Is Seafoam/Deep Creep decarbing solely while on water an OK method?

[hkeiner]

HI,

I want to use Seafoam and Deep Creep on a motor that was never decarbed before. It is a 1996 Mercury V-6 150hp oil-injected carbureted motor with 270 hours on it.

I have read the manufacturer's directions and read most of the threads on how to best use Deep Creep and Seafoam. However, I am not able to readily follow most of the suggested methods due to various limitations that I have.

These limitations are:

1) I don't want to spray the Deep Creep into the carbs while running the motor on a hose (muffs), as the boat is stored at a place where I don't want to have the motor smoke like crazy and make a mess at the storage location..

2) I don't want to spray Deep Creep into the cylinders prior to launching the boat on the water, as I don't want to have the motor smoke like crazy in the boat ramp area.

3) I don't want to spray Deep Creep into the cylinders out on the lake, as I don't want to shut down the engine and take the plugs out while out on the lake. Doing so is awkward and I don't want to risk having to paddle back to the boat ramp if I have engine starting problems after treatment.

4) I don't want to put a heavy dose of Seafoam in my regular fuel tank, as it is a 22 gallon tank and the fuel gauge is not very accurate. It would be hard to control the precise ratio of Seafoam to fuel mixture in this tank.

Because of these (self imposed) limitations, this is what I would like to do:

A) Spray Deep Creap into the carbs while the motor is idleing or cruising at low RPMs out on the lake. I plan to use several cans, but not spray too quickly to avoid killing the motor or causing too much smoke at one time. I don't want to kill the motor as I fear it may not easily start up again without removing and cleaning the plugs. I also understand that one should not run the motor at high RPMs with the top cowl and air deflectors removed in order to avoid a "too lean" condition.

B) Replace the air deflector and top cowl and then hook up a 3 gallon reserve fuel tank to the motor and run a strong Seafoam mix (say 1 bottle of Seafoam per gallon of fuel) and run the motor at low cruising speed or WOT until the 3 gallons is pretty much used up. I would, of course, switch back to the regular fuel tank before the carbs go dry.

Would the above described decarb procedure achieve enough decarbing of the motor to make it worth doing or would I be wasting my time or potentially damaging the motor to do it this half-xxx way? Basically, I am looking for a way to either decarb slowly on land without making a lot of smoke and mess (which I figure is not possible) or doing it slowly out on a remote section of lake.


Thanks for any input.

Hal

 

[gss036]

Re: Is Seafoam/Deep Creep decarbing solely while on water an OK method?

"B) Replace the air deflector and top cowl and then hook up a 3 gallon reserve fuel tank to the motor and run a strong mix of Seafoam (say 1 bottle of Seafoam per gallon) and run the motor at low cruising speed and also at WOT until the 3 gallons is pretty much used up."

This would be my prefered method, but I think you need to shut the motor off every 15 minutes and let it soak for 1/2 hour or so and then do another 15 minutes of idle and repeat. You should be able 3 shots with a gallon of fuel. Maybe add 3 OZ od TCW3 per gal since you did not indicate whether you premix or not. You need to get the soak time in to loosen the crud. Then if you would like to run the remainder of the 3 gal of fuel through the system on your way back to the dock I think you will be ok. I do not think you will have problems restarting the engine. I personally only mix 1 gallon gas w/16oz can of SeaFoam + 3 oz TCW3 annually and this seems to keep the engine clean. I would sugget you switch over the to a synthetic blend TCW3 if you do currently use that. Some guys will use 100% synthetic, but I do not think that is necessary unless that is your preference.

 

[JasonJ]

Re: Is Seafoam/Deep Creep decarbing solely while on water an OK method?

I do it in a similar manner as you describe. The exception is I do spray it to the point of the engine stalling. I let it soak the prescribed time, and run off of a small tank. The engine fires back up easily, so you will have no problems getting it going again. You really need to do that soak stage. You won't need to pull the plugs and clean them, its not like there is this amazing amount of black sludge flying around the combustion chamber, especially with a motor like yours with such low hours. I assume it it oil injected, which means there will be even less buildup. Good luck...

 

[hkeiner]

Re: Is Seafoam/Deep Creep decarbing solely while on water an OK method?

Gss066 & JasonJ,

Thanks for your confirmation of my planned decarb procedure. I'll be sure to include "soaking time" when I decarb, as you both suggested.

My next decision was how to set up the boat's fuel lines so that I can easily put the boat in the water first with my boat's built-in fuel tank connected, then temporarily connect the 3 gallon tank while out on the water decarbing, and then reconnect the boat's built-in fuel tank before returning to the ramp. Currently, a fuel line runs from the boat's built in fuel tank to a pass-through fitting that is installed in the boat's fiberglass in front of and to the side of the motor. A second fuel line (with the primer bulb) runs from the pass-through fitting directly to the motor (fuel pump). The two fuel hoses are connected to the male barbs on the pass-through fittings with single-use nylon cable ties. There are no quick connect fittings anywhere in this setup.

I went to my local Mercury boat shop yesterday to buy a 3 gallon fuel tank and asked the guy at the shop what was the best way to hook up the tank to my boat. The boat shop guy suggested that I buy a 3 gallon fuel tank with a Mercury quick-connect male plug fitting already installed. (He had one in his shop). Remove the hose from the motor side of the pass-through connector and install a Mercury FEMALE quick connect fitting to the end of the removed hose. Then put a cap/plug on the male barb of the pass-through fitting to keep water and other bad things from getting into the built-in fuel tank. After decarbing, I should put it all back the way it was.

I explained to him that it was my preference to also temporarily install a male quick connect fitting somehow (say to the motor side of the pass-through fitting using a small length of fuel hose) before putting the boat in the water. This way I could more easily swap fuel tanks and also reduce potential fuel leakage while disconnecting and reconnecting hoses out on the water. After decarbing and bringing the boat back to the storage area on land, I would put it all back the way it was.

The shop guy said that my idea sounded good but that it was not possible to do, as there are no Mercury MALE quick-connects that have a hose barb fitting on them and thus no way to connect it to the pass-through fitting using a hose. It appears that the MALE quick-connects only have threaded fittings for screwing into tanks. I checked the Mercury Parts Express web site (and others) and this does seem to the case.

My questions are these:

1) Is the shop guy's method the only practical way to hook up a 3 gallon tank on my boat? Is this how you guys would do it?

2) Is my preferred way (or similar) possible and if so, what type of fittings could be used. I don't see why a male/female pair of quick connects that both have 3/8" ID hose barbs would not exist and be available for purchase, even if they were not Mercury brand or style.

Thanks for any input on this.


Mercury FEMALE Quick Connect Fitting with hose barb:

steps

 

[gss036]

Re: Is Seafoam/Deep Creep decarbing solely while on water an OK method?

I just use my Honda 3 gal tank and plug it into the Merc 200 hp. Same fittings fit both engines and I just lay the boat hose carefully in a position that won't allow junk into it. If you are really worried, put a sandwich bag over the end and use a rubber band.
The fitting you have shown will work.

 

[JasonJ]

Re: Is Seafoam/Deep Creep decarbing solely while on water an OK method?

You could go with the other style of Mercury couplers, the kind that you insert and then twist to lock. You can get those in male and female configurations. Since you are basically trying to have a quick release coupling at the pass-through, it does not matter what type of fittings are used as long as the 3 gallon tank and the lines all have the same type of fitting. You can get these fittings at Wal-mart. You might need to get barb ends at Napa to thread into the male couplings, not a big deal.

I have an Evinrude 9.5 horse kicker and my Merc 125. I have the a male merc twist coupler on a short line from the evinrude, and the female merc coupler on my main line. I simply unhook the line from the main motor and plug it into the line on the evinrude when I am trolling.

 

[72SideWinderSS]

Re: Is Seafoam/Deep Creep decarbing solely while on water an OK method?

hkeiner,

Please consider the following:

If your pass thru filter is a water separator/filter they usually have 3/8" NPT X 3/8" hose barbs in the filter body. What would be required to convert to a quick connect is to procure a 3/8" X 1/4" NPT brass bushing to connect the Mercury Male Quick connect to the filter body. The use a SS mini hose clamp to secure the hose onto the Female Quick connect.

Regards,
jimmy

 

[Cricket Too]

Re: Is Seafoam/Deep Creep decarbing solely while on water an OK method?

I think you may be over thinking this process a little bit. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it just seems like your making it a little complicated, even on top of your self imposed restrictions.

This is a very simple process. Spraying through the carbs and running through the fuel will do exactly the same thing, there's no reason to do both. Deacrbing will clean the plugs up, the same as it does everyting else inside the combustion chamber, there's no reason to pull them as they are already cleaner than you can make them, it doesn't foul them like fogging, they will perform better after a decarb, so you should have no trouble at all starting afterwards, and probably will start even better.

I wouldn't be so worried about smoking at the ramp, as it will be way less smoke than on land. But if you don't want to, I would just spray through the carbs out in the water, let it get in there real good, then let it soak for 15 mninutes or 1/2 hour, then run it and do it again if you want/need to. If that's possible, I know where I am if you stop to take your cover off, you gonna get water al over the engine, it's never calm enough.

After the last time you do it, run it at WOT and blow it all out and your good for 50 hours. Very simple.

 

[JasonJ]

Re: Is Seafoam/Deep Creep decarbing solely while on water an OK method?

The reason for running through the fuel is there is more of the chemical entering the cylinders over a longer period of time. Just spraying through the carbs doesn't put enough Seafoam in to achieve the desired goal. Spraying, letting set, and running through fuel is the way that most people have found produces the best results. It atomizes better, and the fact that the Seafoam is running throught passages of the carburetors helps to keep them clean, which spraying through does not accomplish...

 

[DJ]

Re: Is Seafoam/Deep Creep decarbing solely while on water an OK method?

I agree with JasonJ.

I cannot do the decarb process here either.

One of my current engines (1975 Johnson 50) was carboned up pretty bad.

I started using healthy doses of Sea Foam in the fuel at every fill.

The engine runs better and better, every outing.

I've also switched to a synthetic blend of outboard oil.

What a difference! The engine hardly emits any smoke at all.

On my last outing, at the dock, one guy asked me if it was a four stroke.