Seafoam

Will to much Seafoam in your tank harm your motor ? I have a 41 gallon tank and need to fill it for Winter .

stay away from seafoam
Use Starbrite Star-Tron Fuel Treatment with premium fuel

igotone wrote:

stay away from seafoam

Why? we have been using it for years with great results, small engines, boat motors, lawn mower, storage in gas. Has been great for us.

sticker wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>igotone wrote:</div>
stay away from seafoam

Why? we have been using it for years with great results, small engines, boat motors, lawn mower, storage in gas. Has been great for us.

Same here

On the bottle itself has directions. If memory serves me right, 1oz per gallon????

I always put a bottle of seafoam in and then ran my gas tank to near empty at the end of the season, so it worked it’s way through the fuel system. And then I would have fresh fuel in the spring, I wouldn’t want 41 gallons of 6+ month old gas in it.

BigWerm wrote:

I always put a bottle of seafoam in and then ran my gas tank to near empty at the end of the season, so it worked it’s way through the fuel system. And then I would have fresh fuel in the spring, I wouldn’t want 41 gallons of 6+ month old gas in it.

There are two schools of thought on how much gas to have in the tank over the winter. Some think like you do while others think that an empty tank leaves more room for condensation in a tank over the winter. Personally, I prefer a full tank with stabilizer in the tank that was ran through my motors prior to putting my boat away for the winter. Stabilizer works for a longer period than over the winter, especially since our boats in this part of the country are generally stored in a cold rather than a warm environment which limits the chemical reactions that may degrade gasoline.
Your method obviously works for you and my method has always worked for me so we’ll just leave it at that.

I am curious as to why not to use seafoam.I use it at work and in all my engines,no issues.

I guess I wouldn’t dump seafoam in my crankcase and trash the oil but that stuff is amazing when added to fuel. YouTube some before and after videos and see for yourself. I have been using it in anything I can for years and can’t complain.

igotone wrote:

stay away from seafoam
Use Starbrite Star-Tron Fuel Treatment with premium fuel

This is good advise.

robby wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>igotone wrote:</div>
stay away from seafoam
Use Starbrite Star-Tron Fuel Treatment with premium fuel

This is good advise.

Why?
Can someone tell us?

I guess we have all been doing it wrong for the last 30 years and need to change tactics.

I would really like to know what kind of problem’s people have had with seafoam. I know quite a few people who use it,no issues.I know auto,marine,small 2cycle mechanics that recommend it.What gives.

alright,I will offer my experience and thoughts on seafoam.

first off,seafoam is a great product only when used correctly.
I have used it in crankcases to clear lifters that are plugged with sludge and ticking non stop,this is only done when the oil is due to be changed anyway,you dont drive it thousands of miles after adding it,ten to fifteen minutes is more than enough time.

in fuel systems,it will clean injectors and carburetors,tanks,fuel pumps,lines,etc.
seafoam does a great job of cleaning systems that are just starting to exhibit problems,it is not to be used in an attempt to clean systems that need torn down to be corrected properly.

for the most part,I hate seafoam for several reasons,,ie,it should be used only by professionals,why???
it is a powerful solvent that is over advertised,overused,and abused,you dont need a can or two every dang tankful.
if your motor only runs better when seafoam is used with it,its high time you better be finding better fuel somewhere else,or,your motor really has a lot of problems or both.

once your system is clean,the ninety to one hundred twenty other additives in GOOD gasoline should keep your system healthy enough without additional solvents,no need to keep dumping dollars in the gas tank that are unneeded after a tank or two of ‘treatment’,if that doesnt clear up the problem,take your toy to a mechanic to find out what is going on.

I have a couple of posts here with pictorials that show what the over use of seafoam and other like additives will do to an outboards fuel system.
being a solvent,solvents dry out rubber diaphragms,hoses,the liner in your EPA rated for ethanol use fuel lines and primer bulbs,not only will it dry those things out,it causes them to start coming apart plugging things up.
over use of seafoam and other solvents will cause more problems than they cure given enough time.

as far as a winter storage additive there are far better additives that are used at much lower rates than seafoam is,ie,seafoam is used most often at an ounce per gallon,Lucas,starbrite, and many others are used at a rate of three ounces per five gallons and those additives provide a lubricant where seafoam does not.

for those of you who over use seafoam and have good luck with it,I know I will never convince you any different and I personally wish you continued luck but I want you to consider this.
why would you want to keep dumping solvents into the air and water when its not needed?? and continue spending money you dont need to once the job is done??

Iowaboy1 wrote:

alright,I will offer my experience and thoughts on seafoam.

first off,seafoam is a great product only when used correctly.
I have used it in crankcases to clear lifters that are plugged with sludge and ticking non stop,this is only done when the oil is due to be changed anyway,you dont drive it thousands of miles after adding it,ten to fifteen minutes is more than enough time.

in fuel systems,it will clean injectors and carburetors,tanks,fuel pumps,lines,etc.
seafoam does a great job of cleaning systems that are just starting to exhibit problems,it is not to be used in an attempt to clean systems that need torn down to be corrected properly.

for the most part,I hate seafoam for several reasons,,ie,it should be used only by professionals,why???
it is a powerful solvent that is over advertised,overused,and abused,you dont need a can or two every dang tankful.
if your motor only runs better when seafoam is used with it,its high time you better be finding better fuel somewhere else,or,your motor really has a lot of problems or both.

once your system is clean,the ninety to one hundred twenty other additives in GOOD gasoline should keep your system healthy enough without additional solvents,no need to keep dumping dollars in the gas tank that are unneeded after a tank or two of ‘treatment’,if that doesnt clear up the problem,take your toy to a mechanic to find out what is going on.

I have a couple of posts here with pictorials that show what the over use of seafoam and other like additives will do to an outboards fuel system.
being a solvent,solvents dry out rubber diaphragms,hoses,the liner in your EPA rated for ethanol use fuel lines and primer bulbs,not only will it dry those things out,it causes them to start coming apart plugging things up.
over use of seafoam and other solvents will cause more problems than they cure given enough time.

as far as a winter storage additive there are far better additives that are used at much lower rates than seafoam is,ie,seafoam is used most often at an ounce per gallon,Lucas,starbrite, and many others are used at a rate of three ounces per five gallons and those additives provide a lubricant where seafoam does not.

for those of you who over use seafoam and have good luck with it,I know I will never convince you any different and I personally wish you continued luck but I want you to consider this.
why would you want to keep dumping solvents into the air and water when its not needed?? and continue spending money you dont need to once the job is done??

but does it mix well with pepsi?

eelpoutguy,I will let you try that out!!! cant be much worse than Jose but I wouldnt want to be standing near a campfire when that colon cleanse starts to manifest itself!!!

I like Yamahah ring free

fireline wrote:

Will to much Seafoam in your tank harm your motor ? I have a 41 gallon tank and need to fill it for Winter .

Per Iowaboy’s excellent writup, only use Seafoam if you are trying to solve a motor problem that Seafoam can solve. Seafoam is a powerful solvent and fuel system cleaner.

I’ve never understood all this need to add all kinds of snake oil and VooDoo Juice to every tank of gas. The fact that those who do this experience “no problems” isn’t proof that it actually did anything. You can dance around your boat 20 times buck naked and it probably would have done as much good as adding a bunch of gunk and goo to your gas tank. Also, I wonder how many problems that have been caused by excessive solvent additions are wrongly attributed to the old “ethanol ate my engine”? Everthing gets blamed on ethanol gas these days with little or no acutal proof.

For boat storage, fill the tank with non-ox gas. Fog the motor cylinders with fogging oil. Enjoy life.

Grouse

That is what I wanted to know,thank you.I usually run it right before winter storage as it’s supposed to be a stabilizer and remove moisture.

>

Iowaboy1 wrote:

eelpoutguy,I will let you try that out!!! cant be much worse than Jose but I wouldnt want to be standing near a campfire when that colon cleanse starts to manifest itself!!!

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I use non-oxy year round in all my small engines. Not a fan of adding alcohol to my small engines, Seafoam included.

To avoid water collection, I used to fill the tank before storing. Water condenses on surface areas. After doing the math on the available surface area I don’t even bother with that. Only way to significantly reduce the amount of surface area in the tank would be to over fill it, up the filler neck. Unless you have a very tall tank, having a quarter inch space between the top of the tank and the fuel level isn’t much different than having an empty tank as far as surface area is concerned.

With that in mind, I don’t worry about the fuel level. At the end of the season, I treat whatever gas remains, with Sta Bil, then top it off in the spring and it’s ready to go.

Kyhl wrote:

I use non-oxy year round in all my small engines. Not a fan of adding alcohol to my small engines, Seafoam included.

To avoid water collection, I used to fill the tank before storing. Water condenses on surface areas. After doing the math on the available surface area I don’t even bother with that. Only way to significantly reduce the amount of surface area in the tank would be to over fill it, up the filler neck. Unless you have a very tall tank, having a quarter inch space between the top of the tank and the fuel level isn’t much different than having an empty tank as far as surface area is concerned.

With that in mind, I don’t worry about the fuel level. At the end of the season, I treat whatever gas remains, with Sta Bil, then top it off in the spring and it’s ready to go.

I totally agree with this except I don’t even treat the fuel with Sta-bil. I’ve never had issues. Although I certainly should.

After reading about this topic on other boating forums, it’s my understanding that filling the tank really only applies to boats with large gas tanks. I’m talking 120+ gallons. My tank is 60 gal and I’ve never had a fuel issue. Non-oxy is far and above the most important part.

Water can only get in your gas 3 ways:
1. Leak in through the fill cap.
2. Condensation inside the tank.
3. Absorbed by ethanol.

Just make damn sure water or snow melt can’t find its way into the tank. If you use non-oxy and Sta-Bil, the other two are non-issues.

Just one more thing to ponder. If you keep your tank very low during storage, you may not even need to use sta-bil. You just need to make sure to properly winterize the engine and fill it up in spring to dilute any questionable gas in your tank. A small amount of 4-5 month old gas won’t hurt anything.

I’ve been trying to figure out the “right” way to winterize outboards for 20 yrs and I still don’t have a solid answer on this.

I did take the time a few years back to call numerous dealers and ask their opinion. Most of them agreed “absolutely, no matter what do not put Stabil in an outboard motor”. They said it all started by seeing an increase in motor issues and when they worked on them they noticed a white chalky film covering the internals of the motor. They said they started recommending to not use Sta-bil and things seemed to improve greatly. Again I have no motor knowledge but I do respect a professionals opinion, especially when they agree.

I just put non-oxy in and call it good.

Joe Scegura wrote:

I’ve been trying to figure out the “right” way to winterize outboards for 20 yrs and I still don’t have a solid answer on this.

If you haven’t been bringing your outboards in for repair every other year, you figured it out!

Sounds like these motors and components are typically well made nowadays so regardless what method you use, it’s going to work!

There’s more than one way to fold a towel…

Many of the problems comes from fuel lines and components that do not stand up to Ethanol. Until just the last few years even new boats had fuel lines that broke down under Ethanol use, that is where much of the white chalky film comes from. I am one that uses Seafoam have for years if you are mixing gas and oil most good 2 cycle oils have a stabilizer in them so not so much of a need for extra fuel stabilizers in that situation. When Seafoam is mixed properly I am a total believer in it especially for my backup emergency generator which sits for ever with fuel in it and not being run.

After experiencing phase separation I will never leave fuel in a tank unless non-oxy. I am not a believer in fuel additives and never had any issues with fuel that has no ethanol added to it so I see no reason to add additives.
That’s my experience.
So now, I’m sure I just jinxed myself and will start seeing fuel quality related problems.

Iowaboy1 hit the nail on the head.

Have done a lot of different things and non oxy seems to work best, when combined with somewhat regular maintenance imo.

Duck boat outboards and chainsaws take a lot of abuse. Have stopped using anything in them other than non oxy fuel and amsoil sabre oil. Was really skeptical about amsoil, but after a couple years now am sold on a thinner oil to fuel ratios. Less problems, easier starting and way fewer fouled plugs or fuel related issues.

Leeroys ramblings is a great site to learn a lot of good information imo about smaller outboards. He’s long winded, but in a good way.

2001 70hp Evinrude 4 stroke (Suzuki). I use only non-Oxy gas. Change Oil,change plugs ever other year, try to have less then 1/3 a tank of gas so I can add fresh in spring. Leave fuel line pressurized. No additives. The engine starts immediately every spring when I take it out of shed. Good gas trumps every additive.

basseyes wrote:

Have stopped using anything in them other than non oxy fuel and amsoil sabre oil. Was really skeptical about amsoil, but after a couple years now am sold on a thinner oil to fuel ratios. Less problems, easier starting and way fewer fouled plugs or fuel related issues.

Saber pro is some seriously good stuff. IMO, the best stuff Amsoil makes. I’ve stopped using everything else in my lawn equipment, augers and duck boat. Prior, I used Stihl and it was alright, but not as good as Saber.

the answer to winterization is to not stop fishing. I was worried about all this until i realized that don’t “put the boat away” until december and usually have it out a few times in february and early march. I actually probably would be better suited to “summerize” my boat.