Decarboning Seafoam...BG44K (1 Viewer)

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landtoy80

landtoy80

Joined
Mar 13, 2003
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Location
North Front Range, CO
In my search to solve my lean air fuel problem, there was talk on a car show on the radio.
The host said that a motor with carbon buildup can cause a lean fuel mixture as the carbon sucks up the gas like a sponge.

I got a can of Seafoam and sucked up some through the PCV.
Boy did it SMOKE after I started it.
The motor must of been full of carbon as it didn't smoke like this the last time I Seafoamed it.
With the price of gas, the wife hasn't done much hwy driving so most of her trips have been a mile or less, intown driving thus the carbon build up.

Seafoam can do more than just clean your motor, it can find exhaust leaks.
The exhaust pipe to manifold gasket is leaking, again.


I like to use BG44K but its hard to find in WI.
That stuff works great on carbon.
I just ran a can of Toyota FI cleaner throught the tank. It must not work on carbon.

The repair shop does carbon cleaning with a machine and charge about $120.
Does having a shop use their machine do any better than Seafoam or BG44K?
 
LandToy80, how do you "suck it up the PCV valve". I have not done this before but have heard about it. I drive exclusively arround town and feel I may from time to time have a carbon issue (so I have been told). I may want to try this before the next oil change.

thanks

Andrew
 
You put 1/3 of the one pint can in a bowl. With a warm running motor, remove the PCV valve from the valve cover. Slowly suck up the Seafoam.
You may need to put you finger over the PCV valve to keep the motor from killing.
When you suck up all the Seafoam, turn off the motor.
Wait 5 min and start.
Make sure to do it OUTSIDE as it will SMOKE SMOKE SMOKE and SMOKE.
 
landtoy80 said:
You put 1/3 of the one pint can in a bowl. With a warm running motor, remove the PCV valve from the valve cover. Slowly suck up the Seafoam.
You may need to put you finger over the PCV valve to keep the motor from killing.
When you suck up all the Seafoam, turn off the motor.
Wait 5 min and start.
Make sure to do it OUTSIDE as it will SMOKE SMOKE SMOKE and SMOKE.
Click to expand...


Minor detour, I've tried to test this method and it just wont work with my rig; as soon as I remove the pcv hose the engine stops almost instantly and way too fast to partially plug the thing with my finger. For this reason, I clean the TB and the Intake Plenum/s with BG Air Intake Cleaner with the engine off and while holding the butterfly valve open. I swirl and squirt about five seconds worth of spray past the butterfly valve and in all directions ( up, down, angled to hit each runner of the intake plenum/s, etc) and then i reconnect all the intake tubes and start the engine and let it run til the smoke stops coming out the tailpipe. I repeat the procedure three or four times and I do this about ten miles before my oil changes are due. My TB and intake plenums are spotless, seriously!

Anyways, I mention this for two reasons: one is to share another simple way to clean the intake plenums ( I still remove the TB for serious spring cleanings! ) and the second is to ask about why my rig shuts down so soon when the pcv hose is removed??? Does this behavior basically indicate that something is wrong? Is it perhaps the turbo even though the thing is under no boost whatsoever at idle when I'm removing the hose? I'm sorta confused about this, any thoughts? Thanks. :cheers:
 
I leave the PCV valve on the hose and pull the PCV valve out of the valve cover. This keeps enough vacuum that the engine shouldn't stall. By sucking the Seafoam through the PCV valve you will clean it also.

Mike
 
MikeB said:
I leave the PCV valve on the hose and pull the PCV valve out of the valve cover. This keeps enough vacuum that the engine shouldn't stall. By sucking the Seafoam through the PCV valve you will clean it also.

Mike
Click to expand...


Okay cool, i will try that too, maybe that is what everyone else is doing; I interpreted it as pulling off just the hose! :doh: With my new pcv valve and new pcv grommet its super easy to remove the valve without worrying about anything. In fact I just replaced the hose itself as it was starting to crack and when I removed the old hose, it took the pcv valve with it. IOW, there was alot more grip from the pcv valve to its hose then there was between the pcv valve and that grommet. Thanks again for the advice! :cheers:
 
AM in the process here as I type this...

even with the PCV valve still in the hose, my 93 dies immediately.

on the 2nd try I got it in the 8oz Grey Poupon glass quicker and it ran a second longer. Almost enough to empty the glass.
I left the PCV valve in the glass and cranked the engine for about 3 seconds and it ate the rest of the fluid. this *seems* to work (unless someone else thinks it's not as good?

we'll see what happens in 5 minutes

should this be process be repeated maybe?

I'm changing the oil right afterward as well. don;t know if it matters but it's definitely due anyway... :rolleyes:
 
Don't let the liquid be sucked in too fast. You can hydrolock the engine with Seafoam just like a deep water crossing if you aren't a little bit careful.

Mike
 
and what is this supposed to clean exactly? The downstream part of the intake manifold? Cylinders and pistons too? what?
 
Hmm good point Mike..... unfortunately too late :doh:
don't think I had a problem as she's running fine.

HUGE TOXIC SMOKE CLOUD!!!!!
you have to do this outside and not in a neighborhood. I actually ran to close the door and windows in my HOUSE!

took probably 20 min to stop smoking noticably and then I ran it out the road a couple miles and back.

seemed smoother...

did the procedure a 2nd time letting it sit for 10 min and the same amount of smoke came out for about 20 min.

Am I THAT carboned up, or does it always smoke the same?
those that have done this, does the smoke amount go down when the engine gets cleaner?

175,000 on the clock BTW, and despite a bunch of stuff done, I don't thing she's running tip top yet..... this seemed to help a little which is worth the $5 IMO :D

(I also think I'll get the injectors cleaned as per the other thread
 
A clean motor will smoke less.
Find an old chevy 350, Seafoam it and stand back. The smoke will be very black and fill up the whole neighborhood. What made it worse was that there was no wind.
I thought the fire department was going to show up.

It will clean the cat too. So if your cat was dirty, it will take longer or more treatments to clean.


The first time I Seafoamed the 80, there was little smoke.

I see no reason to change the oil as you can add the Seafoam to the oil.

As for retreatment, you should contact Seafoam to see if its ok.


How does it work? It works just like "Coke in the carb" well... coke bottle of Coke slowly dumped into the carb.
Its the shock of the Seafoam or water on the warm motor.
The Seafoam works better as it absorbs into the carbon, then burns off when you start up the motor.

I added the Seafoam tooo fast this last time as I killed the motor and fouled out the spark plugs. It tooks many cranks to get it started.
So add it slowly.
 
got some Seafoam to try but just changed my oil. Will the PCV treatment dirty significantly the engine oil?

also, would it make sense to suck it up just cranking without running the engine so that it wets everything and stays in the intake for a while to dissolve gunk?
 
I Seafoamed again but this time through PCV hose #2.
This way it cleaned the butterfly.
You need to pinch the hose as the motor will kill.
I sucked it up slowly this time.
There was as much smoke this time as the last.

Agent 99, I would follow the directions on the can.
 
landtank said:
So what incantation do you use? Is one of those heavy duty ones or your basic Biddity Bobbity Boop?
Click to expand...

What is incantation? :confused:

Whats Boob?
 
anybody cares to answer any of the above (serious) questions.... ?
sheeesh..........
;)
 
e9999 said:
anybody cares to answer any of the above (serious) questions.... ?
sheeesh..........
;)
Click to expand...

I did, "follow the directions on can"

I wouldn't worry about getting the oil dirty.
You can add the stuff to the oil so.... it will make the oil dirty. Thats what oil filter are for.

I had a low compression reading on one cylinder on the 60.
I removed the spark plugs. Poured some Seafoam in that cylinder and let it set over night.
The next day i cranked the motor over. Big mistake, Seafoam went all over the garage. It shout out like a super soaker. I should of turned it over by hand.
Anyhow, the next time I checked the compression, it was good.
 
the can I got has no instructions to speak of, evidently was made in the 40s when people were smarter or cars were simpler...
:D
 
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