How to Seafoam your engine the right way. Complete DIY

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PEZi
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240sxAli4Life wrote:What is an FSM??? And where do i get them?? And so i have to take out the check valve when i sea foam it?? How do i take out the check valve??? And if i bypass it do i just disconnect that hose from there and then start pouring it to the left side of the hose?? Why do i have to bypass the check valve??? BTW just so i dont sound like a retard for not knowing what all this is lol... i just gotta tell you im 16 haha!!
let me clarify once again.... you are not POURING... the brake booster hose coming off the INTAKE will SUCK the fluid in... bypassing the check valve means you unhook it at the check valve... and the check valve will not be part of this seafoaming process at all!

you're only 16... you CAN do this on your own... but like most kids who are 16 you need to READ... read the first post in the thread like its your bible... get the whole process down in your head... ask any questions you need... although they should all be answered now... and once you feel ready... THEN do it


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240sxAli4Life
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PEZi720 wrote:
240sxAli4Life wrote:What is an FSM??? And where do i get them?? And so i have to take out the check valve when i sea foam it?? How do i take out the check valve??? And if i bypass it do i just disconnect that hose from there and then start pouring it to the left side of the hose?? Why do i have to bypass the check valve??? BTW just so i dont sound like a retard for not knowing what all this is lol... i just gotta tell you im 16 haha!!
let me clarify once again.... you are not POURING... the brake booster hose coming off the INTAKE will SUCK the fluid in... bypassing the check valve means you unhook it at the check valve... and the check valve will not be part of this seafoaming process at all!

you're only 16... you CAN do this on your own... but like most kids who are 16 you need to READ... read the first post in the thread like its your bible... get the whole process down in your head... ask any questions you need... although they should all be answered now... and once you feel ready... THEN do it
Dude you need to read too!! I Always make the mistake of saying "POUR" it into the vac hose! I know your suppose to give it little sips!! Look at what i sent back to AZHitman after he corrected me! I did read it very carefully and i now understand! Thanks to everyone who helped me out on this!!! I will post videos of me seafoaming my engine tommorrow when i do it!! Only have one more simple question... when i go to unhook the brake booster vac hose from the middle of the firewall area... do i have to have any tools or anything to get it apart and start seafoaming???? And when my engine is running is when i take the brake booster hose apart correct??????

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PEZi
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you can take it off before you start... doesn't really matter

the brake booster is like a vacuum hose... no real tools necessary(except maybe a screwdriver? there's usually a clamp holding in on so you may need to take that of with said screwdriver) but for the most part... just work it off

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AZhitman
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FSM = Factory Service Manual.

This thread could use a lot less exclamation points. It's only Seafoam, nothing to get excited about.

Let us know how it goes, Ali.

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infiniti_lineup wrote:
240sxAli4Life wrote:What is an FSM??? And where do i get them??
Field Service Manual — http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/

Quick question, I just found the link for the FSMs and I'm psyched. But, is there any kind of index? Or do you just have to 'leaf' through until you find what you need?

Thanks

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infiniti_lineup wrote:
240sxAli4Life wrote:What is an FSM??? And where do i get them??
Field Service Manual — http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/
240sxAli4Life wrote:BTW just so i dont sound like a retard for not knowing what all this is lol... i just gotta tell you im 16 haha!!
This is likely not the best project for you to undertake alone. Make sure you have a knowledgable friend or parent to help you along during the process. Good luck!
Um no this was a very easy project that i did on my 240sx!! I dont need a knologeable friend or anything!! This was very easy! Installing my speakers were harder lol! The hatch glass got in the way so much!

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PEZi
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some cute pics for reference!

seafoamed my dad's '00 Frontier... 200k... not as dramatic as i was hoping :(

i guess i just keep our cars too clean inside... my '85 720 was even less dramatic than this was... but alas!

unhook before check valve
Image

insert vac line into brake booster (i used duct tape as extra assurance)
Image

let it drink
Image

stop engine... wait 30 mins... restart... have someone video tape it

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_V3Ny0QLnWE[/youtube]

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AZhitman
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The startup isn't where you get the mad smoke.

You're supposed to give it some good sips, then a REAL deep sip, shut it down, and let it sit for 30 minutes....

THEN go drive it - needs to be under load IMMEDIATELY. Not revved in neutral.

Massive smokescreen, no matter how clean you think you've kept it. :)

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I've been a believer of Seafoam for years, but this is my most successful story;

My father in law had a Camry that they put a new motor in and the lady was complaining of it smoking. Sure enough, when she brought it in, it was burning oil. So I told my father in law to get some Seafoam. He hadn't heard of it and looked at me like I was crazy, but I told him to trust me. So it comes in, and I Seafoam the motor just like the bottle tells you, and put some in the oil and fuel tank as well. After the 30Min wait is over, we crank it up and after the smoke clears, no more burning oil! My guess was the rings were sticky and weren't sealing properly until the Seafoam cleaned them up and got them un-stock. My father in law is now a believer too.

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PEZi
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AZhitman wrote:The startup isn't where you get the mad smoke.
I'm aware... but i was still expecting more...
AZhitman wrote:
You're supposed to give it some good sips, then a REAL deep sip, shut it down, and let it sit for 30 minutes....
did that...
AZhitman wrote:
THEN go drive it - needs to be under load IMMEDIATELY. Not revved in neutral.

Massive smokescreen, no matter how clean you think you've kept it. :)
well as soon as the video shut off i went down the street... the smoke got blacker... but still nothing of note even when doing some 0-60 pulls.... black, yes... epic smokescreen, no... it was pretty windy out tho... so the cloud inevitably got blown askew rather than floating for any period of time

i think i scared some people when i got on the main road and floored it

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Don't know why I never saw this, but I'm adding this to the FAQ thread in the Infiniti M forum. I've been seafoaming my cars since about 4 years ago and haven't done the M yet because I can't find the hose to do it from.

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Razi
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On a related note, I'm probably gonna seafoam our Q45t this weekend.

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So, I purchased my M35 at 40K miles about 2 months ago now. Great car. I changed the oil for the first time on her at 45K miles a couple weeks ago. Assuming the same plugs are there from the factory and the fact that I just recently put fresh oil and filter in/on her.... If I seafoam her today (crank, vaccuum, and fuel) do I need to then change the spark plugs right away as well as do yet another oil/filter change???

Somehow I doubt this, but I wanted to ask the question specifically just to be sure....

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No, you should be fine.

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Bump for anyone out there thinking about sea-foaming their engine.

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I read all the steps. Just wondering if there are any benefits of just adding seafoam to either the fuel tank or the crank case only, without doing the full vacuum hose part?

If I was only to do this, do you think it's better that I don't even try it. In other words, if I'm not doing it completely, don't bother because the result would be minimal to none at all..?

Comments?

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the vacuum hose part is the biggest bang for the buck. You probably wouldn't notice any change via the gas tank.

It would help with sludge in the oil system, but not really much else.

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The old method is semi obsolete with the new Sea Foam Spray. You just use the hose that comes with the can. It has a hook on the end that goes over the throttle body. Similar to a WD40 tube, but with a hook to facilitate use while having everything connected as it should be while running.

Just remove the intake pipe from the throttle body, hook the tube onto the throttle body itself and then reconnect the air intake pipe. Start, spray, wait, start and enjoy the smoke.

Image

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I JUST came in here to talk about that! I saw it yesterday for the first time in the parts store. I bought a can just to have around, but I'm excited to see how it works.

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Good thread! I was visiting the beach one day and threw a bunch of that sea foam stuff at the shoreline at my intakes and it didn't do a damn thing. Good to know the canned stuff works

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:rotfl

L36
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Id though Id post about my incident with seafoming and killing the engine for seafoam to sit and do its thing. Don't do it.
The seafoam will accumulate in the plenum and when you restart the engine, it will get sucked in and potentially hydro lock your engine if the spark plug gets soaked. This is what happened when I seafomed my G35, luckily VQ is a strong engine so no mechanical damage occurred, the engine never started but the starter was unable to turn the engine over. The cylinders were flooded with seafoam...
If doing through the intake, just go slow and don't rev the engine and leave it running.

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That's why you're also supposed to do it while the engine is hot. You're much more likely to vaporize the liquid before the compression stroke, thus preventing the hydro-lock effect.

I've never had an issue with the starter struggling after a seafoaming. I would guess either the engine wasn't warm enough when you did it, or you continued to pour the seafoam in after the engine was off.

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PapaSmurf2k3 wrote:That's why you're also supposed to do it while the engine is hot. You're much more likely to vaporize the liquid before the compression stroke, thus preventing the hydro-lock effect.

I've never had an issue with the starter struggling after a seafoaming. I would guess either the engine wasn't warm enough when you did it, or you continued to pour the seafoam in after the engine was off.
The engine was hot. I did everything as according to the instructions on the seafoam bottle. I simply was unlucky and when I took the upper plenum off there was bunch of seafoam sitting in the lower plenum. Also, I did not pour seafoam while the engine is off, what makes you assume that I did that? It clearly states you should pour it when the engine is running.

Nonetheless I don't see how its just going to vaporize. The plenum does not get hot enough for it just to vaporize within 30 mins and if sucked enough into a cylinder it can cause a hydrolock effect if the sparkplug is soaked. Look at the lower plenum, its design gives a perfect opportunity for a pool of seafom to accumulate.

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I'm saying it should vaporize as it enters the combustion chamber/gets compressed/gets hot.

And I assume you poured some in while it was off because it shouldn't immediately suck a pool of seafoam from a puddle somewhere if you didn't. It should have sucked it while it was running during initial application, and if it pools, it pools... that pool shouldn't decide it all of a sudden wants to be inside your combustion chamber all at once when you start the engine. It should remain there until it eventually evaporates out.

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L36 wrote: It clearly states you should pour it when the engine is running.
You don't pour it while the engine is running. You take little sips while the engine is running. Take a sip, engine bogs, engine picks back up, take another sip, repeat.

I think the point here is that A LOT of people have used seafoam with great success and no ill consequences. The concept is simple. If you have seafoam pooled in the intake manifold, you either put it in too fast, or the plenum wasn't hot enough. It's no more complicated than that.

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I have a feeling that with gasoline direct injection becoming more popular, we are going to see more attention paid to Seafoam or potentially new cleaning products. As the fuel is no longer hitting the intake valve, deposits are building up on many cars. The level of deposits can vary from car to car/engine to engine, but the reduction in performance can be as much as 5% every 10k miles from the deposits on the intake valves... that could mean Seafoaming every year (or even every oil change) to maintain performance.
Image
http://www.edmunds.com/autoobserver-arc ... pters.html
http://www.aa1car.com/library/intake_va ... ngines.htm

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float_6969
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That's really interesting! I had never heard about it. It sounds though like it's mostly a design issue and won't continue to be a problem in the long term.

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It takes a lot of fluid to hydrolock a 3.5 liter motor. If you managed to do this, you did something wrong. Seafoaming is a very simple and very effective method for cleaning the intake tract and combustion chambers of your motor. I'd venture to say that it's really the only option that doesn't involve substantial work and several gaskets.

The spray tube version really makes this argument null and void anyway because it allows so much better control of fluid introduction.

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I haven't tried Seafoam before, but I'd line to give it a try. I'm curios about something tho... In the OP write up on how to do it, it's suggested to use the brake booster line. Where the boosters line enters the plenum is on the far right side (rear of engine (at least on my VQ35DE )). Can you get a reasonably even distribution across all cylinders from there? Wouldn't it be better to use the canister purge valve entrance which is on center just behind the throttle body? (again, at least on my VQ35DE). Would appreciate any opinions.


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