Soak injectors in Seafoam: good idea or disaster? Topic is solved

Post by **matthew1** » 07 May 2010, 17:28

Too harsh? Should I disassemble them? Or are there micro, spring-loaded parts that will pop out and vanish forever?

Post by **Hoov** » 07 May 2010, 18:20

I spoke to the Regional Rep & he says the product (Seafoam) will not harm seals, plastic or rubber. (WD-40 will rot rubber eventually BTW unless they have changed their formula). Seafoam is basicaly a light weight high detergent oil. It is great for dissolving petroleum based muck. I have used it for cleaning for as long as I can remember with no damage to parts.

Are these out of the car? If they are I can't imagine why you would not want to rebuild them. ... Well, other than the time involved. There is a lot of hidden gunk that won't be gotten to without dissasembly, not to mention worn Orings, yatta, yatta.
The outsides will look great though.

There is a great tutorial around here that I would refer you to but I "can't use the search function right now. Please try again later"!
Bet JA knows where it is! Hahaha
Sounds like you might not be having a lot of fun right now.

Hoov

Post by **polskamafia mjl** » 07 May 2010, 19:24

Matt, I can't remember where but I saw a really good write up for cleaning out the injectors. I am almost positive that they (the injecors) were dunked in some kind of alcohol based slolution. If I run across the write up I will send it your way. However, I don't think seafoam would damage them....

Post by **JDS60R** » 07 May 2010, 19:34

Hi Matt,
I use 1/2 SeaFoam 1/2 gasoline in my injector cleaning machine. The seafoam shouldn't hurt them but check the cleanliness of the electical contacts before reinstalling. A pencil eraser cleans them up nice if needed.

You can't really disassemble them ( except take of the pintle cap and screen) . If you want to clean them its best to run a good cleaner through the gas. I use Amsoil PI or SeaFoam .

Post by **Hoov** » 08 May 2010, 00:25

AH! Found it. Originaly posted here by tjts1.
http://www.fordfuelinjection.com/?p=82

It's true, you can't disassemble these. (Confused w/another injector make. These are Bosch ... sorry.)
What this guy did was make a test rack. he includes instructions & it is simple.
A seal kit costs about twelve bucks (Upper & lower O-rings) ... Since he is working on his ford I wonder what Ford charges? If one were to walk into a good parts house w/ injector in hand & ask "How much is a rebuild kit for this?" Wonder what they would say?

JDS60R is right twice here. The electrical connections can be a really big deal.

Anywho, if they are not out of the car, seafoam added to the gas works like a champ.

Post by **oragex** » 17 Nov 2017, 15:11

I just read this old thread, because I had a spare set of injectors soaking in Sea Foam for about 2 months now. Make sure to remove any rubber seal ring from the injector before soaking them.

I put the injectors back in the car today and it sure runs smoother and have some extra power. Too early to check the mpg, but it certainly helped remove varnish from inside the injectors.

Post by **erikv11** » 17 Nov 2017, 17:46

oragex wrote: ↑17 Nov 2017, 15:11 I just read this old thread, because I had a spare set of injectors soaking in Sea Foam for about 2 months now. Make sure to remove any rubber seal ring from the injector before soaking them.

I put the injectors back in the car today and it sure runs smoother and have some extra power. Too early to check the mpg, but it certainly helped remove varnish from inside the injectors.

I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer, but without some objective tests I really question this cleaning had any effect at all.

If you have injectors cleaned and flow tested professionally, they will provide you with numbers for flow rate and spray pattern before and after the cleaning. In almost every case I have ever seen, all injectors flow no differently before or after the cleaning. Usually there is nothing wrong at all.

I'm not saying injector cleaning is not warranted, in fact I have paid for it for all of my P80 turbo cars, but it is more for peace of mind. The butt dyno is not always reliable, especially after a DIY

Post by **rspi** » 17 Nov 2017, 19:17

Post by **oragex** » 18 Nov 2017, 10:02

erikv11 wrote: ↑17 Nov 2017, 17:46
oragex wrote: ↑17 Nov 2017, 15:11 I just read this old thread, because I had a spare set of injectors soaking in Sea Foam for about 2 months now. Make sure to remove any rubber seal ring from the injector before soaking them.

I put the injectors back in the car today and it sure runs smoother and have some extra power. Too early to check the mpg, but it certainly helped remove varnish from inside the injectors.
I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer, but without some objective tests I really question this cleaning had any effect at all.

I'm the first not to trust when someone says about power gain, just sharing a 'measure' which is without a doubt subjective. But the main point was to say it didn't harm the injectors (I had removed the rubber o-rings). Side note, these injectors have been to the ultrasonic bath already, the service guy said he got a 20% flow increase and showed the numbers.. he may have been right but I'm guessing if he would left them more it would have got even better.

Post by **v-45magna** » 23 Nov 2017, 13:10

I cannot believe it would hurt them.

I soaked mine in a MOC company chemical called Vacuflush while the intake was off for the obligatory pcv system service. Intended to be slowly introduced from a pressurized, regulated tank into a running engine, this stuff is specifically targeted to dissolve the carbon molecule. So it works just fine in a jar with injectors. I did it to my wife's '09 VW 2.0T injectors during a valve decarbon (used some to soak the valves as as well) too. Car ran beautifully after and for the last 19 months of commuting.

I am still curious to use it combined with an ultrasonic cleaner of some type. I'd bet that works wonderfully. Just gotta find one that doesn't use a plastic tank.