What To Add To Fuel Tank With Gas To Clean Engine

Seafoam and other engine cleaning additives accept been the subject of the most heated discussions in the auto world. I half of the customs praises these products and even provides proof that it works, only the other adamantly stick to their stance that all cleaners are simply a waste matter of money and only crusade a placebo effect.

So what'south the truth virtually Seafoam? I take to exist honest, I was of the opinion that engine cleaning solutions were useless, simply after extensive research, my opinion has changed completely.

Despite being a universal solution, it's been proven that Seafoam is a great engine cleaner and can meliorate gas mileage and stabilize idle RPM.

The Body of water Foam Brand

Sea Foam is ane of the oldest brands in the engine additive & cleaner business organisation, established in 1942. In the 1930s, Fred Fandrei, a petroleum industry salesman and avid fisherman needed to observe a style to forbid constant breakdowns of his outboard motor. He created a mixture that was so efficient he started selling it to other fishermen and boat owners.

The name was supposedly coined after ane of his friends called up to request a bottle of "Sea Foam stuff". We'll utilize a number of alternative spellings of the name throughout the article.

The Body of water Foam motor treatment solution remained the most popular engine cleaner for almost 80 years. The brand itself has improved and expanded its lineup to include high mileage, trans tune, power steering fluid, oil stabilizers, and other products.

The Truth Most Seafoam

You've seen thousands of positive reviews for Seafoam, but information technology's likely that those negative reviews and forum posts acquired your doubts and lead y'all here. Earlier nosotros get into the benefits, I'd similar to clear out the misconceptions floating around SeaFoam.

People Dislike Fuel Additives

Adding anything just fuel into the fuel tank is a nerve-wracking idea. The engine is worth thousands of dollars and has been designed and built by thousands of the most skilled engineers. On the other side, you've got a $ten bottle of fuel condiment with undisclosed formula.

You tin can clearly encounter how a stiff prejudice against fuel additives can form through somewhat reasonable logic, and it used to be what I thought every bit well. Nonetheless there'due south a very simple counter-argument: If fuel additives are bad, who's to say antifreeze, windshield wiper fluid, engine oil, and even fuel aren't bad as well?

If one quart of Mobil ane synthetic oil costs less than one-half a quart of SeaFoam, why would we consider i the best engine oil in the business organization, and the other a scam?

The truth is, about of the negative opinions come from people who accept never even tried SeaFoam. The weight of those unsupported claims cannot compete in the slightest with thousands of positive reviews from people that really used the product.

Heritage and Name

Companies typically gain more than trust the longer they are in concern, just for SeaFoam, it seems to be working in the opposite direction.

The main supposition is that SeaFoam is yet the same onetime two-stroke fuel additive that cannot maybe work in "modern" 4-stroke engines. While it's true that SeaFoam started as a ii-stroke outboard motor cleaner, information technology was adapted decades ago for use in four-stroke engines.

To think a company that any visitor wouldn't at least try to improve their product over time is ridiculous. If that was the instance, we'd still be swapping betwixt summer and winter engine oil, instead of using multi-class oil.

The most ridiculous prejudice of all is directed at the product'due south proper noun. SeaFoam is associated with the ocean, and therefore outboard motors, which are two-stroke (even though they're mostly four-stroke now). Even Scotty Kilmer, one of my favorite online mechanics supports this entirely wrong notion, proving that you can't blindly trust anyone, even if they're far more experienced than y'all are.

Does The Sea Foam Actually Piece of work?

SeaFoam motor treatment solution works, it's as unproblematic every bit that.

The chemic composition of SeaFoam is a well-guarded merchandise secret, only past looking at the prophylactic sheet I found the two primary ingredients:

Hydrocarbon blend – concentration of <95%
Isopropanol – concentration of <25%

Hydrocarbon is a primary component in petroleum, while isopropanol is an booze derivative of petroleum, meaning that the 100% petroleum advertisement is correct.

SeaFoam mixes with fuel and cleans the entire system upwards to fuel injectors. Then it's sprayed in the cylinder, cleaning its walls, piston head, and valves. Depending on the size of the engine, one to three total fuel tanks mixed with SeaFoam should be enough to clean the engine.

At the time of writing, the most popular SeaFoam Store product on Amazon – SeaFoam SF-sixteen Motor Treatment has been available for exactly 4 years. Normally, I wouldn't attribute too much value to Amazon reviews, only SeaFoam SF-16 has accumulated fifteen,332 ratings, with an average score of four.viii out of 5 stars, with merely 1% being 1-star, and 3% existence 3-star ratings. On SeaFoam's website, it has another 1000 reviews with an average rating of iv.nine/5 stars.

If client satisfaction isn't enough, at that place are dozens of tests online that show the divergence before and after using SeaFoam. You tin even compare the results yourself by using a boroscope inspection photographic camera. I'll provide you with a footstep-past-step guide after on.

How to Utilize Sea Foam?

Using SeaFoam as a fuel condiment is straightforward. If you're using it for the showtime time, add together 2 ounces per gallon of fuel. Yous tin can increment the concentration if yous're running a high-mileage engine. For regular utilise, add one ounce per gallon of fuel. A standard can of SeaFoam contains xvi ounces of cleaning solution, then plan your refuels to make the most out of it.

Once you've cleaned your engine for the first fourth dimension, you can use one or ii cans of SeaFoam every 3,000 miles. For farming equipment and outboard motors, you can add 1 ounce per gallon of fuel every three months. SeaFoam also acts as a fuel stabilizer which is very useful for equipment that you don't utilize for extended periods of time, similar a motorbike or a convertible in the winter.

Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:

Production prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Whatever price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), every bit applicative] at the fourth dimension of purchase volition apply to the purchase of this production.

How to Determine if Sea Foam is Working?

One of the misconceptions about fuel cleaner additives is that you can't actually cheque if they piece of work or not. In reality, getting the before & after results is very easy. Yous'll demand a few tools, a few bottles of SeaFoam, and lots of fuel.

Production prices and availability are accurate equally of the appointment/time indicated and are field of study to modify. Any price and availability data displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will use to the purchase of this product.

Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:

Inspection Steps:

Lift the hood and cheque if the engine is common cold. You don't want to work on a warm engine.
Locate the spark plug cables. Gently take off i.
Utilize the spark remover tool to take out the sparkplug.
Configure the horoscope, and so slide the camera through the spark plug hole.
Audit the cylinder interior for carbon deposits, and take screenshots if you'd similar.
Screw the spark plug dorsum in, and then place the cable back on.

You can repeat the process for all cylinders, merely 1 should be enough. Fully refuel, then mix in at least two ounces of SeaFoam per gallon of fuel. Once you get-go running out of fuel, echo the process merely employ 1-2 ounces of SeaFoam. On the third refill, do the standard 1 ounce to the gallon. This volition give your engine a full cleanup, but y'all can also stop after the first or second refill.

Follow the inspection steps again to see the difference in cylinder and piston conditions. If you'd like to swap out spark plugs while you're in that location, nosotros've got a comprehensive guide on the subject called: How Many Spark Plugs Do I Need?

FAQs

Is Sea Foam bad for spark plugs?

Body of water Foam won't have whatever effect on the status of the spark plugs because information technology'southward a petroleum-based mixture, like to the petrol used equally fuel.

Can you put too much Body of water Cream in gas?

Only if you did it deliberately and had a lot of coin to waste product. Information technology could potentially have an outcome if you add together gallons of it, just that's hundreds of times more the specified corporeality.

If y'all're asking this question because your hand slipped and you lot poured likewise much out of the 16-ounce can – don't worry, you cannot overdo it with such a small-scale corporeality.

Does Seafoam brand your car fume?

Yes, calculation Seafoam will make fifty-fifty a 4-stroke engine smoke, especially if you add more than one ounce per gallon of fuel. This is a common occurrence and shouldn't cause business organization. However, if the smoke is consistent, cease using SeaFoam and check if you've got a head gasket failure or associated coolant leaks.

Will Seafoam harm the O2 sensors?

At that place hasn't been whatever proof that Seafoam affects the O2 sensors or clogs up the catalytic converter.

Verdict

Bounding main Foam has been used for decades by thousands of satisfied customers, and with all the feedback and testing conducted, it'southward safe to say that Sea Cream really works as a fuel-based cleaner. I oasis't been selling you on Seafoam as much as I was sold myself. First, my opinion inverse on value-brand motor oils through the enquiry for the "Who Makes Supertech Oil For Walmart And Is It Whatsoever Good?" article, and now I've been convinced that fuel additives can exist a very valuable product.

In the near future, I programme on buying a horoscope and conducting my own tests with Seafoam, only I'm confident the results will be positive. When that happens, I'll make certain to update this commodity with the results.

Discover new information with these repair tips:

Low Fuel Light Comes On When Tank Is Total: Causes and Fixes

How To Siphon Gas Out Of A Newer Car

How To Open up Gas Tank On Nissan Altima?