Looking for suggestions, thanks guys...

Car: 1995 Civic w/ B16A3, 150k on motor

Problem: Added seafoam slowly to brake booster via a funnel. Gave minor throttle and added more generously, but still fairly slow. Car chugs and dies (oops, a little too much)

Go to start car... cranks, starts for half second, dies. It never once froze like it was hydrolocked, it woud continue to crank after. Pull plugs, crank, let sit for 45 minutes. Car won't start. I bought new plugs, car still won't start.

Let sit with the plugs out overnight, put new plugs back in this morning, car won't start. Cleaned old plugs, try them, no luck.

Suggestions? Car cranks without a problem, spins just fine, doesn't sound bad... just won't start.

 

damn homie i bought that **** and was ready to use it but now I am rethinking if I should just take the IAC out and clean the eshhh out of it. That eshh was expensive at autozone 12.99!!

 

Have you verified priming of the fuel pump and spark at all the plugs? Any CEL codes?
If those are fine, try replacing the engine oil. The Seafoam treatment may have reduced cylinder compression by thinning the oil.

 

Walmart sells Seafoam for about half this price.

 

wth is seafoam really? what does it do for ur motor? Ive been hearing about it for so many years and never thought about it untill now. Personaly i wouldnt ever put anything into my motor that didnt belong there ie. oil/fuel.

 

Bad stuff, it you have 100k+ I wouldn't do it. My rings were shot after I ran it, I changed the oil twice and only did it thru brake booster.

 

Click here.

 

yea but my question i guess is, is it really all that they say? or is this just another mighty putty type product that doesnt actually do anything or damage internals?

 

i heard its not good to use sea foam or oil system cleaners.

 

I think that Seafoam is for the most part an effective product for cleaning the fuel system and engine when used as recommended by the manufacturer. But I also don't discount reports by some who have had negative experiences with Seafoam. For whatever it's worth, I did full Seafoam treatments on both of my Civics at 100k+ miles without a problem.

 

What exactly is the brake booster? I didnt know seafoam should be used in the braking system?

 

Well it definitely worked, smoothed my idle, but also took my rings with it. This didn't happen instantly though, it kept smoking after seafoam, then got much worse after a month. So take it for what it's worth, but I'd rather take everything apart and clean by hand than run Seafoam and rebuild the motor sometime down the line


Brake booster line that goes to the IM, it sucks air in

 

spray carb cleaner into the intake while getting someone cranking the motor over.

 

I have used seafoam in the past, never had issue. Regardless, I do now - wether its seafoam or another issue, it doesn't matter to me right now.

To clarify, I only used through the brake booster, did not use in oil or gas.

Also, Plugs are new, plug wires are less than a year old.

I can hear the pump prime, I can hear the relay click when I try and start the car, I don't believe its a fuel issue but I don't know for sure.

I tried to see if my plug wires would arc to a grounded metal part, but it was so bright. I'll check again tonight.

What is the best way to determine that the car is sparking or not? And how would I go about this by myself?

It feels like its not getting spark to me, but I am not going to just assume until I can see for myself.

 

spray carb cleaner into the intake while starting it up..

to check for spark, pull a spark wire out and put a spark plug at the end. have someone crank it over and see if it sparks

 

your going to need two people for sure....one to turn key and crank motor, and the other too look for the spark...you cant to both at the same time by yourself...

 

are you out of gas?

 

i think if your engine is in good mechanical order seafoam is no prob (does what its suppose to) but if you had bad rings/walls to begin with the carbon buildup in your engine is probably helping it run ok (no smoke) and cleaning the carbon would just open all the sealed areas up and now you get oil through the rings hence the smoking and the getting worse after awhile. this is what i believe happens, someone correct me if im wrong.

 

Yes, I checked... I only wish it were that simple LOL

Will check for spark this evening. I can just put a plug in and see if it sparks? Doesnt have to be grounded?

 

if you using a spark plug. it will be grounded already
if its starting for half a sec, you are getting spark


like i said before get some carb cleaner/starting fluid and spray into the intake while cranking it over. you probably still have seafoam in the cylinder causing it not to start

 

You must ground the spark plug. Click here.

 

I'll give it a shot.

Thing is, I let the car sit without plugs in it overnight. I also cranked with no plugs to get any of it out... would there still be residue in there? Its been nearly 24 hours.

 

RonJ@HT - thats a great read, thanks!

 

I couldn't get any spark, ended up being the coil.

Fixed and replaced, thanks guys. Thanks RonJ, the link helped me tremendously!

 

so.....how'd the seafoam workout? not being an ***, really wanna know....