Cincy is right, once the oil pick up tube is sludged up it has to be replaced. Its not just sludge too the oil pan goo that the factory puts on breaks off over time and gets clogged up in the oil pick up tube and seafoam won't do anything to stop that.

 

so do u recommend seafoam in the oil for 50 miles then drain and replace or autoRX in the oil for 2500 miles

i know some of those engine treatments have strong solvents that can mess up rings and seals?

 

ALL engine treatments can damage the bearings if you leave it in there long enough or drive hard like an idiot. The recommended driving length is 200 miles from seafoam but thats overkill IMO.
50 miles is more than sufficient of driving time to clean out the motor without any damage to the bearings.
Im not familiar with autoRX that much i would have to look into it, im a big fan of Marvel mystery oil as an engine flush though. [8D]

 

Anyone see the quaker state commercials? if you use quaker state you will prevent oil sludge.

 

Audi wrote 1.8t owners in August 1984:

http://www.autosafety.org/uploads/ph...iOilSludge.pdf

Use an oil that meets ACEA A3 and change it every 10K mi.,
and you will not get sludge.

 

Thanks for that linkcrazyhawk

 

Maybe my concerns are unfounded, but as far as I can tell, Seafoam is just a petroleum-based solvent, not terribly different from throttle body or fuel injector cleaner.

Personally, I think it's OK to put some in the fuel tank, but there are more sophisticated products like Techroline that work well for that. Sucking it into the intake system...I'd be REAL careful there since it's a liquid. I think aerosol's are safer and more effective because they won't pool in the low spots of the intake, and potentially hydrolock the motor. Aerosol throttle body cleaner is much a better product to use like the guy in that video is doing, IMO.

Putting it in the oil scares that crap outta me! I don't doubt that it cleans the system out - any solvent will do that - but I sure as **** wouldn't put any load on it.

Lubricants and solvents are related but very different things. Lubricants put a barrier between metal parts so they don't come in contact with each other. Solvents, on the other hand, are designed specifically to remove that barrier, which cleans the metal. Basically, mixing a solvent with a lube gets you a mystery substance with unknowable properties. If there's enough solvent in the lube to break down solids (sludge), there's enough in there to compromise the oil's ability to lubricate. No way around that, just simple physics. Point being, while your motor might get clean you could be adding a great deal of wear in a short period at the same time, especially if you drive it while it's in there.

I know Auditech79 knows what he's talking about, and I know that Seafoam is a popular product, all I'm saying is to be VERY careful if you use it. Like I said I personally would not drive the car with it in the oil. I would also be tempted to put a new filter on before adding it, to trap as much crud as you can before the bypass valve opens. I'd also start with a fully warmed engine and idle it for 5, 10, maybe 15 minutes at the most, then change the oil and filter while it's still hot. I'd rather do that every 2nd or 3rd oil change than risk the wear that's pretty much gauranteed if you put any load on the motor, or idle it for more than minutes with Seafoam inside.

BTW, yes I know that engine oil has some solvency to it, especially synthetics, but it's not the same thing. Oils also have detergents in them which help keep the motor clean but don't interact with their lubrication properties. The chemistry of engine oil is specifically (and very carefully) balanced to allow some solvency and detergent action without compromising it's ability to actually lubricate. There's nothing careful or specific about Seafoam in the oil; there's no way to predict how it's going to affect every engine and oil combination.

Heck, look at their product page, and what do you see? A large diesel truck with a motor designed for extremely high loads and occassional water in the fuel lines, and a boat which typically have motors that are designed to handle a significant degree of both oil and fuel contamination: http://www.seafoamsales.com/motorTuneUpTechGas.htm

What you don't see is vehicle powered by a sophisticated, lightweight, turbocharged gasoline engine that's designed for a lube with specific, predictable properties.

 

Use 1 1/2 oz of Seafoam for every quart of oil in the crankcase.
Drive 50 to 75 miles, and change the oil and filter.

 

Well your intitled to your opinion, which is well worth posting.
I believe doing or not doing the seafoam to a 1.8T will can possible end up with the same result.
If someone never uses it and gets nailed by sludge in the middle of nowhere (AKA AMZE) and doesn't want to tow it for 100 miles then the engine damage will be so severe that your gonna need to replace your engine anyway. But like i said im only providing information and guidance and your input isgood too kwsmithphoto

 

I would take off all the engine vent pipes and clean them so the engine can breath ( the PCVis the first thing to warn you of a blockage ) cheap oil and no oil filter change is the result, I wont show pictures because it makes me sick ( I have done in the past ) so do a search[:@]