What is sea foam?

ian tomo

Joined
Aug 7, 2012
Messages
37
Location
Wallasey uk
Bike
2000 ST1100
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?:eek::
Thanks in advance
Ian
 
BakerBoy said:
Seafoam MSDS

A good discussion of what Seafoam constituents are: http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=269397
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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".
Walter White would have something interesting to say about this.
 
MrB said:
Dumping it straight in the throttle body while running sounds like it could have unpleasant results that may lead to a Darwin Award.
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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.
 
nhdiesel said:
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.
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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.
I'm going to assume that the posters in the linked thread were applying this homemade version in an attempt to clean deposits, so I have to ask: 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?
Also, is Seafoam a "magical" product that sounds good on paper but really doesn't do anything?
I ask because I bought into the idea of using it as a gas additive to prevent buildup from happening in the first place. Wishful thinking?

Funny how we treat our motorcycles, I have an '89 S10 truck with 250k on it that I dump any old fuel in, leave it sit for months, change the oil sometimes, it runs like a champ and I intend to replace in a decade or so.
I find out that the ST1300 calls for premium gas after running a tank of regular through it: "probably ruined...." subdued LOL.
 
MrB said:
I find out that the ST1300 calls for premium gas after running a tank of regular through it: "probably ruined...." subdued LOL.
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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.

MrB said:
Also, is Seafoam a "magical" product that sounds good on paper but really doesn't do anything?
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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.

I am a believer that it works. I will add the 10 oz. to a full tank and run/ride the bike to make sure it is mixed up in both upper and lower tank. Hook up the battery tender and wait for spring.
 
Seafoam is mostly naptha and isopropanol. Naptha is a slow evaporating solvent that will dissolve gummy stuff, and changes the chemistry of gasoline such that it works as a stabilizer. Isopropanol for the water. Other harsher "injector cleaners" usually have harsher solvents added, such as benzene, toluene, etc. that attack baked on stuff (to be used sparingly IMHO).
Seafoam to me is more like preventative medicine to take care of gum build-up, or to clean up a bike that has been sitting, or to fix a tank of "bad gas" (water in it from phase separation of ethanol fuel). I don't use it all the time, maybe once a month, then a tank or two before winter storage.
 
MrB said:
... 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?
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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.

Also, is Seafoam a "magical" product that sounds good on paper but really doesn't do anything?
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Absolutely not ... SeaFoam is worth it's weight in gold. :D 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.
 
A large number of first-year Yamaha RX-1 snowmobiles had oil burning issues, the numbers were concentrated in certain locations. It was suspected gas formulations in those areas were to blame (combined with weak rings that couldn't overcome the deposits). People started using Seafoam and it worked- cleaned up the deposits on the rings and the oil burning issues went away for most owners. It was so successful it became Yamaha's official fix.

I'm one who doesn't believe in miracle cures. You won't find me using any slick-50 type products or strapping something on my fuel line in an effort to get 150 mpg. But there are a few products I've personally used with good results, and Seafoam is one of them. Is it a miracle that will cure every engine problem, lube your cables, polish your wheels and make your turn signal start working again while you ride? No...but its worth using.

Oh...and I'm also one of the ones who drives my cage like I stole it, put in whatever gas is cheapest that day (and even some drained from other vehicles), change my oil with dino oil every 10k miles whether it needs it or not, and have never run any kind of fuel or oil treatment, or put anything down the throttle body except a squirt of carb cleaner once in a while to keep the IAC clean. 280k miles and climbing on the old '97 Cherokee, and I think it will see another 100k. My ST? Well...not much better...LOL. I run premium gas when available (closest station to me only has 87) because I see an increase MPH that offsets the higher price anyway. I change the oil every 10k miles, but use synthetic. I do clean and lube a few things and change the final drive fluid every couple oil changes. So it does get treated better than my cage, but not by a lot. 82k miles and climbing on the ST, and it runs like the day I bought it with 26k on it.
 
After running a tank of the recommended concentration of Seafoam in order to try to clear a clogged idle jet the lazy way, I had the 'ol '93 on the sidestand idling just as rough as when I started out.

...Then, before my very eyes and ears, the idle went smooth. Never saw anything like it. :)
 
Thinking of buying a used bike in a month or so. A V65 Sabre, owner says it has not been started since 2011. Would it be a good idea to add this before I drive it home. That's if we can get it started.
 
it would be a great idea. I'd drain the tank before starting it and put fresh gas in.

Sent from my LG-US670 using Tapatalk 2
 
i've used it a few times.......never saw a change(good or bad) in the bikes behavior. maybe i'm just numb to conditions. can't speak to the long term stowage issue but, i wouldn't bother buying it again to clean or cure. mouse milk in my book!
 
MrB said:
Dumping it straight in the throttle body while running sounds like it could have unpleasant results that may lead to a Darwin Award.
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Dumping it in wholesale would pretty much flood the engine. As Jim said, a little drizzle is the way to go.

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
 
Blrfl said:
Dumping it in wholesale would pretty much flood the engine. As Jim said, a little drizzle is the way to go.
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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.
 
Blrfl said:
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
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iirc the manual mentions something about that or I read it on here moly maybe at the butterflies?.
But, any idea why it's there and its function?
 
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