Seafoam for 9hp Snowblower

[Johnny A]

I have a few snowblowers & I mainly use my 9hp craftsman Tecumseh eqip.
I have had the typical surge issue & bought a Oregon Carb for it. I decided t used Seafoam with the old Carb to see if the wonder product works. I put in 2 oz in the 1 1/2 gal tank (a little over) & started the blower. Within 1/2 hr of snowblowing, my idle was all over the place & sputtering. I continued the snowblowing until the gas ran out. I put new fresh gas & within 15 min the idle approved & no sputter. I still have a very slight surge but not as bad as before.
I honestly believe that if I soaked the carb & cleaned it ( as I have years ago) I probably would have the same or better results. I still think the carb will need to be replaced within a year or so. But for now, seafoam bought me some time.. I think it worked


Anyone have the same result with "magic in the bottle"?

 

[theoldwizard1]

You didn't put enough in to start with !

 

[Johnny A]

Seafoam states 1 oz for every gallon

 

[Bronson]

I have a lot of motorcycles, and don't get around to starting/riding all of them as often as I should. I keep Seafoam in all of them, it is a miracle product, IMO.

 

[Rflagel222]

I am a certified marine mechanic.
This is just my opinion...... Take it or leave it.

Seafoam is bad news for today's gas.
The gas we buy now days already had too much "alcohol" in it. Why put seafoam in it? Might as well dump pure ethinol in it.... Look at the new gas lines sold these days.... Rubber hose lined w plastic sleeves . This gas eats diaframs in fuel pumps also.
They say it is EPA stuff.... Not true... The gas has such high concentrations on alcohol it "eats" or "melts" through rubber lines. See it every day.

Phase seperation is the biggest issue.. Google it.
We deal w this on a regular basis in marine engines.
I also deal w it in generators, power washers, snowblowers....
Phase separation gel clogs up the small orfaces in the "EPA" carbs.
Best way to deal w it is have you carb cleaned in a ultrasonic cleaner and
Use "blue stabil" in your gas year round.
It creates a "film"over gas to help stop the alcohol from sucking the moisture outa the air.
This is also why they are switching from vented gas tanks to no-vented tanks w carbon vapor tanks and all the junk on it.

As said before, just my opinion,
Many will disagree .

Best of luck

 

[theoldwizard1]

Seafoam is bad news for today's gas.
The gas we buy now days already had too much "alcohol" in it. Why put seafoam in it? Might as well dump pure ethinol in it....

Are you trying to say that SeaFoam contains alcohol ? THAT IS TOTAL INCORRECT.

From the SeaFoam Material Safety Data Sheet

 

[theoldwizard1]

Seafoam states 1 oz for every gallon

Drag racer axiom :

Some is good
More is better
Too much is Just Enough !

I have gone more than 5 times the recommended amount on small engines.

 

[Dusty-NZ]

Are you trying to say that SeaFoam contains alcohol ? THAT IS TOTAL INCORRECT.

From the SeaFoam Material Safety Data Sheet

The IPA listed as 10% - 20%

IPA = Isopropylalcohol

Alcohol

 

[Rflagel222]

Hmmm achohol exactly ... Like I said. Some will agree some wont

 

[Rflagel222]

Not trying to start a argument , just stating the facts I see everyday working w small engine.

The new 4 stroke engines state in the Manual not for usage w more then 10%
Acholol ... And believe it or not warrantee work does not include collapsed fuel lines and bad fuel pumps..........
There have been studies in the southern states and they have found batches of gas with up to 30% alcohol .

Just my .02

FYI I know many people that like and use seafoam, I just don't condone it.
Fix it right and the problem goes away.
It's what we get paid to do.

Best of luck.

 

[Rflagel222]

Spelling is horrible, sorry guys.
I'm a mechanic, not a teacher

Just saying

 

[rlitman]

The IPA listed as 10% - 20%



IPA = Isopropylalcohol



Alcohol

IPA = India Pale Ale, though why that would be in Seafoam is beyond me.

 

[theoldwizard1]

IPA = India Pale Ale, though why that would be in Seafoam is beyond me.

That's why it did not register with me !

 

[nmcqueen469]

That's an ongoing joke in the world of automotive detailing...IPA.

Beer geeks immediately know it as India Pale Ale...where it typically means Isopropyl Alcohol in the world of detailing.

 

[Zrexxer]

Are you trying to say that SeaFoam contains alcohol ? THAT IS TOTAL INCORRECT.

From the SeaFoam Material Safety Data Sheet

The IPA listed as 10% - 20%

IPA = Isopropylalcohol

 

[Papas63]

I'd like some more facts or links as to why not to use it. I know guys that swear by it. And I've been thinking of using it on my ATV's that are stored and only ridden about 4 times yearly. Only product I do use is Sta-bil.

 

[Rflagel222]

Tell me some info on the quads 4 stoke , 2 stoke... Etc....
I will point you in the direction of proporly winterizing them.
At least the way I was trained.

FYI they are now making a "blue" stabil specially for the gasolines we buy now days.
Formulated for the alcohol issues.

 

[Papas63]

I have 2 and 4 strokes, carb and fuel injection.

 

[Bronson]

I am a certified marine mechanic.
This is just my opinion...... Take it or leave it.

Seafoam is bad news for today's gas.
The gas we buy now days already had too much "alcohol" in it. Why put seafoam in it? Might as well dump pure ethinol in it.... Look at the new gas lines sold these days.... Rubber hose lined w plastic sleeves . This gas eats diaframs in fuel pumps also.
They say it is EPA stuff.... Not true... The gas has such high concentrations on alcohol it "eats" or "melts" through rubber lines. See it every day.

Phase seperation is the biggest issue.. Google it.
We deal w this on a regular basis in marine engines.
I also deal w it in generators, power washers, snowblowers....
Phase separation gel clogs up the small orfaces in the "EPA" carbs.
Best way to deal w it is have you carb cleaned in a ultrasonic cleaner and
Use "blue stabil" in your gas year round.
It creates a "film"over gas to help stop the alcohol from sucking the moisture outa the air.
This is also why they are switching from vented gas tanks to no-vented tanks w carbon vapor tanks and all the junk on it.

As said before, just my opinion,
Many will disagree .

Best of luck

Very interesting.
MSDS sheet definitely states 10% IPA.
I have been using Stabil until this last year, started using Seafoam.
May have to re-think this, thanks for the info.

 

[Rflagel222]

First use stabil in gas year round . For storage season stabil recomends more then u would use in the on-season. It helps protect against phase seperation...google it

Two strokes need to be fogged w oil while running then carbs drained.

Carburated Four strokes need lightly fogged while running "I stress lightly" and then carbs drained. If u fog it heavily , almost 75% of the time plugs fowl.

Fuel injected four strokes....in the marine business we use a axillary tank with stabil and fogging oil mixed in and hook them up and run them for around 10 mins.
If test tank not available or able to hook up we pull the plugs and lightly spray oil into cylinders and roll motor over w no plugs in it.
Then put them back in.

I'm not getting into the rest of the marine engine winterization stuff we do...


On all our winterizations we spray the motor w wd40 .. Helps fight corrosion.
"I also spray my banshee motor when Puting away"

I winterized roughly 500 Engines a season.
The techniques I tell you have worked great so far for me.

 

[Rflagel222]

We have a gateraid bottle of gas that we drained from a I/0 boats tank.
It shows phase separation at its worst.

Three layers....
Gas... One layer
Alcohol ... One layer
Then the third layer is a layer of "gel"

When the alcohol seperates from the gas
Is suks the moisture outa the air and takes it into the gasoline.
Best way I can describe it.

Blue stabil creates a film over top of gas to block the air from letting moisture into gas.
Again, best way I can describe it.



And guys, I am by no means a spokesperson for blue stabil.
Im just explaining what I see everyday at work

 

[Papas63]

Okay, I'm pretty sure you don't mean riding them in the fog. First time hearing this term in relation to the subject, what exactly is "fogging"?

 

[Papas63]

Forgot to mention.... I'm also experiencing the surge issue as the OP with my 4 stroke honda pressure washer.

 

[Rflagel222]

Fogging oil is oil tht is sprayed into carb while running,
It lubricates bearings and rings and valves and cylinders for the storage term.
Fog oil can be bought as a spray can at most parts stores.

As said, on fuel injection motors we use a "shop" tank w fog oil and stabil mixed in .
Cause any "exterior fuel" added thru air intake could cause motor to "diesel" or race to high rpms and blow up.


As far as the engine surging badly on power washer.
I would pull carb, pull it apart, clean it all in a ultra sonic cleaner.
Reinstall carb and dump fuel and add stabil to new fuel.
--------> the carbs in these four stroke engines are very finicky because of the very small passages in them. The days of piano wire and a air gun for cleaning carbs is gone.

 

[Papas63]

Got it! Going to make a trip to the Auto Parts store.

Thank you Rflagel222 for the valuable info.

 

[Rflagel222]

No problem , all ways willing to help a fellow "garage guy"

Please don't forget to check anti-freeze levels on water cooled engines. Specially if your in freezing climates as I am in Michigan.


I have a buddy that over looked that a few winters ago and cracked his banshee cylinders.
He had pure water in it and no antifreeze .
It was a costly mistake.

 

[coyotejake]

Got it! Going to make a trip to the Auto Parts store.

Thank you Rflagel222 for the valuable info.

+1 on the thank you! My experience with Seafoam has been positive. Pouring a bit into the carbs of my weedeater and blower while running, then quickly shutting them off and letting them sit for a few minutes, then running them for a bit to clean every thing out, really helps clean out the carbon (to where the pull cord pulls like it did when it was new). We are fortunate here to be able to buy gas with no ethanol in it, so that's what I use in all my vehicles and equipment, but I'll have to go with your recommendation for blue Sta-Bil.

 

[CDD]

Hey Rflagel222 great advise and thanks for sharing your knowledge.

I don't think that the gasoline here in Puerto Rico have ethanol (I can be wrong) but would you recommend using the blue-stabil marine anyway?

Also can this be safe to used in 4cyl fuel injected asian cars or do you use another product?

Thanks

 

[Rflagel222]

CDD, we use Blue sta-bil in all out vehicles and gas engines year round.
During storage season we put extra in the tanks.
I have a 94 Chevy truck, 99 Tahoe, a 2013 hyundai sonata.
And stabil goes in every vehicle when gas added.


We can buy gas here in Michigan at a local store that is ethanol free but it's like a solar more a gallon. The call it recreation fuel.

I only use the Rec. fuel in my saws and wood splitter (heat w wood).
So I only buy about 6 gallons a year.
But I still use sta-bil in it.

 

[Streetbu]

Rflagel222, glad I found someone that agree's with me and makes sense! I run a small engine shop and see this EVERY DAY! To add to your comments and recommendations, do NOT use the RED Stabil, it does NOTHING for the ethanol. Use the BLUE Marine Stabil at 1 ounce to every 5 gallons. Use it like that all the time, not just for storage. That is the storage dosage but if done this way you can shut the equipment off and walk away and it's stored. I've seen many brands claiming to "fix" the ethanol issue, Startron and K100 are big players too. I have only had 1 issue with the Marine Stabil. If you read the bottle, it says will treat gas for up to 2 years. Had the same treated gas in my generator for 4 years then it started to gel. The rest of my equipment has been great. That includes 3 snowmobiles, 1 riding mower, 1 push mower, push trimmer, handheld trimmer, chainsaw, Golf Cart, Pressure washer, edger, and my hot rod, a 78 Malibu. Only thing I don't add it to is my daily driver since that gets flushed with 25 gallons a week of fresh gas.

 

[Rflagel222]

Yeah, I believe that any gas will begine to break down over a few years of storage. But for regular storage , blue sta-Bil is perfect.

I even use stabil in my open wheel dirt modified racecar w a 700 hp 423ci small block in it.
And it runs on 112 octain synthetic race fuel.
They say it's not needed for synthetic fuels but heck I use it anyway.
Never had a issue

We have a issue w outboard gas tanks on pontoon boats ..
Only the white plastic tanks i may add....The sun constantly beats on the tanks and ends up growing a enzyme or bacteria in the tank.
Strartron is making a enzyme treatment for this issue.
I use this stuff on these outboard tanks.
It seems to work very very well on these situations.

 

[CDD]

CDD, we use Blue sta-bil in all out vehicles and gas engines year round.
During storage season we put extra in the tanks.
I have a 94 Chevy truck, 99 Tahoe, a 2013 hyundai sonata.
And stabil goes in every vehicle when gas added.

OK so you add blue-stabil every time you fill the tank? If so, How much?

Thanks!

 

[Rflagel222]

Yeah I use one ounce to every 10 gallons and I use it year round.

Now my Tahoe is in storage
it has roughly 1 ounce per 5 gallons in it for storage season.

 

[Rflagel222]

Sorry for the slow response ... Busy w work

 

[Papas63]

Well hopefully now I won't have to spend a few hundred bucks each year to take my garden equipment and ATV's to get the carbs cleaned out.

 

[Rflagel222]

Just remember to drain the carbs... If u can't do so like on weed eater , empty tank and run at a idle till it shuts off.

��

 

[Wastegate]

I am a certified marine mechanic.
This is just my opinion...... Take it or leave it.

Seafoam is bad news for today's gas.
The gas we buy now days already had too much "alcohol" in it. Why put seafoam in it? Might as well dump pure ethinol in it.... Look at the new gas lines sold these days.... Rubber hose lined w plastic sleeves . This gas eats diaframs in fuel pumps also.
They say it is EPA stuff.... Not true... The gas has such high concentrations on alcohol it "eats" or "melts" through rubber lines. See it every day.

Phase seperation is the biggest issue.. Google it.
We deal w this on a regular basis in marine engines.
I also deal w it in generators, power washers, snowblowers....
Phase separation gel clogs up the small orfaces in the "EPA" carbs.
Best way to deal w it is have you carb cleaned in a ultrasonic cleaner and
Use "blue stabil" in your gas year round.
It creates a "film"over gas to help stop the alcohol from sucking the moisture outa the air.
This is also why they are switching from vented gas tanks to no-vented tanks w carbon vapor tanks and all the junk on it.

As said before, just my opinion,
Many will disagree .

Best of luck

Hit the nail right on the head! Seafoam in small motors is a no no with the new fuel..

I like to put this stuff in instead of Stabil but its just personal pref
http://mystarbrite.com/startron/

 

[e-tek]

After buying a snowblower with a Tecumseh engine this year - and putting 4-6 vehciles in storage every winter - I've done a fair amount of research on this topic. Rflagel222 abobe pretty much has it down but I'm amazed how much mis-information is in this thread!

This is how I see it, distilled down to a few main points:

1. Tecumseh engines are VERY sensitive to OLD gas. I've read it's partly due to the carb design on these particular engines ie. smaller orifices at odd angles clogging easily.

2. Modern fuels have very little stabilizer and therefore ages QUICKLY. Fresh gas is clear - or nearly so. Old gas begins to yellow.

3. Stabil is the best performing fuel stabilizer. Marine Stabil may even be better due to being designed for an even more humid and corrosive environment (therefore having even more IPA and rubber conditioners than regular Stabil).

4. IPA (alchohol) does deteriorate rubber, but keeps fuel from deteriorating. The rubber conditioners in these products counteracts the damage.

5. SeaFoam is NOT Stabil. Seafoam is for cleaning/lubricating carbs and fuel systems, and if old/bad gas is your issue, SeaFoam (or Stabil) won't do much without also changing the gas for new. Case in point was OP's issue. As soon as he put NEW gas in it, all was better.

 

[coyotejake]

I have far too much (positive) experience with Seafoam to stop using it, but I will concur that it is for cleaning fuel systems, and not for stabilizing gas.