brake cleaner and a rag.
I had swapped in a fresher motor half a year earlier. The person i bought it from told me the following things : had less than 90,000 km's, the previous owner had broken a con rod and had it proffessionally rebuilt and had reciepts for piston and parts. This seemed a bit odd but the block looked like new and drove like alot nicer than the previous 3B. I even had wayne take it for a drive and he said the engine was in good shape.
But when i pulled the oil pan i noticed thin flaked metal at the bottom of the pan, almost like paint, and the oil pan had been a bit beaten up so i hoped it was from that. And havent had any probs since.
But i thoroughly cleaned the pan and removed some debris from the screen on the oil intake.

Im just wondering if pulling the oil pan and checking for debris might be a good thing to do at this many Km's?

[brownbear]

Originally Posted by cody c

Brownbear, so you just ran your 3B on to cans of straight seafoam and it ran normal? i thought there wouldnt be enough lubricity and this would have killed the engine.

No I ran my Mercedes diesel on straight seafoam. I wasn't worried about lubricity. It's 2 Litres in its long life of running diesel. And it is a diesel purge. To purge the junk it the goal.

My 3b hasn't seen this yet. But will.

[Fantom]

The engine can run on Sea Foam alone without any issues, it is after all a flammable, lubricating solvent, just don't get any on fresh cuts - stings like rubbing alcohol.
BB - I ran straight Sea Foam for the first bit, filled the fuel filter full, then ran the rest a mix. Surprisingly I did not see any crap in the return line can and the smoke out of the exhaust was minimal. I guess my engine is doing better then I thought.
I did notice a black oily build up in the inside of the intake manifold, this proves the figures I got from the leak down test that the intake valves are not closing properly. I will, once I have a bit more time, pull the intake off and clean it out properly.
Today the truck started much better, the temperature dropped so it was perfect timing, as normally I have a colder start issue, and since I tested everything and the entire Super glow system works fine, I know know the reason why I have issues starting in colder temperatures.
In case anyone else has problems here is the conclusion I came to. With the intake valves not closing all the way (leak) and the build up in the intake, I figured the engine is letting the fuel blow back into the intake at compression when cold. The colder it is the longer it takes to run smooth and the worse the start is. Once everything heats up the valves push a bit higher up and the heat of the engine is helping the combustion. I am sure I still get some blow by but a lot less. In this case a Wilson switch setup might not help, if I did do it then I would have to keep the plugs on for longer anyways and stand a chance at wearing them out sooner. Agree?
As for the oil filter, the oil appeared to be thicker then normal, and considering the fact that it was still hot, it normally is thinner and flows quicker. So I did notice a difference there. I will have to pull the pan out next oil change and check everything including the metal screen.
All in all, I think it was worth it.
Mainlander - ahh...no...I have too many hobbies as it stands, when it comes to diesels I am still learning and there are enough good Landcruiser guys in Vancouver and the area already running full shops, but if you need a hand you can always call.

Now I am going to put a Mercedes 300 turbo into the truck, I am speculating that even though I do have an issue with the intake valves it should not do any damage running at around 7-8 PSI or speed up the wear on the parts.

[Fantom]

On a side note, the valve cover was supposed to be cat yellow, that failed. Next time I do the valves I will try again.

[mainlander]

I know how to put oil in my engine, that's about it. But I'm starting to believe that I can do minor work on my rig and with the help of some very tech type folks here, most of the minor repairs and maintenance jobs can be done in the driveway.

Thanks for this tech tutorial Mat.

[Fantom]

Roddy,
Actually, I am noticing that these engines are really quite easy to work on, with the exception of changing the Diaphram which is a PIA. Everything is mechanical and for the most part, well designed. If you can get your hands on the factory engine manual that would make your life much easier, even for regular maintenance. Most important thing is to change the oil and filter, if you do that religiously then the rest is usually on a "as it breaks" basis. If you have questions, give me a call 604.803.3506, worst case, I will be able to give you a number to the guy that should have the right answer.

[brownbear]

no questions are too dumb to ask here.

Try searching first. If you can't find the answer post it up. Hopefully someone will know or tell you who to call etc.