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Funny Seafoam incident

Old 02-20-2008, 01:02 AM
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Funny Seafoam incident

So I'm Seafoaming my engine, for the first time, and a little nervous pouring liquid into a running engine. I put some firewood on the gas to level it out at 3000rpm. After about 1/8 of the bottle, I'm gaining confidence and I'm more aggressively dipping the brake booster hose into the cup of Seafoam. The engine starts struggling a little more. Then all of a sudden, CLANK, CRASH! I just about jump out of my skin.

Turns out my was taking out the recycling dropped a bunch of tin cans right behind me. i just about died.
Old 02-20-2008, 04:27 AM
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I just used seafoam for the first time this weekend. I got a ton of smoke as I poured and when I drove it. I was concerned when I turned it off (after putting the seafoam in the brake booster) and the engine kept running, but that only lasted for maybe 10 seconds or so. I am still trying to determine if I can tell a difference with how the engine runs and sounds. So many have talked about the huge improvement but I am not sure mine has been that noticeable, other than all the smoke I generated during the procedure.
Old 02-20-2008, 06:21 AM
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1st time seafoamer

I went out before I dumped in the seafoam and checked my 0-60, yes is was slow. I went home and seafoamed the engine through the brake booster line and let her sit for a bit when I started it up the smoke just poured out. I went out after clearing it all out and checked my 0-60 again, knocked 2.5 seconds off. I would have to say I had pretty good results.
Old 02-20-2008, 07:11 AM
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NEVER EVER JUST STICK THE HOSE IN THERE!!!!! are you crazy!!??? you pour the seafoam into the hose, not stick the hose in the bottle! you can seriously hydrolock your engine if you do so.
Old 02-20-2008, 07:56 AM
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Originally Posted by infiltrator
NEVER EVER JUST STICK THE HOSE IN THERE!!!!! are you crazy!!??? you pour the seafoam into the hose, not stick the hose in the bottle! you can seriously hydrolock your engine if you do so.

i think you would need more then that to hydrolock your engine kill it yes but hydrolock i dont know i have killed both my trucks with seafoam.......not hydrolocked they still drive everyday just my .02
Old 02-20-2008, 08:57 AM
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i heard of someone that did that, and it is better to be safe than sorry. keep your thumb over the hose to keep your engine from dieing, throttle it and pour small ammounts in.
Old 02-20-2008, 09:48 AM
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Should have explained better, I locked a pair of visegrip pliers on the hose so there was only a little opening. Thus when I dipped the hose in the cup, it really didn't suck much.
Old 02-20-2008, 10:18 AM
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There was someone on here awhile ago that did some math about hydrolocking your engine. It would basically have to be 1/3 of the bottle in at least two cylinders to hydrolock, which is pretty much impossible unless you pour it in through the top of the intake plenum in a gaping hole.
Old 02-20-2008, 10:31 AM
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It would take just less than 1/8 of a bottle of Seafoam poured all into ONE cylinder on ONE compression stroke to hydrolock a 22RE. Assuming the engine is running at 2000rpm, the each cylinder is compressing 17 times per second, thus in order to hydrolock the engine, theoretically, you would need to empty that 1/8th of a bottle in 0.058 seconds...or roughly two bottles per second. Not saying it isn't possible, but just unlikely.
Old 02-20-2008, 10:42 AM
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man.. do all the math you want. there was a guy on here a couple years ago who bent a rod from sticking his booster hose into the can. it only takes a minute to slowly pour an entire can down there, making sure it vaporizes the whole time. why bother doing anything else?

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f2/b...-problem-5594/

edit: more specifically:
Originally Posted by oly884
Well, I found out exactly what I did. I snapped the connecting rod to the middle drivers side piston.

Last edited by isaac338; 02-20-2008 at 10:48 AM.
Old 02-20-2008, 10:48 AM
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yep, i knew i was right
Old 03-15-2008, 09:36 AM
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So I'm ignorant about seafoam. I've seen it at the parts store but know nothing else about it. It does what exactly? Benefits?
Old 03-15-2008, 10:05 AM
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Old 03-15-2008, 12:59 PM
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With my old ford ranger I put too much seafoam in (not running!) and tried to start it and it just stopped. It wouldn't turn over. It did not hydrolock the engine...it was just too much seafoam in engine...lol
Old 03-15-2008, 01:17 PM
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Originally Posted by 91Toyota
With my old ford ranger I put too much seafoam in (not running!) and tried to start it and it just stopped. It wouldn't turn over. It did not hydrolock the engine...it was just too much seafoam in engine...lol
that would be a hydrolock..............



for what little good the stuff does its not worth the wear it puts on the rod bearings and wrist pins. all the stuff basically is mixture of kerosene and alcohol.
Old 03-15-2008, 01:20 PM
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Not sure. Nothing was damaged....I thought hydrolock was where the rods get bent? If so....It saw past 6k a couple times and saw red line daily. Red line was 5500...so I definitely tore the crap out of it.
Old 03-15-2008, 01:35 PM
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if a motor wont turn over because of a liquid in the cylinder's thats considered a hydro lock. if a motor sucks in a good amount of liquid while running and shoots rods out the side of the block thats also considered a hydro lock.
Old 03-15-2008, 01:58 PM
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oh...makes sense. Either way it is from a liquid stopping the engine...
Old 03-15-2008, 05:05 PM
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if i remember right the directions on the can say to poor into engine until it stalls out. Somebody whant to double check that for me?

I tried this but could never work up enough courage or pour the bottle fast enough to really follow the directions correctly. I think in order to stall the engine like suggested in the directions I would need to dip the hose into the bottle.


If you are unsure just follow the directions on the bottle, not only were they specificly written up by designers of the product about how to use it, but if someting goes wrong and you ruin your engine and were not following the directions to a T then don't even bother contacting the company about how your engine now has a hole in the side


I would say of all the proformance I got out of seafoam half was probably just in my head... but at least i got some crazy looks because of all the smoke.
Old 03-18-2008, 04:06 PM
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i poured an entire can in the brake booster line, not sure of the perfromance boost if any, heck i only get 200miles to the tank anyway. my buddy swears on it though. i guess ill try it again, cuz i did just accomplish a tune-up

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