Seafoam in crank case

seadaddler · Sep 20, 2014

no no

If no broke do nothing and if your oil is clean that is greatand mine is black

woodster · Sep 20, 2014

NYSail said:
Hello all. Use sea foam in fuel and was wondering what people thought of using in crank case before oil change. Love the stuff.... Keeps injectors clean and engine running smooth. My oil is clean..... Still slightly golden at end of season (100hrs this summer). Don't want to do things that aren't necessary but do preventative and like a clean engine (1986 yanmar 3hm35f). Always change oil at end of season.
Thanks

what does it say on the can about that ...don't know if i would do that if i did anything at all it would be to put about 2-4 oz of marvel mystery oil in the crankcase and that is all ...if you use the correct oil to begin with and change it in a timely manner there is no need to do this shell rotella or delo rpm oil is good enough

KD3PC · Sep 20, 2014

diesels have run for decades on far worse fuel than todays, long before sea foam was even invented. Clean filtered fuel is all the iron genny needs.

I too have used marvel mystery oil on every diesel I have owned, boats/equipment/generators/etc

capta · Sep 20, 2014

I too am a fan of Marvel Mystery Oil in the oil on both the gene and ME. I've used Star Tron Enzyme Fuel Treatment for some years now, but honestly, I do not know that it does any good. We use about 340 gallons of diesel a year, mostly for the gene, purchased in the third world, so I guess it can't hurt. We change oil and filters about twice as often as recommended.

celticwinds · Sep 20, 2014

Do not put Seafoam in the crankcase. Do not use synthetic oil in a diesel engine. Rotella of the proper viscosity and brand name filter is all that is needed.

Kper · Sep 20, 2014

celticwinds said:
Do not put Seafoam in the crankcase. Do not use synthetic oil in a diesel engine. Rotella of the proper viscosity and brand name filter is all that is needed.

And you base that on what, may I ask?

thinwater · Sep 20, 2014

I always wonder why someone would suggest using an additive without knowing precisely what they expected it to do, that it was safe, and had some specific reason to believe the existing chemistry did not suffice.

I would use hydrogen peroxide on a cut, but that does not mean I would drink it, though some suggest it. Their behavior and anecdotal claims that it does something positive doesn't mean they have sound reasons.

Stick with the manual and don't add ANYTHING. How would you feel if you invested great effort in perfecting your cake recipe, and then folks started making random changes? When they complained that it didn't come out right, how would you respond?

And do we actually believe and support in public that Marvel Mystery Oil contains anything that is actually helpful to today's formulations? That is just plain scary and depressing.

capta · Sep 20, 2014

thinwater said:
And do we actually believe and support in public that Marvel Mystery Oil contains anything that is actually helpful to today's formulations? That is just plain scary and depressing.

Perhaps it's just a talisman, or good luck charm or a product that actually works, but what is scary to me is your blind faith in modern formulations. Gas with ethanol being one that is so much better than gas without, for one example. Over 50 years of adding MMO to engines, gas and diesel and I've NEVER had one fail from lubrication failure. I guess I'm just lucky. I guess I'll just keep adding a few ounces of luck at every oil change.

thinwater · Sep 20, 2014

capta said:
Perhaps it's just a talisman, or good luck charm or a product that actually works, but what is scary to me is your blind faith in modern formulations. Gas with ethanol being one that is so much better than gas without, for one example. Over 50 years of adding MMO to engines, gas and diesel and I've NEVER had one fail from lubrication failure. I guess I'm just lucky. I guess I'll just keep adding a few ounces of luck at every oil change.

E-10 was designed by Al Gore and the EPA. Don't blame that one on fuel engineers. Al even admitted, in plain terms, that he did it for politics and that it was the wrong thing.

No blind faith. I sit on a number of ASTM committees, though I have no lubricant additive affiliations. As for anecdotal data, I've never had a lube failure either, same number of years. Obvious lube failures, it turns out, are really quite rare. A big safety factor, if changed on schedule.

Read about E-10:
http://sail-delmarva.blogspot.com/2010/11/al-gore-and-ethanol-so-now-its-not-good.html

Steve Dion · Sep 20, 2014

thinwater said:
I would use hydrogen peroxide on a cut, but that does not mean I would drink it, though some suggest it. Their behavior and anecdotal claims that it does something positive doesn't mean they have sound reasons.

http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/13736/1/Should-You-Use-Hydrogen-Peroxide-to-Clean-a-Cut.html

So maybe you should not be peroxide on that cut either!

CYQK · Sep 21, 2014

NY SAIL
Been using seaform at oil changes for many years now
What I do is (keep in mind that my engines are 5.4 ltr gas engines) warm engine to temp put a half can in plus a quart of fuel oil and run engine 20 minutes or so drain and let sit as long as possible. You would be suprised what continues to drip out all day that is the crud you want out of your engine. Historicallly I am gettin 700-800thousand kms on all my engines have been now for 23years
Transfer this to a diesel engine and crud is crud
Clean oil and engine passages is the holy grail in my opinion
Gary

Maine Sail · Sep 21, 2014

NYSail said:
Hello all. Use sea foam in fuel and was wondering what people thought of using in crank case before oil change. Love the stuff.... Keeps injectors clean and engine running smooth. My oil is clean..... Still slightly golden at end of season (100hrs this summer). Don't want to do things that aren't necessary but do preventative and like a clean engine (1986 yanmar 3hm35f). Always change oil at end of season.
Thanks

Our Westerbeke also always has quite clean oil. She now has close to 3800 hours (most of it at the dreaded "fast idle speed" due to Sea Frost refrigeration). She burns zero oil, does not smoke and purrs like a kitten. Westerbeke's factory guidance on engine oil has been followed and since new the only oil ever put in this engine has been Rotella T 15W-40..

FWIW Westerbeke specifically advises against oil additives as does Yanmar. Yanmar even says if anything other than recommended oil API grades are put in the warranty is void, it is right in the warranty exclusions. I know your engine is out of warranty but there really should be no need for an additive with today's excellent diesel grade oils. Road trucks regularly rack up 1,000,000 using Delo, Rotella or similar.

I have numerous lobsterman with excess of 10,000 hours on their engines running only Rotella or Delo. These guys BEAT ON ENGINES.... I have a large commercial fishing boat with a genset that has 16,000 hours and has never once had an additive used, just Rotella. My buddy Darren owns a landscaping and irragation company and owns tons of diesel equipment. He has numerous Kubota, Shibaura and Yanmar engines in his fleet meany with in excess of 10k hours. He uses only Rotella T and some of these engines have actually idled for 1/4 of those 10k hours.

I would recommend using the grade oil Yanmar recommended and running the engine in the manner they recommend and your engine will likely outlast the boat.

This was the top end at 2878 engine hours:

Chief RA · Sep 21, 2014

I have many years experience with motorcycle engines and racing in general. If your clutch plates are the wet or oil bath type, using additives can alter the viscosity of your oil, thus causing the plates to either grab or slip. Quick destruction usually ensues! Chief

Anonymous 121765 · Sep 21, 2014

I use a marine synthetic oil in my 3M20 A, & have never had a problem. I started using it after my initial break-in period, so for those with older engines this is not an option. In addition, I don't use additives in either oil or fuel. I have in the past but, not for years now.
I also use synthetic oil in my car & motorcycle with great results & less internal wear.

When I do an oil change, I run my engine 30 minutes & the hot oil pumps out easily. I check the old oil for particles from oil breakdown of metal wear but, I find none.

As for quality fuel, I jerry can it to my boat. Never from marina tanks. I use one of the major brand gas company diesel pumps. I've posted this before but again, the fuel I get is almost aviation quality. It is the color of water, it's really filtered. I don't have problems with filter clogging & tank sediment like I used to. I would not use fuel that has any brown tint to it, as it is not filtered enough.

The best way to ensure good fuel is to USE IT, not let it sit for months or more.
Some may disagree with me on this however, this method works for my friends & I.

CR

Chris Patterson · Sep 21, 2014

Wise words as told directly to me from a major oil manufacturer was, "...if you are adding anything to your motor oil to achieve a desired result, you are using the wrong motor oil."

I love diesels. LOVE them. I love the way they smell, and sound. It's the perfect engine. And have in my years poured probably over a thousand gallons of Rotella through all manners of diesels, without ever putting one drop of any kind of additive whatsoever in them. The only oil related failure I've ever seen is not enough oil, or leaving it in too long.

Which goes back to something I've said for years, and here as well. The very idea of anyone murdering their ten thousand dollar diesel because they are too stingy to spring for a twenty dollar oil change will get little mercy from me. I charge 125 an hour to rectify these problems. And while some of these additives may do no harm, I have yet to see where it makes any difference to use them other than the operators just thought it was a good idea. I don't.

seadaddler · Sep 21, 2014

Oil Change

I just do a oil change often on my 07 H-36 and use Rotella 15w45 on my Panda
Gen also and my 454 chevy motor home and Onan Gen and none burn oil ever.
I do wish I had a drain plug in oil pan of my Yanmar but decided not to add one to the Yanmar and looking for any problems.
My engine runs fantastic and did take apart the mixing elbo and cleaned it out
and is running great.
Nick

Daveinet · Sep 22, 2014

While cleaning off the old buildup is a good thing, Seafoam is going to thin the oil out which will increase wear. Your engine does not build up a significant amount of gunk between oil changes. Ok, yes there is gunk, but most of it is held in suspension and filtered out by the oil filter, so the suspended gunk does not pump through the engine. The actual build up that attaches to passage ways is very, very small. It would make much more sense to use once about every 5 years, not every oil change. Otherwise you are doing more damage than good.
Of course the other issue is that if you are putting it in your fuel, it is getting into the crank case anyway as a result of blow by.

Anonymous 121765 · Sep 22, 2014

Alot of folks think if their oil turns black shortly after a changeout, there is something wrong with it.

As Dave pointed out, just simple blow by. Do a thumb & index finger test sampling the oil to feel for any grit particulates, and/or wipe the dipstick on a white surface (napkin) to check for particulates. And, change you oil when needed depending on running time hours.

CR