roger 04 rt Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 I've read a lot about Techron, which seems like a pretty good product. Every time I read about it though I come across several mentions of Seafoam, an additive for gasoline OR motor oil. Always curious, I went to the manufacturer's web site and learned about it to see what it does and how it works. According to the MSDS on the Seafoam site it was invented in the 1930s and it's made of: 60% Mineral Oil 30% Naphtha (same ingredient in original mothballs) 20% Rubbing Alcohol They don't say how it works but if I were to hazard a wild guess: the mineral oil holds the Naphtha in solution and the alcohol oxygenates the Naphtha to boost its octane. Naphtha is a solvent (that I guess moths don't like much). I think I'm going to stick with Techron Concentrate in my fuel every few thousand miles, but not add anything to my oil. ;) Link to comment
blackyam Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 Hi. I used Sea Foam when it was cheaper than Techron at Wal Mart. Now (surprisingly to me) Techron is cheaper, so I use that. I pour in a bottle every 6k miles (before an oil change). I really liked Yamaha's Ring Free (now I see it's Ring Free Plus), but that was more than twice the price of Techron. ---John. Link to comment
dirtrider Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 Afternoon Roger Something's not right there as 60%/30%/20% is 110%. Nothing is 110% as far as content goes. I agree with you that Techron is about as good as anything for a fuel additive IF there ever becomes a need to add extra Techron. A few years ago I asked the fueling engineers where I work about their take on fuel additives & the only one they had anything good to say about was Techron. Many years ago we would use Seafoam in our outboard motor fuel as a moisture remover. Then use it in the last couple of tanks of fuel for pre winter storage. Some still use Seafoam in place of Stabil for winter gasoline stabilization. Personally I haven't ever been big on adding "anything" to my motor oil that isn't recommended by the motor company that makes the vehicle or recommended by the oil company that produces the motor oil. Just way too much possible unintended & untested additive intermixing to make me comfortable with mixing something with my motor oil that hasn't been fully tested by either the oil supplier or the motor company. If for some reason a motor oil isn't doing it's job without adding something else then you need to look into a different motor oil that does do what your engine needs. Link to comment
roger 04 rt Posted March 31, 2012 Author Share Posted March 31, 2012 Oops! Right you are. Hard to imagine adding it to oil now, maybe in the 1930s. The numbers are roughly 50/30/20, with a range on each, maybe so they don't have to give up the secret formula. Mineral oil: 40 - 60 Naphtha: 25 - 35 Alcohol: 10 - 20 Link to comment
johnlt Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 Well DR, back in my day (a loooong time ago), we'd use Marvel Mystery oil or something similar as an upper cylinder lubracant once in a while. Don't really know if it helped or not but it was "the thing to do" back then. Link to comment
scargoes Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 Techron has naptha as well. Link to comment
biometrics Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Just thought I would pass this on for others to benefit... I have never tried Techron, but I am a satisfied Seafoam user in my gas tanks. I have never added it to my oil. On my last trip to Walmart to buy some I discovered that Walmart carries a product called "Berryman B-12 Chemtool Fuel Treatment"... it comes suspiciously in the same exact size and shape can as Seafoam. It is stocked right next to the Seafoam on the shelves in the two stores I have visited. Even the unusual can top is the same. It does the same jobs Seafoam claims to do. I took the caps off of both products at Walmart and checked the odor... they smell identical as well... So I bought a can to try to use it to revitalize my power lawnmower that I forgot to treat at the end of last season and now wouldn't start. The gas was a nice dark tea color when I checked it. When I got home, I replaced the gas in my mower with fresh gas... still wouldn't start. Then I took a medical syringe (about 5cc's) that was left over from medicating one of my dogs and filled it with the Berryman's and pushed one syringe full into the gas line that feeds the carburetor... rehooked up the gas tank, pushed the prime button and for the first time the engine sputtered after being silent all winter. I reloaded the syringe and pushed another 5cc's into the carburetor. The engine started on the second pull, and after about a minute of rough idle, I guess the Berryman's did its job. The idle went high and settled down to normal mowing speed. I immediately poured a cup of the Berryman's into my RT gas tank and will be doing so about once a month from now on. It is apparently the same product ingredients as Seafoam under a different name... Why bother with it instead of the more well known Seafoam? Its regular price is less than $4.00 a can... I will be using it from now on instead of Seafoam, and I have been a Seafoam user for years. regards, -John Link to comment
KenK Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Why before an oil change? Any harm in not changing the oil afterwards? Ken Link to comment
tvpierce Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 BTW: When you're done with the Techron, cut the bottom off the bottle to make an ideal oil funnel for motorcycles, lawnmowers, etc. that have tough to reach filler ports. Link to comment
biometrics Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 If the function of adding it to your crankcase is to have it "clean" the oil galleries, I would think it imperative to change the oil in a reasonable time because you will have added all the gunk in those galleries to the dirt already accumulated in the crankcase and filter... The cleaning function probably reduces the viscosity somewhat and increases friction... (Disclaimer: at least that is what I think would happen.) I would change the oil after running it up to operating temperature on a few mile run... Link to comment
Kouros Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 I've used Seafoam with success on a car that sat for 3 years. Old fuel and old oil. We had stock valves. Poured some (1/2 bottle)inside the valve covers and in the engine. the other 1/2 in the fuel tank (1/2 full). I was warned about the one or two minutes of smoke ahead of time.....It DID smoke for a while and then it ran smooth and perfectly. As soon as I warmed the engine and got passed the smoke. I shut it down, changed oil and filter plus drained and replace the fuel. Very happy with the results on a car. I also tried it on my 1974 Honda CB750 for the initial start after sitting for years. Same method as above. Never used it on a BMW. Oil Change after use is a must IMHO. Link to comment
Green RT Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 I thought all gasoline and oil additives were snake oil, products created solely to make money with no real value of any kind. Is there any documentation that would suggest otherwise? Link to comment
mrsoup Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Another vote for the Berryman B-12 I have been using it with good results for a couple years now. It has been known to disolve gunk from plugged jets in carbs that have been left sitting too long. Works in old Hondas anyway...let is soak for a week or so. Link to comment
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