About to Sea Foam my engine, questions - Sea Foam's Response!

[DonM]

Originally Posted by ChibiBlackSheep

I truthfully think you are fine. Have you removed the TB and shined a light into your intake? Maybe it's not as dirty as you think?

I know it's tough on a single-income family, but you should totally enjoy the car as is. Even as a base-model, these are super fun cars.

The best thing you can do, is try to put aside money each month into an emergency fund, and be ready just in case something happens

Oh, I DO enjoy the car as is. But even though I'm not the best at it, I like to tinker with my cars ... things like simple, bolt-on mods or accessories ... it doesn't help that the wife DOESN'T get the "car" obsession.

[DonM]

Fun Fact: I wrote my questions to Sea Foam, and Here's the answer I got back ... anyone surprised?


I have a 2013 Chevrolet Camaro with the LFX V-6 (3.6) engine. The car currently has 70,500 miles. I have heard of (and seen) the amounts of carbon deposits left on the intake valves and runners, due to the Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) engine. No fuel washes over the backs of the intake valves to clean them in this injection system, so adding Sea Foam to the fuel tank is pointless for valve cleaning. The only way is to remove the intake manifold and manually clean the valves/runners or to spray a cleaner down through the throttle body. Here lies the dilemma - Every source I have read or watched states that spraying cleaner through the throttle body on a GDI engine is bad, as the carbon deposits are not soft from fuel wash, rather they are hard and crystalline and when sprayed with cleaner, they can break free and lodge between the piston and the cylinder wall causing damage or get stuck between the valve and the head causing issues there. I would like to get your input on the subject of GDI engine deposits and removal by spraying the cleaner down the throttle body. Thanks

Your right adding Sea Foam or any other cleaner to fuel will only clean injectors and combustion chambers and do nothing for cleaning intake valves. As far as cleaners sprayed through the throttle body the carbon breaking free and lodging in the piston rings depends on what kind of cleaner you use. The chemical detergent type cleaners(PEA) will do that but if you use a product like Sea Foam Spray, Marvel Mystery Oil and others are petroleum based solvents combined with lubrication oils that dissolves fuel and oil residues and burning it in the combustion process. These residues are what the carbon sticks to. These deposits are present in the intake system due to engine camshaft profiling causing back wash and emission designs like crankcase ventilation and EGR systems. If you dissolve the residue in the intake runners and intake valves the carbon is released in a powder form and exits through the exhaust. In other words Sea Foam doesn’t break chunks of carbon loose. Sea Foam soaks into the carbon deposits during the hot soak period and the aggressive road test after the application process is what burns up the residues and expels it and the carbon partials out the exhaust. The only other option you have is to disassemble the engine and physically clean the intake and valves, which can get very expensive. The choice is yours but I will tell you that many dealerships, independent repair shops and retail customers have used Sea Foam Spray on many different GDI engines with great success and we have never gotten a damage complaint after using Sea Foam spray.



Jim Davis-ASE Certified Technician

Sea Foam Sales Co.

[polizzio]

Originally Posted by DonM

Fun Fact: I wrote my questions to Sea Foam, and Here's the answer I got back ... anyone surprised?


I have a 2013 Chevrolet Camaro with the LFX V-6 (3.6) engine. The car currently has 70,500 miles. I have heard of (and seen) the amounts of carbon deposits left on the intake valves and runners, due to the Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) engine. No fuel washes over the backs of the intake valves to clean them in this injection system, so adding Sea Foam to the fuel tank is pointless for valve cleaning. The only way is to remove the intake manifold and manually clean the valves/runners or to spray a cleaner down through the throttle body. Here lies the dilemma - Every source I have read or watched states that spraying cleaner through the throttle body on a GDI engine is bad, as the carbon deposits are not soft from fuel wash, rather they are hard and crystalline and when sprayed with cleaner, they can break free and lodge between the piston and the cylinder wall causing damage or get stuck between the valve and the head causing issues there. I would like to get your input on the subject of GDI engine deposits and removal by spraying the cleaner down the throttle body. Thanks



Your right adding Sea Foam or any other cleaner to fuel will only clean injectors and combustion chambers and do nothing for cleaning intake valves. As far as cleaners sprayed through the throttle body the carbon breaking free and lodging in the piston rings depends on what kind of cleaner you use. The chemical detergent type cleaners(PEA) will do that but if you use a product like Sea Foam Spray, Marvel Mystery Oil and others are petroleum based solvents combined with lubrication oils that dissolves fuel and oil residues and burning it in the combustion process. These residues are what the carbon sticks to. These deposits are present in the intake system due to engine camshaft profiling causing back wash and emission designs like crankcase ventilation and EGR systems. If you dissolve the residue in the intake runners and intake valves the carbon is released in a powder form and exits through the exhaust. In other words Sea Foam doesn’t break chunks of carbon loose. Sea Foam soaks into the carbon deposits during the hot soak period and the aggressive road test after the application process is what burns up the residues and expels it and the carbon partials out the exhaust. The only other option you have is to disassemble the engine and physically clean the intake and valves, which can get very expensive. The choice is yours but I will tell you that many dealerships, independent repair shops and retail customers have used Sea Foam Spray on many different GDI engines with great success and we have never gotten a damage complaint after using Sea Foam spray.



Jim Davis-ASE Certified Technician

Sea Foam Sales Co.

That's honest and valuable info. No BS. Although Mr Davis did overlook or fail to mention oil lubricating the valves and valve guides. They don't operate dry. And that oil ends up directly on the back of the valve. Fuel wash on the intakes goes a long way......carberated or port FI.