Sure did

 

OK so the thumb is the key. That makes sense since closing the pipe off gives better suction. Thanks a lot guys!

 

Should be this one:


I would double check with the R53 guys though...been a while since I had mine

 

Make sure you let it sit for 15-20 minutes after treatment before restart. Five minutes isn't enough time for it to soak.

 

I did it and it only smoked for a few minutes, but it was a big huge cloud. I think my water \ meth system helps to keep mine clean.

But it seems to be a bit quicker and is definitely idling better.

 

Water/Meth injection will DEFINITELY help keep the intake tract clean...you probably had very little buildup

 

Whew, maybe I aught to try this out on my 2008 Cooper S... it's 35,000 miles old. I'm thinking of doing the spark plugs as well while I'm at it.

Looks like a very simple job. It's probably worth the time. Is it worth it to let it soak for longer than 15 minutes? 30 Minutes?

 

I always let it soak at least 15 but have waited 30 minutes a few times. A longer wait produces more smoke. The more smoke the better.

 

Oh man, according to Seafoam they only sell in the US and Canada... how I wish I can get Seafoam in my country (Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur)...

Or maybe someone in here can/willingly to help me buy one and post it thru registered mail to me than I paypal the $ to you? But have to depend on the total amount if it still afforable? If got such nice person, please PM me

Thanks

 

I suffer the same problem....

 

I just induced the Seafoam into the intake system. I pulled off the PCV hose from the back of the valve cover and used a spray bottle to spray it into the hose. It stayed running during the entire ingestion process.

I am now in the wait period before I go restart Louise and take her for a very spirited drive to clean everything out.

 

Tell us how it goes Scott and if you notice any changes in the engine behavior.

 

All went very well. I let it sit for about an hour. It started up with no problems and not too much smoke. Took it for about a 15 minute HARD drive and it is a lot smoother all the way around.

The idle is super smooth now. It has better acceleration and pulls nicely. It also reduced the 1st gear start lag. I will do it again before Jan comes out to tune Louise.

 

I'm going to try this out today... I'll post a review after I do it too. Can't do any harm, I think, so here goes!

 

Well, it looks like I'm going to have to be the first unlucky one here.

I bought some Seafoam this morning and used 1/3 of the can duplicating Oxy's steps above. While the engine didn't stall or throw codes while taking in the liquid, after soaking for 20 minutes it didn't have the same reaction as everyone else has been seeing. Instead, I got only a small amount of smoke as I departed for a spirited run, and by the time I got to the bottom of my hill (3/4 mile or so)- BAM- up pops the CEL.

For what it's worth, I pulled over, double-checked the vaccum hose connection, and proceded on a 20 minute drive without any issue except for the annoying engine light. The car seems to be running just fine- I'll even agree that it feels a bit smoother at idle and through the rev range. That said, I'm not sure what could be causing the CEL. If I had fouled my spark plugs, I'd be experiencing a rough idle or loss of power- right?

Any ideas as to what my issue might be? Beyond that, any trick to clearing CELs without a trip to the dealer? Thanks in advance!

 

Funny I did my R53 and same thing happened.........put it in the tank and vacuum line. Let it sit for about 20 min. Started and barely no smoke......so much for that but then my CEL stayed on??? Was thinking OH ***** did I do something wrong......checked nope......rev'd engine pretty hard and let idle........still CEL. Then tried something I learned working at BMW regarding resetting CEL. Turn the key from off position to the aux postion several times in a row, I did about 5 times........guess what CEL turned off. Took the car for a nice drive runs better. I use to have a slight ping under WOT and now its gone.

 

Thank you very much fo the suggestion, but alas, this little trick didn't have the same effect on my CEL. I don't know anyone in the area with a scanguage, so it looks like a trip to the dealer may be an order.

 

How bout just buy a reader like the Scan Gage or a Dash Dyno SPD and never go to the dealer for reading codes? And you can use them for so much more! I bet if you disconnect the battery overnight, and then reconnect it in the morning it will be gone for good.

 

Hmm........when you went for your drive, did you drive it hard? How hard did and how long did you rev it?

 

Well, it's soaking right now... I just put it in. I was in the process of putting it in and smoke was already starting to come out. Yikes... maybe mines going to be a big smoker!

 

That idea is looking more and more worthwhile every day, but I'll probably take the instant gratification of going to the dealership for this code vs. trying to find a good price on an OBDII plug-in online and then waiting for it.

Drove it as hard as I could within the rough guidelines of the law. The car really does seem to feel very smooth and solid, so I'm hoping a quick dealer code-pull and reset will confirm that this was a one-off incident related to the Seafoam and everything's working properly now.

 

Or you could just leave the negative battery cable disconnected for an 30mins and cure the CEL light.

 

That's certainly the quick fix- although I am curious just what did cause the code. I suppose if it's anything important the code will come back once cleared via a quick battery interruption.

Oxy- one more question for you: in your opinion, having done this treatment a number of times in the past, does my relatively low amount of smoke post-soak indicate that my carbon build-up just wasn't that bad to begin with?

 

Well I haven't done this since my cylinder head was PnP'd. Going on almost 3k since so it's about time to seafoam again. Before that it was always pumping out a lot of smoke. The few times I actually stalled it out(including the part at the end of my video) it REALLY pumped out the smoke. Sounds like you just don't have much in the way if deposits in your MCS. Of course you could always try another treatment.

 

I don't mean to poop on anyone's belief in seafoam, but how do we know this stuff really works? How do we know the smoke is from the carbon burning up and not just the seafoam? I'm not doubting it, I would just like to see conclusive results. Perhaps a before and after shot of a cylinder head and pistons?

Edit: Also, being that direct injection motors use a high-pressure pump, I would be weary about pouring it into my gas tank. At work, when we perform a "fuel injection service", we connect a can of injector cleaner directly to the fuel rail, using only the pressure in the can to run the motor on. We're instructed not to pour it into the tank as it will cause fuel pump failure. Now this cleaner may not be the same as seafoam, but is the same concept so I don't see it being safe in a pump that operates at over 2,000 PSI.