Seafoam, is it worth a buy?
Discussion
Sceptical about the product, I stumbled on this video from ChrisFix who is one of the IMO best automotive YouTubers out there with no hidden agenda, an unbiased non sponsored test of Seafoam on a lawnmower.
Time stamped to show before and after of piston crown and how well the product removed carbon deposits:
https://youtu.be/WdT4DPFXIkM?t=3m46s
So some questions.
1. Would Redex or even good old fashioned drinking water do the same, sprayed in a sprayer bottle directly into the intake ( steam clean)?
2. Would removing that (small) amount of carbon from the crown make any difference whatsoever to the performance of the car or anything else?
3. Is it snake oil?
Time stamped to show before and after of piston crown and how well the product removed carbon deposits:
https://youtu.be/WdT4DPFXIkM?t=3m46s
So some questions.
1. Would Redex or even good old fashioned drinking water do the same, sprayed in a sprayer bottle directly into the intake ( steam clean)?
2. Would removing that (small) amount of carbon from the crown make any difference whatsoever to the performance of the car or anything else?
3. Is it snake oil?
One of the other channels (possibly Engineering Explained) explains out that Seafoam is so-called because it was originally intended for simple marine engines. Specifically, 2-stroke marine engines.
It also pointed out that carbon deposits reach equilibrium around 10k miles, so there is little benefit to an infrequent cleaning and you're better off with an "every tank" or "once a month" type additive.
ETA here is the video. I cannot watch it right now as watching Lost In Space with the missus - apologies if I'm misquoting him.
ETA2 ChrisFix... loved the piston return spring prank this year, possbily better than the blinker fluid one!!!
It also pointed out that carbon deposits reach equilibrium around 10k miles, so there is little benefit to an infrequent cleaning and you're better off with an "every tank" or "once a month" type additive.
ETA here is the video. I cannot watch it right now as watching Lost In Space with the missus - apologies if I'm misquoting him.
ETA2 ChrisFix... loved the piston return spring prank this year, possbily better than the blinker fluid one!!!
Edited by donkmeister on Saturday 28th April 23:15
A lot of vague claims are made about this product, but it is just diluted 2-stroke oil.
Simply observing carbon deposits is not particularly reliable - as these can come and go as the engine runs because this is a dynamic process. Carbon can flake off, or it can burn as part of normal operation.
My main concern is that as the diluent is white spirit, the octane rating is likely to be very low, and you risk detonation/knocking from this type of treatment.This is especially the case if you feed it directly into the intake. Sticking a bottle in the tank is unlikely to do much. However, there has been an instance where an plane nearly crashed because the engine was killed by detonation after a similar product had been added to the fuel, albeit at an incorrectly high dose.
Trace amounts of combustion chamber carbon are unlikely to be relevant anyway. Larger deposits on intake runners and valves can be an issue in some engines - but the fix is to use an engine oil formulation designed to resist this deposit formation, or to upgrade the oil separation on the PCV system.
Simply observing carbon deposits is not particularly reliable - as these can come and go as the engine runs because this is a dynamic process. Carbon can flake off, or it can burn as part of normal operation.
My main concern is that as the diluent is white spirit, the octane rating is likely to be very low, and you risk detonation/knocking from this type of treatment.This is especially the case if you feed it directly into the intake. Sticking a bottle in the tank is unlikely to do much. However, there has been an instance where an plane nearly crashed because the engine was killed by detonation after a similar product had been added to the fuel, albeit at an incorrectly high dose.
Trace amounts of combustion chamber carbon are unlikely to be relevant anyway. Larger deposits on intake runners and valves can be an issue in some engines - but the fix is to use an engine oil formulation designed to resist this deposit formation, or to upgrade the oil separation on the PCV system.
Americans LOVE Seafoam. just as they love "Marvel's Mystery Oil". Both are heavily marketed simple things, and probably do very little that simple solutions can acheive.
If you really want to clean out carbon, try this. May not be 100% effetciove, but it looks FUN!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIijYgvxW0g
John
If you really want to clean out carbon, try this. May not be 100% effetciove, but it looks FUN!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIijYgvxW0g
John
EazyDuz said:
So why do people squirt water into the intake, just car Darwinism? Or does it actually improve the engine and give it a longer life.
I don't know why other people do it. I do it for charge cooling. As a side effect it can make the combustion slightly more efficient and also causes carbon deposits to burn off, which removes hotspots and means the engine runs at the CR it was designed for. I don't think the efficiency improvement alone is enough to justify the cost and hassle of providing water injection, but WI can potentially improve power and efficiency..Gassing Station | Home Mechanics | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff