Using seafoam
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Junior User
Joined: Dec 2003
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Using seafoam
I have an 1979 F150 with about 200K miles on it and every so often I have a lifter making noise. It clears up once the engine gets warm. My NAPA dealer told me to add a pint of seafoam into my oil.
Any thoughts,
Thanks R.Lay
Any thoughts,
Thanks R.Lay
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 133
Likes: 0
From: Arkansas
I've done it. Dont run it like that long. Just do it 50-75 miles before an oil change. You can also add some transmission fluid to your oil and it will clean things up but doing that is done over time... a little at a time.
You will have people that call seafoam snake oil, and you will have people that swear by it. I'm a fan of it, but I was raised hearing it's praise.
You will have people that call seafoam snake oil, and you will have people that swear by it. I'm a fan of it, but I was raised hearing it's praise.
More Turbo
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 590
Likes: 1
From: in the woods of Maine!
My theory is it can't hurt!
I don't really think any of those additives really do anything though. That motor is just old. Older carbuerated motors tended to get TONS of carbon in the oil, making it a thick sludge. Sticks to, and plugs up EVERYTHING!
Sometimes I put a whole qt of ATF in the motor oil a week or so before I change the oil. ATF has some incredible cleaning properties. Lots of detergeant so the small passages in an automatic tranny stay clear. Some people say it will cause the seals to leak....but I'm not sure how much I believe it......never had an old motor sealed up in the first place unless I assembled it!
Like I said, either way it won't hurt anything. Try it, see what it does!
I don't really think any of those additives really do anything though. That motor is just old. Older carbuerated motors tended to get TONS of carbon in the oil, making it a thick sludge. Sticks to, and plugs up EVERYTHING!
Sometimes I put a whole qt of ATF in the motor oil a week or so before I change the oil. ATF has some incredible cleaning properties. Lots of detergeant so the small passages in an automatic tranny stay clear. Some people say it will cause the seals to leak....but I'm not sure how much I believe it......never had an old motor sealed up in the first place unless I assembled it!
Like I said, either way it won't hurt anything. Try it, see what it does!
Tuned
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 320
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Another product that gets rave reviews, even by the skeptics over at "Bob is the Oil Guy", is Auto-RX. It cleans the engine over time to reduce the chances of dislodging large chunks of sludge that can clog oil passages. Once I get my oil pan gasket replaced I'm gonna start running it. When I changed my valve cover gasket I was appalled at how much sludge was caked on my top end. After searching the net I found some pretty impressive before/after pics with Auto-RX from a member at BITOG forums. He went into it thinking it was nothing but snake oil, and came out pretty darn impressed. On top of cleaning the sludge it also increased the compression in all cylinders. I figure it's cheaper than pulling the engine out for a full rebuild.
Cargo Master
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 2,674
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From: Ideeho
And sometimes cleaning up an old motor can do more harm than good................It can clean deposits from around the rings and valve stem seals and cause it to start burning oil. Not always the case, but I have seen it happen. Youd be better off trying to locate the bad lifter(s) and replace them.
Cargo Master
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 2,099
Likes: 8
From: York, Pa
I have never tried Seafoam in oil yet. I can tell you though for carbon removal its amazing. If you have a motor that pings and you know everything is correct with timing etc. try seafoam through a vacuum line when the motor is hot then let it sit for a few hours. Just thought I'd share my seafoam expierience.
If you ever try it I'm warning you now it will look like its on fire when the motor gets a hold of the seafoam.
If you ever try it I'm warning you now it will look like its on fire when the motor gets a hold of the seafoam.
Hotshot
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 10,101
Likes: 40
From: Pa
When I first bought my 74' over a decade ago it had 43k miles on it and was a garage queen most of its life. It had a lifter than liked to tap mainly when cold and the engine was a little sludgy from the oil sitting all those years. I tried all kinds of additives in the fuel in the oil and nothing really did much. I then ran nothing but synthetic oil for a few years and with use the engine cleaned out nicely. The synthetic oils on the market tend to clean very well and I attribute that to help clean out my engine. (and flowing better when cold) I gave the additives a shot but was not impressed by any of them. Just be aware synthetic oil can get by old seals easier. Despite my 302 going on 40 years old it still is pretty tight. I did replace the pan gasket and rear main seal about 7 years ago though when I changed the clutch.
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Posting Guru
Joined: Sep 2009
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From: Suburbs of Chicago
But in the crankcase I don't think it'll smoke, only when you do it down the carb/through a vacuum line. I'm a backer of sea-foam for carbon removal, but for cleaning out the crankcase I like ATF.
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Posting Guru
Joined: Mar 2009
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From: Alabama
ok, just so I completely understand...if you pour a quart of ATF into your oil fill (valve cover) and drive it for 50ish miles or so, then do an oil change, it will actually help clean the interior of the engine out? I have always been told that changing your oil every 3,000 miles will keep it pretty clean, but I may have to try the ATF thing.
As far as the Seafoam...which vacuum line is best to pour it into? Let the engine run for a while, shut it off, pour the Seafoam into the vacuum line, let it sit for an hour or so, then start it up and let it burn all of it out? Would also guess it would be beneficial to do so before a backyard Bar-BQ to eradicate the mosquitoes...
As far as the Seafoam...which vacuum line is best to pour it into? Let the engine run for a while, shut it off, pour the Seafoam into the vacuum line, let it sit for an hour or so, then start it up and let it burn all of it out? Would also guess it would be beneficial to do so before a backyard Bar-BQ to eradicate the mosquitoes...
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2010
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From: Arkansas
I never used a full quart of ATF but I'm usually a chicken 
As far as the seafoam goes I will let my engine warm up and then pull a vacuum line off and let it suck straight from the seafoam can. It will start to choke the motor down and thats when you want to kill it. Then dump a little more down the carb and let it sit. I try to leave mine sit for at least an hour. When you start it up it'll smoke like a train but it'll blow the pipes out pretty good.
Thats just how I do it anyway...
As far as the seafoam goes I will let my engine warm up and then pull a vacuum line off and let it suck straight from the seafoam can. It will start to choke the motor down and thats when you want to kill it. Then dump a little more down the carb and let it sit. I try to leave mine sit for at least an hour. When you start it up it'll smoke like a train but it'll blow the pipes out pretty good.
Thats just how I do it anyway...
Posting Guru
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I'm not as up to date on current oils as I used to be, since I don't work in the oil business anymore, but I recommend Texaco, Chevron, and Shell as the top three oils. I once saw a disassembled engine that had run Amalie for about 70k. I have never seen an engine with so much crud in the valve covers. It looked like you had poured melted black plastic inside the valve covers. You couldn't even see the rocker arms in the goo. The owner had bragged about changing the oil every 2500 miles since the car was new.
Posting Guru
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From: Alabama
I typically run Quaker State in my Ford...not really sure why, but that is what I usually run...If I run out and can't get to the store to pick some up, I will run Castrol GTX (use it for the wife's Jeep Grand Cherokee)...pro's and or con's on either?
Posting Guru
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Like I said, I've haven't been dealing in oils for over ten years, but either of those are good oils. I would say that ten years ago Castrol probably had the edge in additives over Quaker, but Quaker was a good oil too.
What I always told people, when choosing an oil, find a reputable experience mechanic and ask them what they would run in their engines. They see what's inside them every day. But, Pennzoil, Quaker, Castrol...I don't think you could go wrong with any of those.
The ones to really stay away from are the generally lower quality regional brands and store brands. There was one sold in Texas (it may still be) by the name of Wright. It was nothing more than heavily filtered used motor oil rebottled. It might have had some fresh oil added, I can't remember for sure. Cheap as hell, but I wouldn't have used it to oil a chain with, much less a good engine.
Also, try to stick with one brand of oil after you choose one. Not all oils are compatible. I saw an engine that had mixed brands of oil in it where the oil clabbered like spoiled milk. If you switch brands, do a COMPLETE oil change. Chances are you won't have any trouble, but it can happen.
What I always told people, when choosing an oil, find a reputable experience mechanic and ask them what they would run in their engines. They see what's inside them every day. But, Pennzoil, Quaker, Castrol...I don't think you could go wrong with any of those.
The ones to really stay away from are the generally lower quality regional brands and store brands. There was one sold in Texas (it may still be) by the name of Wright. It was nothing more than heavily filtered used motor oil rebottled. It might have had some fresh oil added, I can't remember for sure. Cheap as hell, but I wouldn't have used it to oil a chain with, much less a good engine.
Also, try to stick with one brand of oil after you choose one. Not all oils are compatible. I saw an engine that had mixed brands of oil in it where the oil clabbered like spoiled milk. If you switch brands, do a COMPLETE oil change. Chances are you won't have any trouble, but it can happen.
Tuned
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 320
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If you want to really clean it out with seafoam put a pint in your fuel tank. Then put a pint in your oil about 50-75 miles before your next oil change. Before you do your oil change start the truck, let it get up to temp, then SLOWLY pour about 1/3 of a pint down the throat of the carb or through a vacuum line that feeds ALL cylinders. you do NOT want to let it suck the seafoam out of the can, you "could" hydrolock the engine. It's gonna sputter while pouring it in, if it sputters, slow down the pour. You want the engine running the whole time. Once you get 1/3 of a can down, turn off the engine and let the seafoam "hot soak" for 10-30 minutes. Then start it up and drive it aggressively until the smoke screen stops (you will know what I'm talking about). Then pull it back in the garage, and change the oil. Done. It's pretty easy to do. I used it religiously on my wife's old VW 1.8T, aka the sludge monster, and we NEVER had any sludge build up. Our mechanic was actually floored when he pulled the valve cover off because those engines are notorious for heavy sludge deposits.