Hey everybody I know seafoam comes up alot so I'm gonna make this quick. I have a can that I want to run through my car but I was a little confused when I found out how to pull the fluid into the intake stream. It was mentioned on here in the 2nd gen forums that the correct way to add it was through the PCV tube, but I always thought that tube went down into the supercharger inlet tube, not the intake manifold. Wont having to run the seafoam through the supercharger and the intercooler really obstruct the amount of cleaner actually making it into the manifold???? I would have thought there was another vacuum line going into the manifold but I looked around and didn't see anything. Any help would be great before I waste my time running it through the system. Thanks, Steve
Hey Vernon, I'm confused. Your posting in a 1st Gen forum, referencing the method for a 2nd Gen and talking about the intake for a 1st Gen. I have a 2nd Gen and have followed the directions and I think it really helped. I'd suggest trying the 1st Gen methodology. It will do nothing but good
Hey Steve, I have a R56, so I don't have one of those big aluminum whirly gigs on top of my engine. But typically the seafoam goes in at the PCV tube going to the intake manifold. Add it in a slow controlled manner (don't overfill it too fast). It should go in the hose end by clamp #3 in the diagram. I assume you watched the "how to" on the M/A library? Good luck, let us know how it went. http://www.motoringalliance.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=460&stc=1&d=1274738057
I can see why you're confused. I guess I wasn't clear with the wording of my question. The reason why I even mentioned "2nd Gen" was because OxyBlueCoop had mentioned that he used to seafoam his old R53 using the described method. Metalman, this is where I became confused because I don't see how you can add seafoam to the pcv line because on an R53 that line travels into the supercharger intake tube. This would cause the seafoam liquid to have to travel through the supercharger and the intercooler before it even reached the intake manifold. Seems like there has to be a better way to do this on our cars. Isn't there any vacuum lines going directly into the intake manifold that we can use rather than having to run it through the supercharger and intercooler???? Just for a little more clarification here's the link that originally got me thinking about this: http://www.motoringalliance.com/forums/cooper-clubman-engine-drivetrain/2002-how-seafoam-treatment-r55-r56.html I hope someone can shed a little more light on this. Thanks, Steve
I don't know if its just that no one has any better of a solution or I'm just responding at bad times of the day and its not getting placed as a recently updated thread at the right times. Anybody got anything, after my clarification??? I don't see how injecting seafoam into the supercharger inlet tube and making it travel through the supercharger and intercooler could possibly be at all effective in cleaning the cylinder head and combustion chamber. How much cleaner is actually reaching the cylinder head after running through all those components???? It just doesn't sound right to me and there's got to be a better way, but I can't seem to find it!!! Here's hoping to an answer. Steve
IIRC, on the R53, the PCV hose (Part #2 on Metalman's post above) runs under the intercooler. Easiest thing to do would seem to be disconnect the hose @ the valve cover and then use some add'l tubing (like washer lines) to "suck" the fluid out of the can and into the hose.
Hey Steve, the illustration I posted was the intake system for the R53 with the supercharger (I'll just call it the whirly gig for now). If you add the seafoam at the flex tube connection, it should be introduced after the IC and the whirly gig. This should answer your concerns. Good idea from YesIFit about the "T" fitting. The balls in your court, good luck
Sorry dude but you're wrong, that's the line that you disconnect and place an oil catch can in between. Why that line?? Because it runs from the valve cover to the supercharger inlet tube and the catch can is placed in line to catch any oil in that line to prevent it from entering the supercharger and coating the inside of the intercooler decreasing its efficiency. Besides that picture that metal man posted is either from an R56 or an R50 cooper. The supercharged R53 engine does NOT look like that picture at all. Thanks for your response though, its hard enough to get anyone to even bother to say anything. Steve
Nope it's not the R56, because that's what I have. The illustration I posted was listed as the W11 engine option R53 which should be the one with the Supercharger. So it should be yours. Now maybe the illustration is in error in the listing that I used?????? Sorry:confused5:
Yeah its gotta be a Cooper R50 then, because I just went to realoem.com and punched in a R50 and got the same PCV picture and obviously there are major differences in engines between the two so it must just be a picture error on their website. Thanks though for the R56 clarification. I can't believe no one has seafoamed their R53!?!?! LOLOL This is absolutely hilarious! Steve
Very interesting about that illustration mistake because I didn't go to realoem. I got it from Penske Parts. Penske Parts - Parts Catalog for BMW & Mini. So they are all using different flavors of the same part search program, Hmmmmmmm
oh really???? wow so yeah there ya go, just the run of the mill generic pictures, what a great help right?? :lol: Steve
Did you ever stop to consider that when you put the sea-foam in through the PCV in a r53, and yes, it will run through the SC, and the IC, that those components, and the sensors along the way are all getting cleaned....which is the purpose of the cleaner you are injecting....removing the varnish and oil residue from those items.....since everything is PRESSURIZED after the SC it is really the only way to do it....you Could, perhaps, using the aerosol can of seafoam and the hose supplied, fish the hose into the intake track at the cool side of the SC boot...but lots of work....and the SC likely needs cleaning anyway...and you might have problems with getting a good seal....and what do you gain....sure, you don't clean the baked on oil residues off the inside of the SC or the IC...sounds like a drawback to me for the extra work....
Hey Zippy, Thanks for the reply! Yes I did consider that and it looks as though that's my only course of action. I can't believe there aren't any vacuum lines running into the intake manifold! LOL The only reason why I was searching for an alternative to the gray PCV line is that I figured most of the cleaner would have burned off or evaporated before it even reached the intake manifold. I guess I'm gonna use more than the recommended 1/3 of the can because it has to travel so far to reach its intended area. I also considered using the "Deep Creep" and slipping the tube through the SC boot but knowing my luck the little tube will break loose and go flying into the intake manifold!! Oh boy would that be a mess. Again thanks for the reply! Steve
Hey Steve, my thought is....... where would the tubing connection be if you had a boost gauge installed? Common practice calls for bringing the engine up to operating temperature, then adding the cleaner at idle while the intake is under vacuum. It would seem like this would be an easy route. However, if you don't have a boost gauge then.......
There's a small vacuum nipple on the right (supercharger) end of the intake manifold IIRC. That has a small hardline that connects to the fuel pressure regulator. Most boost gauge installs tap that. But that one is probably too small to suck seafoam effectively? I know folks DO use seafoam on R53's... and I believe most use the PVC hose and thus clean the SC, IC and entire intake tract as a result. Which is good.
Yeah I guess you are all right. It certainly can't hurt to run it through those other components. It's only going to make it cleaner!! MetalMan, its very embarrassing to say because I've owned my '05 since new and I've bought quite a few things for it, yet I have no gauges added whatsoever! And it's not because I dont want them either. I guess at first I couldn't decide what ones I liked and then after a while as more and more options became known to me, I guess I just sort of lost interest in them. So no, no boost gauge option for me I'm gonna try to do the seafoam this weekend and see what happens. Should be a nice smoke cloud regardless being that its never been done and I have 57K on her. Thanks again everybody, Steve