Hey all,

I finally bit the bullet and ran Seafoam through my engine this weekend. I did the 1/3 bottle into the brake booster. Now, the bottle said to SLOWLY pour it into the intake... I did the thing where you put the hose into the bottle and let it sip it out. Well, I misjudged the vacuum on the engine. I put the hose in the bottle, and FOOMP! Up goes (literally) about 1/2 the bottle in what seemed like 1-2 seconds. Oops . The engine bogged a lot, so I put my thumb over the hose while I checked the fluid level in the bottle and shat my pants. Didn't die once. Shut it off and let it sit for 5-6 minutes, then started it. It smoked a little bit, but not a whole lot. Had to rev it to get some of the stuff to blow out. Got just over 140k miles (25k driven by me, not sure if the block was clean when I got it).

I understand now why I've read about people using other containers to suck the Seafoam out of. I'm guessing since so much went in so fast that it didn't work through the engine properly. Do you guys think it would be worth it to try another bottle again immediately? Or should I wait X months/miles before I do it again (what's the typical usage cycle on this stuff)? Next time I'll use tupperware to help "sip" it slower.

 

how much was the seafoam and what exactly does it do. Ive read some forums about people using it, but im not exactly sure if I should do it.

 

Go ahead and do it again. Ford actually recommends doing it three times in the 4.0L, so at least twice in your 4-banger would seem appropriate.

https://www.ranger-forums.com/forum2...40&postcount=8

 

CLICK HERE FOR THE HOW-TO

 

Thanks, I'll make sure to try it again soon! Just gotta find a good spot to do it... doubt the people in my apartment complex would like excessive smoke...

 

I've heard that the product "AutoRX" works better than Seafoam. Many folks rave about the stuff over at bitog (bobistheoilguy.com).

 

Auto-Rx is the only product I would put in my crankcase to clean the engine internals, oil passages, etc. I would not mix any other cleaner with my oil. Even though Seafoam says on the can its OK to put in the crankcase, I see no need to do that with a product like Auto-Rx being available. Unlike other internal cleaners, Auto-Rx does not dilute the oil.

However, Seafoam is fine for cleaning out the upper intake, piston heads and combustion chambers. It gets sucked up and mixed in with the air and fuel mixture (not the oil) and burned when the cylinders fire. It works very well for that kind of upper engine cleaning.

 

I just went to the Auto-RX website, looks like good stuff. Anyone have any experience with this?

 

Hi John,
I just live down the street from you in Kent...anyway, I did try a dose of the product once, but I sold the vehicle before I finished the process. Over at bitog (bobistheoilguy.com) many folks swear by this stuff. I don't think it's any miracle cure but from seeing before and after shots (independent photos, not from the ads) along with testimony that it improved situations, I wouldn't hesitate to try it on a higher mileage vehicle.

 

I've used it in all 3 of my Fords' crankcases. I've also performed an Auto-Rx treatment on the 5R55E in my Ranger and the AX4S auto tranny in my '97 GL.

Here's a shot of my SHO's upper engine (3.0L DOHC) about 5K after I had done an Auto- RX treatment, right after the valve covers came off (157K miles total).



Note how clean the cams and top of the heads are (the other bank looks identical).

 

Nice to meet ya Scott! I checked out your profile, nice to see someone my age here (BTW my wife works for Boeing, too).

I think I'm gonna give this stuff a shot. Just turned 100,000 miles and changed my oil, so now's the time.

Thanks for the pic Joe. Clean engine!

 

Thank you John.

Go ahead and give it a try. Just make sure you follow the directions regarding duration and filter changes.

Afterward, let us know what you think.

 

Will do. Hey, can I run Seafoam when I get close to the 1500 mile change to get the top end cleaned at the same time, or should I wait until the "Rinse" cycle?

 

It's a good idea to do the Seafoam treatment before an oil change no matter when (or why) that change occurs. So either way would be fine IMO.