Sea Foam

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VoodooKitty
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Sea Foam

Post by VoodooKitty »

Hey All -

I am about to take my Lucy out for the first time in two weeks. Finally got a gorgeous 60 degree day here in Colorado :D

I want to add some Sea Foam to the tank in case I don't get to take her out again for a couple weeks. This is my first time using it so I want to make sure I am doing it right. I just add 1oz directly to a full tank and ride it around for a few miles, correct?

Thanks all!
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JHScoot
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Post by JHScoot »

its half a gallon seafoam, half a gallon gas

jeez, i thought EVERYBODY knew that! :P

sure, you can try 1oz, but is that really enough? i mean, seriously!
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VoodooKitty
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Post by VoodooKitty »

Ha! I'm glad I know better then to listen to you :P
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Post by Lendlees »

I did 2 TBP per gallon of gas. Definitely drive around afterwards. I can totally attest that Puzza runs so much better now after putting it in.

Happy riding. We're due for snow here in the great PNW. <sigh>
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Post by changjoe »

Total n00b here. I have a question. Is sea foam necessary if I fill my scooter with non-ethanol gas? I don't really know what the purpose is, just the dealer told me to get non-ethanol gas.

I am still on my first tank of gas :P
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ericalm
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Post by ericalm »

changjoe wrote:Total n00b here. I have a question. Is sea foam necessary if I fill my scooter with non-ethanol gas? I don't really know what the purpose is, just the dealer told me to get non-ethanol gas.

I am still on my first tank of gas :P
They're separate things. The non-ethanol is simply because the engine isn't designed to run that type of gas and it won't run as well with it.

Sea Foam is a fuel additive that helps keep the inside of the tank and carburetor clean. It's recommended for use when the scooter isn't being ridden frequently. Otherwise, the gas goes stale and gunk can build up inside the engine.
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Post by Dooglas »

ericalm wrote:The non-ethanol is simply because the engine isn't designed to run that type of gas and it won't run as well with it.
I don't really intend to engage about the non-ethanol gas issue. Plenty of information - and opinions - out there on that subject. Just want to comment that most of us are running our scoots on gas with 10% ethanol because that is what the local station has. The scoot still operates okay and nothing drastic happens. In other words, nothing for new riders to lose sleep over.
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ericalm
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Post by ericalm »

Dooglas wrote:
ericalm wrote:The non-ethanol is simply because the engine isn't designed to run that type of gas and it won't run as well with it.
I don't really intend to engage about the non-ethanol gas issue. Plenty of information - and opinions - out there on that subject. Just want to comment that most of us are running our scoots on gas with 10% ethanol because that is what the local station has. The scoot still operates okay and nothing drastic happens. In other words, nothing for new riders to lose sleep over.
Agreed. Here in CA, I don't think there is any gas sold without ethanol. Diesel maybe? I was referring mainly to the higher concentration stuff like E85 and explaining why the dealer may have recommended avoiding it.

E10, fine. E85, let me know how it works for you!
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Post by jmkjr72 »

well i have tuned scoots to work on e85 and they work but you have to upjet for the e85 and then if you go to put e10 in (by the way after the epa and carb banned mtbe a good chunk of the gas in this country is e10 about the only way to get pure gas is to fill up with premium or go to the airport and get leaded)
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Post by bigbropgo »

JHScoot wrote:its half a gallon seafoam, half a gallon gas

jeez, i thought EVERYBODY knew that! :P

sure, you can try 1oz, but is that really enough? i mean, seriously!
:lol: I just had a WTF moment.
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Mikie M.
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Post by Mikie M. »

Just follow the directions on the can. :)
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Post by VoodooKitty »

Mikie M. wrote:Just follow the directions on the can. :)
you'd think that would be the easiest instruction, wouldn't you? Yeah, it has 3 different sets of instructions with a couple option in each set. I felt 99% confident that I figured it out but that 1% of me was scared i would break something :wink:
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Post by Mikie M. »

To tell you the truth I wouldn't worry too much about your gas degrading by letting your scooter sit idle for only a couple of weeks. If you were putting her away for three or four months then you might follow the directions for stabilizing the fuel in the tank. And make sure the tank is full when you add the SF. :)
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Post by JHScoot »

hey guys

so is seafoam NOT simply a recommended additive for maintaining a clean fuel system? seems some swear by it for regualr use. i have also read using it too much erodes the fuel hoses and certain seals from the inside. any validity in that?

i ask because i was thinking of getting some and using it myself, now that my first service is taken care of

and while we're on the subject, what of other additives? such as engine lubes and things? duralube, slick 50, and stuff like that? i was talking to a guy who sells chinese scooters and he says ALL his scoots get a "shot" of duralube when serviced

is stuff like that helpful, hurtful, or it just don't matter in the end?

any of you guys use special lubes and treatments in your scoots?
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Post by Stormswift »

So how many gallons are in our scooter tanks? The bottle of Sea foam says how much to put but that depends also on how much gasoline you are treating. I thought Buddies were something like 2 gallons or is is 1 1/2?
I am not a scooter snob.
I am a scooter connoisseur
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Post by ericalm »

I don't see any need to run Sea Foam at all if you're riding frequently and using decent gas.
Stormswift wrote:So how many gallons are in our scooter tanks? The bottle of Sea foam says how much to put but that depends also on how much gasoline you are treating. I thought Buddies were something like 2 gallons or is is 1 1/2?
It's something like 1.65 IIRC.
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Mikie M.
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Post by Mikie M. »

I agree.
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Post by ilektron »

ericalm wrote:I don't see any need to run Sea Foam at all if you're riding frequently and using decent gas.
Stormswift wrote:So how many gallons are in our scooter tanks? The bottle of Sea foam says how much to put but that depends also on how much gasoline you are treating. I thought Buddies were something like 2 gallons or is is 1 1/2?
It's something like 1.65 IIRC.
I disagree. I ride my scooter to work every day, 4 miles each day, year round. After 2 years of this, I was having sputtering and dying problems. Sea Foam seemed to have fixed it.
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ericalm
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Post by ericalm »

ilektron wrote:
ericalm wrote:I don't see any need to run Sea Foam at all if you're riding frequently and using decent gas.
Stormswift wrote:So how many gallons are in our scooter tanks? The bottle of Sea foam says how much to put but that depends also on how much gasoline you are treating. I thought Buddies were something like 2 gallons or is is 1 1/2?
It's something like 1.65 IIRC.
I disagree. I ride my scooter to work every day, 4 miles each day, year round. After 2 years of this, I was having sputtering and dying problems. Sea Foam seemed to have fixed it.
But you just ran it through once, right? Or are you using it all the time?

If you were having a problem and it fixed it, then great. Can't really argue with that.

Are you also getting your valves checked every 4K?
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Post by juice »

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Post by KABarash »

ericalm wrote:I don't see any need to run Sea Foam at all if you're riding frequently and using decent gas.
Stormswift wrote:So how many gallons are in our scooter tanks? The bottle of Sea foam says how much to put but that depends also on how much gasoline you are treating. I thought Buddies were something like 2 gallons or is is 1 1/2?
It's something like 1.65 IIRC.
So based on my 'calculimations' that tells me to use aprox 50 cc or about 1 1/2 oz.

Seafoam has got to be the best thing since pre-sliced bread!! I love the stuff, I wish I'd have found out about it YEARS ago!!
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Post by Mikie M. »

I disagree. I ride my scooter to work every day, 4 miles each day, year round. After 2 years of this, I was having sputtering and dying problems. Sea Foam seemed to have fixed it.[/quote]

What you describe sounds more like an obstruction in the fuel delivery system, ie; dirt, piece of fuel line hose, flake of varnish, or whatever, that eventually worked it's way out of the system.
Seafoam merely keeps the varnishes, that separate from the gasoline, in suspension allowing them to pass harmlessly through the engine. Keeping the varnishes in suspension also stabilizes the fuel in a tank that sits unused.
There is a wealth of technical data on this subject available on the internet.
If your scooter's fuel system is clean, Sea Foam is not necessary.

After doing a little checking let me add that water contamination from using ehtanol/gasoline can also create a problem and may well prove to be our worst enemy. Dealing with the varnishes (or crud, as we used to call it) in gasoline is easy to deal with. Simply keep the gas fresh or use a cleaner. Water that accumulates in the tank from using blended gasolines (either E-10, or worse, E-85), however, is far more pernicious and far more potentially damaging.
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Post by Stormswift »

KABarash wrote:
ericalm wrote:I don't see any need to run Sea Foam at all if you're riding frequently and using decent gas.
Stormswift wrote:So how many gallons are in our scooter tanks? The bottle of Sea foam says how much to put but that depends also on how much gasoline you are treating. I thought Buddies were something like 2 gallons or is is 1 1/2?
It's something like 1.65 IIRC.
So based on my 'calculimations' that tells me to use aprox 50 cc or about 1 1/2 oz.

Seafoam has got to be the best thing since pre-sliced bread!! I love the stuff, I wish I'd have found out about it YEARS ago!!
I may have put a bit more then that but the bottle says to use a bit more for cleaning purposes. I do not ride my scooter a whole lot (mainly weekends) so gas sit in the tank and very easily could clog up the systems. After I put the Sea Foam into the full tank of 93 gas I rode for about a mile to circulate everything through the system. I love Sea Foam and I hope it will work as well this year as it has the last year.
I am not a scooter snob.
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Post by ilektron »

Mikie M. wrote:
Ilektron wrote:I disagree. I ride my scooter to work every day, 4 miles each day, year round. After 2 years of this, I was having sputtering and dying problems. Sea Foam seemed to have fixed it.
What you describe sounds more like an obstruction in the fuel delivery system, ie; dirt, piece of fuel line hose, flake of varnish, or whatever, that eventually worked it's way out of the system.
Seafoam merely keeps the varnishes, that separate from the gasoline, in suspension allowing them to pass harmlessly through the engine. Keeping the varnishes in suspension also stabilizes the fuel in a tank that sits unused.
There is a wealth of technical data on this subject available on the internet.
If your scooter's fuel system is clean, Sea Foam is not necessary.
All I was getting at was just that even a regularly run scooter benefits from sea foam. I'll probably work out a schedule to add it regularly.
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Post by Tazio »

I usually don't fall for snake oil additives but with all the rave reviews on Seafoam I decided to use it in my Buddy. I really works. My Buddy seemed to have more pep and I ran a test on a steep climb that I often ride and I could hold a higher speed on the 12% after the Seafoam treatment. I recommmend it as a tuneup in the can.
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Re: Sea Foam

Post by BootScootin'FireFighter »

VoodooKitty wrote:Hey All -

I am about to take my Lucy out for the first time in two weeks. Finally got a gorgeous 60 degree day here in Colorado :D

I want to add some Sea Foam to the tank in case I don't get to take her out again for a couple weeks. This is my first time using it so I want to make sure I am doing it right. I just add 1oz directly to a full tank and ride it around for a few miles, correct?

Thanks all!
Hey, where've you been? It's been a while. Now if only Tony McGuirk would come out of hiding.
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Major Redneck
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Post by Major Redneck »

seafoam and deep creep are two of the best products on the market for fuel systems.

http://www.seafoamsales.com/how-to-use- ... tment.html

we have a old 68 vespa gt that came into the shop that has been setting for 20+ years we drained the old fuel out the tank added new fuel,,, cleaned the carb with "deep creep" (still on the scoot) flooded down the carb with it and it fired right up on about the 5th kick...

http://www.seafoamsales.com/how-to-use-deep-creep.html

2oz's per gal and your piston crown will look like new,,, it gets the carbon buildup off the head and piston as well...

even if you ride daily i would recomend at least using seafoam ever 3rd tank of fuel to keep everything lubed and clean as well as dissipate the mosture that scooter and motorcycle fuel tanks draw...
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Post by JHScoot »

COINCIDENCE?

i think not!

ok, so i got me a bottle of this stuff yesterday. probably poured too much into a full tank of gas. i'd say maybe two ounces. i drove the scoot home around seven miles and parked it. this is my Agility 125 btw, not the Blackjack

ok, so my Agility has always had problems with stalling in the cold (50F give or take). i read up on it and its said this is how some Kymco's are. nothing serious, just once the bike has been idling a few minutes and the auto choke disengages, when its given a bit of throttle for the first time, it stalls. and it might do it again, and again until the fuel gets going. even in warmer weather. case in point....yesterday morning it did so in the cold, and at the first two stop signs when accelerating from a stop

now, jump to this morning after adding some seafoam yesterday afternoon. the COLDEST morning of the year at 36F. i go out and start my scoot up. starts up fine as usual. i gear up, and the idle drops after a couple minutes, but its not as low as usual, and it doesn't putt putt like usual. i give it some throttle and the lights dim and idle drops, but it doesn't stall as usual. give it more throttle and VROOM, it just revs. a bit more, it revs more. i mount the scoot and take off

its smooth, shudder free, smooth idle, and never even comes close to stalling from a stop or otherwise!

as said....coincidence? well think what you will, but if this continues i am a believer in this stuff :)
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