sea foam....engine cleaner or car destroyer?

[steve]

i have an 83 c20 with a rebuilt 350 from 86.  i was thinking about using sea foam (it's supposed to cean the carbon deposits from your engine), but i've heard mixed reviews. my brother used it on his 93 camaro and he says his engine has never run so smoothy.  a friend of mine tried it on his 85 nissan 200 and now his engine burns oil.

so does it do more damage than it does good?  are the age/condition of the engine important factors to consider before trying sea foam?
i would love some help on this one!

[gmiles]

I work with a guy that used to run a Jiffy Lube. He swears by the stuff. Used it on his 95 Camaro and his Mustang Cobra and says it does the job with no problems.

[dumbucket1]

my 94 chevy corsica with the 3.1 had a fuel injector that wasn't working anymore. I tried sea foam as a last resort before taking the motor apart to put a new injector in. Well to my surprise the injector started working again and that was 2 years ago and about once a year I do it again just to make sure all the injectors stay working.

[VileZambonie]

Top engine cleaner works really good for breaking down carbon safely. If you use a product that could cause a chunk of carbon on top of your piston for example and it starts bouncing around inside the cylinder you can kiss your engine goodbye. A top engine cleaner should help safely remove carbon build up and will also lubricate the cylinder walls while it works. Make sure you change your oil after you use it though and you can pick up a can at any GM dealer

[cjtimp]

We use it in our shop....never had any problems. Really does work well, NOT a cure all or mechanic in a bottle by any means, but good PM and top engine cleaner.  Real good for engine that will be stored for a long period of time.

[steve]

hey thanks for all the help guys!...so basically you're saying this stuff is awesome and i should try it?