oil, seafoam, and noisy

[bundy34]

I just changed my oil for the first time and gave it a seafoaming. It seems to be running worse now than before now.

Used to be be pretty smooth, now idles a little rougher and all the little knocks and what not are a little louder. In particular the one that sounds rhytmic in the area of the drivers side cat. Kind of a hollow, quiet, knocking...

I use the recommended 5w-30. Is there a better weight I should be using for a 97 5.4 with 185,000?

 

[tonydiv]

What "method" did you use for seafoaming?

It couldn't hurt to go with a 10w-30 oil (or even a 10-40 in warmer weather)

 

[OokeyIkky]

The way I read that was you did an oil change and THEN put Seafoam in the oil?

 

[SkyJumper]

If you are using it to clean the crankcase and internals, you are suppose to put the SeaFoam in the oil and run it for a short period and then do a oil change. If you are still running the SeaFoam in it now after the oil change, then you need to do a oil change now before you do any more harm.

This is the instructions from SeaFoam on all methods:

Cleaning Engine Sludge From the Crank Case-
To clean built-up oil residues and contamination from the crank case, add 1½ oz. Sea Foam® to each quart of engine oil. Sea Foam® will slowly re-liquefy residues and suspend contaminants for easy removal. Monitor oil for color and clarity and change oil and replace filter when oil looks dirty.

Cleaning Lifters and Oil Rings-
To clean oil rings and lifters, add 1½ oz. Sea Foam® to each quart of oil. Sea Foam® will slowly re-liquefy the old oil varnish residue that builds up on lifters and rings and prevents them from functioning normally. This process can be done as part of a pre service cleaning by adding the Sea Foam® to the oil at least 30 miles before the next oil change interval. OR it can be done as a preventative maintenance process without changing the oil. You can leave Sea Foam® in the oil indefinitely as long as the oil is clean. The addition of a high-detergent oil like Sea Foam® may cause the oil to become dirty faster than normal as buildup oil residue and contamination are cleaned. Check the oil at regular intervals and when it gets dirty, change it.

Cleaning Varnish and Carbon Deposits - Fuel Injected Engines-
To clean carbon and varnish deposits from the tops of cylinders and the backs of intake valves, add 1 oz. Sea Foam® to each gallon of fuel. Sea Foam® will slowly re-liquefy the varnish and gum deposits that hold carbon together.
To remove carbon and varnish deposits more quickly, Sea Foam® can be induced directly into the combustion chamber via the following method. With the engine warmed up and running, SLOWLY POUR 1/3 to ½ can of Sea Foam® down the carburetor throat or into any main manifold vacuum line that DISTRIBUTES EVENLY TO ALL CYLINDERS. Note that some newer induction systems, like those found on Vortec and Subaru “H” style engines, do not have any vacuum line that distribute evenly. Consequently, this process should only be attempted by technicians with a comprehensive understanding of the engine’s induction system or use Sea Foam® Spray through the throttle body (discribed in a different section of this web site).
Once the product has been applied, turn off the engine and allow the Sea Foam® to heat soak for a minimum of 10 minutes. At this time, Sea Foam® will dissolve the varnish deposits that hold carbon together. After allowing the Sea Foam® to soak, restart the engine in a WELL VENTILATED AREA as exhaust will be extreme for a short time. Drive aggressively for 2 to 5 miles to allow all the atomized carbon to be safely expelled from the system. REPEAT Sea Foam® TREATMENT AS NECESSARY.
Performing a Sea Foam® Engine Treatment on a Fuel Injected Engine


Begin by parking the vehicle in a well ventilated area. Locate a vacuum line that you are certain DISTRIBUTES EVENLY TO ALL CYLINDERS. On many vehicles the easiest option is taking the vacuum line from your brake booster PCV. (See notes about special situations such as the Vortex or Subaru H style engines.) If you are not certain, contact a certified technician.

Start the engine. For automatic transmissions, keep the car in PARK. For manual transmissions, put the car in neutral and apply the parking brake. SLOWLY POUR 1/3 to ½ can of Sea Foam® Motor Treatment into the vacuum hose, while at the same time revving the engine to about 2000 RPMs. You will begin to see clouds of white exhaust from the tailpipes. When you have finished pouring, turn off the engine and let it sit for at least 10 minutes.

Now start the vehicle again. Drive it aggressively (but legally) for about 2 to 5 miles or until the white smoke is no longer being produced. REPEAT Sea Foam® TREATMENT AS NECESSARY.

Stabilizing Fuel-
To add volatility and stabilize fuel for up to 2 years, add 1 oz. Sea Foam® to each gallon of fuel.

Lubricating Upper Cylinders-
To lubricate upper cylinders, add 1 oz. Sea Foam® to each gallon of fuel.

Controlling Moisture in the Oil-
To control moisture buildup in oil, add 1½ oz. Sea Foam® to each quart of oil. Sea Foam® will prevent phase separation of moisture that accumulates in oil. Moisture will evaporate under the heat of the crank case. Change oil and filter when dirty.

Controlling Moisture Buildup in Fuel-
To control moisture buildup, add 1 oz. Sea Foam® to each gallon of gas.

Cleaning the PCV System-
To clean the PCV system, add 1½ oz. Sea Foam® to each quart of oil. It will slowly re-liquefy old oil varnish residue deposits as you drive.



Possible performance improvements include:

• Increased RPM
• Increased vacuum
• Increased compression

Cleaning Fuel Injectors or Carburetor Jets-
To clean fuel injectors and carburetor jets, add 1 oz. Sea Foam® to each gallon of fuel. It will slowly clean varnish and carbon deposits as you drive.



Performance improvements may include:

• Smoother idle
• restored power and pickup
• Elimination of hesitations

 

[bundy34]

I had to change the oil before I started it because some crap fell in there while trying to get the old dipstick tube out.

So I changed the oil and seafoamed by putting it in the oil and threw the brake booster line.

I plan on changing the oil again soon to get all the seafoam loosened stuff out.

But I have noticed that the engine taps alot more when it is first started even though I thought I bought a decent oil filter with anti-drainback filter (purolator pure one).

Would I see any benefit from switching to the 10w-30?

 

[SkyJumper]

I had to change the oil before I started it because some crap fell in there while trying to get the old dipstick tube out.

So I changed the oil and seafoamed by putting it in the oil and threw the brake booster line.

I plan on changing the oil again soon to get all the seafoam loosened stuff out.

But I have noticed that the engine taps alot more when it is first started even though I thought I bought a decent oil filter with anti-drainback filter (purolator pure one).

Would I see any benefit from switching to the 10w-30?

You are missing the whole point I made by giving you the whole directions to read. You are not to drive with the SeaFoam in the engine. You are only to run the engine in driveway for up to 30 minutes. Not around town under load and demand. You will surely throw a rod bearing or other horrible internal damage by running that stuff under load.

Once you put that stuff in the crankcase, the viscosity of your oil goes away and the lubricating efforts are gone under load. Driving around town while it is in the engine will cause friction on the internals and is probably what you are experiencing. The SeaFoam is meant to loosen debris, sludge, and carbons while the car is getting up to operating temps and for up to 30 minutes. Then you shut it down and change the oil, filter. When I use it in the crankcase I do a oil and filter change, then about 500 miles, I do another oil and filter change as SeaFoam is a detergent. That being said, the gunk in the engine is still tearing down even after 1st oil change. So it is best to do a secondary oil and filter change at the 500 mile interval.

 

[jrjr]

I use mobil 1 in all my vehicles including the motorcycle and lawn mower. After using something like seafoam, I will change the oil (not filter), put in some cheap dino oil and run it for 100 or so miles then change it again, along with a new filter, to Mobil 1 again. Oil changes are your friend...

 

[WHOISMOOTOO]

agreed! and x2 on the MOBIL 1, I seafoamed for the first time at 90k and holy s*** i felt a difference, little better throttle response and smoother idle, the only part that was a little wierd was smoking out the apts... lol, I felt like I was spraying for mosquitos!

 

[bundy34]

Maybe I am missing it, but the directions show that the Seafoam can stay in the oil indefinetly until dirty.

But just in case, I went ahead and changed the oil and filter and I will see if it makes anything better. I just used cheap oil for the Seafoaming so I put decent stuff in this time.

 

[Maverick1701]

Maybe I am missing it, but the directions show that the Seafoam can stay in the oil indefinetly until dirty.

But just in case, I went ahead and changed the oil and filter and I will see if it makes anything better. I just used cheap oil for the Seafoaming so I put decent stuff in this time.

I read that too but good call on changing it...its not worth the risk