SeaFoam: Is it a miracle cure?

[richg]

Well, it is in my book. Last week I was out cutting the grass with my Deere LT133....I peform maintenance on her regularly (plugs, change oil & air filter etc) and always use 92 octane gas that has been laced wtih Stabil. All of a sudden, she starts sputtering, hesitating etc, and will only maintain a rough idle if I set the choke to full. Rut roh, not good. I removed the spark plug (clean), checked the air filter (clean), and tried shooting carb & choke cleaner. No help, she's still running rough. I added a double-strength mix of SeaFoam to the gas and just let her run. After ten minutes, vroom vroom, she's rockin! It gets better.....after finishing the lawn, I get out my Echo backpack blower (it's their biggest model, forget the number), and son of a bleep, the exact same thing is happening with the blower. Ok, let's cut to the chase...I ad a honking amount of Seafoam, and in just a couple of minutes, she's running fine.

My thought is that I probably got a bad batch of gas as I tend to fill up two five-gallon tanks at the same time. But dang, I use super gas and Stabil and didn't think there would be a problem. Sea Foam is the real deal!

 

[MasterMech]

Rich,

A lot of stations don't move 92 as fast as they do regualr 87 and that can make it more likely you'd pick up some fuel with a little water/crud in it. Sounds to me like you picked up some fuel with water in it which Sea foam will certainly help absorb and burn off. It's no "miracle" but it does a fine job for what it's designed to do and I notice fuel tanks/carb stay pretty darn clean if you use it regularly.

 

[SolarAndWood]

I just resuscitated my completely not running 20 hp Onan with half a can of seafoam spray in the carburetor. It isn't running great but got the lawn mowed and my alternative was a $200 rebuild kit. Sounds like I need to get the stuff that goes in the tank too.

 

[MasterMech]

I just resuscitated my completely not running 20 hp Onan with half a can of seafoam spray in the carburetor. It isn't running great but got the lawn mowed and my alternative was a $200 rebuild kit. Sounds like I need to get the stuff that goes in the tank too.

Onan stuff can be pricey. You may be able to get gaskets only to do a carb clean. Depending on what engine/carb it is, a Deere dealer may have parts/gaskets for it as many older Deere machines were Onan powered.

 

[SolarAndWood]

It is an old JD. The rebuild kit price didn't even include the floats. If that thing wasn't such a sweet mowing machine, it would have been replaced a long time ago. Before I put that kind of money into the Onan, I would buy the drop in 24hp Honda replacement kit. Just seems like a big gamble on a 30 year old machine with a lot of expensive custom parts in it.

 

[MasterMech]

I'm guessing it's a front-mount? F9xx series? I hear you on dropping $$ in it. They get expensive FAST especially when the tranny is involved.

 

[SolarAndWood]

Yeah, F910 with a 60" deck. It doesn't see a lot of hours as I only mow an acre with it. I will probably be able to keep it going a long time. Just don't want a lot of money in it when something big goes as I probably won't fix it.

 

[Badfish740]

It's no "miracle" but it does a fine job for what it's designed to do and I notice fuel tanks/carb stay pretty darn clean if you use it regularly.

I'll actually disagree-my FIL called me two days ago because he had just pulled his snowblower out (he lives in the high elevations of NJ so they'll see some accumulation), but he just doesn't take care of his stuff:

FIL: I pulled it out and it will start but it runs like crap and won't stay running.

Me: Did you put it away with gas in it last year?

FIL: Yes.

Me: ...OK, go to Wal-Mart, get some Seafoam (I ran him through the whole thing).

He called me back last night and told me that its running like a champ. After scolding him again I told him to keep a can around. I use it in all my saws and it did a hell of a job cleaning the carbon out of the head in my Toyota pickup. The thing was knocking and pinging like an SOB on 87-I did the vacuum hose treatment with Seafoam and it took care of the problem.

 

[bluedogz]

I got the same results in my JD tractor with blue Sta-bil, not the usual red stuff. Auto-zone guy said it's because of ethanol-treated gas...

 

[Kenster]

Do you use both Sta-bil AND Seafoam at the same time? Add them both to your gas cans?

 

[bluedogz]

I Have mixed the two without catastrophe, but it's probably redundant.

 

[Kenster]

Don't they have different purposes? One stabilizes the fuel. Seafoam cleans out the system. With old tractors we add Seafoam to the gas tank, engine oil and you can even poor a capfull in the spark plug hole.

 

[gpcollen1]

Don't they have different purposes? One stabilizes the fuel. Seafoam cleans out the system. With old tractors we add Seafoam to the gas tank, engine oil and you can even poor a capfull in the spark plug hole.

I use seafoam regularly and I believe it stabilizes the fuel as well. I dont run any equipment dry and may leave gas in equipment for months without use. Everything starts up every single time. My snowblower started up on first pull the other day after 7 months of no use. This is what sea foam says it does...

Sea Foam® Motor Treatment is a highly effective and completely safe additive that improves the performance of your engine as it:

Cleans entire fuel system, including carburetor jet or fuel injectors
Cleans carbon from the combustion chambers and pistons
Stabilizes fuels for up to 2 years
Lubricates the upper cylinders
Controls moisture in fuel
De-ices frozen fuel lines
Frees sticky lifters
Frees sticky rings
Controls moisture in oil
Cleans P.C.V. components

 

[golfandwoodnut]

I like the stuff too. It smoothed out my 390 when it was hesitating a little and got my riding mower running smooth again. My question is how much do you guys put in a tank or a 5 gallon can? I just usually put a small amount in a tank full when I think it is going to sit awhile.

 

[Danno77]

I don't know that it works miracles, but I use it in all my gas, automobiles excluded.

It's part of the secret formula I have that gets added to every 5 gal jug when I first get it. Actually, it's not secret, it's just that I can never remember, and I don't measure anymore. A splash of this, a glug of that, a drip of something else...

 

[MofoG23]

My father has run some through his 026 and it sure cleaned it up nice....run's much stronger now! I think SeaFoam certainly has its purpose in life - especially with older equipment.

 

[Lanningjw]

I used the SF in my 15HP 4/S outboard fishing motor. The cards are very Cally EPA. stuff works.....