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sea foam

2389 Views 14 Replies 12 Participants Last post by  AZgl1800, 
L
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I put some sea foam in my gas tank on my GL1500 to clean out the fuel system as this bike had been stored for a long time. I used about half a bottle in a full tank. How long does this stuff take to get out of the system. I've filled the tank twice now since I've added it and it still smokes like crazy when I start it up cold. I hope I didn't hurt anything. I'm a little worried.
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jmcarthy
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It should be gone once the tank is emptied and refilled. White smoke or black smoke? If it is black your running rich and it is a carb issue. If white, it could be valve seals since it is only on initial start up. I doubt whether the seafoam would do them in by itself. I used seafoam pretty strong too but had to pull the carbs anyhow. I was amazed how clean they were when I got them out (attribute totally to seafoam). My bike had been sitting a very long time also, upwards of 5 years. I did not have a smoke issue past initial startup. Sounds like maybe you have something else going on that seafoam didn't cure.
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SmokinJoe
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Very hard to hurt anything in your motor with seafoam. Not sure it's possible.

If it's doing it's job the smoke maybe the crap it's getting out of your motor/carbs. Change the oil if it's been sitting for a long tiime, 6 months or more.

Check the crankcase catch basin to see if it's full of water.

If the smoke is oil, stuck ring, valve seal, etc.

If water vapor, head gasket, old fuel or oil still present with heavy with condensation, etc.

Ride more.
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oldbaldfat69
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I dumped a full bottle in my 77 the other day and it didnot smoke at all.I am like the others I think you have other problems.
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krazy al
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i use sea foam every time i fill up.and also i put some in my oil right before i change it.i dont do it every oil change.mine will smoke when i first start it.if i leave it on side stand.but clears up after it runs a little bit.(buy the way mine is a 1100)
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Armo
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I put an entire can in an almost empty tank, bike runs great.
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S
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My 96 goldwing smokes when I start it then goes away never did it as much as when it sits for a preiod of time (weeks) then it will for sure ,never smoked past frist few minutes of running,if used often no smoke at all ,does not ues oil,cant tell what is wrong ......
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S
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My 96 goldwing smokes when I start it then goes away never did it as much as when it sits for a preiod of time (weeks) then it will for sure ,never smoked past frist few minutes of running,if used often no smoke at all ,does not ues oil,cant tell what is wrong ......
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DaveClifton
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I bought a 1980 last year that had basically set for the last 10 years. The Original Owner had only put 1000 miles on her during that period. It had just 16700 when I bought it. I ran a full can of seafoam in each of the first 4 tanks. She never smoked and with each can ran better and better. I now run 1/2 a can about every 10th to 20th tank fillup. This stuff is great.
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AZgl1800
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Sea Foam is my favorite fixer upper :waving:

Like was said, if it is gummed up, a Full Can in a partial tank of gas will really do wonders. Then keep putting a full can in every fill up until it runs like it should.

Then a little bit, once in a while, just to give it a "fine tune" ya know :waving:

Oh, it works really great in the oil. Dump a full can in the oil. Don't drain any out, just add the Sea Foam. run the bike 100-300 miles and drain the oil, change the filter. Do that once a year, and the lifters will never give a minutes worth of trouble.
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Armo
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I was wondering if thinning out the oil is really a good idea, we used to pu Marvel Mystery oil in the gas motor of the irrigation pump, and the pump would increase in rpm and put ot more water, but at what cost ? Would that reduce the life of the motor?
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Broon452
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Have been reading many threads which mention Seafoam and wonder is there an equivalent in the UK?
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fysty-1
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I too think yor problem is elsewhere. No matter how much S/F I run it won't bring up the fuel consumtion. Baby runs like a finely tuned Chris Craft. She pulles had and smooth and gets great milage, 20MPG if I am really lucky & keep from snapping the throttle hard on.:D:D:D:D Carbs will be going in this winter for O/H as I just want to :action::action::action::action:while I still can. We have had amazing weather this year. I have ridden more so far this summer that the past 3. Waiting just means I have more soot to wash off the rear end parts. I'm getting one of Randall's kits and I have a very good mech that charges 85/hr. But when fixed I will continue with S/F for sure.:waving::waving::waving::cooldevil::cooldevil::cooldevil:
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T
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I don't know if it has an equivalent in the UK. According to the MSDS all it contains is naphtha, alcohol, and pale oil. It could be made at home by using "Coleman Lantern Fuel" and adding the alcohol and a two cycle oil to it.

I forget the exact ratios. I was going to add a pint of alcohol to one gallon to lantern fuel. I was going to use this mixture in the oil, just to clean things out. The pale oil (two cycle oil as a substitute) was going to be omitted when added to oil.

The exact ratios should be located with a search on this site. Be prepared for lots of hits for Seafoam. Might even be found under "MSDS", with fewer hits than Seafoam.

Also seems like a good "fuel injection cleaner" was mentioned as a substitute for Seafoam. Come to think of it that might be another way to search.

Broon542, I hope this helps and not add confusion.

Terry



I found my MSDS for Seafoam. It states: Pale Oil 40-60%; Naphtha 25-35%; IPA 10-20%
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AZgl1800
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Sea Foam specifically tells you how to mix it with the oil. It will not reduce the viscosity enough to be noticeable.

I would not rev it out high, but I drove mine to work and back everyday with Sea Foam in the oil. It never dropped the oil pressure, but it sure did clean up the oil. Actually the oil drained out was filthy black. But the replacement oil fill stayed nice and clean.
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