# Added some Seafoam to the Oil



## Dannoman (Jan 16, 2018)

OK. Not sure if this was a good idea but I put a little (one ounce) Seafoam into the oil. The oil seems a bit darker now so I guess the Seafoam is doing its job and cleaning out the crud. Should I follow up by changing the oil now - or should I just leave it?


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## FlamingSpaghetti (Jan 8, 2018)

What type of engine? How long did you run it for?


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## nwcove (Mar 2, 2015)

i would change the oil and not do that again


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

nwcove said:


> i would change the oil and not do that again


FWIW, Seafoam has instructions for adding it to the oil, so he's not "mis-using" the product, if you will. 

https://seafoamsales.com/how-to-add-sea-foam-to-oil-crankcase/

But yeah, I would change the oil.


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## buffettck (Jan 4, 2017)

nwcove said:


> i would change the oil and not do that again


BINGO

These things take so little oil that there's no excuse to keep basically fresh oil in them at all times. It won't break the bank. :wink2:


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## Dannoman (Jan 16, 2018)

• Sea Foam only contains petroleum-based ingredients and cannot harm your engine
 • will not alter the effect of motor oil viscosity
 • compatible with all types of conventional and synthetic motor oils
 • will not affect seals, gaskets, O-rings


https://seafoamsales.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/HOW2_Adding-Sea-Foam-to-Crankcase-Oil.pdf


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## tpenfield (Feb 24, 2015)

If I were me, I'd use a little seafoam in the oil of an older engine and then change the oil after the seafoam has been run for a while (30 mins. maybe)


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## Dannoman (Jan 16, 2018)

tpenfield said:


> If I were me, I'd use a little seafoam in the oil of an older engine and then change the oil after the seafoam has been run for a while (30 mins. maybe)


That was my plan. I just wanted to hear what others had to say. I do appreciate everyone's helpful advice.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

i remember watching those old Slick 50 infomercials.

put some slick 50 in it , run it for awhile and then drain all the oil out and run it without oil . i think the motor will still run without oil.

well, that's what they claimed.


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## GoBlowSnow (Sep 4, 2015)

one of the many reasons slick 50 is snake oil.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

Prolong was even better. Copy from their TV ad: Announcer: "...Sandra Bartley has gone an unbelievable four hours and 40 minutes with no oil, no oil filter, or oil plug! {Super: "4 HR 40 MIN 7 SEC"} She's been in stop-and-go city traffic on a hot summer day in Southern California. Freeway driving above 60 miles per hour, as well as steep hills which really put a strain on the engine." (p. 23)

Anyone else figure in the real world you wouldn't make it to the closest exit ramp before the engine seized ?? 

I'm all for a little Seafoam in the oil to clean up a neglected engine and if you only added a little you can leave it or change it. Just depends on how much cleaning you think or can see the engine needs.
I do take issue with the statement that it doesn't change viscosity since it's very thin. In the proper amount I'm sure it doesn't matter but really how does it not change the viscosity ??


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## jsup (Nov 19, 2017)

orangputeh said:


> i remember watching those old Slick 50 infomercials.
> 
> put some slick 50 in it , run it for awhile and then drain all the oil out and run it without oil . i think the motor will still run without oil.
> 
> well, that's what they claimed.


I had to look up and see if they are still in business. They are.


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## jsup (Nov 19, 2017)

Kiss4aFrog said:


> Prolong was even better. Copy from their TV ad: Announcer: "...Sandra Bartley has gone an unbelievable four hours and 40 minutes with no oil, no oil filter, or oil plug! {Super: "4 HR 40 MIN 7 SEC"} She's been in stop-and-go city traffic on a hot summer day in Southern California. Freeway driving above 60 miles per hour, as well as steep hills which really put a strain on the engine." (p. 23)
> 
> Anyone else figure in the real world you wouldn't make it to the closest exit ramp before the engine seized ??
> 
> ...


https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/1999/09/prolong-super-lubricants-settles-ftc-charges


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## classiccat (Mar 1, 2014)

I'll swish some around the bottom of the sump *after* the oil is drained (especially after a break-in) to rinse out any sludge/debris. 

I've personally never added it to the oil.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

my dad used to use Mystery oil. we never had any problems with any motor. he was an aircraft mechanic for the G for 30 years.


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## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

classiccat said:


> I'll swish some around the bottom of the sump *after* the oil is drained (especially after a break-in) to rinse out any sludge/debris.
> 
> I've personally never added it to the oil.


i don't think i would really use it to rinse out the bottom of a sump. it would likely be cheaper to use something like diesel fuel

i would consider running it in the oil of a vehicle but i really don't see it helping a small engine too much. it is not like there is really that many parts for sludge to build up on in a small engine. if you are that worried about keeping an engine clean inside i would possibly toss a splash of ATF in the crankcase with each oil change. shouldn't hurt anything and should help keep the rings free. i usually use ATF to free up anything that is sticking an it is what i usually keep in my oiling can.


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## classiccat (Mar 1, 2014)

crazzywolfie said:


> i don't think i would really use it to rinse out the bottom of a sump. it would likely be cheaper to use something like diesel fuel
> 
> i would consider running it in the oil of a vehicle but i really don't see it helping a small engine too much. it is not like there is really that many parts for sludge to build up on in a small engine. if you are that worried about keeping an engine clean inside i would possibly toss a splash of ATF in the crankcase with each oil change. shouldn't hurt anything and should help keep the rings free. i usually use ATF to free up anything that is sticking an it is what i usually keep in my oiling can.


To each his own i suppose.

I also see no benefit of adding it to oil (_the point I failed to make here_); I've cracked open my share of small engines and the only place I find build-up is in the bottom of the sump.

With diesel (or old gas) will definitely cut the sludge; I never have any on-hand. Plus, you better be sure to get all of that out. Maybe chase it with a few rinses of MMO or 0W20 and I definitely wouldn't want to get it on any of the bearing surfaces. ...But you're right, at $7 for 16oz bottle, that's some expensive mouthwash!

I recently got a shortblock off of fleabay... the sump still had about 16oz of parts cleaner in it! That engine got broken down to make sure I got it all out and was able to relube the internals.


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## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

ya i have never tor apart a small engine with any build ups in it. the reason i suggested diesel over something like gas is the fact it is oil based. it shouldn't really hurt anything if you don't get it 100% out of the engine. it should probably just mix with the oil and be fine. definitely shouldn't be needed if the engine is healthy tho.


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## mobiledynamics (Nov 21, 2014)

In all fairness, I did not read every response in this thread. A light oil and solvent.....I don't think anything would have changed in the oil


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## dbert (Aug 25, 2013)

How long ago did manufacturers stop recommending non-detergent oil for OPE?


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## drmerdp (Feb 9, 2014)

I’ve only used seafoam for top end stuff. Fuel treatment, intake track cleaning, and decarboning a eu2000i combustion chamber. 

Adding to engine oil, is a way to remove sludge buildup, and these small engines barely accumulate any. 

My favorite snake oil is ZMaxx. Comes in a science lab style beaker set and endorsed by Carol Shelby. People swear by this stuff... 

The only thing I add to my engine crankcase is quality engine oil.


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## knu2xs (Jan 6, 2015)

drmerdp said:


> My favorite snake oil is ZMaxx. Comes in a science lab style beaker set and endorsed by Carol Shelby. People swear by this stuff...



I've been using ZMax for over 20 years and have had no issues. ZMax is the only additive approved by the FAA for use in aircraft engines.


I can't speak to their AV blend (aircraft), but the rest is all the same stuff that they just put in different sized bottles to make it easier on the user so I buy the quart bottles intended for semi-truck use and measure what I need using my "Ratio Rite."


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## ICECOLDBEER (Nov 3, 2015)

Any particular reason you wanted to add the sea foam to the oil? I say if the engine runs let it be. I am no expert by any means though. I add some to my gas as a stabilizer and sometimes add some to clean out a carb.


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## knu2xs (Jan 6, 2015)

Because this is about SeaFoam being added to oil I figured I would throw this out there even though it, generally speaking, applies to engines with oil filters.


While doing some inter-net prowling I came across a site with a thread about adding SeaFoam to "car" engine oil. One of the posters was a SeaFoam tech and he said that if you add SeaFoam to your car's engine oil that you need to change the oil within 75-100 miles. He added that any crud that gets broken loose can quickly plug the oil filter, or severely impede oil flow.


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## Dannoman (Jan 16, 2018)

UPDATE: Today I drained the old oil with the Seafoam in it - and boy was it ever black. I only ran it the other day with the Seafoam for about 20 minutes and only in idle. I put the fresh oil in and the machine runs much smoother and that little popping sound out of the muffler is almost gone now. Did I do the right thing? Maybe, maybe not. But for now at least it looks like things are not any worse than they were before and possibly even a little better.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

TBH, I wouldn't have expected noticeable changes. But if maybe you had a valve that was sticking a little, and the Seafoam loosened it up, then I could see that maybe reducing popping while running. 

I've never tried adding it to engine oil. I fall more into the "leave well enough alone" camp, but it's interesting if it could help clean things out.


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## 1132le (Feb 23, 2017)

RedOctobyr said:


> TBH, I wouldn't have expected noticeable changes. But if maybe you had a valve that was sticking a little, and the Seafoam loosened it up, then I could see that maybe reducing popping while running.
> 
> I've never tried adding it to engine oil. I fall more into the "leave well enough alone" camp, but it's interesting if it could help clean things out.


I put some seafoam in my trc 8hp 318cc flatty
and my tec 13 hp oh358sa

oil looked stellar after changing it out stayed cleaner still looks clean in flatty i bet it does in the otheras well its been sold
both motors run perfect


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## Sid (Jan 31, 2014)

I used to put Liquid Wrench in the crankase in some of my old cars [60s], it said so on the label. It did keep the hydraulic lifters quiet.
Sid


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## dr bob (Dec 12, 2015)

Tangent from the SeaFoam in the oil theme--

If I happen upon and engine that has been neglected, my go-to is a quart or two of ATF after draining a similar amount from the crankcase. ATF is really high detergent and comes in somewhere between 5W and 15W depending where you read. It sits in the sump, gets some low-load run time, then comes out for a load of fresh oil.

In a little bit of professional education, I spent some time learning vibration analysis techniques for large rotating equipment. The classroom wasn't far from a project having some issues near Carson City. Anyway, part of the education was looking at how a small amount of water in the oil, or some gas contamination (not gasoline but a petroleum vapor) affects film strength on both plain and tilting-pad bearings. After that bit of technical eye-opening, I'm not likely to ever put any kind of solvent in a primary lubricant for a plain-bearing machine, even if I plan to change it out soon after running it at speed. That's my too sense on the subject. Even with roller bearings in connecting rods, ball bearings on crankshafts, I still wouldn't add solvent. If it's seriously that dirty, I'll open the crankcase and galleys to clean it rather than rusk trashing the bearings.


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## tpenfield (Feb 24, 2015)

I just ran some Seafoam in the oil on my Toro PS w/ Tecumseh 318cc OHV engine (new-to-me machine) The engine oil was really dirty, so I wanted to clean out the engine internals a bit. I also poured some Seafoam into the cylinder for a bit of de-carb'ing and spun the engine a few revs to clear the cylinder.

As an added measure, I changed the oil and added some more Seafoam and will run the engine for an hour or 2 and then change the oil again w/ just straight oil.

SeaFoam is a combination of Naphtha, oil/kerosene, Isopropyl . . . so it is basically a solvent & oil combination. I have heard of some homebrew versions being made out of acetone and ATF.

As far as decarbonizing, Seafoam is OK, but in my experience, other products such as Mercury PowerTune or even water work as well, if not better.


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## MassSnowblower (Oct 14, 2014)

In my opinion your wasting money buying these additives. Snake oil salesman is still making money I can see.


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