seafoam....

How long should I run the sea foam or should I say how many cans should I fun my xj for to asure its cleaning out the carbs. I'm putting a half pint of sea foam to 1 tank of gas. Does this sound right???

 

Dump the whole can in, you'r not gonna hurt it.

 

There are two methods of Seafoam treatment. One is to just run a can in the bike as Max-X stated. The other is the concentrated treatment. This is used for carbs that are missing sputtering and just not running well enough to keep the bike on the road. Add half a can of Seafoam to one galon of fuel. Start the bike and let it run until the Seafoam gets to the carbs. This you will know by the whiteish smoke that will come out of the exhaust. Then let it sit overnight. Next day fill the tank with fuel and the ride. IF no improvement by the end of the riding day or if still so bad there is no riding day then the carbs need to be pulled and cleaned.

 

I just went to the web site for Seafoam and it says you can put this stuff in your crank case too but it doesn't say anything about motorcycle crank cases so I was wondering if I used some in mine just before my next oil change to clean it up a bit. Any thoughts or better ideas? I've changed the oil once sense I bought it but I would like to give the crank case a good cleaning before the next. My bike runs good(except when I first start) but I was thinking of using some just to give the carbs a good cleaning.

 

Many have used the crankcase Seafoam treatment on their XJ to cure the starter clutch problem. I will loosen the grit, grim & sludge that caused it to stick. Works quite well. Basic procedure is to add a can to the oil, run the bike for 10 minutes or so on the center stand and run it through all the gears. Then drain the oil. Add some fresh but cheap oil and run for another 10 minutes running through the gears again. This gets the remaining Seafoam out. Drain the cheap oil and change the filter. Then add your prefered oil and ride on.

 

So eversince I've put the seafoam in my tank I have been sputtering pretty bad mostly when I'm in 1st and 2nd. I'ts hard to get power starting off. This only started after using the seafoam, I thought it was supposed to prevent that insted of causing it? Is this normal and will it go away when its all out of the system?

 

Tony, Try running the seafoam out and adding fresh gas and see what happens. If it starts running smoothly again Viola your ok!
If it dont........ you'll need to do some carb work.



OL rule- If it ain't broke..... don't fix it!

 

You may have had a good amount of sediment in your float bowls that the Seafoam loosened up and is now in one or more of your pilot jets. Too much Seafoam will cause rough running. If you used a concentrated treatment on your carbs and got this problem and have since added fuel with no improvement in the roughness I would then suggest another concentrated treatment. Half a can of Seafoam to one gallon of fuel. Run the bike until the Seafoam get to the carbs, known by the white smoke coming from the exhaust, and let it sit overnight. Add fuel in the morning to dilute the Seafoam concentrate and then ride for awhile. If no improvement then the carbs need to come off.
It seems we have been amiss in saying that the Seafoam concentrated treatment should "only" be used on a bike that is "already" running rough. A bike that is running well should only have half a can added to a full tank and no less. When we had a turbo missing on one cylinder at a carb clinic we administered Seafoam to the one missing carb via the mixture screw with a small plastic tube. It then sat for the rest of the day and on the afternoon ride it started hitting again. Seafoam works. It is not a magic elixer but it does work well and without harming any other fuel components.
If you loosened some sediment and that has caused your problem, then rest assured that you would have had this problem sometime in the future. At least now you have this forum to help you through the problem.

 

I've used seafoam in lots of bikes without a problem, untill my 77 goldwing
I put a couple of ounces in an almost empy tank rode it two blocks to the gas station and filled it up, With in the next week every thing leaked, petcock, fuel pump, and carbs, Granted the seals were all 30 years old, so I don't know if the high concentrat of seafoam was too much for them.

But I've used it in other bikes in the gas and crankcase without a problem

In the crankcase I add a couple of ounces and take it for a 10 - 15 min ride and then change oil, seams to do a great job.

but if your tank has alot of crud in it the seafoam will clean it out and get all that junk stuck in your carbs

 

Once again that 5.00 gadget called an in line fuel filter could have saved untold grief.
When we have one we dont realize what it is doing to protect us.... then when we neglect it long enough and either go without one or it pluggs then we wish we had given it more thought

 

If you own a Yamaha XJ-Series Bike ... there is growing list of what you should do to the Stock Configuration of the bike to prevent the most common problems associated with the XJ-Series machines. Inline filter's are right up close to the top of the list ... maybe ought to be #1 on the list.


Fuse Panel
Re-adjusting Carb Mixtures correcting Factory Pre-sets.
Inline fuel filter
Alternator brushes
Starter Motor Bushing lube, Commutator cleaning and brushes.

 

My XJ is running fine but I know it has been parked most winters without carbs being drained or any stabilizer added, recently for 3 years of no use. The fuel mileage and power are down a bit and it must have varnish built up in the system from all those winters.

I was planning on doing the half can seafoam to 1 gallon fuel treatment, but this thread seems to suggest that is a bad idea.

Would I be asking for trouble doing the concentrated treatment?

 

I'd do it!

If you have a problem from it....you would have had that problem anyway.

Wort thing that could happen is you may have to pull those carbs and go thru them.

BUT If the SeaFoam works..... well you save a bunch of time, money and somewhat difficult learning experience.

Most importantly you might be wasting valuable riding time!


Good Luck

 

Great, I'll soak it overnight and hope she likes it.

 

Varnish alone being eaten away by seafoam shouldn't plug the carbs. It's the other nasties that get in there that will plug it when the seafoam gets to it.

The concentrated treatment I used was 1 full can of seafoam to the tank when it hit reserve. I then let it sit 2 days, then startesd it an ran it for a couple of minutes. It smoked like a banshee. I then filled up the tank with my gas can, rocked the bike around. I then drained the carb bowls, filled them with the prime setting, then flipped it to on. The bike fired right up. Smoked for about 5-10 minutes, then ran a little bit rough until I filled up with fuel again. Then presto! Ran great, no smoke, no hesitation.

 

I don't use Seafoam.
I haven't moved into that place in the "Space~Time~Continuum" yet!

But, ... couldn't you:

Drain the bowls.
Run Seafoam in - straight.
Hook-up some kind of Rube Goldberg contraption with lines running from the Bowls ~> into a Container through a Filtering "something" ... and have the filtered product ~> collected or pumped (somehow) ... back into the Bowls.

Seems to me ... IF ... the stuff would break-down contaminate well enough to get through the Bowl Drains ...

It would be worth a shot getting all the crap out before running the bike and seeing if it would clear-out the Jets and passages.

(I can feel the energy of the inventive minds mulling this over. I should have done a Poll on who I think will have the first working prototype!!!)

 

why not dismantle the carbs and just soak all the parts in seafoam in 4 separate containers...then scrub them real good and re-assemble. I guess then you wouldn't get the cleaning action in the cylinders...

ehhh it was an idea.

 

If some kind of ... "On-the-Bike -- Float Bowl Douche" is going to flush-out the Bowls and let you try a "In the fuel -- and hope to run-it cleaning" ...

I'm inclined to start undoing the Clamps and get them OFF the Bike for the only way I can 100% certify that the Carbs are CLEAN ...

"The Whole 9-Yards"

That way ... you absolutely know, for sure, that the Rack has been Cleaned and when they go back on-the-bike ... the Bike is going to run right!

 

I like the way you think Rick, that would be my preferrence too. Visually see that ALL potential problem causing gunk is gone. However I'm a bit intimidated by disassembling carbs, so I'm going to stick with just using the seafoam without taking things off the bike - unless I don't have a choice. I'd rather deal with that learning curve when the bike is off the road for the winter.

I did do a seafoam treatment last night, although not as concentrated as many folks have done. The bike has definitely increased power throughout the rpm range, and impressed the heck out of me today (and the cocky mustang driver that revved his engine beside me this afternoon and pissed of my wife).

I burned off that tank today and I'm giving it another soak tonight to see if it continues to improve. I seem to have smoother shifting as well after doing a crankcase treatment before an oil change this afternoon.

Good stuff this seafoam.

 

how much did you put in the crankcase? I could never find a recommendation as to how much to add.

 

You may wish to consider pulling the carbs before the winter Max. If there is gunk in there, you have no idea when it will gum up a passage or worse yet, leave you stranded. I'd rather find out now in the comfort of my home/garage in conditions that are controlable than out in the middle of a ride somewhere miles from help. Just a point of view, think about it.

 

Robert, you make a very good point. I am just in the process of ordering a colortune and carb sync tools, so I'm going to wait until I have those in hand before I disassemble anything on my carbs.

There are several different ways that I've seen it suggested, all depending on how bad you figure the oil system is gummed up. Some people drain some of the oil and add half a can or more, and in extreme cases I saw one suggestion of running straight seafoam instead of oil! 8O

I chose to go with the minimal amount of 3-4 ounces then ran the bike for 5 or 10 minutes on the center stand, working it through all the gears to make sure it worked it's way through everything. Then drained it and replaced the oil filter.

I chose a fairly cool evening to do this so I didn't overheat the aircooled bike, and didn't run the engine under load as the oil was thinned out. I will do this before every oil change now to clean out the years of sludge.

If you go with a stronger concentration in the oil it would be a good idea to fill the bike with cheaper oil afterwards and run it a bit to rinse/flush the last of the seafoam out, then change the oil and filter to your normal blend. I had to pack the oil and tools with me to the location I was doing the work, so I chose not to have to carry the extra oil for this session. When I'm settled in my new home I'll give it a deeper cleaning.

Hope that helps you a bit.

 

I did the full strength, 1 can to the crankcase. I did drive the bike in my driveway, no high rpm's. Put it back on the center stand, then drained the oil. Re-filled with cheap oil, ran it for some miles (maybe 20), then drained the oil and re-filled with good stuff. Also changed the filter.

 

Piersol, did you notice any difference after that treatment?

 

Not a whole lot, I just did it to clean out the sludge and junk. My bike sat for 10 years before I got it, and I hadn't ridden it much at all before I did the seafoam in the crankcase. It did turn my oil black pretty much instantly, so I know there was a bunch of crap in it!

 

Speaking of seafoam, last night my internet was really slow, so I unplugged our cable connection and squirted some seafoam in there. Clean it right up for us, now...

 

Maximator: Thanks. I was just unsure. I had put a couple ounces in mine once then drained the oil after about 20 miles of riding. oops. Oh well, it fixed my starter clutch stick and my tensioner problems. Afterwards when I reset my tensioner, it actually kept tension and stopped making noise.

I may flush it again before the next oil change.

 

:lol: :lol: :lol:

I hate all the time I waste cleaning the spam and other junk off my hard drive, maybe I'll use seafoam next time.

 

It's great for treating diaper rash.

I've also used it to cure my dog of worms.

I've heard that putting a shot in your womans coffee every morning for a week will take 20 years off her age. (NOTE: In many Northern states this treatment should only be used on women at least 36 years old as you risk violating laws against statutory rape. In most Southern states women must be at least 33)

:wink:

 

I drank a can of Seafoam and it cured my cancer, took 50 pounds off my ass, and gave me the strength of a bear!

 

If you add 8 ounces of the stuff to a hot bath ...

Your athletes foot goes away.
Your hemorrhoids shrink.
Your mosquito bites stop itching.
Your acne disappears.
Poison Ivy itch is relieved ...

and ...

You'll have NO need for Levitra, Cialis or Viagra!!!!

Ask your Doctor if SeaFoam is right for you.

If he says "No" ...

Tell 'em I said it was OK !!!

 

Something tells me Rick would know all to well about Levitra, Cialis, Viagra, and how Seafoam is a good substitute for that

 

Ouch!

 

Rick does seem to be a man of experience, exspecially when it comes to carbs and carb cleaners.

He is a wealth of info. So his advice should be heeded.

Let me know if anything other than carbon build up, comes off in the bath tub. lol

 

I have heard nothing but good things come from Rick's advice. He's a definite asset to the forum.

I use seafoam in my lawn mower, chain saw, weed wacker, snow blower, vehicles, etc. But I've yet to try it in my XJ. I'm a little apprehensive to try it in a 25+ year old XJ1100, but I've had great experience with it in the past so I guess it can't hurt.

 

Once you get the knack of going through a set off Carbs a few times ... you'll be making-up Tools and multi-tasking across all four of them as you clean them.

My Carb Kit includes:

Real Dental Tools (from when they weren't looking one time.)

A medium length Cap Screw that matches the Threads of the Emulsion Tube ... for Driving it Out and Capturing it to Pull the Slotted and Keyed one's back in.

A longer Cap Screw with matching Emulsion Tube threads. This one with the Allen Head cut-off ... for chucking in to the drill and spinning the Emulsion Tube to scrub-off the build-up and shine them.

A Big Nail ... with the pointy-end machined down to help drive-out stuck Float Hinge Pins.

Several sets of Welder's Tip Cleaning Tools. The most frequently used probes pulled-out of the set and stuck into a champagne cork for quick access.

A modified set of Mini-Diagonal Cutters. The cutting edges deliberately dulled for "Wedging-Out" Hinge Pins on MIKUNI's.

Screw Drivers that have been modified to FIT the Turning Slots on Jets and Pilot Mixture Screws.

One small Screw Driver that has been "Chopped, Channeled and Sectioned" for setting-up Pilot Mixtures.

It fits the Slot with Zero wiggle and the Handle is Indexed at the bottom with color-added notches for 1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8 and 1/16 Turn increments to use Dialing-in Mixures.

Carbs I do for those who send them to me for cleaning are returned with the Top of each Pilot Screw hole INDEXED from where the Screw Head is Positioned when Bottomed-Out.

If they need to add a Eighth of a Turn IN or Out ... there's no guess work.

 

Don't use it on a 25 year old bike unless you want it to run like a much newer bike.

 

That's the Mission!

Get the Old Bike's running like New Bike's.

I have not once recommended SeaFoam.

But, I have recommended maintenance and repair procedures that work just as good.

In some cases ... better!

 

uh oh! So you're saying that you don't recommend the use of Seafoam Rick? Or are you simply stating that you haven't ever endorsed it in the past?

So, what are your thoughts on Seafoam and older bikes?

Geez...if Rick decides he doesn't like it....then I have to not like it too....I have no brain of my own.....I must follow the crowd....he he he!

 

I picked a can up a week ago and added only 2oz or so to my tank, nowhere near what you guys are saying. Maybe I should add some more the next time I refill. Anyhow, I haven't notcied much of anything with my bike, but I wasn't having problems either. I did add some to my mower and it's running great

 

Personally, I have never needed it.

But, since it has the reputation for cleaning-up stuff really well. I'm picking-up a can or two to see how well it "Breaks-up" baked-on Fuel Bowl Crud.

I have a set of Carbs, in here, somebody bought off eBay.
They supposedly came off a "Running Bike"
Baloney!

The Bowls are caked and "The Line" lets me know it was leaning to the Right for a long, long time.

 

It's like listening to an old detective show. The attention to detail, the tell-tale signs of abuse, etc. It's exciting!

I'd be really curious to hear your review of Seafoam Rick. I've had good luck with it, but it would be fun to hear from someone with more experience after they use it.

Let us know!

 

Old post but I have an opinion.
Back to the auto douche system I gots an idea.
I hate carbs, say that word at dinner and watch you hat!! :evil:
I am not fimmilar with our bike's carbs or any other carbs for that matter.
but...here goes nothing.

SeaFoam Douche Procedure. *Patent Pending*

1)Open all carb drain screws and get rid of all fuel.

2)Connect drain hoses and route all 4 to the lenth of the ground.

3)Place a suitable catch container and place all 4 hoses in there

4)Use a slow speed pump, maybe a aquarium or water pump of some kind. and put in catch container bottom.

5)Attach hose between pump and carbs

6)Fill catch container with enough seafoam to have a continuence cycle and turn on pump.

7)After the seafoam begins to look less gunky close drain screws and sit overnight.

8)Flush out in the morning, put some clean fuel in, and hope for the best

**Afterthoughts**

>Use fuel rated lines.
>Fuel Filter somewhere in the set up to keep gunk from going back in.
>Adjust throttle positions during the douching
>Put bike on center stand.
>Dont use your childs wading pool Use a fuel rated container.
>Not sure of flamibility of SeaFoam, but if it goes in an engine it might burn. :!: Keep all open flames far away. :!:

I hope someone with more carb knowledge would chime in and give a thumbs up on the process.

 

someone said before that seaoam runs best with gas in it, not just total seafoam.

 

Ok modification
Add gas to your catch container

 

You still have some Mods to make ...

I fear that the SeaFoam might cause some difficulty with a Pump not rated to be immersed in a strong petroleum based by product.

You're likely to need a Fuel Pump.

Given the known data on how easily one hose slips from being attached to the Test Port ... multiplying the Odds X 4 = a possible mess to clean.

I think you should get-over your fear of the "Carbs word" and embrace them.
Buy a set of Parts Carbs and experiment with "Tearing them down" a little at a time.
Before you know it ... you'll have Mastered the Art of Carb Tear-down and be worthy of a Black Belt in Carb Cleaning!

 

Well the douche did sound like a fun venture.
Carb will still be a four letter word to me, but maybe this off season tinkering might be in order.
A use-once only pump might work for the duration of the operation.
Then toss, but a 10 dollar investment in the pump might be better spent cleaning the carbs.
I currently have no issues w/ mine, just a sync (knock on wood)
It doesnt sit up very long, started once a week