Do not use seafoam?

[DSMBanditFZ6]

Bought my eclipse gsx, bought a oil change (Pennzoil high mileage) 204K miles.

bought some sea-foam on sale for the gas tank. The genius at advance auto suggest putting a quarter bottle in the oil when i change it along with Lucas to solve my lifter ticking noise.

sound started ticking even louder while idle, while on my way to work the next morning the wrist pin sheared off number 1 cylinder causing a drastic drop in hp. i was trying to get up a hill and pull in somewhere then the rod somehow got rolled up with the rear balance shaft causing the oil pump pulley to lock up knocking a 2 X 4 hole in the back of the motor.

when the oil pump & pulley locked up the timing belt quit spinning ( thank god ) but the crank kept spinning and literally destroyed the gates timing belt i installed a week prior.

Also when the header was glowing bright red when i popped the hood, it was around 0645 in the morning. (had a highflow Magnaflow cat on a stock exhaust Wtf?)


i will never be using sea-foam ever again in any vehicle i own. (at least never in the oil)

Any Thoughts? bad experiences? i am not blaming this solely on sea-foam because i did have what a thought was a tick but was a knock.

it just wasn't that bad until i did this.

Rubber side down!

 

[spydergstftw]

i used seafoam just like all the people on here that LOVE it and shortly after I had rod knock. idk if it has anything to do with it or if it is just a coincidence but I will never use seafoam again because it literally happened the next week. needless to say, I am rebuilding the engine and waiting for my ACL bearings to come in from STM... if they ever come in

 

[Dsmkauai]

I've used seafoam for years and happen to know the owners son. It's not the seafoam that causes the problems. My motor has 240,000 on it and is still clean inside thanks to seafoam. If you use it on a high mileage motor you could loosen some build up and that would cause the problems. Don't blame a good product when you have no hard evidence it's at fault. Seafoam is half the reason our boat motors last so long out here on hawaii.

 

[bryanwheat]

I you want to clean your crank case and oiling system you use an oil with a detergent, not dilute the oil.

 

[dsmarmy777gst]

Ive used it a lot, both in gas and oil and never had a problem.

 

[clipto]

I have used seafoam before, I put about half a bottle in one of the vaccuum lines on the tb.Was fun to smoke out the neighborhood.Sure it may cleaned out some gunk, and I changed the oil after, but I would rather spend the money on dinner at applebees.

 

[WES_393]

The can has instructions for a reason. Never listen to the guy behind the counter, odds are he has a 1,000HP NA Civic with pink flames on the hood. I have always put the recomended amount in the crank case, let the car run long enough to quit smoking out of the pipe, and change the oil right away.

DSM Garveyard sells some really nice rebuild kits and shortblocks for a fair price. But in all honesty, when it comes to their basic (no add ons, no upgraded rods, etc) Stage 2 Johny Walker, you could build one that's of equal strength if not far superior and have cash left over. Just keep that in mind.

 

[Calan]

Aside from the fact that you ran the seafoam in the oil for a while which you shouldn't have (as you now know), I really doubt if that was the sole reason for the motor letting go. How many miles were on the bottom end?

If it was still stock at 200k miles, the seafoam may have just dissolved the carbon that was holding the thing together.

 

[ed1380]

The can has instructions for a reason. Never listen to the guy behind the counter, odds are he has a 1,000HP NA Civic with pink flames on the hood. I have always put the recomended amount in the crank case, let the car run long enough to quit smoking out of the pipe, and change the oil right away.

DSM Garveyard sells some really nice rebuild kits and shortblocks for a fair price. But in all honesty, when it comes to their basic (no add ons, no upgraded rods, etc) Stage 2 Johny Walker, you could build one that's of equal strength if not far superior and have cash left over. Just keep that in mind.

The risk of being screwed over by them is not worth the "fair" price
TheDSMGraveyard.com - Directory

 

[DSMDEMON93]

Seafoam causing that much damage does not sound possible. I think after 204,000 miles, it was just your motors time...and that's a LONG time.

 

[bryanwheat]

Seafoam causing that much damage does not sound possible. I think after 204,000 miles, it was just your motors time...and that's a LONG time.

I've experienced similar issues with a similar motor flush product. Actually a friend and i both experienced spun rod bearings right after using the product according to the recommendations on the label. Both vehicles were done on the same day, 100k mile 90 jeep Cherokee, and an 88 chevy pickup with a 60k crate engine. Both engines started knocking the very next day. I wouldn't say that it isn't possibly being that it has happened with many of these miracle product's, just not likely being that the wrist pin was sheered.

 

[Calan]

I wouldn't say that it isn't possibly being that it has happened with many of these miracle product's, just not likely being that the wrist pin was sheered.

Yeah. I would have expected some rod knock and slowly deteriorating bearings rather than a suddenly sheared wrist pin.

*****

OP - Are you sure it wasn't a case of the motor quieting down and running a bit smoother, so the right foot got out of calibration and romped on an old motor a little too hard? Or maybe the timing or other aspects of the tune changed after the timing belt and other work that was recently done? That makes more sense to me than some seafoam shearing a wrist pin.

Here's some other clues from your first post:

Bought my eclipse gsx

Probably excited to have a new-to-you GSX, which usually translates into pushing it too hard.

bought a oil change (Pennzoil high mileage) 204K miles.

Car has high mileage (and not the best oil BTW).

sound started ticking even louder while idle

There was already a noise

trying to get up a hill and pull in somewhere

Engine was most likely under a heavy load

literally destroyed the gates timing belt i installed a week prior.

Recent t-belt work

the header was glowing bright red when i popped the hood

Sounds like a timing issue

i did have what a thought was a tick but was a knock.

Again, a pre-existing noise that was a knock and not simple lifter tick.

*****

That all sounds a lot more like a tuning and/or mechanical issue that caused some serious knock.

Did you do the t-belt yourself? If so, how familiar with it are you? Not laying any blame here, but this also sounds suspiciously like timing may have been off after the t-belt job and a valve kissing the piston was the "ticking noise". If you know these cars well and that isn't possible, my bad.

Just a thought.

 

[1cleanreddsm]

I've used seafoam poured directly into my oil cap, the whole quart, and drive the car for a few minutes and then do an oil change, nothing happens.. literally, nothing good nor bad happens.. so I say its useless.. a big waste of money.

 

[standard235]

If the mani was glowing, you must have had some knock causing timing to be pulled... hell my e85 16g car on 30psi wouldn't glow after a pull.

 

[Calan]

I've used seafoam poured directly into my oil cap, the whole quart, and drive the car for a few minutes and then do an oil change, nothing happens.. literally, nothing good nor bad happens.

I don't doubt it. That's not how it's supposed to be used.

 

[nitroazz]

I don't doubt it. That's not how it's supposed to be used.

Beat me to it. Nothing ever works as described if used incorrectly.

Usually caused by an
Id
10
T
error.

 

[DSMBanditFZ6]

I've used seafoam for years and happen to know the owners son. It's not the seafoam that causes the problems. My motor has 240,000 on it and is still clean inside thanks to seafoam. If you use it on a high mileage motor you could loosen some build up and that would cause the problems. Don't blame a good product when you have no hard evidence it's at fault. Seafoam is half the reason our boat motors last so long out here on hawaii.

Lol that's like saying the octane booster you pic up at the local dollar general acutally works. It had negative impact on my car aswell as a few other people. It could have knocked some sludge off causinvlg it to break. Which would mean it was caused by this and running.it.in a newer motor might be great, running in a old motor might have adverse affects being as it.was use to using.all that gunk. Idk only time will tell.

But not for me!

 

[my dreamt dsm]

I've use it twice and never had problem. But i don't like to mix it with my oil. Could of been a coincidence. Usually you put it the last few miles before you change your oil, not the other way around. I hope everything turns out good.

 

[CanadianTalonTC]

I am pretty sure that you should not add seafoam to oil. Oil compresses and lubricates. Seafoam does not.
I have never used it. I have read both sides of the argument and I stay away from seafoam and lucas additives.

Someone else will chime in soon tho. Good Luck.

You can add Seafoam to oil, also the amount you can compress fluids is negligible inlcuding oil, in other words fluids do not compress.. Seafoam is also a petroleum.

I've used seafoam before, a byproduct of it's usefulness is that you can find exhaust leaks very easily hahaha. I stay away from the lucas oiled additives though.

Joel

 

[Calan]

I personally really like Sea Foam, and regularly run a little in my gas tank (especially after a recent E85 goo incident). It works very well for adding a little lubrication to fuel components and helps cut down on carbon buildup. I also run some through the TB every now and then.

I've used it for years, and have never had an issue with it. Then again, I don't dump a can of it into my oil pan either; that is where good clean race oil goes every 2k miles or so.

I'm generally against additives of any kind... but SF is the exception.

 

[bryanwheat]

I personally really like Sea Foam, and regularly run a little in my gas tank (especially after a recent E85 goo incident). It works very well for adding a little lubrication to fuel components and helps cut down on carbon buildup. I also run some through the TB every now and then.

I've used it for years, and have never had an issue with it. Then again, I don't dump a can of it into my oil pan either; that is where good clean race oil goes every 2k miles or so.

I'm generally against additives of any kind... but SF is the exception.

I agree that it works well as a fuel system cleaner, i don't put anything in my crankcase other than oil though, .

 

[DSMBanditFZ6]

Yeah. I would have expected some rod knock and slowly deteriorating bearings rather than a suddenly sheared wrist pin.

*****

OP - Are you sure it wasn't a case of the motor quieting down and running a bit smoother, so the right foot got out of calibration and romped on an old motor a little too hard? Or maybe the timing or other aspects of the tune changed after the timing belt and other work that was recently done? That makes more sense to me than some seafoam shearing a wrist pin.

Here's some other clues from your first post:



Probably excited to have a new-to-you GSX, which usually translates into pushing it too hard.



Car has high mileage (and not the best oil BTW).



There was already a noise



Engine was most likely under a heavy load



Recent t-belt work



Sounds like a timing issue



Again, a pre-existing noise that was a knock and not simple lifter tick.

*****

That all sounds a lot more like a tuning and/or mechanical issue that caused some serious knock.

Did you do the t-belt yourself? If so, how familiar with it are you? Not laying any blame here, but this also sounds suspiciously like timing may have been off after the t-belt job and a valve kissing the piston was the "ticking noise". If you know these cars well and that isn't possible, my bad.

Just a thought.

Your pretty much right. I bow to you wise man.

Learning process.

 

[clipto]

Well the carbon build up over time on a motor with that kind of mileage actually helps it stick together.Running seafoam cleaning that out may cause some issues and trying to restore a motor with high miles decided to take it toll.Correct me if I am wrong about the carbon build up.Just thought I throw in my 2 cent's from what I've been told.

 

[Calan]

Your pretty much right. I bow to you wise man.

Shit... don't bow to me. I bought my first DSM brand new 18 years ago, and I still learn something new about them every day. Just ask Bryanwheat up there ^.

 

[Mr Peepers]

As stated I would be hesitant to run seafoam in the crank case for anything besides flushing the oil right before changing it. I am also hesitant to say it was seafoam that caused the issue either way. Who's to say considering the variables though.

The manifold glowing red isn't that uncommon and you will usually see it right after doing a long WOT run. People usually don't pop their hood right after a pull; it usually goes away after about a minute of idling/normal driving. Ignition timing can greatly affect this like Craig said. A long pull with lots of knock will pulls lots of timing and send a lot of the heat of combustion out the exhaust.

Take my advice with a grain of salt though, I work for Advance Auto

 

[WES_393]

The risk of being screwed over by them is not worth the "fair" price
TheDSMGraveyard.com - Directory

Wow, and I thought I was the only one having issues with them! So correction to my last post: Buy the parts yourself and have a mechanic assemble it or assemble it yourself.