Seafoam

[stpijb]

Just used seafoam through the vacuum line. Took the car for a little spin afterwords much better throttle response. Everyone should do this if you havent.

[dfv2]

My money is on placebo effect. How does one quantify throttle response being "much better"?

[stpijb]

Originally Posted by dfv2

My money is on placebo effect. How does one quantify throttle response being "much better"?

If you could drive a car you would know when you step on the gas and their is a lack of power. Then you do a service take it out and the lack of power is gone.

[Top Gon]

can anyone post a picture of which vacuum line your supposed to use for the seafoam please?

[thez99]

Originally Posted by ******

Just used seafoam through the vacuum line. Took the car for a little spin afterwords much better throttle response. Everyone should do this if you havent.

[Dackelone]

Interesting. My buddy with a RS4 used Seafoam to soften the carbon buildup on his intake valves. He sprayed it on the valves - over a few days (twice per day), then used a metal pick to scrape the carbon buildup off. It really worked well. He said his butt dyno felt about a 40HP inprovment. Espcially in the upper rev range.

Since out cars use a drive by wire and a servo motor on the throttle body... perhaps it gets gumed up over time... and the increased throttle response post Seafoan is a smoother working throttle plate/servo motor.

[dtwyim]

Would anybody be kind enough to make a DIY? Really appreciated.

[Turbolader]

Once I get out of warranty, I'm going to do this at every oil change. Think about it - this would be the only time that the back of your valves will ever get any cleaner of any sort on them.

Will it rid the problem the N54 has on carbon deposits? No, will it be better than nothing? Yes.

DIY:

1. Buy Seafoam
2. Locate the diverter valve vacuum line (see post #10)
3. Start engine
4. SLOWLY allow engine to suck in (or pour in) a few CC/OZ at a time
5. When you've poured it all in, immediately stop the engine.
6. Put the vacuum line back.
7. Wait a while. In my other cars, I wait 30 minutes.
8. Start the car. She may not want to start at first, so you may need to tell the ECU she's flooded (Hold accelerator to floor while starting)
9. Once started, drive her pretty hard until she stops smoking.
10. Immediately change your oil (You'll smell it in the oil when you change it)
11. Optionally, remove and clean your spark plugs


That's it!

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by Turbolader

Once I get out of warranty, I'm going to do this at every oil change. Think about it - this would be the only time that the back of your valves will ever get any cleaner of any sort on them.

Will it rid the problem the N54 has on carbon deposits? No, will it be better than nothing? Yes.

DIY:

1. Buy Seafoam
2. On a cold engine, pop the top off the vacuum line right next to the oil filter.
3. Start engine
4. SLOWLY pour in seafoam - the engine will run like crap, but don't pour it in fast enough to stall her.
5. When you've poured it all in, immediately stop the engine.
6. Put the vacuum line back.
7. Wait a while. In my other cars, I wait 30 minutes.
8. Start the car. She may not want to start at first, so you may need to tell the ECU she's flooded (Hold accelerator to floor while starting)
9. Once started, drive her pretty hard until she stops smoking.
10. Immediately change your oil (You'll smell it in the oil when you change it)


That's it!

I would NOT pour it into the engine. That is how you can damage a engine via fluid lock. You should SUCK it into the engine via that vaccum port.

Also... you would do it on a warm engine. Not a cold engine nor too hot one. Because you want to be reving the engine as you suck the "cleaning agent" into the intake tract. As the revs fall suck in the fluid. Then afterwards, a few miles after doing the de-carboning - change the oil. Turboladder's DIY write up is good though.

[stpijb]

OK heres the real way to do it from some one that has. I did it on a warm engine and I did not pour it in the engine block.

1) locate the diverter valves. under hood on driver side under intake area. youll see 2 small vacuum lines (one on each) hooking to a t vacuunm line.

2) unhook the single vacuum line (the ones the 2 from the diverter valves run into (the one heading to the intake manifold))

3) hook up a small vacuum line to the vacuum line you just unhooked. You can get an adapter from the auto store to hook up two vacuum lines together.

4) open the seafoam and put the vacuum line into the canister. Secure the seafoam in the engine compartment.

5) start vehicle

6) keep RPMs above 2k but below boost levels. Youll notice the car wanting to stall out. Dont let it just keep the rpms around 2k. I kept mine between 2-3k and had no issues.

7) wait till car stops trying to stall out. Thats when you know your done because no fluid is being sucked up.

8) go to engine compartment and pull vacuum line out of canister to make sure theirs no liquid being sucked up

9) turn vehicle off and let sit for 10minutes.

10) hook up diverter valves back to original meathod (caution will be hot so be careful not to burn your self)

11) button everything up the way it was before you started. Close hood and start up the car and take for a drive. May have trouble starting the vehicle the first time. Thats normal since you might have a little fluid in the intake area.

12) enjoy. If you need some pics I can take some for you.

[xerox445]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

I would NOT pour it into the engine. That is how you can damage a engine via fluid lock. You should SUCK it into the engine via that vaccum port.

Theres no way, that pouring seafoam into the the vacueme line he is talking about, even if you just go dump the entire thing in at once, is going to hydrolock the engine...AT ANY RPM, let alone idle....its just not going to happen.

At worse, the engine is just going to stall, and you might have trouble getting it started till its gets all cleared out.

Seafoam makes a aerosol product, called "deep creep" which is just seafoam with a propellent so you can spray it. You could spray this right into your intake tract as well, its not going to do any harm whatsoever to the turbos.

[Turbolader]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

I would NOT pour it into the engine. That is how you can damage a engine via fluid lock. You should SUCK it into the engine via that vaccum port.

Also... you would do it on a warm engine. Not a cold engine nor too hot one. Because you want to be reving the engine as you suck the "cleaning agent" into the intake tract. As the revs fall suck in the fluid. Then afterwards, a few miles after doing the de-carboning - change the oil. Turboladder's DIY write up is good though.

Pour is probably a lousy term to use, yeah if you dump it in there, then you're going to either stall (good) or hydrolock (bad) the engine. Allowing it to "sip" the seafoam is best, but it's not possible unless you use another hose, so I gradually pour in a few cc/oz at a time.

I don't like to pour anything flammable on/around/into a hot engine just because if I goof and spill some, then you got a fire to worry about. I usually use a funnel just to be on the safe side as Seafoam is a solvent and can remove paint.

It works either way though. If you are concerned about hydrolock, you can get another product (in the states atleast) which is essentially seafoam in an aerosol bottle. (Called: Mopar Combustion Chamber Cleaner)



I actually prefer the MCCC, but it is harder to find.

[xerox445]

Originally Posted by Turbolader

Pour is probably a lousy term to use, yeah if you dump it in there, then you're going to either stall (good) or hydrolock (bad) the engine. Allowing it to "sip" the seafoam is best, but it's not possible unless you use another hose, so I gradually pour in a few cc/oz at a time.

I don't like to pour anything flammable on/around/into a hot engine just because if I goof and spill some, then you got a fire to worry about. I usually use a funnel just to be on the safe side as Seafoam is a solvent and can remove paint.

It works either way though. If you are concerned about hydrolock, you can get another product (in the states atleast) which is essentially seafoam in an aerosol bottle. (Called: Mopar Combustion Chamber Cleaner)



I actually prefer the MCCC, but it is harder to find.

Deep Creep:

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/web...%7CGRP2035___#

[Turbolader]

I think Deep Creep is different, but I saw they now do make Seafoam as a spray itself:

http://www.seafoamsales.com/sea-foam-spray.html

I've never seen it in any auto stores around me though.

[xerox445]

Yeah, your right, its not Deep Creep, but on my bottle of deep creep it says "Seafoam in an aersol can." lol

FWIW its an older bottle, so I wonder if it was the same thing at one point.

[Dackelone]

Great info Guys. The only tip I would add is... when you pull off the vaccum line at the BOV, the vaccum line can(stick too)and break off the nipple at the BOV - then you will need a new BOV!

I would say to cut off the old vaccum line using a razor blade... cut off the vaccum hose flush with the BOV port, then cut off whats left(the last 15mm or so) of accum line on the BOV. That way you won't snap the nipple off of the BOV.

[stpijb]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

Great info Guys. The only tip I would add is... when you pull off the vaccum line at the BOV, the vaccum line can(stick too)and break off the nipple at the BOV - then you will need a new BOV!

I would say to cut off the old vaccum line using a razor blade... cut off the vaccum hose flush with the BOV port, then cut off whats left(the last 15mm or so) of accum line on the BOV. That way you won't snap the nipple off of the BOV.

Thats one cheap nipple on the bov if it snaps off. But I didnt unhook the line from the diverter I just unhooked it from the t adapter.

[masetcp]

ive done it one time to one of my cars and i used the brake booster line.

but seriously, it doesn't matter what vaccum line you use! they all go to the intake manifold.

just follow the instructions on the back of the seafoam and you should be good.

the only bad arguments of seafoam is when people are putting seafoam in their oil or gas tank. for cautious reasons i didnt put seafoam in my gas tank or oil. stick to the vaccum line and your good.

also i say IMO if you are gonna seafoam your car regularly that you should do it every 10,000 -15000 miles. anything closer is just too much IMO.

[SixBanger]

when this is done. doesn't some carbon get into the engine? Plus, how do I know if i need it? I have 33,000miles

[stpijb]

Originally Posted by SixBanger

when this is done. doesn't some carbon get into the engine? Plus, how do I know if i need it? I have 33,000miles

The carbon that the seafoam breaks up gets pushed out the exhaust. Even if you got some in the engine go buy a bottle of fuel cleaner and add it to the gas tank or put some seafoam in the gas tank. Just avoid putting it in the oil unless your doing an oil change in the next couple of days. I did mine at 26k miles.

[SixBanger]

how does the dealer do it? Don't they use a machine?

[stpijb]

Originally Posted by SixBanger

how does the dealer do it? Don't they use a machine?

If its like when I was at a shop then they have a machine that we hooked up to a vacuum line and only fed when the suction was high enough from the rpms.