Part II
OK. So now I have Seafoam sitting around. I also have a 21cc "Weedeater" string trimmer sitting around. The trimmer sits because it won't run. Since I moved 2 years ago it has never run. I have only tried twice before to make it run, because I'm not surprised it doesn't run. I expect it not to run. For 7-8 years I have run mixes of varying ratios, with whatever was at hand: mostly 30W oil, and 2-stroke outboard oil. Never once have I drained the tank over winter, or discarded the mix I used. It is quite possible I drew fuel from the same can for 3-4 years (I'm not a big fan of trimming). In short, it should have died a long time ago.
On August 9th, my mom came to visit. I got the from mowed, but not the back because I somehow managed to bend the rinky-dink blade that came with the rinky-dink mower that came with the house. If you are starting to get the feeling that i treat my lawn equipment and my chainsaws differently, I would like to take this opportunity to point out that you are absolutely correct.
On August 11th, my wife gave birth to a baby girl. This was not a surprise, and the reason my mom came to visit in the first place. Since that time, the lawn in the backyard has taken on the appearance of the plains of the Serengeti. Remember the rinky-dink mower? No match for that hayfield. I needed to weed-whack before I could mow, and the obituary for my weed-whacker had been written 2 years previously.
It doesn't take Nostradamus to figure out the rest of the story. I had Seafoam, a dead trimmer, and the memories of more than 100 posts saying Seafoam would save my trimmer and cure my jock itch in the process (did I mention it was humid in SC?). I also have a workbench with some Stihl trimmer parts on it, but that's a whole 'nother thread.
There was about 4 oz of old, stinky mix in the tank. I added an equal volume of Seafoam, with the intent of getting some into the carb and letting it sit overnight. To that end, I pushed the primer bulb a few times, and started pulling the chord. To my surprise, the engine coughed on the 5th or 6th pull. With one eyebrow locked in the raised position, I put the choke on and pulled again. It coughed again. I took the choke off, and pulled again...
Now both eyebrows were raised. The trimmer was running, puffing out that beautiful white Seafoam smoke. I could do nothing but stare. After about 10 seconds, the thought crossed my mind that it shouldn't run with that much Seafoam. The trimmer ignored my reasoning, and kept running.
After another 20 seconds, another thought crossed my mind (probably a search and rescue mission...it isn't often that thoughts will venture forth into such a barren space): there can't be enough light oil in the Seafoam to prevent lean running. That thought also died in vain. I was mesmerized. Eventually I gave up waiting for the trimmer to die, pushed the kill switch, set the trimmer down, and walked into the house, shaking my head. I didn't want to drink the Kool-Aid, but had unwillingly filled the glass and was holding it in my hand.
The next day, predictably, once the tank was drained and re-filled with fresh mix, the trimmer ran like a champ. Yes...it ran better than it had in a long time. Can I quantify "better"? No. But...those of you who have been similarly neglectful of lawn equipment will know what I mean when I say that I no longer felt sorry for it when it was running.
Did the Seafoam salvage my dead trimmer? Can't say for sure. My preconceived notions of why I had trouble with it in the first place are the only reason for me to think that Seafoam was the saving grace. It sure could be coincidence.
If my trimmer tale is enough to convince you to use Seafoam, then you are soft-headed. It was enough, however (given my own spongiform encephalopathy), to convince me to keep using Seafoam instead of plain isopropanol to deal with watery fuel. In short, I have not been convinced that the benefits are real, but I have been convinced that the benefits are a possibility.
To keep things on topic, I will confess that my 40:1 Bailey's synthetic mix now contains 2oz of Seafoam in each gallon, and my chainsaws haven't registered any complaints.
If you can't shame me off of my scooter, there is no way you can make me embarrassed about using Seafoam.