Seafoam for the 4GR-FSE
05-24-10, 06:36 AM
#1
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Seafoam for the 4GR-FSE
Has anyone here tried using Seafoam as a preventative maintenance step for keeping intake valves clean? This would be most relavent to IS250 (4GR-FSE) owners as the IS350 also has port injectors which will keep the valves clean.
I also now own a 2010 VW GTI which has problems with intake valve deposit issues as it is a direct injection / turbo engine. The GTI owners use Seafoam sprayed directly into the intake manifold to clean the intake valves. The IS just turned 50K miles and I was thinking it might be a good time to seafoam the valves as I am just starting to feel a little stumble in the engine just off idle speed. Has anyone tried this on their IS250 (or 350) and can share some pointers?
Thanks
MJB
I also now own a 2010 VW GTI which has problems with intake valve deposit issues as it is a direct injection / turbo engine. The GTI owners use Seafoam sprayed directly into the intake manifold to clean the intake valves. The IS just turned 50K miles and I was thinking it might be a good time to seafoam the valves as I am just starting to feel a little stumble in the engine just off idle speed. Has anyone tried this on their IS250 (or 350) and can share some pointers?
Thanks
MJB
05-24-10, 06:42 AM
#2
Inspect your intake chamber first - disassemble the air intake and look down the throttle body. If it has excess carbon deposits, then you can run seafoam, or better yet, opt for one of these run-rite services that many auto repair shops offer. There's a local R&S Strauss store that offers this service, they hook up a solution similar to seafoam to one of your vacuum lines, and slowly run it though for about 30 minutes. It works better than seafoam, and theres less chance of fouling your spark plugs or O2 sensors. After I done this service on my 3UZ, the intake chamber was clean enough to eat out of.
05-24-10, 08:10 AM
#5
yeah, i've done it for other cars. it's really quick and easy, but you might have to change your spark plugs afterwards. i would just wait to do it until either you can't stand the performance, or you reach the point where you are going to change the spark plugs anyway.
all you have to do is grab the brake booster vacuum line, pour a third of the can into the line, slowly, while the engine is running. turn off the engine for 10 minutes. turn it back on, and rev the **** out of the engine (huge plumes of white smoke will come out of your exhaust, this is all the carbon build up). after revving the **** out of the engine for 5-10 minutes, go on a spirited drive for a while. also, i would pour half the can of seafoam into the gas tank right before the brake booster line.
if you happen to be in the chicagoland area and need help, let me know.
all you have to do is grab the brake booster vacuum line, pour a third of the can into the line, slowly, while the engine is running. turn off the engine for 10 minutes. turn it back on, and rev the **** out of the engine (huge plumes of white smoke will come out of your exhaust, this is all the carbon build up). after revving the **** out of the engine for 5-10 minutes, go on a spirited drive for a while. also, i would pour half the can of seafoam into the gas tank right before the brake booster line.
if you happen to be in the chicagoland area and need help, let me know.
05-24-10, 10:45 AM
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Thanks for all the quick responses, everyone. I am going to look more into the Run-Rite (for the VW too) and will time the cleaning so I will do it right before I change the plugs and the motor oil at 60K miles. I had never heard about the spark plugs being ruined by SeaFoam, but I guess it makes sense.
I don't know much about water decarbonization and how that works. It sounds like there needs to be a seperate, premanent system installed for that, which is not too appealing.
I don't know much about water decarbonization and how that works. It sounds like there needs to be a seperate, premanent system installed for that, which is not too appealing.
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05-24-10, 02:19 PM
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Did some Googleing (sp?) and found out that water injection seems to be an amazing way to decarbonize intakes and valves. You don't have to make a permanent installation either. It seems that you can administer water to the intake through a small hose and let the vacuum draw the water through. Even a small treatment can yield dramatic results. This may be the way to go.
05-25-10, 06:22 AM
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I don't know that it works better than seafoam, but it is cheaper. I am wondering if using water to decarbonize would be better for the spark plugs and the converter, though.
05-25-10, 07:54 AM
#11
a bottle of seafoam is $8. you drive a lexus, not a daewoo. water is not better for the spark plugs. what fouls up the spark plugs is the carbon build up on the valves that get knocked loose. this will happen regardless of whether or not you use seafoam or water.
seafoam has a bunch of solvents that will decarbonize and clean up any varnish. it works miracles. i've used it in a bunch of cars and motorcycles. it has made a 30 year old motorcycle run like new for me.
but, it's your car, do what you feel fit. but don't do any un-necessary maintenance work if there's really no problem.
seafoam has a bunch of solvents that will decarbonize and clean up any varnish. it works miracles. i've used it in a bunch of cars and motorcycles. it has made a 30 year old motorcycle run like new for me.
but, it's your car, do what you feel fit. but don't do any un-necessary maintenance work if there's really no problem.
05-25-10, 08:04 AM
#12
Using water is better than seafoam because 1) it cost almost next to nothing and 2) it actually works better in many cases. Seafoam has dumbed down their formula and there is nothing it can do that water can't. If it's so cheap, why pay more for something that does essentially the same thing? Because it has a label on it?
I've been using seafoam for the past few years on my 2GS and one single water decarbonization session was more effective than all those years of seafoaming. Can't help but to think of all the money wasted
I've been using seafoam for the past few years on my 2GS and one single water decarbonization session was more effective than all those years of seafoaming. Can't help but to think of all the money wasted
05-25-10, 04:40 PM
#14
Direct injection has issues with carbon build up on the intake valves. Here's the answer, use both (Seafoam and water)! Both are injected into the intake and will shower the intake valves, which is where the carbon problem accrues. Why not use both? I highly recommend changing the oil and spark plugs after the intake cleaning.
Koz
Koz
05-26-10, 09:20 AM
#15
a bottle of seafoam is $8. you drive a lexus, not a daewoo. water is not better for the spark plugs. what fouls up the spark plugs is the carbon build up on the valves that get knocked loose. this will happen regardless of whether or not you use seafoam or water.
seafoam has a bunch of solvents that will decarbonize and clean up any varnish. it works miracles. i've used it in a bunch of cars and motorcycles. it has made a 30 year old motorcycle run like new for me.
but, it's your car, do what you feel fit. but don't do any un-necessary maintenance work if there's really no problem.
seafoam has a bunch of solvents that will decarbonize and clean up any varnish. it works miracles. i've used it in a bunch of cars and motorcycles. it has made a 30 year old motorcycle run like new for me.
but, it's your car, do what you feel fit. but don't do any un-necessary maintenance work if there's really no problem.
water works better because the burning hot engine boils the water into steam which is a way more effective cleaner than solvents. ever see a steam cleaner in action? works better than most chemicals. the microexplosions from water turning to steam knocks the carbon bits loose. seafoam burns up before this can happen.
read GSteg's post. Here's what lobuxracer said in the past.
This is also called water injection. It works and it decarbonizes. The water removes heat from the combustion chamber by a state change (liquid to gas) and will allow the engine to use a lower octane fuel and get the same performance as higher octane fuel. A side benefit is decarbonizing the engine (the combustion chamber - head, piston, valves) which keeps the compression ratio at the manufactured number, not a slowly increasing number from carbon build up.
The only real downside to water injection is the need to keep the water container filled with water. You can dump an amazing amount of water into a running engine (I've poured an 8 oz container of water into a 6 cylinder running at 2500 rpm as fast as I could dump it without issues) to decarbonize selectively (not run regular injection). If you pull the engine apart immediately after this, you'll see the piston crowns and the combustion chamber in the head are immaculately clean. It beats the snot out of using solvents or plastic media blasting to remove baked on carbon.
The only real downside to water injection is the need to keep the water container filled with water. You can dump an amazing amount of water into a running engine (I've poured an 8 oz container of water into a 6 cylinder running at 2500 rpm as fast as I could dump it without issues) to decarbonize selectively (not run regular injection). If you pull the engine apart immediately after this, you'll see the piston crowns and the combustion chamber in the head are immaculately clean. It beats the snot out of using solvents or plastic media blasting to remove baked on carbon.