| Sea Foam report. 100 percent happy with the stuff... | Rate Topic |
| Moderators: redbaron, MDKramer, Flyone, AZgl1500 | Page: 1 2 3 4 5   |
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| Posted: Fri Dec 7th, 2007 12:19 am | 1st Post |
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I've mentioned on the forum from time to time about my 1500 having what I felt were carburetion problems. It has been very irritating of course, as it would go away and then return later. It might be a tad bit "early" to post this now, but my bike has been running "so smooth" for the last 2 or 3 weeks that the enjoyment factor has gone up by an order of magnitude. It starts with a blip of the button lately, rather than being a pain the ass. The only thing I have done to "fix it" is to keep up a regimen of Sea Foam in the gas tank. And I mean on every tank for the last month. I also treated the oil with 4 ounces of Sea Foam about 10 days ago. Well, about 4 days ago I noticed that the shifting has become so much smoother and quieter that it just is not the same bike. Add to that, the clutch operation has improved immensely. Nice clean disengagement and smooth engagement. If it matters; I'm using Chevron Delo 400 10w40 oil. At idle, there has always been a "thump" that I could feel in the handlebars. The thump of a dead cylinder that isn't pulling its' weight. Throttle operation between idle and about 1500 rpm has been problematic and stalling would often occur if I didn't give it a generous amount of gas on take off. Now, it is silky smooth. Almost to the point where I hope I'm not jinxing the bike just by talking about it. A friend of mine has a Naked 1100 Goldwing. I had seen it at work and wondered who it belonged to. Well, I found out a couple of days ago and we went for a "lunch time ride" and had swapped bikes. Wow, was he ever surprised. The 1500 didn't have any audible clues for him to use  He kept having to look at the tach to see if it was running. His comment was "I can't hear or feel anything. How do you know when to shift?" I just laughed and said "You get used to it."Anyway, just wanted to throw in another successful Sea Foam report. After having talked to our company Small Engine Mechanic a couple of weeks ago (posted on that), I thought I would just start using Sea Foam 100 percent of the time and see what effect it would have. I'm sold on the stuff now. Canceled that carb job I was going to do too. I had an order for parts made up, but not going to need it now.
____________________ ~John |
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| Posted: Fri Dec 7th, 2007 12:31 am | 2nd Post |
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AZ, glad to hear the SeaFoam did the trick! I'm waiting for the pilot screwdriver (Backordered) to arrive so I can finish the carb rebuild on my 1500. My bike is in so many pieces I wonder if it will ever run again! I ran a couple of tanks of seafoam thru it & it did seem to run better each time. But the heavy fuel smell is what finally pushed me over the edge. I found both floatbowl gaskets leaking fuel & the insulators ( rubber boots the carbs mount to) hard as a rock & the clamps very loose. Talked to Venco & he said the tool should be in soon so hopefully I can get this thing running soon. Its 23.5 degrees here right now & the ground is snowcovered anyway so no hurry! The way this winter is looking the carbs will gum up again before riding weather arrives! Paul
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| Posted: Fri Dec 7th, 2007 12:42 am | 3rd Post |
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CB700SC wrote: The way this winter is looking the carbs will gum up again before riding weather arrives! Seafoam can help with that too. AZ, don't get addicted to that stuff. Sooner or later you need to go back to the cold turkey stuff. Periodic use only. Once you are clean, you are clean. Also, I can't recommend it for the oil bath.
____________________ Rudy RudysProducts Info: We are back! Production time is currently 1-3 business days for all in-stock items. RudysBackyard.com Info: RudysBackyard.com will cease to exist on 5/30/2012 when the domain name expires. Plastic repairs are almost always unique to the shape, location and problem. If you want useful help deciding on the best approach for a specific repair, please include sharp photos. Without these, it is difficult to advise the best way to make repairs. Dorksider # 1 |
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| Posted: Fri Dec 7th, 2007 12:56 am | 4th Post |
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Rudy, I always keep Sta-Bil in the tank during the winter & can usually get out for a ride at least once a month. Even so I was surprised by the amount of varnish/gunk that was building up in the bottom of the float bowls! I think I will try using Seafoam instead for now on.
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| Posted: Fri Dec 7th, 2007 02:27 am | 5th Post |
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Rudy, both Sea Foam and our small engine mechanic say to use Sea Foam just like you would Stabil as it will not hurt the carburetor internals. I am going to keep using it for another couple of tanks and then back off on the percentage. I'm thinking of about 2 ounces per tank. Reason being, I have noticed that IF the bike sets for a week without being started like it did back in July (had a company truck then), the carbs would gunk up and it was hard to start. I think the extreme heat we have here in the summer is really hard on the 1500's carbs.
____________________ ~John |
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| Posted: Fri Dec 7th, 2007 04:20 am | 6th Post |
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OK,, I give. Where do you find this Seafoam?? I keep hearing about it on this and other forums. My 1500 seemed to get a little slugish toward the end of this season and I thought maybe some kind of good additive just might do the trick. I used to use MMO on my '77 but wasn't sure about using it on the 1500. If the seafoam is giving you such good results I'd like to give it a try.
____________________ The things I liked,,,,I've tryed em twice! |
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| Posted: Fri Dec 7th, 2007 05:55 am | 7th Post |
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I would give it a try , but we can't buy it in the Netherlands we don't have it here.
____________________ Ronald GL1100 Standard ----------------- Previous bikes in random order: GL1200 Interstate 3x Honda Transalp Honda CB900C Suzuki Burgman Yamaha XV920 Yamaha TDM 900 Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 Yamaha Diversion 900 Honda Shadow 800 GL1100Interstate |
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| Posted: Fri Dec 7th, 2007 10:39 am | 8th Post |
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Hi AZgl1500, How long did you leave the Sea Foam in your oil? I've had the same problem with my 1500 SE (bike set for 3 years before I got it). The Sea Foam worked great for the carbs. But after reading what you said about treating the oil I'm thinking of doing that also. Thanks Hickey 
____________________ 70 Harley, 74 & 77 Suzuki, 86A Goldwing, 99SE Goldwing ALR POST 820 PGR MEMBER |
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| Posted: Fri Dec 7th, 2007 11:13 am | 9th Post |
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Hickey, I have not changed the oil since I added the Sea Foam. The mechanic I talked to said don't worry about it, he uses it in the small engines as a PM to keep the lifters free. The company's small engine fleet consists of hundreds of gas powered things for the fire fighters. They get started each morning and run for a bit and then put away again. That's hard on an engine. He also treats all of the small engines with it in the fuel when they come in the shop for PM. I will probably change the oil after about a 1,000 miles. But for me, that is only a month of riding to work and back.
____________________ ~John |
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| Posted: Fri Dec 7th, 2007 11:24 am | 10th Post |
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I love Sea Foam and tell all my friends about it. It fixed my bike. I thought that I was going to have to have my carbs rebuilt. I've been thinking of running Chevron Delo 10w40. I use Pennsoil 10w40 now. How does that hold up in hot weather out there? Hickey
____________________ 70 Harley, 74 & 77 Suzuki, 86A Goldwing, 99SE Goldwing ALR POST 820 PGR MEMBER |
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| Posted: Fri Dec 7th, 2007 12:05 pm | 11th Post |
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Winger77 wrote: OK,, I give. Where do you find this Seafoam?? I keep hearing about it on this and other forums. You can get it in most auto parts stores, some Ace hardwares that do lawnmower service, some WalMarts, most boat marinas. Let me reiterate that my position is that you should use this ONLY in fuel systems. If you are going to start dumping flammable solvents in your crank case you might as well be using gasoline. Use all that at your own risk.
____________________ Rudy RudysProducts Info: We are back! Production time is currently 1-3 business days for all in-stock items. RudysBackyard.com Info: RudysBackyard.com will cease to exist on 5/30/2012 when the domain name expires. Plastic repairs are almost always unique to the shape, location and problem. If you want useful help deciding on the best approach for a specific repair, please include sharp photos. Without these, it is difficult to advise the best way to make repairs. Dorksider # 1 |
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| Posted: Fri Dec 7th, 2007 12:53 pm | 12th Post |
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Hickey wrote: I love Sea Foam and tell all my friends about it. It fixed my bike. I thought that I was going to have to have my carbs rebuilt. I've been thinking of running Chevron Delo 10w40. I use Pennsoil 10w40 now. How does that hold up in hot weather out there? In the summer, I was having trouble with the lifters going flat. I could hear them clicking when I was using the Castrol oil. That was after the oil had about 3,000 miles on it. Changing the oil would help for a while, but the clicking would return soon. Since going to the Chevron Delo oil, I have not heard a lifter once. Also, the transmission shifts so much quieter than before with the other oils I had been using.
____________________ ~John |
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| Posted: Fri Dec 7th, 2007 01:21 pm | 13th Post |
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Rudy wrote: Let me reiterate that my position is that you should use this ONLY in fuel systems. Rudy, it is not going to be flammable once it has mixed with the oil. As far as that goes, oil is a flammable substance, if it gets hot enough. Sea Foam recommends it as an oil additive. I do not have any qualms about using it as a treatment. It has worked wonders on my bike, and that is good enough for me. YMMV 
____________________ ~John |
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| Posted: Fri Dec 7th, 2007 02:06 pm | 14th Post |
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Also consider that Seafoam is mostly solvents which when used in the oil only cleans internally and evaporates as the oil gets heated up to normal operating temperatures. Thus you are only keeping the engine internals clean which sounds like a good thing to me.
____________________ There's no such thing as sanity and that's the sanest fact - Dire Straits Past: Honda 150 Dream 1947 Harley (stolen before ridden) Honda 250 Scrambler Honda 450 Scrambler 1980 Honda CB650 Present: 95 GL1500A (Pearl Sierra Green) |
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| Posted: Fri Dec 7th, 2007 02:14 pm | 15th Post |
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Live it up guys. 
____________________ Rudy RudysProducts Info: We are back! Production time is currently 1-3 business days for all in-stock items. RudysBackyard.com Info: RudysBackyard.com will cease to exist on 5/30/2012 when the domain name expires. Plastic repairs are almost always unique to the shape, location and problem. If you want useful help deciding on the best approach for a specific repair, please include sharp photos. Without these, it is difficult to advise the best way to make repairs. Dorksider # 1 |
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| Posted: Fri Dec 7th, 2007 02:43 pm | 16th Post |
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Rudy wrote: Live it up guys. Thas awrighta Rudy, yo donna have ta use the stuff if'en ya donna wanta 
____________________ ~John |
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| Posted: Fri Dec 7th, 2007 02:54 pm | 17th Post |
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AZgl1500 wrote: Rudy wrote:Live it up guys. Rudy is only upset that Seafoam is not recommended for internal use on Ferrets. He was wanting to get himself flushed out. Gene 
____________________ Gene Lester Present Bikes: 2005 GL1800 Pearl Yellow "Banana Bike" 1981 GL1100 "Loud pipes don't save lives, they just annoy everyone" "A veteran is someone who, at one point in his or her life, wrote a blank check made payable to The 'United States of America', for an amount of up to and including their life." (Author unknown) Proud member of the "World Famous" Wild Rhinos Arkansas Chapter Darksider #265 |
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| Posted: Sat Dec 8th, 2007 08:50 am | 18th Post |
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Hi Rudy, looks like these guys pickin on you, some days you just can't win, just doesn't pay to get out of bed. I can't argue with success that some are convinced of with their experance of Sea Foam in the oil. I too have been leery about using Sea Foam in the oil. Sea Foam dissolves varnish and the stator in the GL 1100A runs in the oil. Now, the varnish left by gasoline may be different from the varnish coating on the stator, but who knows, anyone??  Big bucks if the stator goes. When I added Sea Foam directly to the bowls of the GL 1100A carbs and let it sit overnight, I knew that later my son and I would be rebuilding the carbs. Looks like we won't have to rebuild them in the near future, working good right now. I may try Sea Foam in the GL 1500 Oil, we are still debating between me and myself.  I am also under the impression that Sea Foam would evaporate rather quickly in the heated oil although not as quick as gasoline. I do know that Sea Foam after evaporation leaves a rather oily substance. Sold on Sea Foam for the carbs but still undecided on Sea Foam in the oil.
____________________ Wineberry-1989 Goldwing GL 1500 Wineberry/Brown-1983 Goldwing GL 1100A with 1983 Wineberry/Brown-California Sidecar Keith |
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| Posted: Sat Dec 8th, 2007 09:37 am | 19th Post |
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AZgl1500 wrote: Hickey,correct me if i am wrong john but those small motors used by the fire dept are OHC motors therefore they have no lifters only cam followers the same as most bikes with OHC , this is only my observation of course and another would be that your motor is quieter now that the dello oil is now coating everything 
____________________ ""THE MAD WELSHMAN in OZ"" "Lifetime member of the ORIGINAL 6 PACK club" |
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| Posted: Sat Dec 8th, 2007 01:41 pm | 20th Post |
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The seafoam website reccomends using it in the crankcase and seafoam is not as flammable as the gas that eventually ends up in the crankcase. I do feel that using it in every tankfull is overkill as allready stated once the carbs are clean they're clean. I do use it instead of stabil and have had very good luck with it along with using it a couple of times during riding season in the mixture ratios suggested. I do use a capfull of MMO in every tankfull for carb and upper end lubrication. Ride well, Bob
____________________ Bob, why me? cross? 1981 gl1100 standard |
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