Sea Foam engine cleaner

[vannygun]

So my Subaru 2.2 had an intermittent lifter like noise on the passenger side head for a week then it was all of the time for the last two weeks. I have read alot of information from people that swear by this stuff(Seafoam) and decided to give it a try. I put in 1.5 ounces for every quart of oil and drove it for thirty miles and then did an oil change. The lifter noise was still there so I put another dose into the crankcase and drove for another 60 miles and the lifter noise was gone. I have driven it a few times since then and it has come back but very quiet compared to the original problem. The noise has been gone for two days now and the engine sounds really good now. They recomend you put a third in the crank case, a third in the Intake(vacuum hose in FI) and a third of a can in the gas tank. I thought it was another snake oil but it seems to live up to the hype. My 2.2 was filthy on the inside(lack of oil changes) from PO. I will put updates on here as I am driving 300 miles this next weekend and will have an ear out for that lifter noise. wish I knew about this stuff when I still had the WBX because it was a noisey sumbitch in the lifter department!
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definition-Vanagon, "a ideal breeding ground for gremlins"
2000 jeep Cherokee sport (DD)
1990 vanagon gl 2.2 subaru(sold)
2006 jeep commander

[tozovr]

The Toyota Landcruiser fanatics make Vanagon guys look...well, very NON-OCD. They're INSANE about every part on their FJs...and they SWEAR by Seafoam.

I went down to PA to shoot pics of a TLCA gathering a few years back. Drove my '89 FJ62. I parked in the shop, next to his. I had 145k on mine and he 265k on his motor. We popped both valve covers to adjust the valves and mine looked like you'd expect an old straight 6 to look...tarnished and just sort of stained brown. Steve's looked new.

New.

I asked what in the hell?!

That was when the sermon began. They swear by it and since then, so do I.
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...like a young Julie Andrews all whacked out on PCP, kinda fun but kinda scary too

'83 1.6TD
DX 5 Speed
"Whistler"
www.sinisterbikes.com

[Vanagonner]

It has always worked great for me, flushing out the oil system and quieting lifters. 1st treatment I usually dump a half of a can in the oil and drive it for an hour or two to get it worked around, and change the oil. Then add a little to keep the lifters happy. It doesn't help the lifter noise on my current engine though. (I have old school mechanical lifters ) The only other products I am sold on are Schaffer's Moly treatment and BG transaxle additives.
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Sage
'82 Westy 1.6 D
the mighty n/a

[VisPacem]

Hi

I noticed in these posts that everyone change the oil after driving a few/several/some miles after adding SeaFoam to their engine oil. I did add most of a can/bottle to my engine oil and just kept driving until my next scheduled oil change.
Should oil be changed after using SeaFoam or can it just stay until the next oil change, and why ? .. or why not
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LG aka VisPacemPB, *The* party Pooper

No Regrets (Nothing to do with Vanagons)

[thurst]

Many, many years ago I bought a used '64 Bug, a cheap set of sockets, and "How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive: A Manual of Step by Step Procedures for the Compleat Idiot". The author, John Muir, recommended cleaning the engine by pouring a quart of diesel fuel down the throat of the carb while holding the throttle open. Lots of white smoke!

Is this a predecessor of Sea Foam? Is the diesel treatment a good idea?

[tozovr]

If you're just doing 1/3 a can, they suggest leaving it in for the duration of a change.
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...like a young Julie Andrews all whacked out on PCP, kinda fun but kinda scary too

'83 1.6TD
DX 5 Speed
"Whistler"
www.sinisterbikes.com

[JoeVanagon]

Funny you should mention Land Cruisers. I had an FJ62 with sticky lifters due to gunk. I put a quart of Automatic Transmission Fluid into the oil, and problems went away and gunk was gone. For my Vanagons, I put Sea Foam, half a can, into my 90 and my 86 Vanagons, and bye bye lifter noise. I'm sure it looks a lot cleaner in there too. I'll continue to use it until I swap to a Suby motor, then hopefully I won't need it. But if I do, I won't hesitate. I think the biggest thing to consider is that ATF and Sea foam contain conditioners, essentially soap that helps dissolve some of the sludge in there. As long as you get something in there with a conditioner, be it ATF, Sea Foam, or Marvel Mystery Oil, to break down the sludge, you'll be in good shape.
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Joe Vanagon
1990 Carat with EJ25 SOHC

[Californio]

AutoRX does the job too.

If you're really into it, check out Bob Is the Oil Guy BITOG.com. Tells you more about penguins than you wanted to know.

[ragnarhairybreeks]

another testimonial...

of course its not good experiment, no controls etc...

My '86 syncro has been parked for the last month as I slowly go about working on it. When I started it up last week it had a horrendous lifter noise. Letting it idle for 5-10 minutes did not help. I didn't drive it until today, after I did the seafoam treatment - 1/3 can in crankcase, 2/3 in gas tank. After driving for about 2 miles, the lifter noise just went away. Not gradually, but "just like that".

Who knows if the lifter(s) would have pumped up without the seafoam, but boy it sure worked "as advertised".

cheers

alistair
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'86 7 passenger syncro, converted to westy pop top, project still in progress
'82 westy, diesel converted to gas in '94, now gone...
https://shufti.blog/
Old address still works...
http://shufti.wordpress.com

[hrtm]

One thing not covered in this thread yet is *how often* you should treat the motor.

Also didn't see much discussion on how this stuff works when added to the gas tank to clean up the fuel pump and injectors.

Anyone?
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'84 Vanagon Westfalia
'69 Beetle

[msinabottle]

I use SeaFoam in the tank at the end of the season to stabilize Winston's gas and do that much more injector and engine cleaning.

The results for many years now seem to have been stellar. He starts and runs the tank through each year, and when I pulled his injectors to install the new metal fuel lines, they looked pristine. I do use Marvel Mystery Oil, which is an additional variable, admittedly, on regular fill ups.

Best!
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'Winston,' '84 1.9 WBX Westy
Vanagon Poet Laureate: "I have suffered in
many ways, but never, never, never in silence."

[Skidub]

I've got an oil change coming up on my to do list. Any reason not to treat the oil with SeaFoam prior to the change, and is it correct to just pour the recommended dosage in my oil filler tube? Seems like good stuff.
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86 Syncro GL Tin Top
Subaru 2.5L Swap
Rblt Transaxle w/ R Locker + Decoupler

[kguarnotta]

reviving an old seafoam thread...

I am reading about adding this to your oil, then driving for a while - then doing an oil change.

Wouldn't this overfill your oil? Or is the amount small enough that it doesn't matter?
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-Kevin
Lincoln, MA

'86 Triple Knob Syncro w/EJ22
'78 Westy
'69 Single Cab
'65 Kombi - EZ-Camper

[jlrftype7]

[Squidfish]

Look at the Liqui-Moly products IMO. Great line and very well reviewed. I always experienced sensor issues with Seafoam.
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1985.5 - Vanagon Westfalia Weekender Wolfsburg Edition - LH8U - "Penny"
- 2.6i 5-Cylinder 10v (2004)