Anyone ever seafoamed your 3GS??
01-31-11, 09:57 AM
#16
You can do it yourself if you can remove the spark plugs. The chemical they use actually comes from GM, I'm not sure what the part number #. Yes, Lexus dealer has to go to GM and buy it... weird right?
I think it goes mostly like this:
- Spark plugs out.
- Dump cleaner in
- Turn the engine over manually a few times
- Let marinate
- Drive for a while
- Change the oil
- Drive for a while
- Change the oil again (oil gets changed twice as part of the Lexus procedure).
They have it listed as taking a few good hours to complete but the majority of that time is just waiting so I'm not sure how much they should bill for it if you went in and asked for it to be done not under warranty. Make sure they aren't billing you for the marination time which is a large percentage of it.
There are some induction cleaning methods that claim now to clean intake valves, there is one from Terraclean... it involves not only running cleaner through the fuel system but also spraying it directly into the throttle body while the car is running... though I'm not exactly sure how they do that, probably with a long rod that they insert past the MAF which sprays the chemical. I have no idea how well this works but if you're going to get a service like this performed make sure that they aren't just adding stuff to the fuel line and are doing something through the air intake as well.
Hopefully this completes clearing up the idle gremlins from the car, it's not terrible but it's noticeable sometimes... if the procedure is good on this engine for another 100,000 km I don't have any problem payiing somebody a couple hundred bucks to do it again every 100K.
I think it goes mostly like this:
- Spark plugs out.
- Dump cleaner in
- Turn the engine over manually a few times
- Let marinate
- Drive for a while
- Change the oil
- Drive for a while
- Change the oil again (oil gets changed twice as part of the Lexus procedure).
They have it listed as taking a few good hours to complete but the majority of that time is just waiting so I'm not sure how much they should bill for it if you went in and asked for it to be done not under warranty. Make sure they aren't billing you for the marination time which is a large percentage of it.
There are some induction cleaning methods that claim now to clean intake valves, there is one from Terraclean... it involves not only running cleaner through the fuel system but also spraying it directly into the throttle body while the car is running... though I'm not exactly sure how they do that, probably with a long rod that they insert past the MAF which sprays the chemical. I have no idea how well this works but if you're going to get a service like this performed make sure that they aren't just adding stuff to the fuel line and are doing something through the air intake as well.
Hopefully this completes clearing up the idle gremlins from the car, it's not terrible but it's noticeable sometimes... if the procedure is good on this engine for another 100,000 km I don't have any problem payiing somebody a couple hundred bucks to do it again every 100K.
01-31-11, 11:34 AM
#17
Pole Position
It's not a Fuel Injector cleaner, it's a "top engine clean" You wouldn't want to put this into your gas. It is poured directly onto the intake valves and allowed to soak. It's probably stuff that could make criminal evidence "disappear" if you had enough of it. :P
.. it drive alil better now..
01-31-11, 11:56 AM
#19
Pole Position
It's funny how everybody points to the clouds of smoke that come out of the exhaust when you use it as proof that it's cleaning stuff out. The same clouds of smoke would come out if you used it on a car that just rolled off the assembly line... :P
02-08-11, 04:55 AM
#21
The GM chemical is called Upper Engine and Fuel Injector Cleaner. Part # is 88861802. I bought two 16 ounce bottles. Also, do not use in your gas tank and Binary Jay mententioned.
Last edited by kdouglas39; 02-08-11 at 04:57 AM. Reason: adding info
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