Successful bandaid fixes for compression loss on small engines

[Gale Hawkins]

Update: Pulled the plug out 24 hours later just now and the Sea Foam is still near the top of the spark plug hole so the 4-5 oz of Sea Foam in the bore is staying put for the most part on the Polaris 325 engine. While I have used Sea Foam for years I never had used it in a non running engine. As noted the spark plug was loose and there was some hard black carbon build up at the lower half of the spark plug opening and it had flowed down a little. It was coating the threads of the plug that it had oozed through over time.

Tonight when we removed the plug the threads were bright and clean. The build up outside the hole was soft and cleaned up nicely. Now I know even without heat Sea Foam will soak through hard carbon deposits over 24 hour to a varying degree with the way it cleaned the treads on the plug and soften the heavy carbon build where carbon had flowed out around the loose plug threads.

The next day or two I will try to force Sea Foam past the rings if it is on compression stroke by pulling the rope starter and keeping pressure on the Sea Foam. The fact it did not leak down must indicate something about the rings but I am not sure what. From my research most cases of working to restore compression loss/stoping blue smoke when gunning an engine most were car engines and some would permit the Sea Foam to flow past the ringing into the crankcase on a cylinder and others would not.

 

[94BULLITT]

Update: Pulled the plug out 24 hours later just now and the Sea Foam is still near the top of the spark plug hole so the 4-5 oz of Sea Foam in the bore is staying put for the most part on the Polaris 325 engine. While I have used Sea Foam for years I never had used it in a non running engine. As noted the spark plug was loose and there was some hard black carbon build up at the lower half of the spark plug opening and it had flowed down a little. It was coating the threads of the plug that it had oozed through over time.

Tonight when we removed the plug the threads were bright and clean. The build up outside the hole was soft and cleaned up nicely. Now I know even without heat Sea Foam will soak through hard carbon deposits over 24 hour to a varying degree with the way it cleaned the treads on the plug and soften the heavy carbon build where carbon had flowed out around the loose plug threads.

The next day or two I will try to force Sea Foam past the rings if it is on compression stroke by pulling the rope starter and keeping pressure on the Sea Foam. The fact it did not leak down must indicate something about the rings but I am not sure what. From my research most cases of working to restore compression loss/stoping blue smoke when gunning an engine most were car engines and some would permit the Sea Foam to flow past the ringing into the crankcase on a cylinder and others would not.

Where is this crud that has soaked loose going to go?

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Where is this crud that has soaked loose going to go?

So far it has been next to none and it went on the blue paper towel I was using. Hopefully if there is carbon build up in the oil rings it will go down into the crank case when I start running motor oil with Sea Foam added at the rate of 1.5 oz per quart of oil and changing the oil/filter about every three hours of usage until it stops getting dark due to three hours of use.

The way it came out of the spark plug hole when running three gallons of gas with 3 oz per gallon ratio I expect the crank case as a lot in it currently. What drained out of the oil filter was just so so thick but what came out of the oil cooler when I inverted it on a stump was like syrup.

There is a finite about of crud in any engine and it will work out over time with Sea Foam usage. Others use other things but I know and trust Sea Foam so that is what I use. This is the first time ever I have filled a cylinder bore with Sea Foam so there are no known expectations at this time.

We almost lost the 2002 GM 5.3L engine with 120K miles due to crud build up causing the oil pump relief valve to get stuck open when hot the best we could learn from researching and testing. The loss of oil pressure occurred about 20 miles after a new oil/filter change using NAPA supplies and doing some WOT take offs after the wife had been driving it for a couple years with no WOT take offs. We added 1.5 oz of Sea Foam per quart ratio and drove it another 160 miles before the low oil PSI on hot start up disappeared. We then pulled oil PSI with a physical oil gauge (35 PSI at idle using 10W-30 Castro cut with Sea Foam at rate on the can then replaced the sending unit that was leaking.

Crud in motor oil is not good but I had rather it be out of the engine instead of in the engine. Issues like carbon build up in the oil rings I think is due to poor care by the owner and or poor quality motor oil. May go with 10W-40 Mobil High Mileage or 5W-40 Rotella synthetic after I stop doing short changes. Expect we will use 15W-40 Rotella for the short changes since Sea Foam thins engine oil to a varying degree.

Roger do you have any experience with Sea Foam usage in the crankcase as per label on the product?

 

[sd455dan]

Pretty just it comes from crude oil and not snakes because we buy it by the gallon sometimes.

Can't speak for sea Foam but have had excellent results getting stuck engines loosened up with marvel Mystery oil.


For tired engines with low compression and or oil burning, the only one that has actually increased compression and reduced oil use that worked for me is Restore (Copper, Silver, Lead) cut the oil use on a 3000 mile trip from 9+ quarts first 1500 miles to 1.75 quarts on the return 1500 miles. this should work for a small engine , but the actual trip was made with a Wagoneer 360 AMC engine...

 

[Soundguy]

i use diesel and atf on stuck engines. if valves. add some acetone.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Marvel Mystery oil was suggested by the NAPA store owner on the sticking oil pump relief valve in GM 5.3L engine but I had already put in the Sea Foam (Transtune Sea Foam actually) so I know MMO is good for stuck stuff. My cousin had a junk yard and 50 years ago he mixed kerosene and motor oil to free stuck engines that had been around for years.

 

[Soundguy]

yep. i use diesel as kerosene is so spendy here..

 

[94BULLITT]

So far it has been next to none and it went on the blue paper towel I was using. Hopefully if there is carbon build up in the oil rings it will go down into the crank case when I start running motor oil with Sea Foam added at the rate of 1.5 oz per quart of oil and changing the oil/filter about every three hours of usage until it stops getting dark due to three hours of use.

The way it came out of the spark plug hole when running three gallons of gas with 3 oz per gallon ratio I expect the crank case as a lot in it currently. What drained out of the oil filter was just so so thick but what came out of the oil cooler when I inverted it on a stump was like syrup.

There is a finite about of crud in any engine and it will work out over time with Sea Foam usage. Others use other things but I know and trust Sea Foam so that is what I use. This is the first time ever I have filled a cylinder bore with Sea Foam so there are no known expectations at this time.

We almost lost the 2002 GM 5.3L engine with 120K miles due to crud build up causing the oil pump relief valve to get stuck open when hot the best we could learn from researching and testing. The loss of oil pressure occurred about 20 miles after a new oil/filter change using NAPA supplies and doing some WOT take offs after the wife had been driving it for a couple years with no WOT take offs. We added 1.5 oz of Sea Foam per quart ratio and drove it another 160 miles before the low oil PSI on hot start up disappeared. We then pulled oil PSI with a physical oil gauge (35 PSI at idle using 10W-30 Castro cut with Sea Foam at rate on the can then replaced the sending unit that was leaking.

Crud in motor oil is not good but I had rather it be out of the engine instead of in the engine. Issues like carbon build up in the oil rings I think is due to poor care by the owner and or poor quality motor oil. May go with 10W-40 Mobil High Mileage or 5W-40 Rotella synthetic after I stop doing short changes. Expect we will use 15W-40 Rotella for the short changes since Sea Foam thins engine oil to a varying degree.

Roger do you have any experience with Sea Foam usage in the crankcase as per label on the product?

No I have not used Seafoam in a crank case. A few years ago I started putting it in gas for the mower. I never had problems before I put it in and never did after I used it so I don't know if it helped. Now I use Startron for gas. Now I just have a pressure washer that I use it for. Sometimes I put gas out of a can in a vehicle. I am bit old school on putting additives in a engine. If a gob of sludge lets loose and clogs a oil return or the oil pump pickup screen you will have big problems.

The 5.3 GM engines are known to loose oil pressure all at once. I know a guy that has lost oil pressure in his truck 3 times. Each time he kept running it. Now his motor is not the healthiest, the motor has a nice little tick. I think there is a oring on the oil pump that causes this problem. That may have been what happened to you.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

O-ring at the oil pump pick up and the pressure relief valve hanging open are know issues in that era (ours is 2003) 4.8L, 5.3L, 5.7L and 6.0L GM engines with the front external (outside of the block) mounted oil pumps.

It was not the O-ring in our case I a sure because Sea Foam would do nothing for a bad or broken O-ring. While the low oil pressure chime and message stopped after 160 miles of running Sea Foam as labeled in the crankcase I think moving to Mobil 1 10W-40 Mileage help finish clean up the oil pump system.

On use of MMO/Sea Foam/etc to help restore compression/reduce oil burning is greatly discussed on the web today.Because of painting at church tonight I never uncovered the Polaris and worked with it any but may some this weekend.

 

[sd455dan]

i use diesel and atf on stuck engines. if valves. add some acetone.

Used this as a home brew to- and with the acetone it sure works fast.

the one thing that does seem to be a little different, that I like about the marvel is that it almost seems to (polish) the metal and lube at the same time which for lightly stuck motors would seem to be an advantage- maybe just my imagination.... does cost more though