littlefish Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 advice on seafoaming the crankcase? seen it mentioned, can't find a thread. have lifter/slap noise on 97 legacy 5 speed. runs well, good power/mileage. thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markus56 Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 pour in a half can, and that's it. you can pour the rest in your gas tank. then go drive it like you stole it to work out the gunk in the lifters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 Seafoam will not cure lifter tick on a 97 because they have to be adjusted manually. It will clean the crankcase, remove varnish/ sludge/ dirt buildup, etc. But it won't help the lifters because they will not adjust automatically. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bheinen74 Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 I don't recommend it in your oil at all. It scrubs all the oil including bearings and rings, cleaning the oil right away from where it needs be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bstone Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 I don't recommend it in your oil at all. It scrubs all the oil including bearings and rings, cleaning the oil right away from where it needs be. I put it in the crankcase 50 miles before I do an oil change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davebugs Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 As pointed out propably won't help - you need to adjust valves. That said I'm not a big fan of Seafoam in the oil. In the fuel or through a vacuum line yes. I've had much better luck with MMO removing gunk abd making Subaru engines more quiet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
efseiler Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Seafoam is a powerful solvent. It can melt seals if you use too much of it at a time and keep it in the crankcase for too long. I think it also can corrode gaskets as well. I only use it like every 25,000 - 30,000 miles and when I do I use about a third of a can and I only keep it 'in there' for about a hundred miles and I only let it 'sit' in there for overnight. Trust me...I'm a certified chemical engineer for like...two days out of every month! (It's a form of chemotherapy and Dragons don't like it much.) --Damien Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
efseiler Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 I say don't use it in the tank...it turns (at least certain types of oil) into some serious molasses which is probably no good for seals/gaskets anyway... Might be ok for certain types of gas/oil but it's a chemistry problem nowadays... Cheers! --Damien Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivans imports Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 i belive the 97 uses roller hydrolic lifters non addjustabble when they tick i remove the lifter bank and dissasembble the lifters and push the check balll on bottom of lifter in while blowing air trough the oil hole i find bitts of sillacon and metal in them after that they stop ticking for some reason that type of valve train is bad for thiss problem i have also found the front crank seal cracked and pulling air into the oil pump airates the oil and makes them tick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danbennett2u Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 no, im pretty sure as others mentioned, 97 is adjustable. I think they are indeed roller but they do require valve adjustments. At least on the EJ25 they do, pretty sure the ej22 does too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Harik Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 (edited) Seafoam MSDS from their site Pale oil 40-60%( light petroleum oil) Naptha 25-35% (cheap, common solvent) IPA( isopropyl alcohol) 10-20% It is snake oil. Most people run it through their induction systems to remove carbon from the combustion chambers and it does work somewhat for that , but not because of any chemical action. Putting liquids through the combustion chamber of a running engine knocks carbon loose by mechanical action ( water has been used for years and it works just as well and is free). The impressive smoking from sea foam is caused mostly by the burning pale oil it contains( not from the carbon being knocked loose and burned). I would not run any liquid through a running engine. I have seen/ worked on engines with damaged pistons , bent rods, blown head gaskets from using Seafoam / water / other liquids from hydraulic lock. The large amount of burning pale oil and carbon released can also damage your 02 sensors and cats( replaced those too). As far as a crankcase additive or piston soak, naphtha( common in parts cleaners) is a good degreaser, but will not soften or remove carbon no matter how long it soaks. The only common chemical that will remove carbon is sodium hydroxide( lye) products like purple power and I wouldn't put that through any engine either. Edited February 29, 2012 by Robert Harik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlefish Posted March 1, 2012 Author Share Posted March 1, 2012 so in the interest of not damaging seals, cat, sensors, i'll probably return the sea foam. how about a pint or so of kerosene and a long idle before the oil change? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davebugs Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 As I stated in post#6 in this thread Marvel Mystery Oil (MMO) seems to work very well in Subaru's. I'd run it a little while then change the oil. Anything from 10 to a couple hundred miles. When I do a HG job or install a JY 2.2 often it's a quart of MMO and a "spirited drive" after the car is warmed up. Then drain the oil/MMO, new filter and fresh oil. I'd never used MMO before folks here recommended it. And it does really seem to work on Subaru's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Snake oil or not it has worked for me to help correct idle issues and poor throttle response on many vehicles. I've never had trouble with damaged O2 sensors or catalytic converters. Never hydro-locked an engine either, but that's just me. I'm sure it can be done if you try hard enough. I run it through the intake. Most of the buildup in the intake is oil residue, and all that smoke is the oil/carbon cocktail in the intake burning away. Once the crap is gone (the majority of it at least) the smoke isn't nearly as heavy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davebugs Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I have used Seafoam very successfully fo rmostly "catalyst effeciency" codes. But I wouldn't dump it into the crankcase. Fed through a vacuum line for above issues yes. In fuel as a stabilizer and to help with above problem yes. Into crankcase no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivans imports Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 here i dont see any solid valve trains till 98 -up ever the early 2.5 hydroilic till 98 the 2.2 hydroilic till 98 1.8 mabee some are solid did anyone ask thiss guy if it was 2.2 or 2.5 anway nothing will clean out phyical particulate out other than taking it apart and removeing foren particulate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlefish Posted March 1, 2012 Author Share Posted March 1, 2012 legacy brighton 2.2, 199k miles. thanks for all the advice. trying to understand about lifters. if they are hydraulic, would a solvent treatment help? ivan's says no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dude Abides Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I have heard people seem to have the best luck with putting it about day or so before an oil change. Only leave it in there a bit and get it out of there so it doesnt destroy seals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.