Where is the safe place to dump Seafoam in a 1988 Ea82 ?

[cole098]

Where is the safe place to dump seafoam in a 1988 EA82 ?

 

Thanks Joe

[TheSubaruJunkie]

Anywhere air enters the engine.

 

For that matter, anywhere fuel enters as well.

 

If your planning on doing an oil change soon afterwards, then anywhere oil enters the engine will do just the same.

 

I beleive if you turn the can around and read the back, it tells you

[cole098]

I guess I trust you guys more than what is written on the back of the product.

 

Any tips as to how much I should dump and again exactly where ?

 

I have heard of people having problems after using it or dumping it in the wrong location is all.

 

Joe

[cocheeze]

i have personally dumped 1/2 can down the mouth of my carb and a half can through the pcv valve hose in both my 1986 ea82 and 1983 ea82 numerous times with no problems at all.

 

also, adding a half can to the oil and a half can to the fuel has worked for me as well in a variety of subies i have owned over the years, but like the subarujunkie said, you'll have to do an oil change afterwards.

 

don't worry about it, there is almost no wrong way to do it, and every method described on the back of the can has worked without a catch for myself and numerous other people i know on a variety of cars over the years.

 

if your neighbors are nosy or otherwise picky/annoying, you may want to take the car out to a lot somewhere at night so that the gigantic cloud of smoke doesn't persuade someone to call the fire department.

 

good luck!

[TheSubaruJunkie]

I usually just pour it into the throttle body or the carburator until the engine starts to choke out and die. Revive the motor then continue. About 1/2 a can later and your car should run better.

 

EFI models, you can remove a vacuum line leading to the intake manifold... submerge the line in the can and vacuum will suck seafoam into the engine.

 

I wouldnt suggest using it in the oil unless you plan on changing the oil soon. It will thin out the oil and may cause problems if you run it for more than say... 500miles or so.

 

However, if you want a long term oil addative, i suggest Marvels Mystery Oil. You can use MMO in the intake and fuel as you would seafoam. Does pretty much the same thing.

 

-Brian

[cole098]

SubaruJunkie, how would I revive the motor is she stalls ????

 

I have a issue with no pull out power in 1st gear, she idles fine and doesnt stall out, just no get up and go in 1st. Its so bad at times its gonna get me killed.. I notice the hotter it is the worse it is.

 

2nd gear has a similar issue at times.

 

It feels like the motor is boggin down is all...

 

So Im wondering if Seafoam will be the answer. Maybe the SPFI will clear up with use, or maybe I need to knock the guts out of the cat.

 

Any other suggestions ????

 

Also I smell something burning, now it almost reminds me of the clutch burning, but I dont notice it slipping at all. I have driven clutch for 20 years and never had this issue...

 

Joe

[ettev]

Never liked the "snake oil" type additives. Stay old school. Stop at your local GM dealer and get some of the pourable "Top Engine Cleaner". Great instructions on the back. Cleans carbon off, you guessed it, the top end of the engine. If you want a really big and obnoxious smelling cloud of smoke this is the stuff for you. Have a neighbor you don't like, use this stuff.

 

Run a quart of kerosene or ATF thru your engine oil at idle for about a half hour. That should clean out the rest of your gunk. Be sure to change your oil and filter before driving!

[brokebill]

SubaruJunkie, how would I revive the motor is she stalls ????

 

I have a issue with no pull out power in 1st gear, she idles fine and doesnt stall out, just no get up and go in 1st. Its so bad at times its gonna get me killed.. I notice the hotter it is the worse it is.

 

2nd gear has a similar issue at times.

 

It feels like the motor is boggin down is all...

 

So Im wondering if Seafoam will be the answer. Maybe the SPFI will clear up with use, or maybe I need to knock the guts out of the cat.

 

Any other suggestions ????

 

Also I smell something burning, now it almost reminds me of the clutch burning, but I dont notice it slipping at all. I have driven clutch for 20 years and never had this issue...

 

Joe

 

 

bumping up the timing a little on my carbed 86 ea82 did wonders for my low end bog.

 

i have had great results with the seafoam deep creep(spray can instead of liquid)

 

i recently gutted my cat and the fine particles had a strange smell when they burnt out.(if you gut it make sure to get it all out or a loose chunk will end up causing problems)

 

good luck, Bill

[McDave]

SubaruJunkie, how would I revive the motor is she stalls ????

 

I have a issue with no pull out power in 1st gear, she idles fine and doesnt stall out, just no get up and go in 1st. Its so bad at times its gonna get me killed.. I notice the hotter it is the worse it is.

 

2nd gear has a similar issue at times.

 

It feels like the motor is boggin down is all...

 

So Im wondering if Seafoam will be the answer. Maybe the SPFI will clear up with use, or maybe I need to knock the guts out of the cat.

 

Any other suggestions ????

 

Also I smell something burning, now it almost reminds me of the clutch burning, but I dont notice it slipping at all. I have driven clutch for 20 years and never had this issue...

 

Joe

Just remember that since you're trying to cure a bog like I did on my Loyale, as per the other thread, that pouring Seafoam down the throttle body or pcv hose will clean the carbon off the valves and out of the cylinders, but it will do nothing for the insides of the injector.

 

I can't be sure if my problem was carbon or a gunked up injector, but I do know that Techron in the gas tank took care of whatever the problem was. Since the improvement happened in such a short amount of time, I'm leaning towards the injector being gunked up.

 

PS Performance continues to improve. I doubt I'll have to change the cat now.

[Frank B]

The only wrong way to do it is to pour it in too fast. You could hydro-lock a cylinder and bend a rod. I know a guy that did that on a late model t-bird.

 

I like the PCV hose, slip a funnel into the hose to make it easier. The can says 1/3 but I've alway used the entire can. Poured slowly untill I have only 1/4 left then dump the rest. If it stalls, just let it sit for fifteen minutes or so, then start it up. It will be hard to start but just keep cranking it. Turn the engine off after your done even if it doesn't stall out.

 

It isn't any more of a snake oil than that GM cleaner. It's a cleaner that works.

[daeron]

Never liked the "snake oil" type additives. Stay old school. Stop at your local GM dealer and get some of the pourable "Top Engine Cleaner". Great instructions on the back. Cleans carbon off, you guessed it, the top end of the engine. If you want a really big and obnoxious smelling cloud of smoke this is the stuff for you. Have a neighbor you don't like, use this stuff.

 

Run a quart of kerosene or ATF thru your engine oil at idle for about a half hour. That should clean out the rest of your gunk. Be sure to change your oil and filter before driving!

Seafoam is not a snake oil additive!!!

 

 

I will repeat that.

 

Seafoam is NOT a snake oil additive!!!

 

"snake oil additives" are things you buy to "guarantee more power" or "pass emissions or your money back" and they have large print and flashy colors all over the labels to induce those of tender wit to purchase at an exhorbitant price. Seafoam is a top-end cleaner almost identical in formulation to what you recommended, and since it is mass-marketed and sold worldwide, I imagine it is probably a bit less expensive than your GM product, and likely much much more effective than kerosene or ATF at cleansing the interior surfaces of the engine. when I took my engine apart to do the headgaskets last year, there wasn't a trace of carbon to be found in my entire top end. Okay, that is a slight exaggeration, but it was a smudge on my fingers, not a gob on my fingers that smudged everything i touched. I couldn't even see the carbon for the oil residues and crap everywhere on the OUTSIDE of the engine.

 

 

The greatest part about having Jeb Bush eliminate the emissions testing in the five florida counties that did it, was the way all the real "snake oils" disappeared from the shelves in the parts stores. There are now a few bona-fide fuel additives like seafoam, lucas injector cleaner, techron, etc and thats it! The only snake-oils are the supposed "octane boosters" for the idiot "2ner crowd" ie, ricers.

 

Calling seafoam snake oil is like calling Tylenol or Penicillin snake oil.... Seriously, many of the patent medicines of the 1800s that were the origin of the term "snake oil" were made of ingredients that sound FAR better for you than moldy cheese! Just because someone puts a label on it and sells it, doesn't mean they are a con artist. There ARE people out there who thought "you know, if we could make a product to use like people use kerosene for engine internal cleaning, we could make a tidy profit and do a service!" and formulated such a product; it pains me greatly to hear it dismissed as "snake oil."

 

 

Sorry, I don't want to come on so strong against YOU.. just against the point you mentioned It has been bugging me for a long time.

[ettev]

Sorry, I don't want to come on so strong against YOU.. just against the point you mentioned It has been bugging me for a long time.

 

I understand your vent and agree. I've just never been one to use any kind of additives, etc. and have a tendency to lump them all in the same category. As far as the GM Cleaner I figure if a manufacturer recommends it then it must be pretty safe. Especially GM as they have always looked for ways to void warranties or walk away from problems if any sort of non-OEM part, service or fluid was used as a repair attempt.

 

I have read very good things about the Techron fuel additive however. Unfortunately I think what is the most detrimental thing to our fuel systems and components today is the new ethanol mixes. I've heard of and seen so many accelerator pump and injector problems that many directly attribute to these new gas blends. Not sure if Techron or anything else short of redesigned replacement parts able to withdstand the chemistry can solve that issue.

 

Keep the shiny side up.

[McDave]

I've used GM's top end cleaner and I know it's good stuff and I'm sure Seafoam is very similar and as effective. The reason I prefer a 'gentler' treatment is because we are dealing with an older car here that may already have issues with a restricted cat.

 

Now I know Seafoam is perfectly compatable with cats but all the junk you'll be cleaning out of the engine could be too much for a marginal cat to handle all at once.

 

Why not treat it with something that will clean the injector too, like Techron in the gas tank and let it work over a few miles. I noticed a big difference within 25 miles. What's the rush, it took 165k miles to get gunked up in the first place?

[cole098]

Well Thurs. if it doesnt rain my Godson and I are gonna look at the belts and open up the cat, then use seafoam in the intake and techron the tank.

[Frank B]

"Open up the cat" meaning to look at it, or to gut it?

I seriously doubt it's clogged with an FI engine. If it was, it wouldn't run off idle, or idle at all.

Don't gut it, that's just ridiculous no matter how you look at it. It won't run better, and you won't like the sound, oh and it's illegal for a reason.

 

Get two cans of seafoam, one in the tank with fresh gas, one in the manifold, slowly to clean up the valves and chambers. Replace the spark plugs, cap, rotor, and wires.

And your engine temp should not come up 1/4 inch on the gauge from resting position. If it does, you need a new rad. Are you loosing coolant? You may have a bad head gasket and that is the problem.

Is the AC on? The compressor put's a big drag on the motor.

Are your brakes dragging? They smell like a burning clutch. Remember the E-brake operates the front calipers, if the cables aren't adjuated properly, the front brakes will drag.

Check all other areas before blaming the cat and becoming part of THE problem when you gut it.

[torxxx]

DO NOT pour an entire can in the intake. I've watched a buddy burn up a chevy 305 doing that.

 

Use 1/3 of the can through a vacumn line if its FI engine or down the carb throat if carb'd. use the other 2/3 in the gas tank

 

When u restart it after it chokes itself out, floor the pedal and crank away might take 10-15 seconds for it to start back up. Dont do this in ur garage the fumes will kill ya

 

It should blue/white smoke for a few min but after that you'll be good to go

[McDave]

DO NOT pour an entire can in the intake. I've watched a buddy burn up a chevy 305 doing that.

 

Use 1/3 of the can through a vacumn line if its FI engine or down the carb throat if carb'd. use the other 2/3 in the gas tank

 

When u restart it after it chokes itself out, floor the pedal and crank away might take 10-15 seconds for it to start back up. Dont do this in ur garage the fumes will kill ya

 

It should blue/white smoke for a few min but after that you'll be good to go

(shaking head) I still don't understand why people want to subject their engines to such harsh treatment.

[torxxx]

(shaking head) I still don't understand why people want to subject their engines to such harsh treatment.

 

got any other solutions to getting rid of carbon buildup other than water injection?

 

I'd rather seafoam my engine spring and fall instead of spraying water into my intake.

 

Seafoam isnt bad if u use it properly.

[McDave]

got any other solutions to getting rid of carbon buildup other than water injection?

 

I'd rather seafoam my engine spring and fall instead of spraying water into my intake.

Actually I do. Techron (techrolene). It's the industry standard fuel system cleaner. MMO in the oil and gas tank works wonders for carbon too. It keeps my 5.3 Chevy from doing the dreaded morning lifter tap routine which is actually a carbon build-up knock in the piston quench area.

 

BTW... what the heck is wrong with water injection? Have you ever noticed the cleanest cylinder on tear down is the one that had the blown head gasket?

 

Seafoam isnt bad if u use it properly.

Did you tell that to your buddy before or after he blew up his 305?

(in all fairness, it doesn't take much to push a 305 over the edge)

[torxxx]

lol hes the service writer where I work. he did this on his own time without asking the mechanics what to do lol. he had it coming.

 

all 305's deserve to blow up anyways