Do I have to drive 100 miles with Sea Foam in the oil? [SOLVED]
I put Sea Foam in my 04 Dodge Dakota 4.7 and let it sit overnight. In the morning, the oil had darkened and the lifter noise started to go away. I’ve only run it for 15 miles and I’d like to see if the lifter noise will go away completely. Do you have to run the engine for a full 100 miles or does it keep working when the vehicle is parked?
That’s a great question, Luis!
You do not have to run the engine for a full 100 miles, but you do want to make sure the engine has been run enough to let the Sea Foam circulate and clean. That’s the reason for the 100-300 mile recommendation before changing the oil. However, oil color is a better guide than mileage. If the oil goes very dark very quickly, go ahead and change it.
The Sea Foam will always be working in the oil, but the majority of the cleaning will happen when the engine is running and the oil is circulating.
Keep adding Sea Foam at the end of each oil interval, and it will progressively clean things up very well. Sometimes it takes a couple intervals for the lifter noise to go away, but as you are seeing it will definitely help with that.
Jim D.TECH
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