Seafoam/oil treatment question

[invader_star]

I have a running B3 that I want to clean up a bit without taking the engine apart. It's kind of a throwaway engine setup so I don't want to take the time to clean it properly. It leaks a bit of oil and has 200,000+ miles on it, but I want to do a little something to give it some extra life. I recently put new oil into the engine to get it running, so not changing it again would be a plus. Though, with a firm recommendation I'll just bite the bullet.

Seafoam, STP's oil treatment, or GUNK's 5-minute engine cleaner + oil change is where I'm at. What would you recommend?

The guy at autozone said the seafoam would thin out my oil too much to use as an additive, and recommended the GUNK 5 minute cleaner, changing the oil, and using the STP oil treatment. I didn't feel like he was pulling my leg just trying to make a sale, as he pointed out it was in fact a bit cheaper (minus oil change cost).

I would take a fellow Festiva lover's advice over anybody's. What do?

[kumalaba]

I have a running B3 that I want to clean up a bit without taking the engine apart. It's kind of a throwaway engine setup so I don't want to take the time to clean it properly. It leaks a bit of oil and has 200,000+ miles on it, but I want to do a little something to give it some extra life. I recently put new oil into the engine to get it running, so not changing it again would be a plus. Though, with a firm recommendation I'll just bite the bullet.

Seafoam, STP's oil treatment, or GUNK's 5-minute engine cleaner + oil change is where I'm at. What would you recommend?

The guy at autozone said the seafoam would thin out my oil too much to use as an additive, and recommended the GUNK 5 minute cleaner, changing the oil, and using the STP oil treatment. I didn't feel like he was pulling my leg just trying to make a sale, as he pointed out it was in fact a bit cheaper (minus oil change cost).

I would take a fellow Festiva lover's advice over anybody's. What do?

just use an oil treatment when your a little low on oil, and run the seafoam thru your fuel system & put a little in your tank also but with high mile engines dont add it to the oil jmo .did you change the filter?

[bhazard]

If you run seafoam in the oil of a high mile leaker it will most likely leak WAY worse after.

[91_festy_Gl]

Not only that seafoam shouldnt be added to the oil unless you plan to do a oil change soon. Seafoam will just cause the oil to break down faster even tho it will still clean the sludge out. I usually just drop a whole can in the oil and run it at 2000 RPM for about 10 min.s then shut the engine down and do a oil change. You will be surprised at the thick nasty stuff that comes out.

[FestYboy]

the STP treatment should be mandatory for our engines as the newer oils don't have a Zink additive anymore and the STP remedies that issue. also for the leak, i'd try some CD-2 conditioner, i've had some good luck with it.

[Bert]

My experience with STP has never been good; their products are 'snake oil' and mostly used by ad-swayed fools, and used-car salesmen looking to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

[FestYboy]

and what products are you refering to? i'm talking about the Oil treatment specificaly labled with "Zink Additive", and that's NOT snake oil. the Zink is(was) used as a "cushion" between bare metal parts and was used for decades in standard oils to prevent preamture wear of internal parts (research will confirm this). i havn't found a more readily available source of this additive from any other manufacture.

[Movin]

and what products are you refering to? i'm talking about the Oil treatment specificaly labled with "Zink Additive", and that's NOT snake oil. the Zink is(was) used as a "cussion" between bare metal parts and was used for decades in standard oils to prevent preamture wear of internal parts (research will confirm this). i havn't found a more readily available source of this additive from any other manufacture.

This^^^ is true
Valvoline vr1 race oil also has enough zinc but it is harder to get.

[milehighbear]

My festy use to tap whenever I started it up during cold weather. I used some gunk 5 min flush, ran it at a little faster than an idle for ten minutes, drained it out, put good 10-30 in it and took it out for a drive. After it warmed up to temp, I stopped, put in a can of stp oil treatment, drove it around for about thirty minutes and then brought it home and shut it down. Since then, my car has not had the tapping noise it used to when I started it up during cold weather. Now I know that after you stop your car the stp you put in usually drains to pan and will sit there forever, but since I made sure car was good and warm when I added it in, it stayed in the lifters also and keeps them well lubricated. This may not work for everyone, but it worked for my car and it has 205,000 on it and hasn't had tapping noise for year and half.

[Movin]

My experience with STP has never been good; their products are 'snake oil' and mostly used by ad-swayed fools, and used-car salesmen looking to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

I have seen an awful lot worn out engines and drivetrain parts loaded with
stp or similar product to mask the eminent failure, so that a car can be sold.
Thats not what it was made for. The product has received a bad rap for people doing people wrong.

[milehighbear]

I agree. If you add it to your motor with fresh oil, and the engine is hot (do it preferably in the summer) and then drive your auto so the stp mixes with the hot oil and goes all thru your motor, it will form a barrier between moving metal parts so there is less friction between the metals. Im 63 and I have used stp in many of cars starting back in 60's to the future. I believe in it. If your motor happens to go after you have used it, its not fault of stp, your motor just picked that time to go. By the way, I don't use it every oil change, but if I have the vehicle for a period of years, I usually put a can in about every fourth or fifth oil change. I also will use Gunk's 5 minute flush for the first time I use it. Stp has been around for a very long time.

[blkfordsedan]

Wow....
First, I would advise against using the Gunk engine flush. Trying to clean all the sludge at once can plug the oil pick up screen and cause some issues. Second, Seafoam is perfectly safe to add to the oil in the small amount specified in the directions. Its printed right on the can. A small amount of Seafoam will disolve the contaminants slowly and safely as you drive. It will not thin out the oil if you use a few ounces as per directions.
Honestly, the best thing for an old motor is to leave it alone and change the oil frequently. Sometimes cleaning them out with high detergents just results in a clean worn out engine that leaks from every seal and has no compression. I would avoid full synthetic oils as well. If its a throw-away motor, just change the oil when it starts to get dirty and drive it!
I also agree about the Zinc and Phospherous levels in modern oil. Most diesel oils have higher levels, as well as higher detergents, so that may be an alternative. Rislone, Royal Purple, Redline and ZDDP+ all make a ZDDP oil additive designed for new engine break-in as well as continuous use in older engines. The STP is also an excellent choice.

[ut76vol]

After reading all the previous post I have picked up some good info. I have never used sea foam. I guess I can assume that the sea foam is good for the gas tank and fuel system as well. What exactly will it do for the fuel and system?

All is appreciated.

[milehighbear]

I agree that I took a chance with the gunk flush, but I had also just had the valve cover off and saw how clean top of the motor was. So I guess I was lucky but I also knew I had car for eight years and was third owner, my son in law had car for five years and was second owner and he and I change oil on our vehicles more than most people. I change my oil about every three months just to keep motor clean so I knew a little more about it. But I do believe in stp or even Rislone as an additive. I suppose if a person didn't mind doing a little more, he could use gunk, take oil pan off and clean the screen also just to see what the gunk did clean out and drop down. Maybe I'll have to look into the sea foam also. Back in old days, we use to add about two pints of kerosene in a motor to clean sludge and gunk out of them. It worked pretty good too. It really broke the sludge and gunk down and we would take oil pan off, put in a new screen and put it all back together and car would stay clean if you took care of it. Sometimes we would have to take valve covers off, adjust lifters too cause back in those days, most of them had solid lifters, but motors were a whole lot easier to work on then.

[blkfordsedan]

This^^^ is true
Valvoline vr1 race oil also has enough zinc but it is harder to get.

True, but I don't think it has any detergents like standard oil. Mobil1 "high mileage" has like 1000 or 1100 ppm of zinc and phospherous, as opposed to like 800 ppm in most new oils. Still not the 1200 ppm like old oil used to, but still better than 800. I believe their 5W-40 Turbodiesel oil has like 1200 ppm. The VR1 has more ZDDP but no detergents and is hard to find, like you said. When my B6 is done, I think I'll run M1 High Mileage or just some ZDDP break-in additive at every oil change.