Proper way to clean throttle body and do a sea foam engine treatement?

[reso]

Howdy folks,

Last year I tried to do a sea foam engine treatment and clean the throttle body, I have some throttle body spray cleaner.

I sort of just flew at it, and I can't remember exactly what I did, but I think that I poured sea foam into the PCV valve, took off the air intake and sprayed the throttle plate and that is about it.

Going to have another crack at it soon, and Iam wondering: is their a "proper" way to do the seafoam treatement? P articularly with how and where to add the seafoam? Going to do it tonight so the neighbors don't call the EPA on me for the smoke show,

Thanks,

Rob

[RalliTEK.com]

Originally posted by reso
Howdy folks,

Last year I tried to do a sea foam engine treatment and clean the throttle body, I have some throttle body spray cleaner.

I sort of just flew at it, and I can't remember exactly what I did, but I think that I poured sea foam into the PCV valve, took off the air intake and sprayed the throttle plate and that is about it.

Going to have another crack at it soon, and Iam wondering: is their a "proper" way to do the seafoam treatement? P articularly with how and where to add the seafoam? Going to do it tonight so the neighbors don't call the EPA on me for the smoke show,

Thanks,

Rob

If I remember correctly, you did it just the way the manufacturer says to, via the PCV. I do the same with my cars but if I can pour it directly into the TB I will and pour till the engine dies and let it sit. You won't be able to do that but a full treatment (again if my memory is what I think it is) you will run 1/3 can through the engine, 1/3 pour into the oil and 1/3 in the gas tank. I hope this sheds some light on the subject.


Ron

[reso]

Ok, thanks for the tips.

I am a little bit skeptical about adding it to the oil though, my brother is a mechanic and he wasn't sure it was a good idea.

His suggestion was, if I really wanted to seafoam the oil, add it right before an oil change, idle the motor for 5-10 minutes, but to not put it in gear.

Any thoughts?

Thanks again,

Rob

[rockhopjohn]

Originally posted by reso
Ok, thanks for the tips.

I am a little bit skeptical about adding it to the oil though, my brother is a mechanic and he wasn't sure it was a good idea.

His suggestion was, if I really wanted to seafoam the oil, add it right before an oil change, idle the motor for 5-10 minutes, but to not put it in gear.

Any thoughts?

Thanks again,

Rob

As for the intake, this thread has a great how-to, it is for an H6, but as long as you can find the PCV hose, it is easily adapted to the H4. The Baby Bottle tip makes the job WAY easier, so make sure you do that.

Seafoam's recommendation for the oil is to run it for up to 200 miles and then change the oil. I am like you, a little hesitant to run it for 200 miles, but I doubt they would make that recommendation if it wasn't pretty safe. My guess is that the Seafoam actually volatizes off once the oil is up to temp, and ends up getting sucked through the PCV anyway, so I think most of it gets pulled out of the oil. If I were doing it, I would probably run the car about 50 miles and then do the change.

[ETC]

Just click on the product you want for the tutorial on how to do it. That along with that thread that was posted should get you on the right track.

http://www.seafoamsales.com/how-to-u...-products.html

I prefer Deep Creep [which is essentially Seafoam in an aerosol can] for intake and throttle body cleaning to pouring it out of a can.

Pouring or spraying through the PCV will help clean the deposits [oil sludge] that gets sucked in from the crankcase but doesn't get distributed to the entire intake very well [ you have to pour it in the hose toward the motor, not the crankcase]. Going through the Throttle body makes more sense for the whole intake but the "gunkiest" spot will definitely be at the PCV. Personally I think throttle body cleaner does a better job of breaking down gunk and removing deposits on the intake, but, to each his own.

I put some in the tank and in the crankcase [pour bottle] before I do an oil change. I only drive 10 miles or so, let it sit a bit , then change the oil and filter.

[reso]

Hi ETC, thanks for the link, going to go through that

But hold on...

I took the Vacuum hose off the PCV valve, and then poured directly into the PCV, and got a smoke show,

but your saying I should pour into the hose itself? I thought pouring it through the PCV would lead directly to the upper valve assembly, not the crank case, and that the tube would lead to the crank case? Can you clear this up for me,

Thanks,

Rob

Originally posted by ETC
Just click on the product you want for the tutorial on how to do it. That along with that thread that was posted should get you on the right track.

http://www.seafoamsales.com/how-to-u...-products.html

I prefer Deep Creep [which is essentially Seafoam in an aerosol can] for intake and throttle body cleaning to pouring it out of a can.

Pouring or spraying through the PCV will help clean the deposits [oil sludge] that gets sucked in from the crankcase but doesn't get distributed to the entire intake very well [ you have to pour it in the hose toward the motor, not the crankcase]. Going through the Throttle body makes more sense for the whole intake but the "gunkiest" spot will definitely be at the PCV. Personally I think throttle body cleaner does a better job of breaking down gunk and removing deposits on the intake, but, to each his own.

I put some in the tank and in the crankcase [pour bottle] before I do an oil change. I only drive 10 miles or so, let it sit a bit , then change the oil and filter.

[rockhopjohn]

Originally posted by reso
Hi ETC, thanks for the link, going to go through that

But hold on...

I took the Vacuum hose off the PCV valve, and then poured directly into the PCV, and got a smoke show,

but your saying I should pour into the hose itself? I thought pouring it through the PCV would lead directly to the upper valve assembly, not the crank case, and that the tube would lead to the crank case? Can you clear this up for me,

Thanks,

Rob

Depends on which end of the hose you pull. If you pull the hose off the crankcase end, and dump it in the hose it will go into the intake. If you pull the hose off the intake and dump it in the hose, it will go into the crankcase.

I don't know which car you have, so it is hard to tell what you did. In the later model cars, the PCV is down on the crank case, with earlier models it was up on the intake. If you are doing it right the vacuum from the intake should suck the Seafoam in, and you will get some smoke out of the exhaust. If it isn't sucking it in, then you have the wrong end of the PCV hose, and are dumping it into the crankcase.

[reso]

Originally posted by rockhopjohn


I don't know which car you have, so it is hard to tell what you did. In the later model cars, the PCV is down on the crank case, with earlier models it was up on the intake. If you are doing it right the vacuum from the intake should suck the Seafoam in, and you will get some smoke out of the exhaust. If it isn't sucking it in, then you have the wrong end of the PCV hose, and are dumping it into the crankcase.

Ok, that clears it up. It is a 1999 OBS, 2.2 SOHC engine, EJ22 I think is the engine model, the PCV is on the intake and it was sucking in through the valve. Thanks, that clears it up!

In the seafoam articles, they talk about the "H" subaru engine, that is a different engine than the boxer? I will give it a quick google, but it's always fun to ask on forums anyway, as I find you I always learn more

Rob

[rockhopjohn]

Originally posted by reso
In the seafoam articles, they talk about the "H" subaru engine, that is a different engine than the boxer? I will give it a quick google, but it's always fun to ask on forums anyway, as I find you I always learn more

Rob

H is the abbreviation for Horizontally Opposed engines (as opposed to V for V configurations, or I for inline). So, Boxer is just a synonym.