Decarb tips

[2swift]

I have a 2003 Johnson 115 carbed 2stroke.
What are the Pro's verses Con's Of Decarbing and what do you use. Ty

[lugger]

i had a 225 ocean pro 1997 and every 100 hours i used the johnson decarb or the merc decarb spray that you spray into the carbs
and i used sea foam in every tank .
keep a eye on your spark plug gap . my 225 nedded them evey 100 hours or so , it states in the manual if you dont use someting like sea foam in your fuel to decarb every 50 hours

[mboy]

Can I just fll my racor up with seafoam and decarb that way?

[Reel-Rascals]

I decarb every 50-hours with my V6 OBs. If you don't do it ... you run the chance of smokin'a cylinder or more due to carbon build-up.

Thing is, EVERY comustion motor carbons up, some more than others, and some carbon is needed as the high-temperature lubricant for the motor ... but TOO MUCH causes the rings to stick.

I prefer the 'Dunk' method of 1 can of Seafoam with enough fuel to make 1-gallon, injested via a small aux tank. I'd put her into the water! I for one would NEVER perform a decarb sequence on a hose and muffs ... just not enough backpressure to the exhaust for me! Adequate cooling is another concern and I like to decarb at a high idle.

What I do (per Dunk) is mix 1 can Sea Foam to rest fuel to make a 1-gallon mix.

1) Run her 'in the water' tied to dock (NOT on muffs) for 1/4qtr the mix @ high idle (not to exceed 1500 RPMs)

2) Shut-off for 15-minutes and wait

3) Repeat steps #1 and 2 until done

Now DO NOT go out and just blast her to WOT ! Cruise around a bit @ headway speed for a while, then get on to plane and easy cruise for a while longer, then try some burst of higher throttle, and then up to WOT.

FWIW I use Seafoam in [red]ALL of my motors[/red] (SUV, boats, lawn & garden equipment, etc.) and have brought 'back to life' many a motor that was given to me 'for free' as people couldn't get them to run or stay running. This includes to date a weed whacker, chainsaw, and a $500 power washer! Every other year I'll even do the lawn mower, though those items with heavy duty cycles (snowblower) gets done once after each season of use.

I empty the fuel tank/line and fill the cylinder via the priming port with Seafoam and let it sit in the lines, carbs, and cylinder overnight. Next day, drain out ALL of it as you can, including pulling the plugs. Refill with fresh fuel and try starting, then if still running rough, inject some aerosol Seafoam 'Deep Creep" into the intank manifold. Run 'til she billows white smoke, shut off and wait 15 minutes. Start her up and maybe repeat if stalls.

When I did the Dunk method to my Ford Exploder, there was sooooooooooooo much smoke the neighbors called the Fire Dept! But, she started and ran better and fuel mileage went up a bit !

[Reel-Rascals]

One other thing ... since carbon is needed as a high-temp lubricant, I'd decarb a 2-stroke every 50-hours using the 'shock' treatment (Dunk) method.

If I ran a newer 4-stroke or new technology direct injected 2-stroke motor (anything with injectors), I'd probably use Seafoam or Ring-Free or ValveTec additive on a routine basis. Seafoam, of course, would be my #1 choice - as it is the 1st, the best, and the least expensive. Yam RF is a great product (I bet $$ no better than Seafoam) - but they sure don't give it away !