Anyone use motor flush or treatment

[Sailman 1,291]

After having problems in small outboard marine motors using ethanol gas I use ONLY non ethanol in all my small motors including the wheel horses. If anything is going to sit for a while I add the sta-bil. No more problems with gummed up carbs. Small price to pay for non-ethanol gas difference. Use kohler 30 wt oil which has the OEM zinc additive in the crankcase. No issues...all good.

Bumped the hydro / trans on one C-120 that was slow when hot to 10w40 and runs like a champ.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it...

[RED-Z06 2,221]

Using good quality oil, and changing it periodically is really the best thing you can do.  I personally use Valvoline VR1 race oil on my Flat Tappet engines (Kohler K/M, Onan) and Amsoil or Mobil1 Full Syn in my Kohler Commands because the Hydraulic lifters dont need the higher Zinc content.

 

I do my best to change oil at 50 to 75hrs or annually.

 

Additives, i shy away from, good oil has a good additive package already, that compliments the base oil. Adding something on top of that could alter not only the viscosity but also the shear strength, and anti-foam characteristics.

 

If i get an engine i know has been neglected, ill add a few ounces of Sea-Foam, its 100% petroleum based (pale oil and naphtha), and run it 10 to 15 minutes then drain the oil hot...as a flush, usually only on splash lubed engines.

 

I just pulled the front cover of my FD620D Kawasaki last week to replace a sump gasket and it has at least 1000hrs, there was no sludge or discoloration at all...its been well maintained 

[SylvanLakeWH 25,594]

No additives in oil. Change annually. 30 weight Rotella. Way less then 25 hours...

Stabil in generator.

Nonethanol gas in generator and C-105. 

No issues...

 

 

Oh... No additives of any type for either of my E-141s... or the 20v Dewalt garden tools... increasingly loving the lack of gas / oil / maintenance issues with these... 

 

 

[tunahead72 2,423]

This is a slightly older thread, but the topic does come up fairly often...

 

I ran across a post from Save Old Iron, one of our formerly regular contributors, and thought I would add it to the discussion here for a broader perspective on the issue.  It's from a thread called "seafoam Yay or Nay??" back in 2014.  I've corrected some weird formatting in the original post, but I didn't change his content at all:

 

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One very important question to be asked before giving it a Yea or Nay would be "What do you expect to accomplish by the use of this product?"

 

Experience tells me most expectations for "liquid fix" products fall into one of three very different categories.

 

Scenario one. "I use it a few times a year as preventative medicine."

This, in my opinion, is the expectation held by the most informed user, folks who take one a day vitamins and 81mg aspirin. These users understand 50 year old gasoline engines will develop deposits in the combustion chamber and in the valve area. These users understand gradual varnish buildup takes place in the fuel delivery system as a natural aging process. These users understand small deposits are most easily resolved by fuel system cleaners WHEN THE DEPOSITS ARE IN THE EARLY STAGES OF THEIR DEVELOPMENT. I have been using this product for nearly 15 years and believe SeaFoam will perform admirably as a preventative added during regular fuel-ups.

 

Scenario two. "I used it when I had a fuel problem and it didn't do a $^#^ thing!"

NOT EVERY ISSUE CAN BE CURED BY SEAFOAM. A worn out throttle shaft closely mimics varnished fuel passages in a carburetor. SeaFoam cannot cure a worn throttle shaft, problems with corroded points or a problematic ignition coil. You may not have properly diagnosed this problem and used the wrong tool to attempt to correct your problem.

However, Seafoam can function very nicely as an exclusionary diagnostic tool. Many talented automotive diagnosticians use products such as this to eliminate suspect areas of the fuel delivery system in cars. The SeaFoam treatment works wonders for diagnosing and correcting fuel injector delivery imbalance caused by buildups dissolvable by SeaFoam.

 

Scanario three. "I used SeaFoam and it caused a whole bunch of other issues."

I'm guessing these engines and fuel systems were what I call TW's. "train wrecks". Problems just waiting to happen.  20 plus year old fuel lines, brittle fuel pump check valves and years of tarnish, bugs, and trash in the fuel tank. Adding (or probably overloading) the fuel with Seafoam breaks off large chucks of varnish, bugs and debris and clogs your fuel filter or maybe even your carb passages. Dam#^$% Seafoam. Not the fault of the product itself as it is doing what it promised “dissolving" deposits. You are using the product improperly and expecting a miraculous cure for your TW. Ain't gonna happen!

 

Use the right tool for the right job and have realistic expectations.

 

As far as the negatives you have heard. "Too much smoke“, sorry, you are using the product improperly, you are putting waaaayyyy to much product in your fuel.

 

"Too expensive", OK. Buy the gallon and reduce the price in half. Less than 50 cents per thankful a few times per year.  It's a hard argument to make when you spend hundreds of dollars in time / materials on your paint job on that same tractor !! If a cheaper alternative is needed, I have also personally used Chevron Techron fuel additive in everything from Porches to Dodge Caravans without issue.

 

"Didn't clean up my carbon deposits“, you don't want to clean a cylinder area with heavy deposits by chemical action alone. Wrong tool for the job. You don't want flaked off carbon "chips" down around the piston ring area. Best to remove major carbon buildup by mechanical scraping and then followup with regular addition of the additive.

 

"Not recommended in the manufacturer's manual". I haven't checked later model engine manuals but the K series wouldn't be updated since it is no longer manufactured. Manufacturers typically don't recommend any additives but I have yet to see any manufacturers specifically stating not to use SeaFoam or like products. Most manufacturers don't care as long as the product makes it through the warranty period.

 

As far as the composition of the product, MSDS sheets are not required to list any manufacturer's "secret ingredients". The only time they disclose those secrets is if someone presents at a hospital ER having swallowed their product. The physician will then contact the manufacturer and then be informed of any additional ingredients not listed on the MSDS.

 

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