Weird noise after seafoam and oil change

96ETT · 06-15-2012, 05:36 PM

Alright so last night I added some seafoam, about 1/4 of a can to my crankcase since I need an oil change. I drove to work and back today (30 miles) then got the oil changed at my usual spot. Nothing was out of the ordinary until then. As soon as they were done I fired it up to leave and the engine sounded different. It had almost like a wining noise to it. I shut it off got out and checked the oil and everything was good and tight. Since I only live like 3 miles from there I drove it home all the while it still sounded different. I sounded like a belt noise or as if the oil cap was off and some echoing was coming from there. Hard to explain, and I cant pinpoint it. I am letting it cool down and will drive it later to see if it changed, but any ideas? I am kind of leaning towards maybe they got some oil on the belts, but it seems too coincidental to have a noise after some seafoam and an oil change...

bryanwheat · 06-15-2012, 05:43 PM

You are not supposed to drive the car with seafoam in the crank case. You are only supposed to put it in, run it for a few minuted than drain it. You take the chance of damaging bearings by driving it because it dilutes the oil.

96ETT · 06-15-2012, 07:37 PM

I have don this on numerous other vehicles with no problems. Well the can says to put half of it in there and drive around for a while, then change it when its dirty. I only put 1/4 of a can in and when like 28 miles on it. And it sounded fine when i dropped it off thats the thing. I just checked it out again and it seems like if i put my ear to the intake manifold i can hear it in there. Could the PCV system have issues from it?

Ozone302 · 06-15-2012, 08:06 PM

I never put that crap in my oil. It's like pure petroleum.. Why would you want that in your oil? If you change your oil regularly, you dont need additives to "clean" the engine. I only put it in the gas tank and the brake booster line

96ETT · 06-15-2012, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ozone302

I never put that crap in my oil. It's like pure petroleum.. Why would you want that in your oil? If you change your oil regularly, you dont need additives to "clean" the engine. I only put it in the gas tank and the brake booster line

And oil is not petroleum? When you are letting your engine suck up this liquid through the brake booster have you thought that it may wash down the cylinder walls into your oil? Well it does.

Look i appreciate the comments, but I have my own reasons for using it and i always have, just not on this car yet. It has already happened, so all I need help with is what might be making noise. It is not a knocking sound I have, more like a whining or vacuum sound.

clbailey · 06-15-2012, 08:36 PM

Its not bad at all to drive with it in the oil, seafoam has said a few hundered miles should be the maximum... its not going to hurt bearings unless the oil level is very low or non-exisistent.

mattasi · 06-15-2012, 08:38 PM

Man that sucks, well at least it doesn't sound like a bearing problem. I have never used seafoam, I am sure it works great, but then I read threads about seafoam messing things up all the time.

Ozone302 · 06-15-2012, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 96ETT

And oil is not petroleum? When you are letting your engine suck up this liquid through the brake booster have you thought that it may wash down the cylinder walls into your oil? Well it does.

Look i appreciate the comments, but I have my own reasons for using it and i always have, just not on this car yet. It has already happened, so all I need help with is what might be making noise. It is not a knocking sound I have, more like a whining or vacuum sound.

Oil isn't pure petroleum. I'm just sayin man.. I've heard so many horror stories about putting it in the crankcase. Every car is different.

Anyways, can you get a video of the noise?

clbailey · 06-15-2012, 09:13 PM

Im curious why you didnt just change it yourself?

96ETT · 06-15-2012, 10:16 PM

I will get a video in the morning. I just cleaned the pcv valve, my k&n filter, an replaced a couple of cracked vacuum hoses. Not that I think those caused it, but I meant to get all that squared away this weekend.

Also I usually dont change it my self because I can afford the extra $15 for the shop to do it. Plus they check all other fluids, wash the windows, vacuum the interior and I dont have to get dirty. I save my labor for real repairs.

96ETT · 07-05-2012, 07:43 PM

Just to add some closure, the weird noise was probably due to the amount of crap that came out of the engine and the oil being slightly thinned out. After a couple oil changes that sound went away, but man was that oil DIRTY! It was black and a bunch of sludge came out. But one extra oil change cleaned all that out and it runs like a top.

So steps I took for good results in the end:

Seafoam in car at night. Drive the car about 30 miles the next day and get the oil changed. May hear the engine sound different. Drive fro another 100-200 miles and change oil again. Engine should be better than ever.