seafoam ?

[Bad84kat]

My experience is this.. bought a GS750 cheap (parts bike)Told had bad #3 cylinder low/no compression (30psi) others 150psi.

Guy had $1500.00 put into it 3 yrs ago.incl.. carbs cleaned,tank cleaned/new petcock, chain+sprockets, rear tire, some elect work. He took it out for a roadtrip and it died. no throttle response. He took it to bikeshop and they did comp test with above results. I fiddle with it a bit and got it running. Fuel starvation was issue. I took it for a few little ride while I was waiting for my 12mm comp test adaptor to come in. Felt strong but not healthy strong.

I did test and came up with similar results. 155psi on 1,2,4. 35psi on #3.
Decided to do wet comp test on #3 to see if it was valve or ring issue. 1 tsp oil in cylinder and soak for min then spun it over with no sparkplug a few times. re test showed 85psi. Ring issue. After a "what do I have to loose" conversation with both sides of my brain I decided to try Seafoam in crankcase. about 5oz poured in. then put a little in the 1/4 tank of gas I had left. I took the bike for a few more short rides total of maybe 15-20 miles. All the time putting the list of parts I was going to remove for my project bike on a mental note pad.

Before putting bike away for another day/tear down I decided to check comp. on that cylinder again. 145psi!!...my guess is stuck ring. I will remove Seafoam from crankcase soon as it is turning oil very dark (directions on website say to do this within 50-100miles)

Take from this what you want.

There is no miracle cure for a broke engine but sometimes an injury can heal.

[BADJACKSON]

I have been a professional diesel mechanic for 12 years. Sea Foam is GREAT stuff. It stabilizes fuel, cleans up "varnished" old gas & fuel components, it cleans out oil galleies, etc. Is it a SUBSTITUTE for a complete carb cleaning??? No! Will it fix broken components? No!
Try it for yourself on something less valuable and loved than your cherished GS. Start with a lawn mower.

I just used it yesterday on a 97 Kawi Bayou 400 that had been sitting for who knows how long. It had very little gas in the tank, I poured about 1/3 of a can in & let it sit for 15 min, then coaxed it to start. It would barely idle. I just let it idle for a bit, slowly backing off the choke. Soon it was running good. Then I filled the tank 1/2 full with fresh gas. Runs pretty well now. This wheeler has had a hard life I think. Sea Foam works, if you let it & don't expect the impossible.

[jeffgs]

I have several times saved stuck rings on G.M. vehicle with G.M. Top engine cleaner. You pour it into the spark plug hole and let it sit for four hours then crank over to evacuate. We have also done this in the crank cases of Geo Metro three cylinders that were totally dead on compression. I just did it to my 199,000 Escort, runs fine now.

I have used SeaFoam and was told it worked as well; it did not. In fact I could not tell a discernible difference whatsoever.

[chuck hahn]

Compared to Berrymans B12 Chemtool,,,, Seafoam is Coors Pizz water.

[bonanzadave]

Helps my old JD snowblower get going on a -20 winters day

[JEEPRUSTY]

Horse Iodine apparently frees stuck rings
my 86 yr old Uncle swears by it

[BADJACKSON]

I have several times saved stuck rings on G.M. vehicle with G.M. Top engine cleaner. You pour it into the spark plug hole and let it sit for four hours then crank over to evacuate. We have also done this in the crank cases of Geo Metro three cylinders that were totally dead on compression. I just did it to my 199,000 Escort, runs fine now.

I have used SeaFoam and was told it worked as well; it did not. In fact I could not tell a discernible difference whatsoever.

My understanding is that sea foam is a fuel and oil treatment, not a corrosion cure. That's like saying I put paint thinner on the dash of my truck cuz I was told it would protect it. It didn't work at all!!!!!

When the can says lubes upper cylinder, that means that it won't dry it out, just like most starting fluids. It's not meant to free stuck rings or seized engines.
Just my $.02

[bobgroger]

The MSDS says Seafoam has 3 ingredients. Pale oil (diesel), Naptha (White gas or lighter fluid), and Isopropyl Alcohol. The MSDS gives the appropriate percentages of each. Draw your own conclusions.... I have a gallon of Coleman Fuel and IPA is cheap, I suspect the dIesel is the "top end lube". MEK might be more effective at dissolving varnish. Sta-bil MSDS is very vague, 95% petroleum distillate and 5% "additive".

[BADJACKSON]

Good detective work bobgroger. I like your style!

I talked my old man into trying Sea Foam when he was cleaning out a Model A tank. He had restored the Model A in the 80s and was "freshening it up"
He used 2 cans. The 1st he said did ok, but he was amazed by the results from the 2nd.

You guys can use whatever you like... I really like Sea Foam. I don't expect miracles. I wil keep using it.
In fact, as soon as my "new" tank arrives & I get the rust cleaned out, I plan on running Sea Foam through the carbs & fuel system before I do anything else to this GS I just got...
Good luck to all with your projects.

[JEEPRUSTY]

Yeah I posted the MSDS info yrs ago an no one is interested in making their own seafoam for cheap.
It does work but its no miracle
and use it in the suggested ratios a whle can in a tank is foolish
anything more than the suggested ratio a waste

[mike_of_bbg]

A few years back when the derecho hit I borrowed a co-worker's generator. He had let it sit with stale gas in the carb and tank since the last time it had been used, about 2 years prior. It would run on full choke, but not above 44Hz or so and not even that under load. I drained the tank and put in some fresh fuel with SF. It didn't immediately fix the issue, but after sitting overnight she ran well again. My guess is that gelled fuel gumming up some carb passages got dissolved. Had the passages been fully blocked it probably wouldn't have helped at all. Maybe fresh gas on its own could have done the job and the SF was of no benefit - who knows? Anyway it's the only time I've seen SF potentially "fix" anything. Nothing is a fix-all: not all problems are created equal.

SF does have a good reputation as a fuel stabilizer, and late in the riding/mowing season I will use it for that in the carbureted machines...