I have read on various posts about running 'sea foam' in tank of petrol as remedy for carb problems. I have never heard of sea foam and was wondering what it is or what it does?:
Thanks in advance
Ian
Thanks in advance
Ian
Wow, some crazy stuff over in that thread. Dumping it straight in the throttle body while running sounds like it could have unpleasant results that may lead to a Darwin Award. Must say I'm a little intrigued with the DIY aspect being the cheap old fart I am. I worry that the manufacturing process may include a process beyond "add ingredients and mix up".Seafoam MSDS
A good discussion of what Seafoam constituents are: http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=269397
It depends whether someone is dumb enough to just upend a bottle in the intake. Dripping/drizzling it in is the way to go. No different than using carb/choke cleaner while the engine is running.Dumping it straight in the throttle body while running sounds like it could have unpleasant results that may lead to a Darwin Award.
I'm 47 and, amazingly, have never had carburetor problems so I've never had a chance to work on them. I've seen them disassembled and have a basic understanding of how they work, just no hands-on.It depends whether someone is dumb enough to just upend a bottle in the intake. Dripping/drizzling it in is the way to go. No different than using carb/choke cleaner while the engine is running.
I did the same thing when I bought mine back in 2006. Ran a couple of tanks than way. Mine is one of the ST's that will ping with low grade. Have filled up MOST of the time with premium. When I need fuel and premium is not available, then I use mid or low if that is all that is there. I have put 85,000 mile since that first fill up.I find out that the ST1300 calls for premium gas after running a tank of regular through it: "probably ruined...." subdued LOL.
I have actually used this to fix a rough running Suzuki GS850. I first pulled the carbs and used carb cleaner, but it still ran rough. Was sugested to add the Seafoam by a Suzuki mechaninc as it will remove deposits as long as fuel will flow through the passages. Before the tank was ran out it was running like new.Also, is Seafoam a "magical" product that sounds good on paper but really doesn't do anything?
Yes, SeaFoam directly into the carb throat will often clear any obstruction FAR better than carb cleaner and avoid the need to pull the carb(s) apart.... does Seafoam dissolve these deposits instantly or near-instantly when applied at full strength through the carburetor? Spray carb cleaner is cheaper and seems optimized for the job. Was all this so they wouldn't have to pull the carbs and clean them properly?
Absolutely not ... SeaFoam is worth it's weight in gold. Last winter I purchased a used Honda EU2000i inverter genset ... it seemed to run well when the seller demo'd it but once I actually got to play with it myself at home I found it was really struggling to run smoothly with the choke fully off. I replaced the plug, switched to Mobil 1 synth oil, drained all the old fuel out and switched to 100% non-ethanol gas but it still surged ... I was about to pull the carb so I could take it to a local shop with an ultra sonic cleaner when I decided to first try some Sea Foam. I bought two versions - one can of liquid SF and the other a spray. The liquid poured into the gas tank only improved the situation marginally but spraying SeaFoam mist directly into the carb throat was MAGIC ... short squirts over a 10 minute period until half the can was used up eliminated the surge entirely. Go to any EU2000i discussion forum such as this one and you'll soon learn that this is the "white cloud" solution to getting your small engine running smoothly again without having to pull the carb(s). The gas in my recently acquired '99 ST1100 is no doubt crappy 10% ethanol so I dumped in some Stabil and some liquid SeaFoam and I plan to run the engine once a week 'til spring when I'll burn off the remainder and start using 100% non-ethanol which here in Ontario is sold at pretty well every gas station as premium grade gas. Thereafter I'll periodically pour a small amount of liquid SeaFoam into the gas tank at each fill and expect I'll have zero issues with my ST running properly.Also, is Seafoam a "magical" product that sounds good on paper but really doesn't do anything?
Dumping it in wholesale would pretty much flood the engine. As Jim said, a little drizzle is the way to go.Dumping it straight in the throttle body while running sounds like it could have unpleasant results that may lead to a Darwin Award.
There's no need to "dump in" or "drizzle in" SeaFoam as it's available not just as a liquid but also as a spray that's specifically designed for this purpose. Yes, when you spray it directly into the carb throat the engine will momentarily slow and large clouds of white smoke will be produced for a few seconds, and in fact I'd advise wearing a mask when you do this. The trick is to spray SeaFoam in short shots, many, many times, over a period of minutes. As Digiamo mentioned, it's not uncommon for the engine to continue to run rough or surge and you'll think the treatment is achieving nothing, then suddenly the engine will start running smoothly ... exactly what happened with my Honda EU2000i genset.Dumping it in wholesale would pretty much flood the engine. As Jim said, a little drizzle is the way to go.
iirc the manual mentions something about that or I read it on here moly maybe at the butterflies?.I don't know if the carb throats on the 1100 have the same coating them that the 1300's throttle bodies do (I doubt it), but you definitely want to avoid exposing it to Sea Foam, which will eat it.
--Mark