Given Don's results, it seems like this is might be more an issue of injectors that need to be cleaned than carbon deposits in the motor.

Have any of you guys pulled your injectors and sent them out to RC Engineering or Marren Injector to have them professionally cleaned and tested the results to see if pinging is decreased/eliminated?

I also wonder if the seafoam stuff has any negative affect on the injector o-rings.

Us rotary guys often use straight water (some use sea foam type stuff) to clean up carbon and other deposits (such as oil) inside our motors. However, keep in mind that rotaries inject oil into the compression chambers during normal operation so the propensity for carbon and oil buildup is much more than a piston engine.

 

I sent mine to another place, and the flow was improved and matched, but that didn't make much difference to my timing pull....

I used witch hunter performance www.witchhunter.com, I think.... Pretty cool, $60 for the set, including shipping.

Matt

 

20 or so years ago a savvy repair shop recommended similar stuff made by Swepco. Same use procedure, same smokey exhaust during combustion chamber decarbonization. He recommended changing oil after the procedure. I don't recall any different performance. My car was 2002tii.

 

Just found the thread...
Sounds like the GM Top Engine Cleaner, pour it in the intake, let sit over night, watch the smoke show in the morning.

 

I've seen the Sea Foam thread come up several times on some of the Land Rover boards I frequent. It seems about 50/50 to whether people like it or hate it. But then again you don't have any idea how bad the engines of the 50% that didn't like it were to begin with. I did note that there were several reports of sensor problems after trying Sea Foam. LRs are notoriously bad about having 02 sensor issues. Reading the responses here I'd suspect you guys are much more on top of proper maintenance and performance issues than some/most of the guys on the LR boards. Several seemed like the Sea Foam was the last ditch effort before pulling the engine. Glad to hear the good results.

Mental Note to self.....remember this thread later when we've done enough driving to create a pinging issue!

 

Sea Foam was initially designed for fuel injected engines. The original was made for diesels, which use injectors. It's quite safe for fuel injection. You only use it a couple times a year.

 

Or, better yet.... Get in the habbit of adding a can to your tank once a year.... Then you have the best of both worlds - de-carbonized head and you don't have to remember what the product (Sea Foam) was.

 

I have used it a lot myself through the yrs. Never had a bad result. I dont need it on the MINI yet. I run some through the brake booster hose of my Pathfinder with a v6. She smokes and smokes for miles! The end result is noticeable,even if I didnt see an improvement,Id do it just for the smoke!

 

We decarbonize the 2-stroke outboard motor on the boat every year or so, depending on hours... nice that our outboard has a little screw-on valve where we can inject it directly into the motor, and the can has the same fitting (Evinrude motor). On the outboard, there are two ways to do it:

1. Use the injection valve. Spray it until the motor starts to die, then release, then spray, then release, repeat. Continue until can is empty. Let it sit for a couple hours, then start and fast idle (watching the smoke show), and then take it out and run the CRAP out of it at WOT for 15-20 minutes. Come back in and change the plugs...

2. Pull the intake cowl, manually open the butterflies, and inject it right in... Same process as above after that. Of course, this method is a PITA compared to using the injection port, BUT provides a better overall clean supposedly. The techs that do it this use a whole can per cylinder and let each cylinder set an hour. No thanks!

One thing that we've always done is to change the plugs afterwards though... I've checked them before and after the decarbonizing process and they sure are fouled beyond belief afterwards... Dunno about on our motors, though. And, I've never heard of decarbonizing anything but 2-stroke motors. But, it must work...

 

Hi all... It's been a couple of months now, My motor isn't perfect, but the ping is close to eliminated. I'll be doing some testing on the DFIC soon, and I'll get some timing info then, but for sure, best $10 can of junk I've ever bought.....

Matt

 

Hi Matt,

I just fed a second can of Sea Foam through my fuel system this last weekend, I had noticed a slight increase in pinging (before the hot weather set in again here).

Since I'm just going through the fuel system with this, I started out this time by adding the can to a low tank of gas to get a higher concentration running through at first, then immediately drove about 5 miles, then filled up the tank to dilute the mixture to near normal... Then I drove about 300 miles on a weekend trip.

It's really hot here again this week, probably 110 degrees(f) in the late mornings and afternoons, and pinging is again reduced very nicely. As you describe, I can also still force just a second or so of pinging when accellerating hard at lower rpms mostly in 1st or 2nd gear, but other than that it's pretty much gone.

One other change since the last application -- I noticed my MINI's bra was partially obscuring the air scoop -- a velcro strip had gone unglued with the heat and the bra flap was covering about 50% of the intake. I cut and tucked the velcro strip so that the flap stays tightly out of the way now. There might be some slight noticable difference because more air can enter now.

Anyway, yup, good stuff that Sea Foam...

Best,

-- Don

 

As Scott mentions above, has anyone seen evidence of spark plug fouling after Seafoam decarb? I pulled mine to check after the last decarb, but I'm a novice at reading plugs and wasn't sure if what I was seeing was regular wear or fouling.

 

but then I never pulled the plugs to look. I figured if it was better, it was better!

Matt

ps, the 2 stroke world is dirtier than even our rich cars!

 

Thanks, Doc!

I've put myself on a lean mod budget these days, but I'm considering installing a new set of two stages colder plugs (NGK BKR8EIX), performing a Seafoam decarb, then pulling the plugs and take some photographs for all the plug veterans to see if there's any problems. I've only got 5K miles on my current set of BKR8EIX, but 4K of those miles were on a ridiculously rich MTH map (whereas I'm now on a Unichip custom map), so I'm thinking that the plugs may be incredibly fouled and should be changed out anyhow. Is there any concern with doing a Seafoam decarb on fresh new plugs? I've never heard of a break-in period for plugs, but you never know.

 

Reminds me of what my shop teacher advocated (late 80s).

About a cup of brake fluid, followed by a cup of water slowly down the carburetor while running. (no kidding...). Always got a big cloud of stuff out the tailpipe.

 

I'd SeaFoam on the old ones and change over afterwards.... Then everything will be fresh....

Matt

 

Tony, I have a quick connects on both bungs for 1/4" line that is normally connected to my boost gauge...I used another spare 1/4" line and a plastic syringe that fit the line and left the plunger out to use the body as a small funnel...that reduced the hole enough for the Mini to idle and enable me to slowly pour the Sea Foam in...

Matt...by introducing the Sea Foam through the IC output side in this manner, I assume the solution would find it's way through the BPV and SC since the BPV is open during idle? If so, is this a good benifit?

 

Sid, thanks for confirmation! Heck, I forgot I even asked the question... but then it's been like 9 months I still have a can just for this purpose, so I'll give it a shot. I already did one in fuel tank last year...

 

That's the rational way to ensure I won't trash fresh plugs, but then I'd never know definitively whether Seafoam will foul our plugs or not! If on the offhand chance that Seafoam does indeed cause some fouling, perhaps we wouldn't be performing Seaform decarbs very frequently.

On another fouling-related note, Seafoam lowers the octane when mixed into the fuel tank. Does that increase the possibility of fouling the plugs? Would a 50:50 water/methanol injection that is not tuned for WI make the MINI run richer? Or does the steam-cleaning benefits of WI negate the potential fouling?

 

and that Scott changing the plugs after Seafoaming 2-strokes was more the regular change interval for those plugs. Really, this stuff dissolves deposites.... Also, after running hard post cleaning (the good old Italian Tune Up!), most of the volitils will cook out... I honestly don't think it will be an issue.

As far as WI making this not needed, I think that is possible, but don't know for sure... But I don't know if that would clean the valve stems as well. Some of the longer term turbo guys might know...

And as far as it getting into the pre-SC area, that shouldn't be a problem, as long as too much doesn't gather.... how much is too much? You'll know when it happens! Things will brake....

Matt

 

I SEA FOAMED my 03 MCS without issue. When I did the 06 my SERVICE ENGINE SOON light came on.

Coincidence or did I do something wrong?

In both cases I reset the ECU when I was done.

 

but not a big deal. Some others who have done R56s have reported a post cleaning code that clears. check out some of the other more recent sea foam threads for more info...

Matt

 

Just as your message hit the screen the wife calls and said the code cleared. Thanks!
Saved me a diagnosis!

 

What is the easiest way to seafoam a r53?

 

http://www.autozone.com/motor-oil-an...ly/419580_0_0/


All this talk about the "wonder-cure" and I don't even know the exact name of the product, only the company. Is the link above the product you are talking about? Is this a low price? If not, can anyone send me a link to a cheaper site?


I am getting prepped for my 15% pulley upgrade. Doing the pulley, JCW sparks, LED interior, LED DRL's, an ECU reset, and looking to do the Seafoam clean. Should be a fun series of upgrades.