Playing with Seafoam and 85.5 944 - Trials and Results

phoenix_iii · 06-17-2008, 10:00 AM

I will add information as it becomes available

92k miles on 85.5 NA
New timing belt, waterpump, fuel filter.

Took it to about 1/8 of a tank (3/16). Added full contents of SeaFoam, and filled to about 3/4 / 4/5 full.

Drove about 70 miles up to my parents house. Taking it to 5krpm every now and then, just to run it through the system. - No difference. Some smells along the way that may have been the environment.

Car sat for 3 days. Started right up. Drove it back, but after the first minute or two, I got a couple *really* low idles (like stumbling) when stopping, and low rpm (1000-1700) I had stumbling. It had been parked outside during a bad rain, and pointing down hill, so I thought it was that. Did it only a few more times (2 oe 3). Scared me a little but I kept the driving rpms above 2k like one should, no problems. Drove 70 miles back.

Next day it stumbled a little after starting and then driving slowly in the parking lot. No problems on my 5.1 miles commute to work.

The only other change was a replacement of the DME relay with a new part (keeping the old as spare), but didn't have any problems for the 2 days I ran with the new relay before the Seafoam so called it good.

I am assuming the Seafoam to fuel ratio may be a bit hit, though it's about 1oz per gal, and I put in 16oz, and had about 17.5gal in there... Thoughts? Next might be motor oil and then drain as per instruction, or the legendary vacuum suck. Anyone have a pic of the line it should sip from?

p3

djnolan · djnolan's Garage

As far as the intake, it is easier to use spray cleaner such as berkley 2+2 and spray it in thru the vacum port on the throttle body while revving up the warm engine. Once you have run seafoam thru the gas tank, you will need to replace the fuel filter, as stuff dislodged from the tank will plug the filter. Dirt could also end up in the injectors so they need to be taken out, cleaned, rebuilt with new o-rings and pintles, and flow tested. Using brand named gas is a good idea as it has fuel system cleaners, and you will not have to repeat this process too often!

Lizard944 · 06-17-2008, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by djnolan

As far as the intake, it is easier to use spray cleaner such as berkley 2+2 and spray it in thru the vacum port on the throttle body while revving up the warm engine. Once you have run seafoam thru the gas tank, you will need to replace the fuel filter, as stuff dislodged from the tank will plug the filter. Dirt could also end up in the injectors so they need to be taken out, cleaned, rebuilt with new o-rings and pintles, and flow tested. Using brand named gas is a good idea as it has fuel system cleaners, and you will not have to repeat this process too often!

1+ on the "intake." I send about 1/2 bottle of SeaFoam through the vacuum port on the TB, then immediately turn the engine off. Wait a couple of hours then go for a drive and keep the rpms ~3k for five minutes. This is Ford's TSB to the dealerships for the treatment of carbon knock. Repeat, Repeat Enjoy the fog show and definately change the oil afterward. As far as changing the fuel filter and having your injectors serviced after sending SeaFoam through the tank...that seems like a little overkill. Chevron Techron is also a good fuel system cleaner and comes premixed in Chevron gas, but you don't see people needing a filter change and injector servicing after a fill up.

Not much is going to get past the prefilter and the main filter. They remove down to ~5 microns. Everytime I remove a filter, the remaining fuel (engine end of filter) flows out clear as water. But the inlet direction comes out looking like Coca- Cola.

Tidybuoy · 06-17-2008, 10:57 PM

I used the hard plastic vacuum line that goes the the device that controls the carbon cannister (right in front of the fuse box). I sucked in about half a bottle and then shut off the engine (which it almost does by itself). I only let it sit for 15 minutes then started up the engine - be prepared for smoke. It will smoke for about 20 minutes.

After doing this, my hunting idle has gone away and the car definately feels like it has more power (don't know why that would be).

Vern

phoenix_iii · 06-18-2008, 08:17 AM

Pics would be most appreciated (of the vacuum line of choice to suck in).

My car has died TWICE since doing the seafoam in the tank. I am down below half a tank now.

Both where when doing about 60, in neutral (car would be idling), and it just went down. I didn't notice it happen, just saw the '!' on and realized the car was off. NEVER had this happen before.

Only thing has been the Seafoam in the tank, and the new (NIB from Pelican, first was DOA) DME Relay. Maybe I should put the old one back?

Fuel filter was brand new with 100 miles on it before Seafoam in tank.

Should I be a weeny and fill up to dillute the Seafoam, or just man it up and take it down to less than 1/4 and see what happens?

[If some one shows me a pic with the best line to suck through highlighted (or described), I will make a video of the seafoaming and post that (or youtube it or something)]

phoenix_iii · 06-19-2008, 07:34 AM

Took 3 or 4 tries to get it started today (NEVER happened before, except when I had the DOA new DME Relay). I was on my last attempt before putting the old relay back just in case...

Car had sat overnight. It did rain, but not hard, and I never had a problem with rain before...

Less than half a tank left, will see if I can take it to the GF's parents this weekend (50 miles there and back)...

p3

Schumi · 06-19-2008, 11:12 PM

+1 for changing fuel filters. On the track car I am prepping, I drained the fuel before anything. Not sure if the filter had been changed in a long time, it looked old as can be. Drained the bottom of the tank and the fuel was the worst looking and smelling liquid I had ever seen. I contemplated keeping the fuel for lawnmower usage (since gas prices are so high) but after seeing and smelling it I threw it out. I wouldn't even feed that stuff to a briggs.

phoenix_iii · 06-20-2008, 05:11 AM

When I had original received the car, I had run about a tank and half through on the fuel filter from the PO (which was not original, so at last the car had had one new fuel filter in 90k miles). I changed it after those first (very few) tanks.

Will keep my eye on it. If fuel filter is clogged, I would get starvation problems, yes?

Anyone has pointer on where to suck in from vacuum for the next trial?

djnolan · djnolan's Garage

We are talking about a 20 year old car here and there could be all kinds of stuff in the tank. you certainly don't want to reverse the process and put seafoam in the tank after changing the fuel filter and doing injector service. one of the benifits of the injector serivce is it restores the spray pattern and evens out the fule to each cylinder. There are microscreens in the injectors that can get clogged.

Anyway my experience with reviving a 20 yr old car is this was one of the instant payoffs. If you are going to do the injectors yourself, you will need to search for a procedure. Some performance shops offer the service at a reasonable cost, either you take them the injectors or take them the whole car!

gtroth · 06-22-2008, 09:53 AM

I might try disconnecting the battery to reset the DME and let it re-adapt.

What does seafoam do to the O2 sensor?

phoenix_iii · 06-23-2008, 04:50 AM

This morning sucked. Car had sat since Friday night. It's Monday morning

I spent about 5 minutes trying to get it started. I even swapped my old DME relay back (which didn't help). It sputtered a few times, I tried to give it gas a little while starting when getting desperate (seemed to help it sputter but not reliably). I almost broke out the starter fluid (never used it on this car, only on a bike once), and almost took my girl's Honda to work...

Took at least 7-10 cranking attempts to get it started, and we're talking 5-7 seconds per attempt. Then it stalled at the first light, I got off the road by coasting, and spent another minute trying to get started again 3 or 4 start attempts... Went straight to the gas station... NO WALLET OR CELL PHONE. Craps. Back home, left it running, got stuff, back to another gas station, filled it up. Now I'll see what happens. oy...

What's this about pulling the battery to reset the DME?

phoenix_iii · 06-27-2008, 05:00 AM

Damn you seafoam.

I filled up as per the last post

I've gone about 42 miles this week. Car sat overnight, as per usual. Gave me a little fit to start this morning, took 1.5 tries to get it started.

Stalled at first light (which is a few hundred yards away, and not my first 'stop'). Started up in 2 or 3 tries. Stalled again, started up again, was 'ok' the rest of my 5 mile trip, but at stops/idles, it would sometimes start to go low, and I would have to give it gas for peace of mind.

So now I'm either still running into seafoam product (remember I used a hair too much (whole bottle, which would treat 26 gal and we have 22 gal tanks)), my fuel filter is fighting a fight, or it's something else.

I just ordered a vacuum kit, something I always wanted to do anyway, and I noticed if I pump my brakes my idle goes up about 100 (max)...

Looking to do +100 miles this weekend, that should help I hope. Never had ANY of these problems before seafoam.

looneybin · 06-27-2008, 07:24 AM

I've been thinking about adding some seafoam to my gas tank, but you are scaring the bejesus out of me with your story.

looneybin · 06-27-2008, 07:25 AM

I've been thinking about adding some seafoam to my gas tank, but you are scaring the bejesus out of me with your story.

jmd_forest · 06-27-2008, 07:33 AM

In reading your original post you state, "new timing belt, water pump, fuel filter". Were these services done at the approximate same time (within a day or so) of the SeaFoam? If so, you could be simply experiencing a coincidence between the SeaFoam and the real problem. I'm not saying it isn't the SeaFoam, but it sounds suspiciously like a vacuum leak from a hose knocked off or cracked during the other repairs. I'd look around for a bad vacuum hose, or possibly, a loose electrical connection (TPS, DME temp sensor, etc) that might have been misaligned during the servicing. It's cheap piece of mind.

jmd_forest

phoenix_iii · 06-27-2008, 08:34 AM

jmd. It was over a month between those services being performed.

I wanted to make sure the car was stable before doing anything more (than those major services)...

I ordered the vacuum line kit...

Once I put that in, and run through a full tank

(Remember, I've only just filled it and run 40 miles since chickening out around 2/5 of a tank left).

through it, or two, will I replace the fuel filter, again.

phoenix_iii · 06-27-2008, 09:22 AM

Was just poking through threads and read that the ignition relay and the fuse relay (ergo the horn relay) are all the same. Well, my ignition switch is going bad, I thought, since sometimes after turning the car off it would fire once or twice more. Not often, but maybe every other day. So I said hey, I have an extra new one of those, let me swap it in!

So I did. The original ignition relay = rust on one of the leads, and on the plastic fuse box... hmm. Swapped it. We'll see if it's any better. I also put the ORIGINAL DME relay back in.

Remember, my first DME replacement relay (just wanted to have a new one because new is always better, right?) was DOA. My second one, well... hell... might be part of the problem.

Or, it's the ignition relay being a punk (spinning starter, who knows?)... here's hoping.

=)

Rasta Monsta · Rasta Monsta's Garage

Seafoam in the tank makes your car run like a&& in my experience. Much better just to suck it into the intake and use it to decarbonize your top end.

DON'T put it in your crankcase. . .it can dissolve the gunk that is REALLY sealing your motor and cause a thousand leaks (crank seals, cam seal, shaft seals, etc).

phoenix_iii · 06-28-2008, 07:08 AM

Problems starting again today... 3.5 tries...

Tach bounces like it should, and from second try and on, I would get a fire or two (cylinder).

I think it did drizzle/rain a bit, but not in a way that would wet anything...

Might try to get spark plug wires changed this weekend... but thinking of doing spark plugs too.

phoenix_iii · 05:22 AM

Bottom line, don't put the whole can in

I've worked it all out now, starts like it should, took a few weeks though (and fills) (not driven daily). Once down to below half or 1/4 I would have starting problems.