Seafoam.... to use or not to use, that is the question.

[psnider]

I've seen several threads on here that mention the use of Seafoam. What is the general consensus about using it in a cub cadet? Speaking from an 1811 owner. Is it worth it? Will it damage anything?

 

[digger]

I've seen several threads on here that mention the use of Seafoam. What is the general consensus about using it in a cub cadet? Speaking from an 1811 owner. Is it worth it? Will it damage anything?

Junk IMO, Go for the good stuff! MMO is the best,

 

[slufkin]

I have seen Sea Foam take an engine that would only run on choke and make it idle and run perfectly and I have never seen Sea Foam do any harm. I'm not saying it is a replacement for taking a carburetor apart and cleaning it, but it definitely does work as advertised. As far as using it as a preventative measure, I dont know about that. I buy the Ethanol Free gas for all my small engines now and that definitely helps. I highly doubt it would ever hurt anything.

 

[mgwin]

Non-ethanol is definitely the way to go. As for the seafoam, it will make any gas "varnish" break loose and stop up your fuel filter. Be prepared to replace filters quite often.

 

[dkirk]

I agree with Charlie - I prefer and use MMO but have heard good things about Seafoam.

 

[Bruser]

Seafoam is excellent. Take some time to you tube how well it works.

 

[mgonitzke]

I have found seafoam to be particularly useful on temperamental 2-cycle carburetors. Haven't used it in a Cub Cadet, but it's certainly not going to hurt anything.

I mix MMO and Sta-bil into every can of ethanol-free gas I buy, and I don't have fuel-related issues.

 

[tnewman]

I use it in my 1650 tractor as well as in my boat ,twin 4.3 v6s because of the ethanol in the gas now

 

[john.knutson]

I have found seafoam to be particularly useful on temperamental 2-cycle carburetors. Haven't used it in a Cub Cadet, but it's certainly not going to hurt anything.

I mix MMO and Sta-bil into every can of ethanol-free gas I buy, and I don't have fuel-related issues.

I was just wondering the other day if I should do MMO+Sta-bil or just one, I was leaning toward both

 

[dmerkle]

Question #7 from the Kohler FAQs deals products like sea foam.
Quote from Kohler FAQs:
Can I use additives in my engine?
We do not recommend using additives or cleaners in the oil or fuel system. Air-cooled engines operate at higher temperatures than liquid-cooled automotive engines, and additives developed for automotive use may not perform properly at higher temperatures.
In addition, oil additives can prematurely break down, altering the properties of the oil and leading to extensive internal damage or failure. Fuel system cleaning additives have a tendency to separate and turn acidic, causing damage to fuel system components. We do, however, recommend a fuel stabilizer during periods of non-use (one month or more) to retard fuel deterioration.

sea foam is a cleaner.

I like using plow days as an area to test different products. I tried sea foam at a plow day in my IH Cub Cadet 149 and 100. Both were down on power and the 100 would die while pulling a 10 Brinly plow while using the sea foam mix fuel. I drained the fuel tanks in both IH Cub Cadets used non sea foam mix gas. Both ran like they should.

I've been using E10 gas for 15 plus years with no problems. Most if not all small engines faqs say not to use gas that is over 30 days old in your small engine. Biggest problem(s) I see is poor fuel storage habits.

 

[Beltrack]

In a time long ago and a land far away, folks used to spritz water into the carburetor mouth as a way of de-carbonizing combustion chambers. Anyone heard of that practice?

 

[mgonitzke]

In a time long ago and a land far away, folks used to spritz water into the carburetor mouth as a way of de-carbonizing combustion chambers. Anyone heard of that practice?

Yes, I have done that, and it works.

 

[dkirk]

One of the biggest contributors to combustion chamber deposits was tetra-ethyl lead, the most effective knock suppressant ever discovered. A benefit of unleaded fuels is reduction in deposits, both in chamber and crankcase, thus extending engine useful life. Running non-reformulated, unleaded premium gasoline in the K-series air-cooled engine is probably the best fuel you could ever feed it. In so doing, you really should never have to de-carbon the combustion chamber, assuming the engine is in good mechanical condition internally. If rings are worn and lots of oil is getting into the chamber, then a de-carb may be necessary.

Looking back in some old Kohler literature of the '70's, the fuel recommendation was 91 octane (regular grade gasoline back then) which contained lead, plus "remove the cylinder head every 500 hours to de-carbon the combustion chamber". My opinion - this is totally unnecessary today. I'm not an advocate of fuel and oil additives, promising to "penetrate the metal" and "reduce internal friction". But Marvel Mystery Oil is actually a legitimate product that has been shown to reduce carbon build up in the chamber, plus keep exhaust valve stem carbon from building up and causing valve to stick in the open position. I don’t see how any negative effects could occur if mixed in the fuel at the recommended ratio. All of my small 4-stroke engines get this fuel/oil mix and all experiences have been positive.

 

[Cubstudent]

I'm new to cubs, but my experience with Marvel Mystery oil started in 1980. Working for a meat plant servicing thief trucks,we took care of the ThermoKing refer units. We had to r&r the cylinder heads for PM on the gas engines that ran the units. If we didn't we would hear them banging badly,they would carbon up by idling most of the nights. ThermoKing issued a bulletin to add MM to the saddle tanks to keep carbon down. We stopped pulling heads after that,as we saw no need after a few had no signs of carbon with thief heads off. I use it on everything, 4 and 2 stroke and esp for storage ,I have never been disappointed with my fuel systems since using it faithfully. Just me experience .

 

[hdeloach]

Try Lucas Upper Cyl. Lube.I have been using in everything for several years.

Good for breakfast also.You will run smooth all day long.

 

[Cubstudent]

I have used several Lucas products, mostly thier oil boosting products and feel pretty confident they are pretty good. Now Seafoam I have used to clean out a lean carb condition ,only wanted to run on choke,and I didn't have the time to do what I knew it needed,carb cleaner out, using a strong ratio and continued to use the pressure washer and soon it was choking out so I was able to take choke off after a bit,so right before my eyes it cleared what was clogging up the carb. I havent used it on a regular PM schedule,only that one time that I can remember. I find treating non ethanol gas can when filling with MM and Stable ,ensures that everything on my property gets covered and I haven't had my own equipment give me any reason to clean any of thief carbs or pull any heads. I will stick with what works for me. P.S. I also add MM to my oil changes to help decarbonize piston rings in addition I add MM to my diesel fuel for my powerstroke to help with low sulphur lubricity concerns.

 

[danderson]

My Dad always used MMO in his airplane.

 

[psnider]

Thanks for all the responses guys. Good info.

 

[CaptainShwammy]

Wanna know the "mystery" behind marvel mystery oil? Well I'll tell ya. It's basically just ATF. And ATF is pretty dang awesome.

 

[mgonitzke]

Wanna know the "mystery" behind marvel mystery oil? Well I'll tell ya. It's basically just ATF. And ATF is pretty dang awesome.

Got a reputable source for that? Contents of MSDS suggests you are wrong.