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sea foam

Started by 76 cadillac bob, June 28, 2018, 06:57:54 PM

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76 cadillac bob

Has anyone had any luck with SeaFoam for their noisy engines. I have a dirty plug from a former leak and probably gooped up piston....just one on my 76 eldo it is the only one that clatters on cold start up but quiets down a bit, but it is still noticeable. I have the carb not EFI.
Anyone's thoughts??

Mike Josephic CLC #3877

Noisy lifters on the 501 engine seem to be quite
common.  I have a '73 Eldorado that once had
that problem.

These engines seem to sensitive to small bits
of crud that accumulate over time.  I've used
the old standard Marvel Mystery Oil and had
good success with it.  You add it to your oil, drive
the car for 500 miles or so then drain and change
oil and filter.

I've never used Seafoam, but it's along the same
lines -- a blend of petroleum solvents.

Mike
1955 Cadillac Eldorado
1973 Cadillac Eldorado
1995 Cadillac Seville
2004 Escalade
1997 GMC Suburban 4X4, 454 engine, 3/4 ton
custom built by Santa Fe in Evansville, IN
2011 Buick Lucerne CX
-------------------------------------
CLCMRC Museum Benefactor #38
Past: VP International Affiliates, Museum Board Director, President / Director Pittsburgh Region

pmhowe

#2
Seafoam seems to be a fairly decent solvent. I haven't tried it in your application, but I have used it with good success in getting crud out of carburetors, on Jaguar XJS V12 (with injectors), Jaguar Mark IV (old SUs), and Morgans (SUs and Strombergs). Haven't tried it on a Cadillac, yet.
Phil

Lexi

#3
I have used Risolene (spelling?) but only half bottle for a very short duration and it did seem to work, (then change oil and filter). Similar to Seafoam. Probably best to first get our cars out on the highway more often, to blow the crud out. An old mechanic years ago told me that water down the carb, if used properly, would blow the carbon deposits up. There used to be water atomizers that did this and I think early VWs even had an option for it. Used to see them after-market as well but I never tried them. Anyone have any opinions on this? Clay/Lexi

Mike Josephic CLC #3877

Another old time product -- Rislone.  It's a petroleum
solvent mixture.  I have used it with success over
the years as well.

As far as "water injection" -- this was used successfully
in WWII in piston engine aircraft to increase power for
short periods (at take off, for example).

As far as a "do it yourself" exercise for a car, it can be
problematic.  Water is not compressible like air, so
getting too much water in the cylinders will damage
the engine.  On a modern car, with computer controlled
fuel / air ratios, it would not be very useful at all since
it fouls up the computer's control measurements.

As a method for "blasting" grit or carbon out of your
engine, this would not be recommended for the reasons
mentioned.

Mike
1955 Cadillac Eldorado
1973 Cadillac Eldorado
1995 Cadillac Seville
2004 Escalade
1997 GMC Suburban 4X4, 454 engine, 3/4 ton
custom built by Santa Fe in Evansville, IN
2011 Buick Lucerne CX
-------------------------------------
CLCMRC Museum Benefactor #38
Past: VP International Affiliates, Museum Board Director, President / Director Pittsburgh Region

Lexi

Makes sense. His comments were directed at vintage carburetor fed engines, (nothing computerized) and atomized water used. Never tried it myself, but I should check with my buddy who I believe is installing one on his '52 split window bug. Clay/Lexi

z3skybolt

#6
Water injection was used on early jets and turboprops. We used it to boost take off power in the old B-707s  They were called 'water wagons" because of that usage. It was  water menthol.  Know nothing about using it in old cars.

Bob
1940 LaSalle 5227 Coupe(purchased May 2016)
1985 Lincoln Town Car Signature Series. Bought New.

Lexi

By sheer coincidence, I just remembered that a friend of the family gave me some car related stuff a month or so ago. One of the items was a system that involved "water/methanol vapor injection". It was said to "save gas, increase horsepower, cut carbon deposits and reduce engine ping". The company that manufactured it is "Aqua Mist". They got a rather intimidating web site, (just checked), but this gizmo given to me looks rather simple, even "Mickey Mouse", but reminds me of the one my buddy said he will install on his bug. Anyone have any experience with this stuff? The plot thickens. Clay/Lexi

Mike Josephic CLC #3877

Yes, these systems sold for cars back in the day used
a 50/50 water methanol mixture.  How well this actually
worked in practice I don't really know.

It's still used today in drag cars, sometimes at 100%
methanol, but these engines are rebuilt after a limited
number of "runs" down the strip.  The use of this in a
car on a regular basis supposedly contributes to increased
engine wear.

Mike
1955 Cadillac Eldorado
1973 Cadillac Eldorado
1995 Cadillac Seville
2004 Escalade
1997 GMC Suburban 4X4, 454 engine, 3/4 ton
custom built by Santa Fe in Evansville, IN
2011 Buick Lucerne CX
-------------------------------------
CLCMRC Museum Benefactor #38
Past: VP International Affiliates, Museum Board Director, President / Director Pittsburgh Region

Lexi

#9
My VW buddy said he had one of these water misting devices on his '55 Chevy many years ago to break up carbon deposits. He cautioned that it had to be set up correctly to avoid engine wear and hydro-lock. He said that he was quite satisfied with it.

Regarding my comment that such a water mister was also an option for early VWs he corrected me, adding that the VW device that I had referred to was an engine oiler, (after market), that was hooked up externally to prolong the life of your valves and rings by adding lubrication (such as Marvel Mystery Oil) from a glass jar mounted on the fire wall. Not sure if this was strictly after market VW, or for any make. Below is a link for the vintage oiler, from a split window bug parts site: Clay/Lexi

http://www.splitpartsunlimited.com/product_info.php?cPath=25&products_id=60


cadillacmike68

76 bob,

You did pull and replace the errant plug - correct?  I use sea foam as both a gas tank and oil additive, but mostly in the gas tank. I've only used it once per car in the oil, since the oils are so high detergent nowadays, it's not really needed on a clean engine. But I use it in the gas tank a few times a year. What I also use is ONLY toptier gas, mainly Shell, and when I had the engine torn down I was surprised at how clean Everything was... No carbon anywhere on the pistons, heads, etc...

I would say put it in the oil once, change it after the 500 -1000 miles, but use a can in the gas tank as well.
Regards,
"Cadillac" Mike

Jeff Maltby 4194

Father bought a new 62 olds Jetfire that used Turbo Rocket Fluid. I remember him saying push the button son and feel the sudden power Ha.

It worked like this. Turbo Rocket Fluid was a 50:50 mix of distilled water and methanol, with a little rust inhibitor thrown in. Every couple hundred miles or so, you’d squirt it into a special tank right by the engine. The Turbo Rocket Fluid served to cool the engine and allow the turbocharger to run at its peak performance. 215 horsepower, 0-60 times in 8.5 seconds, and a top speed of 110 miles per hour were the resultâ€"along with a healthy dose of headrest-squishing torque. (300 lb-ft of torque, in fact, as low as 3,200 RPM.) “One hustling horsepower for every inch of displacement!” Oldsmobile bragged in its print ads. A simple turbocharger gauge had just two positions: ECONOMY and POWER. (Again, Oldsmobile: “When the needle movesâ€"SO DO YOU!”) When the fluid ran out, as quickly as 225 miles by one estimate, a double-redundancy mechanical assembly would activate to bypass the turbocharger, thereby preserving the engine. The turbocharger itself was supplied by Garrett’s newly-formed AiResearch department. There was no intercooler.
Jeffo 49er chapter

CLC 1985
Honda Gold Wing GL1500

David Greenburg

I used to occasionally run water through the engine on old (carbureted) cars prior to doing a plug change/tune up. It was explained to me by an old school mechanic that it would “steam clean” carbon deposits.  I would stick a small diameter vacuum hose on a vacuum port, and with the engine warm would stick the other end in a jug of water, revving the engine, being careful not to let it stall (pinch the hose if it started to stumble).  I’m not sure if it really helped anything, but I would get lots of nasty black exhaust at first, which would look much better after running a gallon on water through the engine.
David Greenburg
'60 Eldorado Seville
'61 Fleetwood Sixty Special

64\/54Cadillacking

Try transmission fluid in the oil. My former auto shop teacher that had almost 40
years of shop experience would use that stuff in the engine and it worked to clean up badly dirty ones.

You add a little to your engine before the change the oil, drive it for awhile until and give the car a good run at high speed, come home and drain the oil. Tranny fluid as we all know is mainly detergents which is great at cleaning up junk in the engine.

Add thicker weight oil and throw in a zinc additive and your engine will hopefully sound and run a lot better.
Currently Rides:
1964 Sedan Deville
1954 Cadillac Fleetwood 60 Special
1979 Lincoln Mark V Cartier Designer Series
2007 Lexus LS 460L (extended wheelbase edition)

Previous Rides:
1987 Brougham D' Elegance
1994 Fleetwood Bro
1972 Sedan Deville
1968 Coupe Deville
1961 Lincoln Continental
1993 Lincoln Town Car Signature Series
1978 Lincoln Continental ( R.I.P.) 1978-2024 😞

metalblessing

I added seafoam to my crankcase back in February. It did quiet the engine a little bit, also made it shake a little less. Just dont forget to change your oil after a bit, because it turned my brand new oil solid black and gritty within a week or two (this is from it removing dirt and gunk) and also thinned it a bit, which may have contributed to some of the recent problems I had until changing it again. It worked good for me, just dont leave it alone forever, you will want to leave in for a bit and then change it out. I think the directions say this too.

Just remember if you put any in your gas tank keep in mind it might loosen some crap and your filter may get clogged. They recommend changing your fuel filter after a fuel treatment.
1968 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Hearse/Ambulance Combination