When adding seafoam to the oil, how long should I let it sit in there before I change it out? A hundred...few hunderd...thousand...few thousand?
Herman. The can should have directions on it for oil applications.
I know sea foam says you can do that, BUT I'm not sure if I would because it's going to thin out your oil. So you definitely only want to run it for a few minutes and then change it immediately. Do not go on a ride you could do damage.
And then there's the age old question of what does the Seafoam that remains in the engine do to your clean oil? Does it break it down?
Remember Seafoam is a petroleum product... I believe the Seafoam page with this type information was posted on the forum by someone.
Edited to add the Seafoam link, http://www.seafoamsales.com/motorTuneUpTechGas.htm
I'm a big fan of Seafoam but I don't know if I would use it in the oil or not. On older bikes or bikes with more mileage it may break up any buildup and cause bigger problems. A bike with less mileage shouldn't have as much of a problem with it so I would use it with caution til proven otherwise.
I agree with Jeff. All engine crankcases will have deposits that build up over time. Mostly these deposits are tucked away in corners away from oil flow and they are doing no harm.
By adding any type of solvent you risk breaking loose stuff that wasn't hurting anything and putting it into places in the engine you don't want it.
Curtis
I still think one of the best ways to see what's going on and to clean out the junk is to pull the oil pan , inspect clean and replace. If it's clean don't worry about it , If it's pretty dirty clean it ,put it back together and run a couple hundred miles and check it again. You'll get a pretty good idea of whats going on.. Just my two cents worth.
I can't find anywhere on the seafoam website where is says how long to let it work in the oil...or on the seafoam can. I read on a couple car/truck forums to leave it in anywhere from 100 to 500 miles, and not to excede 1,000 miles. I also read that if you change your oil regurarly, you shouldn't ever have to worry about adding anything in it to clean things out (I change about every 3 to 4 thousand).
The only reason I was thinking about it is because there is a knock in the engine (a 97' with just ofer 16k on it) and my shifter sometimes doesn't want to come up all the way and reset its slef (although it's not happening nearly as often as it was before I took things a part to check it out...and found nothing). So I figured a little cleaning can't hurt...
A little off topic but as for filters I will use nothing but Mobil 1 M1-110. It filtering ability is much better then all other filters. So if the Seafoam loosens up anything the M1-110 will catch it.
UH OH the Knock hehehehe this is a Magna issue it is nothing as far as the shifter the oil you use has a alot to do with the shifter noise there are a lot of posts here that deal with the knock and the shifting you could try a different oil and see if that cures it.... Tune the knock out and ride heheheheheeh
Herman, Allen is laughing about the knock issues because I've had one since I got the bike with 1102 miles on it. I now have 18,000 and I still have a knock but it's running strong.
Just search the forums hear for the work knock and you'll see that I've tried everything under the sun to find it.
Actually, I believe I have finally narrowed mine down to being the clutch. When my bike gets hot the clutch area starts knocking. You can check this by using a screwdriver as a stethoscope and putting your ear up to it.
I'm going to replace my clutch in a few weeks with a Dave Dodge Kevlar clutch so let me go first and I'll let you know if my theory is correct.
As far as your shifter it sounds like you may be experiencing one of the quirks of the Magna. There's a thread on that too. In fact it was one of the first questions I asked. But basically if I stop fast or sometimes in general, it doesn't want to shift unless I let out on the clutch a little and then pull it back in. Search for the thread and see if that helps.
Well I did not want to name names :roll: :roll: :lol:
Hey. The knock IS there. I'm OK with admitting that. Herman just has super hearing like me.
The funny thing is, I can usually hear is better with ear plugs in when I'm riding...although I really only notice it when I'm either getting on or getting off the bike, the rest of the time I'm focusing on the road... and the redline :twisted:
I've posted a few times on the knock and shifter threads. The funny thing with the shifter, once I took things apart in there to give it a look over, I no longer have the issue with shifting after a quick stop, it just sometimes shifts from 5 to 4 and then doesn't want to come up again and reset its self. If I give it a little nudge up, it resets and is ready to down shift. No problems on the up shift, just down shifting...like the spring is weak or the shifter is too heavy. I did put on a new shifter pedal, but it worked fine for several months before the shifting issue came up.
As far as the knock, I'm not really that worried about it (I've been hearing it for over a year) I just have this itch to figure out what is causing it. I have a mechanics stethoscope, and it's the loudest where the right rear carb boot connects.
MagnaMan, I've got Dave's Kevlar clutch on my bike...and I've still got "the knock" although it sounds like our knocks might be in different places. Either way, the Kevlar clutch is worth it, knock or no knock. You notice a difference right away. I have had it slip on me a couple times, but it has only happened when I get on it good when the engine was still cold (like when I've been in a restaurant for a few hours and then take off like a bat out of 'H E double hockey sticks'.)
And I'll have to admit, I'm pretty anal/obsessive when it comes to noises.
Nick,
Not having a lot of experience with magnas, but just wanted to ask if when you took apart the shifter if you noticed any type of buildup inside the shaft.
Had the same problem with my old harley, just cleaned off the shaft and used some high temp red gear grease..never had any sticking or reset problems with my shifter after that.
Drew (AKA Screw)