Best vacuum hose to use on the 4.2L for SeaFoam application?

[B6_Rakete]

I'm planning to get the oil changed in a few days and have been contemplating a SeaFoam treatment beforehand. I was doing some web searches today and haven't found a good DIY that describes SeaFoam treatment into the manifold on the S4's 4.2L. Anybody know which vacuum hose is best to use to tap for this purpose? While poking around the engine bay today it seems there are a few options.

A vacuum hose near the front of the engine:


The vacuum hose that appears to be routed to the brake booster:


AudiWorld.com has a tech article that describes a similar hose on an A4 but it's not exactly representative.

[ieatfishburitos]

why seafoam it? Your car isn't a 400,000 mile 1978 lincoln town car..

[ChronicTeutonic]

I like Seafoam, it worked well in my MG, not sure of it's viability through the intake manifold in a modern car. IMHO it makes more sense as an additive to clean the injectors or possibly in the oil a few thousand before an oil change.

Now, on to your question, the vacuum port in the front looks good, but I don't know if it's shared by all the intake ports or just the front ones? I have disconnected it and it does have full time vacuum and if I'm not mistaken controls the flaps inside the intake runners.

The brake booster one scares me since I don't think those clamps are multi-use, you must cut them and then replace with something else.

[nimski62]

why seafoam it? Your car isn't a 400,000 mile 1978 lincoln town car..

To prevent build up so it doesnt have the gunk of a 400,000 mile car!

I used the brake booster line.. pulled right out, and its big. Very easy to take it in and out

[SuperAvant]

Oil changing isnt necessary if you seafoam through the vacuum line. Only if you run it through the crankcase. If you do the latter, I would barely drive the car. First, because the oil is used to pressurize the timing chain tensioners and there are only very specific oil weights allowed for our cars and second that stuff is powerful and I wouldnt run it in my crankcase for very long at all (30 mins).

[ahwest]

any updates on this?
where is the best location to do Seafoam on 4.2L ?

[FourRingRider]

Oil changing isnt necessary if you seafoam through the vacuum line. Only if you run it through the crankcase.

+1.

[dr.evil]

Have 8 new spark plugs ready to throw in if you pour that stuff into the vac system. All the crap that it cleans off will most likely foul a plug or two. Plus new plugs will help it run better too.

[Audi05s4]

friend did this on his car which is a mazda 6 with 56000 miles on it so i dont really know the point of it

[ahwest]

no one has a clue where to put the seafoam in on a 4.2L still?

[Ricky8997]

At what mileage do they recommend for your first Seafoam?

[ArthurPE]

I saw something interesting at the local dealer last week...

cans of Seafoam on the shelves...

[amoujaffar]

use the hose you have circled in the 2nd picture. i unplugged that, added a large wide straw, and electrical tape for a temporary seal. start to suck up the seafoam slowly so you dont shut it off. if your's does the same thing mine did...it will rev up the rpms and back down again...don't worry itll return to normal when you plug it back into the booster. otherwise get it all in there, let it run for a minute, then shut it off for a couple of minutes. start it back up and rev out a big cloud...leave it on for 5-10 min to get the rest of it out and enjoy the magic of seafoam...

heres the vid...sorry it's upside down that's the only way i could get my phone to sit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ePZ8qC22s8

[B18b1ex]

use the hose you have circled in the 2nd picture. i unplugged that, added a large wide straw, and electrical tape for a temporary seal. start to suck up the seafoam slowly so you dont shut it off. if your's does the same thing mine did...it will rev up the rpms and back down again...don't worry itll return to normal when you plug it back into the booster. otherwise get it all in there, let it run for a minute, then shut it off for a couple of minutes. start it back up and rev out a big cloud...leave it on for 5-10 min to get the rest of it out and enjoy the magic of seafoam...

heres the vid...sorry it's upside down that's the only way i could get my phone to sit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ePZ8qC22s8

Are you sure it has no effects on the cats? That is a lot of smoke.

[two2]

you're suppose to increase RPM to 2,000-2,500 while you seafoam via vacuum or intake..

[amoujaffar]

as far as i know and in my experience, no harm comes from seafoaming (properly haha.) IMO the more smoke then the better, the 1st time i did my passat it was 3 times as much, but ran soo much better after. oh btw. last night i drove a little mix of city and freeway and pulled off 25.5 miles per gallon...so yeah I'm convinced

[04v8s4]

I've used Seafoam before on two of my cars...and I can say that the stuff seems to work. It increased the idle quality and throttle response on my 5.0 Mustang and improved the gas mileage slightly. There was only about 20k miles on the new motor at that point.

I have been contemplating running seafoam through the S4. The car has 50k miles on it now and I can almost guarantee it's never been done. Thanks for the post.

[amoujaffar]

if i could seafoam every month...i would haha

[kbjy11]

not sure about using the brake booster... if you see where it goes to the engine.. it goes into the pass side head... so i think you'll only clean out 4 out of 8 cylinders..

Instead i used the vac. line right behind the TB and dead center in the engine...

You can unhook it from a check valve near the pass. side headlight..

Just did it, got a smoke show.. haha.. hopefully it helps my crappy mileage..

spark plugs, air filter, and oil change tomorrow!

[mgikone69]

i know im resurecting the dead with this thread but any updates on what is the proper hose to use. can anyone outlin the hose by the pasenger side headlight? or another suitable one?

[B6JoeS4]

DON'T USE SEAFOAM ON YOUR CAR.

That shit has been proven to do nothing but create a smoke show. Read up on it on BITOG. It's great for some things but transforming an engine is not one of them

If you want stuff that works, use a product called Kano Kreen made by Aerokroil. I don't have the balls to use it on my car.

[mgikone69]

kano kreen sounds interesting, sounds kinda hardcore lol. ive always used seafoam, more of preventative maintainance than miracle solution, i never expect instant results, but i figure if done several times throughout the life of the car could help. only 10 bux a can, so no real loss

[redls1bird]

Stop and think about this. A company sells some shit in a can that you can add to your oil, to your fuel, or suck directly into your intake. No matter how you "apply" it, they say it will help. Now heres the thinking part: Would you put gas in your oil? How about a quart of oil sucked directly through your vacuum lines? I hope not.\

There is no cure in a can. Nothing beats routine scheduled maintenance and using the proper fuel and fluids.

Oh, and btw, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DONT SUCK THIS SHIT THROUGH YOUR BRAKE BOOSTER LINE. First of all theres a check valve in there to keep pressure on the booster and I'm pretty sure its not supposed to be handling liquid. Second of all, if you want to put LIQUID directly into your intake, dont use the BIGGEST hose you can find to suck it in there. Just saying.

[madkimchi]

yep got pulled over right after using seafoam on my old beater. officer said "your car is smoking.... A LOT" showed him the bottle and told him it will burn off within next 5 min then he let me go. i did it at like walgreens parking lot and it filled the entire parking lot with smoke!

[Mr. Corey]

yep got pulled over right after using seafoam on my old beater. officer said "your car is smoking.... A LOT" showed him the bottle and told him it will burn off within next 5 min then he let me go. i did it at like walgreens parking lot and it filled the entire parking lot with smoke!

hahaha nice ^^^ I tried this stuff on my jeep it didn't seem to do anything.........

[dparm]

Kreen, Sea-Foam, and other similar products should only be used on neglected motors. A car that saw regular oil changes with a quality synthetic shouldn't need this stuff.

If you must use it, change the oil out immediately afterwards or you will just be pumping all that crap right back in....like built-up carbon that can score cylinder walls.

[Euro4LifeMkVI]

So what about the oil and carbon buildup inside the manifold and most likely on the intake valves, considering these motors burn oil regularly...? Sa e reason dealerships perform throttle body, induction, and fuel injection system cleanings.
Still no logic to this?

[dparm]

So what about the oil and carbon buildup inside the manifold and most likely on the intake valves, considering these motors burn oil regularly...? Sa e reason dealerships perform throttle body, induction, and fuel injection system cleanings.
Still no logic to this?

Those are unfortunate byproducts of EGR/PCV/other emissions systems.

And no, these motors do not "burn oil regularly". That's a terribly inaccurate generalization.

Again, Kreen and Sea-Foam are like nukes for cleaning motors out. Totally unnecessary on these cars unless you or the previous owner was a complete moron who neglected and beat the shit out of it. If you think the car is really THAT down on power, then yes, pay for a BG44K treatment or whatever.

[FastEddie]

I was told its good preventative from carbon build up on our cars. I know a certified mechanic who does it quarterly on his WS-6 DD/track car and swears by it.

[Euro4LifeMkVI]

Those are unfortunate byproducts of EGR/PCV/other emissions systems.

And no, these motors do not "burn oil regularly". That's a terribly inaccurate generalization.

Again, Kreen and Sea-Foam are like nukes for cleaning motors out. Totally unnecessary on these cars unless you or the previous owner was a complete moron who neglected and beat the shit out of it. If you think the car is really THAT down on power, then yes, pay for a BG44K treatment or whatever.

So everyone who says these engines consume oil are mistaken? We know the valve covers and timing case seals leak, but if they're only seeping, and more than a few of us experience the need to add oil between regular service.... Where're the inaccuracies?
So basically if you use premium fuel and drive normally, change oil regularly then your engine must just be clean as a whistle and never need anything else.
These poor moron technicians why would they lie?....
Lol
ThankGod we have professionals like you here too warn us of the snake oil.

[dparm]

A bit of oil consumption is not necessarily a bad thing. If the car is gulping several quarts between changes then yeah, it's got problems. My car needs about 1/2 L between changes (every 5K). It's fairly consistent in that regard. Actually, topping off the oil helps replenish the additive packs and keep viscosity/fuel dilution/flashpoint in check.

My point is that thinking you need a product like Sea-Foam or Kreen is going way overboard and might even cause more problems than it solves. But if the car was really neglected then you might need to do something drastic. My recommendation is merely to use that product as a last-resort, and to be prepared for any problems it will cause.

By the way, no one accused technicians of lying, but note that Audi does not have a service interval for fuel injection cleaning, intake manifold cleaning, etc.

But hey, it's your car, do what you want. You're really distorting what was said earlier in this thread.

[Euro4LifeMkVI]

I guess its difficult distinguish why some people swear by it and some don't. I've heard it both ways on this engine in particular. I had a B6 S4 with 58k with just an intake and now have a B7 with 70k, with newer plugs and a catback.... It feels a little slower yet more responsive. Granted there are a ton of factors/ variables; Aside from cleaning the MAF, I'm always looking for anything that I can do to keep this engine in the cleanest best performing condition, especially with horrid gas prices and even worse fuel economy.

[jlink38]

I guess its difficult distinguish why some people swear by it and some don't. I've heard it both ways on this engine in particular. I had a B6 S4 with 58k with just an intake and now have a B7 with 70k, with newer plugs and a catback.... It feels a little slower yet more responsive. Granted there are a ton of factors/ variables; Aside from cleaning the MAF, I'm always looking for anything that I can do to keep this engine in the cleanest best performing condition, especially with horrid gas prices and even worse fuel economy.

Just don't put another intake on the B7... totally unnecessary.

[dparm]

Periodic treatments with a PEA-rich fuel cleaner like Redline SI-I, Amsoil PI, Gumout Regane, or Chevron Techron Concentrate will keep the fuel system clean (along with getting name-brand gas as often as possible).

[Das Audi]

Periodic treatments with a PEA-rich fuel cleaner like Redline SI-I, Amsoil PI, Gumout Regane, or Chevron Techron Concentrate will keep the fuel system clean (along with getting name-brand gas as often as possible).

This guy knows his shit........