Hey everybody, my name is Jameson, new member, I will soon start a "Build Thread" in the "Members Rides" section soon. Short story, have a '71 Riviera from original owner, he used it to tow and put miles on it. Been driving it to work (14 miles one way) and to do errands. I want to keep the engine fresh until its time to rebuild the car. So its been a sound running car, some hard starting issues, some cold carb issues, bogging issues, need to get the carb adjusted better, need to time it better, (dial back timer per "Larry the Wizard" is on its way) other than that once its warm its okay just a lil sluggish. So I added 40 ounces of Seafoam to tank (tank was filled on Sunday and I but about 50 miles on it), 8 ounces to crankcase (5 quart capacity), and I added the SS14 to the carb. I did not notice white smoke coming out of the tail pipes but the engine did quiet down and ran way smoother. Took it on the recommended cruise and man o man did I notice the difference. Throttle way more responsive, idle way smoother, acceleration has way more gusto and just by hitting the throttle halfway my tires are spinning. The Seafoam definitely woke up the 455 and the Quadrajet. I highly recommend this product.
Welcome! Rivieras are a blast, ask any questions you have, we will probably be able to answer them. John
Seafoam is good stuff. I use it all the time but it is still no replacement to proper maintenance and a good mechanic. And Welcome from Ont Canada
Oh I agree, maintenance is key, like I said I just got this car so I'm starting from scratch, figured tune up and Seafoam a good place to start.. I have big plans for this Riv, been my dream car since I was 11, I will be asking a lot of questions and posting all my progress. Thanks for the support Buick Nation.
You just MIGHT want to change the oil after putting the Seafoam in and running it. It will clean a lot of the accumulated sludge and varnish off the insides of the engine, and it will settle on the pan bottom. You may also notice that your car now leaves its 'signature' a few places. Seafoam REALLY cleans the inside well. Between Seafoam and Marvel Mystery Oil and PBLASTER, I can't think of any more miracles for a mechanical device!
Welcome! I am a boat tail fan as well! I have all three- one running now, but Jim Weise at Tri-Shield is in the process of building me a motor that will get the second one on the road!. These cars are so comfortable! And FAST for a big car! Have fun and I look forward to following your build!
Not to knock Seafoam but my guess is Carb cleaner would do the same thing. If it was that bad running it needs to come apart. My guess is the metering rods were sticking in the jets and butterfly valves were sticking and you sprayed a lube that loosened them up.
Sea foam goes in the tank and cleans the system as a whole. As fuel system additives go it is one of the best. I run it twice a year in all My gas powered equipment.
Seafoam does work really really well! I just bought a 5 speed 2000 Chevy tracker $900 for to use as a little off road toy and fun run around snow beater... it had a loud lifter Tick at dle and got 25 mpg... I put 3/4 of a bottle of seafoam in a full fuel tank and drove it till the tank was at 1/4 and then poured the rest of the bottle in the oil and did an oil change after it went below 1/8 of a tank... the tick is gone, no more noise at all. It smokes a lot out the exhaust while running the seafoam in the fuel but it cleans things up. Adding it to the oil can free up sticks lifters and clean the junk out. Just don’t run the engine too long with the seafoam in the engine, it reduces the protection the oil has. Gained 2 mpg on that one after the seafoam. I did the same on my new used truck (2012 6.0 gm gas) and then did headers, new plugs, cat delete and new 02 sensors. Picked up 2 mpg
Did it to a little Honda Express 2 stroke noped.....incredible difference mainly since it cleaned the clogged muffler. I wonder if part of the gain on cars is it cleaning the baffle holes on the mufflers...
I let a few of my chainsaws sit for a few years without being used , yea I know im an idiot . decided to get them going but only one out of 5 started . treated them all with seafoam and now running like a top . have used it on cars in the past and have seen improvements so yea it gets my vote
When you do change the oil DO IT WHEN IT'S HOT!!!! And not just running in the garage for a few minutes. Take it for a nice ride on the highway for 20 minutes or so. When you drain it after driving ALL the crap will still be somewhat in suspension & drain more completely. Just a thought.
Seafoam is great stuff for sure. I bought a 95 Land Rover a couple of months ago that sat for 5 years. Didn't look like it had much maintenance done to it in years. I ran a can of seafoam through the gas, it ran better, but still lacked power (rings needed to be reseated). The seafoam didn't help that part. I drove it to the gas station and pumped a quart of diesel fuel directly into the crankcase. Drove it around for 15-20 minutes then changed the oil & filter. Now it's running pretty good. Got the rings reseated and all the gunk cleaned out! I have done this before on other vehicles. Moral of the story is: diesel fuel is one of the best cleaners out there, readily available and cheap. But most people don't know about it or they think a can of cleaning solution is better. Keith
