Sea foam

[Ray-IN]

It would be interesting to know what that is- I've never come across any gas "branded" that way. So is this just a general term (capitalized so probably not) or a specific label you can find on a gas pump?

Top tier gasoline, and brands: https://www.consumerreports.org/car...r-gasoline-worth-the-extra-price-a7682471234/

TOP TIER™ Gasoline Brands - TOP TIER™

TOP TIER™ Gasoline Brands. All retail locations within the licensed country must meet the high standards of the TOP TIER™ program.

www.toptiergas.com

 

[Tulecreeper]

I’m thinking they mean premium fuel

That's part of why I asked- it appeared, the way they typed it, to be some sort of actual label or brand, rather than the generic "top tier." And not all "premium" fuels will necessarily have the same sort of additives, etc.

I've never even heard the term 'Top Tier Gas' before.

 

[Ex-Calif]

What problem does it solve? I've driven hundreds of thousands of miles on various cars and trucks over decades and have never used any kind of mechanic in a can. My 8.1 vortec starts on the first turn after months of slumber, same with the genset. What have I missed?

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

I am also not a fan of many "magic elixirs" but like others I have used it in classic cars that have sat a long time. If carburetion "gunk" is suspected in poor performance Seafoam is one of the few products I can endorse.

One of my MGs sat in a barn for 15-20 years. I drained the fuel and added 5 gallons and some seafoam and drove it about 12 miles home (stupidly) unregistered/uninsured, on 20 year old tires and no brakes bar the handbrake. I even passed a county mountie but had my son drive close on my six to preclude a casual observance of the license plate - LOL.

Most recently my generator started running poorly. I suspected bad/contaminated gas. I drained and refueled with no joy. Prior to the inevitable carb removal I put seafoam in and it actually cleared things up.

I think it can be compared to fuel injector cleaners which IMHO are also not a terrible idea to try for a do-it-yourselfer.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I've always thought of Sea Foam (the motor treatment product - the brand includes several other additives as well) as a tool for small engines with carburetors. Engines that are thus vulnerable to gummed-up carbs. It is often successful at that. Fuel injectors, not so much. However, it would not occur to me to put in in the tank unless I suspected a problem, but it is supposed to be a fuel stabilizer too, so maybe helpful for longer-term storage?

Some folks are great believers in engine additives, whether fuel, oil, coolant or what-have-you. I doubt if anything said here will dissuade them, so go ahead and use as directed. It won't hurt anything except your wallet, and who knows? Maybe it will prevent some unknown problem.

 

[ButchW]

I've never even heard the term 'Top Tier Gas' before.

I've only heard it on Chevron commercials... But I guess it's a real thing, that most "name brand" fuel suppliers are party to.... I use name brand gas (unless unavailable), so I suppose I should be ok..
Butch

 

[Tulecreeper]

I've only heard it on Chevron commercials... But I guess it's a real thing, that most "name brand" fuel suppliers are party to.... I use name brand gas (unless unavailable), so I suppose I should be ok..
Butch

We don't get many gas commercials in my area, and definitely no Chevron ones. The closest Chevron station to me is in Texarkana, 150 miles away. I have had a Chevron card for 47 years, though. It was the first credit card I got when I was 18 years old, and my parents had to co-sign for me. I just used it last week when I was in AZ for a few days.

About 15 years ago I got a letter from Chevron telling me to use it or lose it because I hadn't used it in about 3 years because they were so much more expensive than other stations. I went down the next day and put $5 in my truck and have tried to use it at least once a year since then. Usually only when I go to CA or AZ to visit relatives, though.

 

[garyb1st]

Looked at the price of Seafoam at the NAPA store and decided for the money, maybe $50 - $60 a tank, every time the motorhome sits for a month or two, I'll take my chance. As stated above, it's really more useful in small carbureted engines, like my Onan 5500 gen. But if I put Seafoam in the tank every time it sat, I could pay for a new carburetor. I think a better idea would be to add a fuel shut off on the fuel line to the generator, shut off the fuel when it's going to sit for a while and run the generator until it stops.

 

[OldWEB]

Looked at the price of Seafoam at the NAPA store and decided for the money, maybe $50 - $60 a tank, every time the motorhome sits for a month or two, I'll take my chance. As stated above, it's really more useful in small carbureted engines, like my Onan 5500 gen. But if I put Seafoam in the tank every time it sat, I could pay for a new carburetor. I think a better idea would be to add a fuel shut off on the fuel line to the generator, shut off the fuel when it's going to sit for a while and run the generator until it stops.

I like this idea, instead of a fuel shut off, could a switch be installed in the electric fuel pump wire that most Onans have? Turn off the fuel pump, the carb would still run dry?