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Seafoam Test....

12K views 23 replies 12 participants last post by  mrfixit 
#1 ·
My little 98cc failed to start last week which isn't all that uncommon for this thing. I always use new premium gas with stabil and echo oil for a 50:1 mix. Usually all I have to do is take the screw out from under the bowl, clean out the holes in that bolt and I'm good to go. I did that but this time I added some store bought 50:1 fuel and she started right up but sputtered a little and died as soon as I removed the choke.

That's when I took to youtube and watched a ton of videos and read threads about carb repair since I have ZERO experience. I gather that I still need to remove the float and needle to spray some carb cleaner and air up in the holes to clean them out too. Seafoam has also been a commonly used item.

So last night I got some liquid Seafoam and the aerosol too. There's not much fuel in the blower, maybe a cup or two so I put in an equal part of Seafoam. The blower started right up but died a few seconds after putting it to mid chocke which was a step in the right direction because after the basic carb cleaning I did a few days ago she would die immediately at half choke. I started her again and left it in full choke a bit then moved to half choke and sprayed the aerosol Seafoam in the air intake. She sputtered with a ton of white smoke but wouldn't shut down. After a few seconds of doing this I turned choke off and she still wouldn't shut off so I kept spraying. After about 20 seconds of no choke and spraying she eventually shut down. She did seem to be running at a higher RPM and ran a bit smoother.

So I parked her in the shed for now. In a few hours I plan to start her up again to get a new batch of Seafoam in there. My initial report is that the stuff works because I was finally able to take the choke off. I'll report back later.
 
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#4 · (Edited)
I only mix 1gl at a time for weed wacker and back pack blower,the last two snow storms we had here I used my Stihl 600 magnum back pack to clear the deck and drive way :icon_smile_wink:
 
#5 ·
Let the Seafoam marinate in there for a couple of days or more and that carb will run even better. If you were to take a look at the back of that Seafoam can, you'll see that the directions
state that up to a 50/50 SF/gas mix is allowed. You don't have to go that heavy, but a heavy batch of SF marinating in that carburetor for anywhere from 3-7 days will clean out all sorts of
gunk in there.
 
#6 · (Edited)
There's not much fuel in the blower, maybe a cup or two so I put in an equal part of Seafoam.
Thats waaaaaaaaaaaay too much seafoam.
thats 50% gas and 50% seafoam, no good, the proportion is way off.

You need to mix a brand-new batch of gas.

Get a new bottle of 2-stoke oil, read the can of seafoam to see how much to use per gallon.
(I dont know what it is off hand, im at work and my bottle of seafoam is at home.) ;)

add the oil and the seafoam to the empty gas can, then fill up with gas.
(adding the oil and the seafoam first, then the gas last, helps mix everything well.)

If you can, try to get Ethanol-free gas:

Ethanol-free gas stations in the U.S. and Canada

Drain out as much gas as you can from the machine, add in the new gas, then try it..

The gas is your biggest problem, and right now your gas isnt right! ;)
need to fix the gas first..

Scot
 
#7 ·
Thats waaaaaaaaaaaay too much seafoam.
thats 50% gas and 50% seafoam, no good, the proportion is way off.

You need to mix a brand-new batch of gas.

Get a new bottle of 2-stoke oil, read the can of seafoam to see how much to use per gallon.
(I dont know what it is off hand, im at work and my bottle of seafoam is at home.) ;)

add the oil and the seafoam to the empty gas can, then fill up with gas.
(adding the oil and the seafoam first, then the gas last, helps mix everything well.)

If you can, try to get Ethanol-free gas:

Ethanol-free gas stations in the U.S. and Canada

Drain out as much gas as you can from the machine, add in the new gas, then try it..

The gas is your biggest problem, and right now your gas isnt right! ;)
need to fix the gas first..

Scot

The directions actually say that a 50:50 mix is what you should do for carb cleaning.
 
#11 ·
I have been a long time Sea Foam user.
I remember the cans saying use 1 -2 ounces per gallon of gas. I have always used 1 ounce per gallon for regular maintenance fuel system cleaning and 2 ounces per gallon for problem carb cleaning. If it will start and run with 2 ounces per gallon, most times 10 to 20 minutes of run time will cure it unless the carb needs taken apart.

This is a thread I recently started.
http://www.snowblowerforum.com/forum/snowblowerforums-lounge/106873-sea-foam-my-2-cents.html
 
#18 ·
I recently had two older snowblowers which had been drained dry last year, but were still experiencing the state of only running at 3/4 full coke. Both were relatively recent Craigslist pick-ups and
both were older Briggs engines. After putting a heavy dose of Seafoam into the gas tank of each, they both suddenly ran a little better. I then dumped about a 30% SF to gas mixture into each tank,
let it run for a few minutes to pull it through, and then shut down the engines and let them sit unused for 7 days. Seven days later, not only did they both fire up on first pull, but they both also were
suddenly running fine after gradually (and finally) turning off the choke. I knew there was gunk in the carbs, and Seafoam solved the problem without having to take the carbs apart.

There's also another video up on that Seafoam website for cleaning chainsaws. In that tutorial, you spray Seafoam at full strength into the chainsaw carb while the engine is running. You then gun the engine
and blow/burn the Seafoam right off - in a cloud of heat smoke.

Use as you like - it works......
 
#19 ·
So I just got home from work and started the blower for the first time in 25 hours which is also 30 hours since my initial treatment. It started on the second pull but still died at half choke. I started her up again and I ended up breaking the **** pull rope. lol

I was attempting to get out of manual cleaning the carb with the Seafoam addition but now that the rope broke I'll probably just bite the bullet and do the carb while I fix the rope.
 
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