Dumb Question

[will941s]

I run my 98' Merc 25hp, 2-stroke at 50:1 gas/oil ratio in a 6 gallon tank. I run Enzym Fuel treatment and and going to run my first bottle of Sea Foam through it. Do I put the whole bottle in the tank? Or do I need to measure it out? Its just the standard size "single use" bottle. Also, is it ok to run it with the fuel treatment?

 

[JustJason]

Re: Dumb Question

if its a small motor with a small fuel tank i'd simply follow the directions on the bottle to the best of your ability.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Dumb Question

Might not it be a good idea to determine "why" you are doing this. SeaFoam is used for several reasons: 1) fuel system treatment (to keep the fuel system clean). 2) a fuel system conditioner which keeps fuel from going sour. Doesn't your enzym treatment do that? 3) a decarbonizing agent which removes carbon from the engine. 4) continued use in small doses to reduce carbon build up in the first place. How much product you use depends on what you are attempting to do. So figure out why you are using the product and then follow the directions on the can. If decarboning is what you are attempting, then search these forums for the procedure -- it is covered many times and many different ways.

 

[will941s]

Re: Dumb Question

It's a 98' merc 25, 2-stroke that I got used about 4 months ago, right off the bat put $500 in service (tune, link & Sync, waterpump assembly, lower service, plugs, t-stat, water jacket gasket after breaking bolts for t-stat, and carb rebuild). Before I even paid for the motor I did a compression test right infront of the guy....125 even on both cylinders. Took it home and ran my bore scope in the cylinders...you can still see the hatching in the walls from the factory. The tops of the pistons are black with carbon and it's never had a fuel treatment or seafoam until I got it. I want to run the full mixture to "decarb" the motor then will problably run maybe a 1/4 to 1/2 mixture to maintain that. My question was, is the Seafoam compatable with other treatments, since the Enzym is already in the full tank and would the full can at first and a lower dose every fill give me the results I'm looking for?

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Dumb Question

You aren't listening! Search this forum for the "decarb" procedure. That's what you want to do. There are several ways to do it. Dumping a can of SeaFoam into the tank is not one of them.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Dumb Question

As I recall the can says 1 oz per gallon for normal hygiene. That is not decarb as Silver and others have said. Over time, normal hygiene will clean up your engine if you aren't in a position to do the decarb, or live in an urban area and have neighbors that you might annoy....decarbing makes a lot of smoke.

I have been using it for 5 years now and I use conventional plugs. I don't like the OEM recommended surface gaps. They have been in the engine around 4 years (Silvertip put me onto them) and have not been changed. The insulators are tan with no carbon buildup, the conductors are clean with no visible wear with a slight clear oil coating which is normal in 2 cycle engines (caused by turning off the ignition to stop the engine). The top of the pistons are black, but a very thing layer, and probably is a carryover from the 2 years someone else owned the engine before I did. Even the exhaust down in the prop is clean with minimum carbon buildup.

I use syn oil with a VROiler, and with the Sea Foam you are hard pressed to see any smoke from the engine, with the exception of the first punch out of the day from the dock's no wake area, which I'd take to be pretty normal considering what the engine went through to get to that punch out point. Even in hole shooting there is almost no smoke. I love it.

Mark

 

["G"]

Re: Dumb Question

More reasons to push for the synthetic oils. Nearly smokeless is nice and the cleaner the burn the better they run. It's a "no brainer" from my point of view but hey... not all see that extra expense as necessary.

I go by 'em with a full five finger salute when they are held up at the shop trying to get the engine to run right. Like they say; Pay now... or... pay later.

 

[cr2k]

Re: Dumb Question

VRO oiler. there are 2 types of OMC engines like yours. The ones running a VRO oiler and the ones who have had to have their engines rebuilt due to VRO failure and now run premix.

 

[will941s]

Re: Dumb Question

Thanks for info, Decarb over time is what I'm really going for, will run the whole can in the tank tomorrow, problably run seafoam from now on to keep it clean. I clean my carb every year, change plugs every 6 months....just want to keep the carbon monster at bay, especially with this great ethanol gas. The ethanol is even killing car engines with carbon....did a compression test on a 4.3L engine a few days ago, range was everywhere...ran a upper engine decarb and BAM...even high compression, ran like brand new. Smoked for 52 minutes, normal would've been about 15. I can imagine with a outboard the carbon buildup, with the oil and everything. Being that my compression is a even 125psi I think it's doing ok.