Heathhh Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 Ive been wanting to sea foam my 82 280zx 2+2 for some time now, but dont plan to (dont even know if i should cause this question arose) until summertime just cause its freezing here in Michigan right now. But then i thought, possibly i might be rebuilding my engine this summer with all the free time i have off cause schools out, and i only work part time. (i am 17, bought my first car at 16 workin at Taco Bell, 82' 280zx) I've been prepping myself all winter, nearly everyday learning new things from hybridz and reading my haynes manual. In addition to that and more, ive bought the rebuild OHC book thats comin within a day or 2. Even found out there is a couple typos in there on pages 11, 110, and 111 from searching hybridz, way to go search bar!. So obviously i just keep learning. Anyways, to the point, would it be a good idea in all seriousness to go ahead and sea foam my Z and rebuild the engine afterwards? I mean, i seriously think it would just clean it out good, and provide me with less work in the long run by not having to clean the engine with as much elbow grease as i would have to otherwise. (it might even make me decide not to rebuild, idk though cause i want to get dirty with my Z, you just get that feeling you know? but in reality it may make me feel good about the car after sea foaming it, that i wont care to rebuild it until some later time because it may run pretty well) See, the car isn't in "need" of rebuilding necessarily, as far as i "think" i know, because it only has 100,000 miles, but then again it may cause the previous owner drove it into the ground. Anyways, if you see what i mean. (end rant) Sea foam before rebuild, what do you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cockerstar Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 What symptoms do you have making you feel that you need to tear the entire engine down for a rebuild? As for my experience with Sea Foam, it cleaned things up (1 bottle in a full tank of gas, 1/2 bottle in the crankcase right before changing the oil, 1/2 bottle to the intake through a vacuum line), but I didn't notice a difference in the way the car ran, or in my mileage. This was likely due to my engine not really needing it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heathhh Posted February 2, 2010 Author Share Posted February 2, 2010 What symptoms do you have making you feel that you need to tear the entire engine down for a rebuild? As for my experience with Sea Foam, it cleaned things up (1 bottle in a full tank of gas, 1/2 bottle in the crankcase right before changing the oil, 1/2 bottle to the intake through a vacuum line), but I didn't notice a difference in the way the car ran, or in my mileage. This was likely due to my engine not really needing it Well, the reason i feel i quite possibly need a rebuild is because an overall lack of power is present. Acceleration is poor at first, but in following gears its decently well. There seems to be a vacuum problem as well ATM, and im going to be doing a compression test within the next week. This in itself will let me know if the engine is in need of a rebuild, and not just because of poor power to be my reasoning. It could be just some vacuum line, and instead i wont need a build. I will find out soon. But in the meantime, i was just curious to what people thought if i just sea foamed to clean it up, before i were to rebuild it. Any more opinions on that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftover z Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 Seafoam is cheap enough, considering what it can do. If you are going to tear your engine down, it will at least get rid of some of the sludge. Hell, it might be enough that you won't feel the need to rebuild. Ya never know til you try it. I've seen it for as low as $6.95, so might be worth trying it. It sure wouldn't hurt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cockerstar Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 Your first step should be to address the vacuum leaks you have and get a compression/leakdown test. I've had success with cheap harbor freight testers in the past. You're looking for consistency in cylinder pressures and not necessarily the pressure itself. Knowing the compression and leakdown on an engine will really tell you quite a bit about it's overall condition. Is the car completely stock? I have a suspicion that your lack of power can be fixed through addressing maintenance issues that have been neglected in the past and getting everything in proper working condition. Then again, seafoam isn't likely to hurt anything, and it's a good product for sure! Just not a miracle in a can Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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