I think I'm the only person who isn't sold on the idea of using seafoam through the intake. I haven't looked at an intake that didn't have gunk on the inside to some degree. Seems while the seafoam will hit the valves and help clean them, you're also going to wash some of the intake gunk into your cylinders and do more harm than good. That gunk is mixture of the finest dirt particles that got past your air filter and oil residue from venting your crankcase. So that smoke coming out your exhaust is more from the dirt and oil getting into your cylinders than carbon coming off your valves, or at least thats my belief.

 

I saw your post and have to agree, I am also somewhat concerned with the idea of "flushing" your intake. My local parts store carries some product either by Lucas Oil or someone else, that includes about a 3' long straw. You insert it up your TB and coat your intake to clean it. Where does that stuff go, is my question.

 

I've been turned off to Lucas products after having multiple bad experiences with them (transmission slips, fuel gague no longer working correctly...) But the Seafoam is great. I did it in my car (01 Grand Prix w/ supercharged 3.8 V6).

What you do is get the engine to temp. Take off the vacuum hose at the brake booster. The truck will probably start to run a bit rough as you've just created a significan vacuum leak. This is ok. Stick a small funnel in the end of the hose and slowly start to pour in the Seafoam. The truck will sputter and spit and act like it wants to die. Slow down with the Seafoam because you don't want the engine to stall just yet. Also some white smoke will start to come out the tailpipes. Once you have about 2/3 of the can in the hose, quickly pour in a bunch more Seafoam so it stalls the engine. Now let it sit for a good while. If you can't get the engine to stll then just shut it off. Once it's sat for awhile (1/2 hour, 45 min, 1 hour, whatever) go to start it up. It will probably crank for a good while before you can get it running. Once it's fired rev it up good and get all that crap out of your engine. Shortly after very thick clouds of white smoke will literally billow out your exhaust. Keep running the engine then once the smoke starts to subside take the truck out and give it a couple of WOT runs to fully clean out the cylinders.

You can also use Seafoam in the gas tank to clean the upper fuel system. 1 whole can treats a whole tank.

You can also pour some in the oil to clean up the lower part of the block. 1-1.5 oz. of Seafoam per quart of oil. DO NOT drive the truck for more than 250 miles after putting Seafoam in the crankcase as a side effect is that it tends to break down the oil. Change the oil and filter before 250 miles. You will notice that it is extra black when you change it.

Good luck and don't forget the video. Also search for Seafoam on YouTube and see what you can see

 

You are alone. Well, you and the guy below you.

What you're removing isn't dust, it's carbon build up. Some from the combustion process, some from PCV blowby, and some from burnt oil as a direct result of a plenum leak. Carbon clogs injectors, builds up on cylinder head runners, compounds on the basides of valves, and on the insides of cylinders can lead to predetonation in severe cases.

Removing excess is in most cases very beneficial. Seafoam works, but I prefer Mopar Combustion Chamber Cleaner. the cost is similar but the application of MCCC is easier, plus you get the benefit of cleaning the TB. an alternative is Seafoam Deep Creep.

You aren't washing anything into the cylinders that wasn't already in there. You're just emulsifying it and blowing it out of the tail pipe. Some people on this forum talk like pistons and valves are made of candy glass and fairy dust and can't take the slightest bit of material that isn't 93 octane gasoline and pure air. If it can handle 2 or 3 explosions per second, it can handle a little carbon dust passing thru. Heck, I've seen guys pull spark plugs out that lost a ground strap and nothing ill happened to the exhaust valve or piston. The cat might be another story.

Run the seafoam and post up a video. There was a member named ripto that used to have a sig pic that was a can of that stuff. There's vids all over Youtube of guys using it.

 

Even if there is a concern about "washing" intake crap into the cylinders, as I stated in the first post, I am planning on tearing the intake apart and cleaning it and fixing the plenum leak BEFORE I use seafoam

 

After you do the plenum just use some Techron+ for a few tank fulls. After that just once a month or so add a bottle.

 

Good thing being in the minority and being correct aren't mutually exclusive.

Actually, dust IS part of what you are removing. I think you overlooked that I was speaking of the plenum. Dust and oil residue live in the plenum...not carbon.

[QUOTE]Carbon clogs injectors, builds up on cylinder head runners, compounds on the basides of valves, and on the insides of cylinders can lead to predetonation in severe cases. [/QUOTE)

Adding Seafoam into your intake won't do jack to help you clean your injectors. How many people use seafoam because they actually have predetonation? Yeah, almost no one. Most do it because a buddy did it, or they saw a video on YouTube of someone else doing it. Its running with the herd...hey look, everyone is using Seafoam...I want to do it too.


That gunk in your plenum hasnt reached the cylinders yet...until you use seafoam. I think you're mixing up the plenum and cylinder again.

Emulsifying it? Doesn't matter in what form you're putting dirt into your engine, you're still putting dirt and oil residue into your cylinders, and thats never good for your engine. The pistons may not be made of candy glass (whatever that is) and fairy dust, but add a little sand or take away a little too much oil and they might as well be made of "candy glass"

Yes...YouTube needs yet another video of a Seafoam "how-to". And hey, if you saw it on Youtube, its gotta mean that you should do it too.

I personally don't care if anyone uses it in their vehicles, but you have to ask yourself if hoping Seafoam removes some carbon from your valves and pistons is worth letting some dirt and oil into your engine as well.

 

This is just my opinion. Now take it from someone that works on turbine engines that run at 1400*F and turn at 57,000 RPM. Now the engines are completely different but cleaning the carbon is still the same. We do engine washes gas path (heavey duty corrosive cleaner) and water. The carbon buildup on these engines is so bad the compressor is black. We wash all that crap thru the engine and out the exhaust. This doesnt hurt our engines, cleaning the intake and valves in your truck engine with seafoam aint going to hurt it. The worst that can happen is, depending on much crap you wash out, you might clog your cat for a little bit. 3M makes a helluva intake cleaner system. We used to charge about $250 for it, there was a fuel additive and also an aerosol can that we would put in after the air filter while the engine was running to clean the TB and intake. It worked great. Customers compared it to doing a full tune up. Cleaning your all the carbon out of your engine wont hurt it. It wont hurt your pistons, your valves, or your engine. Cleaning the carbon out is good for your engine. And as far as getting dirt in your engine and oil, how clean do you really think that bull **** mobile one engine oil is??? Oil expires if it sits for too long. Think Im lying??? Just come work on something that people's lives depend on that engine. Just my $.02.