Figured I'd put this out there for anyone who was interested in Sea Foaming their M. I have a 2007 M35x so, at the least, this would be the same for the 2006 M35. I haven't seen the 08/09 car so I can't say if this process is any different. This should give you the general idea though.

*Disclaimer* - I am not liable for anything you do to your car. This is just a basic walkthrough.

Note - I used this thread (made by AZhitman) as my template: Link

I took the pics with my HTC EVO 4G from Sprint (love this phone). End of shameless plug lol.

Tools Needed:

- Needle Nose Pliers
- 10mm Socket and Wrench
- Half a can of Sea Foam

Process:

1) Open the hood and remove the engine cover. The engine cover is held on by 4 10mm bolts/nuts.



2) Locate the vacuum line needed to do this task. It is located here:

[picture has been lost, the line is located at the back of the engine and goes into the intake manifold at the side, right above the coilpacks.]



3) Take your needle nose pliers and unclamp the top hose found here.

[picture has been lost]



4) With the hose unclamped/loose, you are now ready to Sea Foam.

5) I took the hose off the nipple with the car started and inserted it into the can of Sea Foam. This made the car start to hesitate so I had my father give it some gas. After it was done sucking the fluid up (half a can), we shut the car off and let it sit for 30 minutes.

IlyaKol
-thanks for the info!! I just put half a can in the crankcase and half in the fuel tank...now with your info, i'll be able to run some through the intake! Definately a noticable difference already with just the crank and fuel...

No problem guys. I had to go through the FSM myself in order to find a suitable vacuum line.

As far as idling vs going for a spirited drive...in the maxima world guys always went for a ride. So I am still. Both my maximal ran fine after every sea foam application.

Nice write up I'll be doing this inthe spring

Sea foaming is like cleaning out your fuel injections right? Did the check engine light come on when you did it? any improvement in EPA?

Vector x Prime wrote:Sea foaming is like cleaning out your fuel injections right? Did the check engine light come on when you did it? any improvement in EPA?

If you run it through the gas tank, then yes, that will clean your fuel injectors, etc. This method (through the intake manifold) just cleans up carbon deposits left over, etc.

No CEL and no improved in EPA. The EPA will stay the same because winter gas notoriously gets poor MPG ratings. I do this more for preventive maintenance on my cars than anything else.

Awesome. I just got a couple cans of Seafoam. Just need to find a vacuum line in the M45s.

Looks like you cleaned a lot of gunk out the manifold, did you have to change out the spark plugs after this or does this have no effect on them? Also, do the M's have a inline fuel filter? I have the V8 so it might be different.

I didn't notice any ill effects of doing this, and my spark plugs are only 10k old so I should be good. I'm very meticulous/anal about maintenance.

As for the fuel filter, no idea. As far as I can tell from the FSM, our filter is in the gas tank.

Great write up thanks! I finally know where the vacuum hose is.

You're welcome everyone.

Quick question IlyaKol did you use half the can through the Vacuum line and the other half through the Gas tank or was it all through the Vacuum line?

Car NEEDS to be driven under load in order to do the most good.

Seafoam How To

The can says to use 1/3 of the can. I guess a 1/2 can isn't a whole lot more.

How many miles were on your car when you did this?

JasonR wrote:Quick question IlyaKol did you use half the can through the Vacuum line and the other half through the Gas tank or was it all through the Vacuum line?

I used half a can and the other half went into my crank case with the new oil. My oil is synthetic, but I will be changing it in 3k instead of my normal 6k due to the Sea Foam being in there.

The other can I bought (in its entirety) went into my gas tank at my last fill up.

AZhitman wrote:Car NEEDS to be driven under load in order to do the most good.

Seafoam How To

Sorry bout that. Gave you credit at the top as I did use your thread as my 'template'.

Thanks.

riggz wrote:The can says to use 1/3 of the can. I guess a 1/2 can isn't a whole lot more.

How many miles were on your car when you did this?

See above.

I had 49,500 miles when I did this.

No worries buddy - You did a fine job.

So who knows the best spot to grab a vacuum hose on the 45?

That was my next question Riggz lol

this is a can of seafoam but doesnt say anything about V8

so is it safe to use on the V8? and what improvement if any should i be looking for?

No difference from a V6. Gas is gas. Oil is oil.

So where do you connect it to?

It's a hose near the battery (connects to the engine right above the last coil pack).

Got it thanks!

Has anyone done this on a 2011 and up M37 yet? Any reason why I may not want to do it?

Do it every 30kmi. It should be regular maintenance (in my opinion). I've done it on all of my vehicles.

Hey guys--
Any change I could get some pics of what hose to use on a 2011 M37?

ETA: Also, is it really ok to pour 1/3 - 1/2 of a can in with the oil??

drewsky wrote:Hey guys--
Any change I could get some pics of what hose to use on a 2011 M37?

ETA: Also, is it really ok to pour 1/3 - 1/2 of a can in with the oil??

Read what I wrote...I only did half a can because I was changing oil sooner than normal because it was in there. Don't put half a can in and then leave it for 10kmi. Typically, with that much seafoam, you should only run it for 2kmi or less. I do about small amount with every oil change as a 'maintenance dose'.

Dully noted, Ilya! I did read carefully what you and others wrote. Today I added a can of SeaFoam to a half tank of gas, then drove it to a gas station and completed the tank. I didn't see any adverse effects on the engine, which makes me more trustworthy of the product. Next I will try adding some with the oil and driving it 2-400 miles to my next oil change.

Maybe then I'll feel confident to try it straight into the injectors.