Seafoam in engine oil?

[minieggroll]

I was reading the bottle of Seafoam and saw that you can add it to engine oil. Is there any benefit to doing this on the GZ? I already added it to the gas on fill up.

[ValleySquid]

Really? I read that it only goes in the gas tank... but you never know. Maybe someone way more experienced can answer this question!
If it adds benefits to our oil then I wouldn't mind adding it myself..

[blaine]

Really? I read that it only goes in the gas tank... but you never know. Maybe someone way more experienced can answer this question!
If it adds benefits to our oil then I wouldn't mind adding it myself..
You can add it to your oil,(it is safe for wet clutches)But I see no need if the engine is clean & been properly maintained with proper oil changes.It is beneficial for engines that are full of sludge from neglect.
:cool: :)

[ValleySquid]

And how much can you pour in there though?

[alantf]

According to their site :-

To control moisture build up in oil, and to clean engine sludge from the crankcase, add 1½ oz of seafoam to every quart of oil.

Remember........Google is your friend. :)

[ValleySquid]

Thank you! :D

[Water Warrior 2]

Having no experience with Seafoam so I won't say do it or don't do it. However my take on modern oils and their additive packages should allow them to keep an engine sparkling clean inside with proper maintenance.

[alantf]

BTW, it also says that it will stabilize fuel for two years.

[DBG]

I was asking a similar question. I just added about a half a can to a tank of gas to see if it effects anything. I use seafoam to decarbonize my direct injection outboard motor on my boat. It definitely works wonders as a decarbonizer. Decarbonizing helps promote engine life and can improve engine performance and mpg. What you can do on the bike is remove the spark plug, pour in about a half a can of seafoam through the empty spark plug port, then manually rotate the engine so the piston moves up and in down in the cylinder. This will evenly distribute the seafoam throughout the cylinder. Let it sit over night, then put the plug back in, check and see that your oil is at the appropriate level (it will be high since you just added the seafoam), drain excess oil until it is at the appropriate level, then start the engine and let it idle. You might have a little trouble starting it, and then it might run a little rough for awhile, but it will steady out once the carbon starts burning off. When I do this on my boat, it smokes like hell for a while, depending on how much carbon has built up in the cylinder. Let it run until all the smoking stops. I would then advise removing the spark plug, re-gapping, and soaking it with a little of the remaining seafoam and thoroughly cleaning it. The procedure usually ends up blasting the spark plug tip with all the carbon removed by the seafoam, thus fouling the spark plug. I would also advise changing the oil, as it will surely be full of all the carbon that the seafoam removed and drained into the pan. In replacing the oil, you might as well add the some of the remaining seafoam. This will continue the decarboning process as you drive. If you decide to do it, post the results. I'll do the same.

[Water Warrior 2]

It seems to me that whatever seafoam doesn't drain down past the piston overnight is an accident waiting to happen. Trying to compress a liquid can do a lot of damage. I would be in fear of a collasped piston, bent rod or pulled head bolts. You may have had good results with no mishap but I personally would not take the gamble with engine damage.

[blaine]

I'm with WW on this one.You can accomplish the same thing by using the aerosol SeaFoam & spray it directly into the intake.But to each his own.
:) :cool:

[ValleySquid]

That's way too high level stuff for me, I'd go as far as pouring it into the oil hole and changing the oil/filter and air filter. But I'm not sure about removing the spark plug. :0
Heck I don't even know how to adjust the shift lever lol :D

[mrlmd1]

And why exactly do you want to do this? What are you missing with regular scheduled oil changes every 3000 miles? Did anyone on here or in other anecdotal stories you may have heard ever have large amounts of sludge in their oil when changed at the recommended intervals? How much marketing hype and advertising do you have to succumb to?

[ValleySquid]

Well, for instance.. the GZ250 2006 that I bought had been parked for 4 months. When I rescued it and bought it with only 3000 miles for $1k. btw..
Now assuming its previous oil change was way before its last start up, I would imagine that perhaps seafoam would eliminate sludge accumulated during that period of time, plus a well deserved oil change, and filter.

[blaine]

Well, for instance.. the GZ250 2006 that I bought had been parked for 4 months. When I rescued it and bought it with only 3000 miles for $1k. btw..
Now assuming its previous oil change was way before its last start up, I would imagine that perhaps seafoam would eliminate sludge accumulated during that period of time, plus a well deserved oil change, and filter.
In that case you could pour a couple of ozs in the oil to clean things up,before you change it.
:) :2tup:

[Water Warrior 2]

That's way too high level stuff for me, I'd go as far as pouring it into the oil hole and changing the oil/filter and air filter. But I'm not sure about removing the spark plug. :0
Heck I don't even know how to adjust the shift lever lol :D

:lol: :lol: Best you stick around so we can offer help and instruction. We will have you wrenching in jig time. :lol: :lol:

[ValleySquid]

Yeah, I was so happy when I found this forum.. I don't know if you guys have noticed but, there aren't videos with instructions or guides for GZ250's out there.. this is pretty much the only resource for our bikes, I think?
:smallrawk:
AND.. I already removed my front brake pads for replacement, again thanks to this forum!
what else..... OH! adjustment of clutch lever and foot shifter too.
-
You guys rock!! :smallrawk: :smallrawk: :smallrawk:
:bow:

[Water Warrior 2]

V S ..............We have all been there and know where you are coming from. Don't be afraid to ask what you might consider a stupid, illogical or retarded question. All questions have an answer. We all learn with every question.

[blaine]

V S ..............We have all been there and know where you are coming from. Don't be afraid to ask what you might consider a stupid, illogical or retarded question. All questions have an answer. We all learn with every question.

:plus1: :plus1: :)

[DBG]

It seems to me that whatever seafoam doesn't drain down past the piston overnight is an accident waiting to happen. Trying to compress a liquid can do a lot of damage. I would be in fear of a collasped piston, bent rod or pulled head bolts. You may have had good results with no mishap but I personally would not take the gamble with engine damage.


Seafoam is a petroleum derived product that behaves very similar to engine oil. I've never had or heard of any results remotely close to what you speak of, which is more typical when water gets into the cylinder. Seafoam is designed to be put into crankcases and fuel tanks, and it definitely does work. I've used it often, as its prescribed maintenance on my evinrude direct injection, almost exactly as I detailed in the procedure above. It's really a very simple procedure that has very visible results. In fact, if you don't do this regularly on the evinrude the engine will literally blow up. This being said, Seafoam is expensive, and I would say it's not necessary unless you fear a large amount of carbon build up. Not sludge in the bottom of your oil pan, but carbon deposits up around your valves, fuel injectors (on other engines), cylinder walls, etc. But if you're going to pay $10/can for an additive, I would use the decarbonizing method I described versus just burning it in a a fuel mix alone. It's just way more effective per can. But again, I think this product is better used for engines that notoriously build up carbon like DI outboards. But every so often it has its place in a tune-up.

[DBG]

I'm with WW on this one.You can accomplish the same thing by using the aerosol SeaFoam & spray it directly into the intake.But to each his own.
:) :cool:

The aerosol is called Deep Creep. This way doesn't work as well FYI. I've tried both ways and the best results come from pouring it in. ::BUT TO BE CLEAR:: I'm not trying to convince anyone to do this, especially if you're uncomfortable with the idea, but I do want to explain that it does work for those looking to decarbonize. It's a pain in the neck that I've become very familiar with since I own a Ficht. If you've ever opened a CNG (natural gas) engine and compared it to a gasoline engine, you will see how pretty a carbon-free engine can be. It's something I aspire for in all my engines.

[DBG]

and yeah i'm new here too. this forum is outstanding. look forward to the learning curve. i'm about to break open the GZ and replace the valve stem seals. doing it with confidence thanks to this forum.

[Water Warrior 2]

Just for my own curiousity. Are you using regular pump gas in the boat engine or a specific marine fuel ??

[blaine]

The aerosol is called Deep Creep. This way doesn't work as well FYI. I've tried both ways and the best results come from pouring it in.
Just FYI:
Deep Creep is the penetrating fluid.The same formula that you put in your tank is available in aerosol.
http://s17.postimage.org/gybxc8xjf/product_seafoamspray.jpg (http://postimage.org/image/gybxc8xjf/)

http://s17.postimage.org/ihbwuythn/sf_dc_hover.jpg (http://postimage.org/image/ihbwuythn/)
:) :cool:

[DBG]

So just to make sure I wasn't leading anyone astray, I decarbonized my bike this weekend using the procedure i discussed above. I didn't think my bike would have too much carbon build up looking at how clean the oil stays between each change. I took out the spark plug and sprayed a good amount of Deep Creep (easier to get in than seafoam due to space constraints) directly into the empty spark plug port. Then, with the spark plug still out, I hit the starter and let the engine cycle to spread the Deep Creep around inside the cylinder. I DID NOT start the bike, just cycled the engine to move the piston up an down. I then changed my brake pads while letting the Deep Creep soak inside the cylinder for about 30-45min. I then put the plug back in, put the choke on full, and cranked her up. The bike spewed white smoke out of everywhere for about half an hour. I was shocked by how much carbon must have been in there judging by the smoke. Again, I do this to my boat engine once a year, and it puffs smoke for at most 5-7 minutes. About 10 minutes into the smoking, I closed the choke and let the bike idle. Once the smoke stopped, I took her out for a spin to test the brakes and see if there was a change in performance. The was a VERY impressive improvement in throttle response. This bike is new to me, and I figured the sluggishness was just part of a 250 (my other bike is a 1450 harley). The Deep Creep treatment definitely did quite a number on the get up and overall throttle performance of the bike. After returning to my garage, I let the bike idle while rechecking the work I had done. The idle smoothed out noticeably as well. Overall the Deep Creep decarbonizing treatment was definitely effective. There are other treatments out there as well (such as the berryman b-12), but be careful as to what you put in where. Some decarbonizers are solvent or alcohol based, and can deform or destroy plastic and rubber parts like gaskets ans seals. Petroleum based products ( like Deep Creep and seafoam) should not do this if used properly.

[blaine]

I took out the spark plug and sprayed a good amount of Deep Creep (easier to get in than seafoam due to space constraints) directly into the empty spark plug port.
Just wondering:In your area,do you not have both the "deep creep" & "SeaFoam" in same size aerosol.Or is this only available in Canada?
:??: :)

[Water Warrior 2]

Wow, impressive results without any major issues. Maybe more members will do this as a seasonal maintenance job.

[DBG]

I've never seen Seafoam aerosol down here (Texas). I've always just gone straight to the Deep Creep for the spray. Maybe it's a marketing thing to remind us Texans that Seafoam has more than one application. Deep Creep also works good as an anti-seize. I always keep a can in the garage. And before anyone asks, I don't work for Seafoam, just like their products :) They're effective, and forgiving. I've used everything from oven cleaner to pool acid to maintain my toys, and with seafoam you normally don't have to worry about stuff dissolving.

[blaine]

I've never seen Seafoam aerosol down here (Texas). I've always just gone straight to the Deep Creep for the spray. Maybe it's a marketing thing to remind us Texans that Seafoam has more than one application. Deep Creep also works good as an anti-seize. I always keep a can in the garage. And before anyone asks, I don't work for Seafoam, just like their products :) They're effective, and forgiving. I've used everything from oven cleaner to pool acid to maintain my toys, and with seafoam you normally don't have to worry about stuff dissolving.
I hear ya.I love the stuff. :) :plus1:

[DBG]

BTW. Forgot to mention- The final and important step to decarbonizing using Seafoam or DeepCreep is cleaning your spark plug. I took the bike on about a half hour ride after the smoking quit, then let the engine cool, removed the spark plug, cleaned and sanded the contacts, sprayed with carb cleaner, re-gapped, and then reinstalled. It's important to remember this step because the plug will most likely be fouled. I know mine was.

[minieggroll]

Just tried this method described by DBG. Pulled spark plug, sprayed Deep Creep (seafoam) into the spark plug hole for about 10-20 seconds.

Shifted to second gear and pushed the bike around to make sure the deep creep is spread out by moving the cylinder head. Then waited 30 minutes and put everything back together.

When I turned the bike on, it had trouble starting for about 10 seconds, then started right up and smoked like hell, rode her around for a while. Seems to run better.

Does anyone know if the deep creep gets burnt or goes into your engine oil? How much deep creep should I use next time? I'm just worried about it increasing my engine oil levels.

[Water Warrior 2]

Maybe just do the treatment prior to an oil change. Problem solved.

[DBG]

Yeah I normally only do this procedure with an oil change. But if I don't change my oil I definitely check the levels. Depending on how much you put in, I think most of it gets burned off. When you use Seafoam on a car by pouring it into the brake booster its definitely adviseable to change the oil after the treatment. That method involves introducing a larger volume of liquid into you engine.

On a side note I dunno how precise the sight glass is. I've honestly never seen this on any motor I've owned. I had to join this forum to find out how to check my oil on my GZ lol!