13 replies to this topic

[NO HAND]

I saw a couple videos on YouTube cleaning injectors with automotive fuel system cleaners and was wondering if using seafoam maybe mixed half and half with gas in an empty tank to give the injectors a good clean. It's probably too harsh to ride the motor on that stuff 100% pure but I was thinking of just running it 5 minutes then stop, wait 20 minutes then start again for 5. After a few rounds of this I would fill up the tank with fresh premium and burn what is left of the pure seafoam. What is your thoughts on this?

[big tom]

Thats big in the 2 stroke outboard community . But the mix is 3/4 gal gas- 1 bottle sea foam and a little 2 stroke oil in a aux tank. And that's know as a decarbon method. In the outboard forms the more popular injector service guys are saying the the injectors that people ran sea foam thru where cleaner. But I also think there's a lot of alcohol in it.     

[NO HAND]

Thanks Tom, that's exactly what I was looking for. Is there a special procedure to burn the special mix? I did alot of research some time ago to find the seafoam recipe and the closest I found was on an oil and petroleum chemistry related forum named Bob something. Here goes:
-4 parts diesel(20)
-1 part toluene
-1 part acetone
-1 part xylene
-1 part iso-propanol

If you look at each separately except diesel, the octane number is impressive. I bet seafoam makes for a good octane booster. I found all of these ingredients very easily; the toluene and acetone at home Depot, xylene at Sherwin Williams paint store, propanol at any drugstore and the diesel well...

Edited by NO HAND, 10 January 2020 - 09:44 PM.

[turbopete]

I am wondering if adding a less concentrated, yet generous amount of it in a few consecutive tanks of fuel, driving normally might clean it out.  I use it as a cleaner as well as a stabilizer in all my small engines, and throw a bottle in the vehicles occasionally as well. 

Edited by turbopete, 10 January 2020 - 11:55 PM.

[Skandic Wide Track]

Ive been using it for years in my sleds for pre and post season riding. I usually carry a can on me when i think it mayve my last ride and when i gas up i add half a can to each of my sleds.

[NO HAND]

The reasoning behind it is in the videos, I see alot of crud coming out the injectors when they are cleaned on the bench but the stuff they use is much stronger than what I'd be comfortable for riding the motor. Also I see there is a working time for the cleaners to dissolve and clear everything out. That's why I really like the idea of using the stuff concentrate enough but only for the few minutes the sled is warming up, then shut off, let the stuff work and dissolve for a while (20min?) then start a few minutes... A few cycles and then rinse out or dilute in a full tank. Maybe it would be a good idea to check the temp when it runs, I don't want to turn up a code in the dash either. I'll go get myself some seafoam and let you know how it turns.

[big tom]

Lots of stuff out there Mercury quick clean, Bg products, Brp makes what i think they call power tune. I run 2 250 efi's on my boat. Once a year I change the water/ fuel filter and fill them with sea form, about 16oz each and than pour the rest of the gallon in with like 50 gals.Run it til its smoking good and let it sit for a few and run it again. Thru out the summer I throw in some quick clean. Never tried it in sleds. In my sleds I run K100 every few tanks as we park them in a heat garage I case they sweat til there heated up. Trying to mix up some sea foam?. I find it for around $54. a by the gallon, if you shop around. My outboards are at a well know shop being built right now. They don't like sea foam there they say to much alchol in it. They like BG stuff.. To each there own..

[BoneDaddy]

If you buy non ethonal 91+ Octane with top tier cleaners or and good quality gas they add cleaners to them. Adding more cleaners can eat or soften rubber hoses and o rings.

Also adding cleaners can lower your octane .

If you only can get poor quality gas then maybe sending them off for a cleaning is a better solution.

[NO HAND]

Just did a pure seafoam treatment today to help with slight low speed hiccup and wallowy idle. I put the half liter can in the empty tank. The sled stalled as soon as the seafoam got to the motor and I almost peed in my pants for a second right there. It started back up no problem but I had to give it some gas because it won't keep an idle with the pure seafoam in. Kept it on for 3 minutes, then off for about 20. Then once again 3
minutes on, 20 minutes off. I added 1 litre of gas to dilute for the last round because I was scared to screw up something, and after then filled it up to the brim, and go for a test ride. For the five minute test the was absolutely no hiccup and idle was steady at 1200 instead of going back and forth between 1150 and 2000. I will go ride again tomorrow and be attentive if the improvement is for real.

[Daag44]

Welcome to the club!

[DOOLIFE800]

This may have been a coincidence, I put a full can of seafoam in a full tank of gas and 50 miles later I burn down. This was on 2010 p tech that was running fine except for a little stumble or lag at 7300 and it would jump to 7800. I learned later this is a common issue and has nothing to do with the injectors. Hope it was a coincidence but I'll never use it again. Mechanic could not explain what happened caused it. Motor was torn down under warranty and I got a new crank piston and cylinder. But still no explanation!

[bullwhipman]

Seafoam=snake oil.

[NO HAND]

Went for a 3 hour ride today and the cleanup definitely made a difference. Butter smooth throughout the rpm and rock solid idle. I can't deny the improvement. As for the snake oil comment, there is nothing special about solvents cleaning out injectors. It is done on the bench with seafoam and you can see easily brown stuff coming out. The challenge I was trying to take on is cleaning just as good without taking the injectors off the sled and more importantly without harming anything else around the injectors. For the 2010 powertek 800, I believe this model has no injectors, was 2011 the first year for e-tec 800?

[DOOLIFE800]

Oops, I stand corrected. It was my 13 E-Tech. Too many Do's to keep track of