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SeaFoam, what the HECK is the stuff?


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Who are the Mad Scientists in the group? What is in this SeaFoam stuff that it works like it does? I am always a little skeptical of additives but after reading several posts (and from people I trust who wouldn't screw up their cars) about the stuff I gave it a whirl. I followed the directions and ran it through the PCV hose. I put the rest of the can in a full tank of gas. Just like people said, engine smoothed right out. So what is it? The link is for their MSDS.

 

http://www.seafoamsales.com/pdf/trans_tune.pdf

 

It doesn't look much different than some of the other stuff but works wonders!

 

Curious but pleased,

Greg

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Who are the Mad Scientists in the group? What is in this SeaFoam stuff that it works like it does? I am always a little skeptical of additives but after reading several posts (and from people I trust who wouldn't screw up their cars) about the stuff I gave it a whirl. I followed the directions and ran it through the PCV hose. I put the rest of the can in a full tank of gas. Just like people said, engine smoothed right out. So what is it? The link is for their MSDS.

 

http://www.seafoamsales.com/pdf/trans_tune.pdf

 

It doesn't look much different than some of the other stuff but works wonders!

 

Curious but pleased,

Greg

 

I don't know what's in it but it does work. I started using it in all our yard equipment (mowers, wood chipper, leaf blower, weed wacker, snowthrower, etc) it does such a good job at cleaning the carbs out ( which tends to gum up from time to time. I periodically treat the older Outback with Seafoam (In the gas, oil, and throttle body) - I can definitly feel the difference after a treatment.

 

I've also tried MMO, which didn't do as well - made the engine sound more noisy for some reason, so I just stick with Seafoam.

 

Paul

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Note: the motor cleaner and trans tune have the same components but vary in percentage between the listed figures.

 

The numbers after the names are "EPC" numbers. I have no idea what that means. Normally an MSDS lists CAS numbers (Chemical Abstracts Service) which is a unique identifying number assigned to various chemicals. Example: Toluene is CAS # 108-88-3.

PALE OIL 4229 40-60%

 

NAPHTHA 20 25-35%

 

IPA 125 10-20%

 

I'll throw in my $.02:

I got the "Pale Oil" definition from a Chevron webpage:

PALE OIL - straight naphthenic mineral oil, MVI to HVI, straw or pale yellow in color, used as a once-through lubricant and in the formulation of process oils.

 

Naptha is a petroleum derived, hydrocarbon solvent.

 

IPA is probably Isopropyl Alcohol.

 

In doing some searching I came across a lengthy discussion of the SeaFoam on a Honda website. Someone posted the formula and said naptha = mineral spirits and IPA can be bought at your local pharmacy. Well, not quite. In the paint industry (my background) Naptha is quite different from Mineral Spirits. And you can't normally buy straight IPA in a store, it's diluted with water to 70% (or less) and sold as "rubbing alcohol". It's possible the SeaFoam product has some water in it, but I would doubt it.

 

Steve

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Who are the Mad Scientists in the group? What is in this SeaFoam stuff that it works like it does? I am always a little skeptical of additives but after reading several posts (and from people I trust who wouldn't screw up their cars) about the stuff I gave it a whirl. I followed the directions and ran it through the PCV hose. I put the rest of the can in a full tank of gas. Just like people said, engine smoothed right out. So what is it? The link is for their MSDS.

 

http://www.seafoamsales.com/pdf/trans_tune.pdf

 

It doesn't look much different than some of the other stuff but works wonders!

 

Curious but pleased,

Greg

 

For all intents and purposes it is a collection of solvents with some lubricity. The naptha is a collection of compounds from distilling coal tar. The IPA is a pretty good polar solvent and probably also serves as a wetting agent. The Pale Oil is proprietary and from the MSDS characteristics is probably a blend of light to medium fraction petrolium distillates which may include some aromatic amines. I may have to do a GC/MS and an HPLC/MS work-up on the stuff when I get a chance just to get a better idea.

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Gee Guys....................it works and that's what counts !

 

:grin:

 

Yes, but 713 asked what it is. Other products have the same components, but Seafoam has the best balance of them. It is not what it is, actually (ingredients), but how much of which that makes Seafoam work so well. Like the difference between Coke and Pepsi. same stuff, different formula. . .

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For all intents and purposes it is a collection of solvents with some lubricity. The naptha is a collection of compounds from distilling coal tar.. ..snip
I will admit I am WAY out of my element here but the SeaFoam can said 100% petrolium, can you get naptha from oil or is coal tar a petrolium by product? Or is carbon carbon...more or less?

 

For those of you who didn't know the #15 NASCAR driver Michael Waltrip, ask him who he drives for after he gets a shot of novacain at the dentist and he will tell you, NAPthA.

 

Sorry, I just couldn't help myself,

Greg

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The last four out of five cars that I've owned have gotten the Sea Foam treatment. The stuff has been around since 1942, and my dad's cousin(who blueprinted and built his own engine) swore by this stuff. That is how I learned about it. At first none of the autoparts stores carried it. Then one day I was snooping around at O'Reillys and I saw the can that shows mercy to poor, downtroddened engines and promtly bought some. To this day, I have not a bad thing to say about the stuff and would recommend it to anyone.

 

May GOD Bless the people that manufacture Sea Foam!

 

Patrick

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Whatever it is it sure quieted and smoothed out my 2.2 (135,000) after only fifteen miles. I bought a can last night after reading this thread, dumped it in at the parts store and drove home.

 

This am my car idled smoother and quiter than it has in the whole time I've owned it. Doing the wife's '00 (160,000) tonight.

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