Hey all,

I have a 2009 Fit with 190,000km (~120,000 miles) and was thinking about using seafoam through a vacuum line. I've read quite a bit on here and see that people are kinda split on the subject. YouTube videos seem to paint this stuff in a glowing light but, there is always a few comments debunking it as well. So I'm essentially looking for people that have actually done this to share their thoughts...

if you have tried this it would be great to know what your results were, and if you would recommend this or not.

thanks

 

I've done some stuff!
Got into cast aluminum parts (removed from vehicle) with a toothbrush, wirebrush, abrasive sponge wheel, steel wool, and a slew of different fuel cleaners, dawn, simple green, brake cleaner, to get out carbon.. wanting to see just what kinda difference it'd make. what worked and such.
It has been my experience that they all (fuel cleaners) work the same.. Wire brush and running water was what I wound up doing, because the cleaners would come and go and even if they lifted the deposits (with the exception of brake cleaner, since it's so pressurized, they didn't, and brake cleaner wasn't as effective as agitation) they'd just settle right back down when trying to wipe it out. Not enough pressure or magic in a can to get stuff clean. There wasn't one that I sprayed onto a carbony spot in the cast aluminum that actually got rid of it, regardless of how long or short a period I soaked stuff for.. did try 24 hour soaks, one hour, four hours. I don't socialize much!.

The only real use I see for those cleaners is that they seem to act as a lubricant for fuel. If you've got goopies in your fuel, or dirt on a machined smooth surface, they'll dislodge it and allow it to slip off or through the mesh screen of an injector.

Mind you, my tests were done cold. I didn't spray inside one area of the engine, disassemble, and compare to other parts, so I can't speak to how beneficial the stuff being ignited will be! A smog tech would have the equipment to test for improved emissions, but.. that's kinda not pointed enough in one direction to be definitive.

I will say that since the detergents seemed equal.. Fuel we get at stations already has cleaning additives, like Techron. I think they already do the job :}

As an added example, consider uh.. cleaning an oven! If you just spray cleaner on it and don't scrub it off, how much does it do?
This still doesn't account for the pressurized gasses being forced through valves n manifolds.. so there's still some mystery!.. If our fuel didn't already have additives, our cars would gum up in a few months..

My family had switched to costco gas when they started selling it in San Diego. All our cars ran like crap. Some after a month (my fit), some after six (pop's V6 Tacoma). It was suggested by some that our costco's fuel didnt have additives. I believe that their fuel does now and can't prove that it ever didn't, but going back to shell, exxon, chevron, ect. smoothed them back out.

Also can't comment on whether it could help clean out vac lines. I'd think that repeat exposure to detergents could make the rubbers cleaner, but I havent encountered any hoses significantly caked internally in my doings.

 

so safe to say to you are not voting yes on the seafoam, or any other shortcut additive for that matter. Appreciate the insight 🍻🍻.

 

I didn't disprove that it works 😂 But when I go to reach for it, I put premium in the tank instead. The added knock resistance of higher octane gas is to my ears noticable during cold starts on the fit, and when the price is back close to $3 for 93 here in the South, I'll continue doing that. It's a no from me, boss.

 

Wow, I wish gas prices in Canada were similar to that. For the 87 octane its $1.31 a liter! But to your point, I've heard using the higher octane gas can actually be detrimental to your engine since it was designed for the lower grade 87... either way maybe I'll throw $10 of premium in there when the tank is almost empty and drive around with ~6 litres of the good stuff for a bit!

 

I'd never heard that premium gas could impair engine function, but I've heard it now! Always thought, well, I don't like engine knock. Here's a link stating as much. Maybe hold off on the premium, too! 😂

I've been running powersport spark plugs and keeping the valves adjusted, I may have just tricked myself into thinking that premium matters.
I will tell you that since the recent gas crisis here in the states, prices shot up due to someone hacking into some computer or whatever, I've been running 89 and noticing that my car isn't as quiet nor vibration free as it was, but there could be other factors. In regards to the higher octane fuel, I'd say give 'er a go if you're so inclined. But before you do.. Listen to your car just after a cold start up first thing in the morning, and when idling at operating temperature. Pay attention to minute knocking noises and general vibration. See if the higher octane yields any benefit for your car, and if it's worth the difference to you. Because higher octane fuel should only make a difference when you're using it, not after (unless I'm overlooking some techno-wizardry regarding the ECU slowly adjusting timing to capitalize on the selected octane.)

 

College roommate worked for a few of the major oil companies (his father and grandfather also worked in the oil industry). He said that the majors put a lot of R&D and money into proprietary additives for premium fuel. The consumer pays a high price for those additives; even on an older car, I don't think it can hurt to use premium fuel from time to time.

I was a clerk for a big oil & gas trading firm years ago. The firm's lead trader purchased a tanker of fuel from South America.The selling party was from one of the big Wall Street brokers. When the tanker arrived in the US, the fuel was tested at the port and it was not close to spec (e.g. low quality and dirty). Tested a few times to confirm. Lead trader was a straight-shooter and very well liked so he called some South American friends and in just a few minutes he unraveled the scheme; the testing in South America was tampered with (and he had evidence and witnesses that the Wall Street trader was active in the process). So he called the trader directly and ripped her apart; she denied everything and refused to cancel the trade. The lead trader paused for a few seconds then roared, "That's it. You're done. I'm calling all the big traders this morning so you will never trade again. You can't be trusted. FU. I will call your boss and he will take the shipment back and find a place for it." The lead trader called his friends around the world and she was toxic within a few hours. It was not a bank issue as we kept trading with those guys as if nothing happened, just a bad person.

Not sure where that crappy fuel went, but we speculated it was sold at a discount to smaller, low-cost distributors. On the other hand, the firms sometimes sold premium fuel to those low-cost distributors. So I would guess that the fuel quality is more consistent with the majors; indeed they were strict on quality.

 

This thread is wild. So many twist and turns.

 

I don't recommend it and I would not use it myself.
I finished a college level automotive technology program and will tell you in a simple way - there is no need for any additives beyond the detergents that are already in the fuel and the oil. If one changes the oil regularly and otherwise has a properly functioning engine, there is nothing for seafoam to do but to make smoke and make people pay money for the unfounded claims that surround this product.