I bought some Seafoam to put in my Rubicon's gas tank to see if it will help it start any better. Well, I was reading the can and it says 1 pint or 16 ounces treats 8 to 25 gallons. How do I know how much to put in the tank? I mean that is a pretty big difference. Could I cause damage by putting too much in? I was thinking around 4 ounces which would be 1/4 of it. Would that be too much?

How well does this stuff work? Will I be able to tell a difference using this stuff?

 

NO! you won't hurt anything.
The bottom of the range is for maintance and the upper range is for max cleaning. Hit it in the middle and see if it helps.

Not sure what you are refering to when you say, "starting problem"?

 

Whenever it is cold out, I have a hard time starting the Rubicon. I have to crank several seconds and once it does start, I have to stay on the gas or it will die instantly. It takes several minutes to get it going.

I don't know if this has anything to do with it but it needs a new cam chain. I have replaced the cam chain tensioner and it stopped for a while but it is back again. Would a loose cam chain cause it to start hard?

 

I love that stuff, I put 4 oz for 10 gallons in my sled.

 

I assume you are talking about a snowmobile when you say sled. I didn't realize those things had that big of a tank. Do they use more fuel than a atv?

Do you think 4 oz would be to much in my Rubicon? How potent is this stuff?

 

Yes sled need big 10 gallon tanks just to get over 100 miles, I would guess your ATV would have a 4 gallon tank maybe? I would but 3 oz in it.

I but 4 oz in my sled even when its running great, I would put alittle more if it was acting up. Seafoam made many rough running things run smoother for me over the years.

Never put it in my ATV but I will when I pull in out this spring.

 

The only drawback to putting too much Seafoam in the tank as far as I can tell is smoke from the exhaust.
I run the stuff in all our atvs and my lawn tractor. I also run it through my motorcycle as well.

As for your timing chain problem, a stretched timing chain can cause the valve timing to go off a few degrees and that could cause hard starting and poor performance.

If the chain is stretched, you need to replace both chain and sprockets as a set. I can see where the new chain tensioner would help for a while until the stretched chain would wear out the material on the tensioner.

Hopefully someone who knows more about these engines will come on here and give you some good advice.

 

Regarding hard starting:

The Rubicon has an electric carb heater. You might leave the key on for a bit before cranking it.

Are you using the primer **** on the side of the carb?

Lastly, the tension on the choke **** can sometimes need adjusting so the **** stays all the way out.

I dumped 1/2 a can of seafoam into the harley, and it seemed to help clean it out.

 

I have left the key on for a bit and I have used the primer **** and it didn't help that much. The choke is something I need to check on. It does not stay out by itself.

TLC, the Rubicon has a 4.3 gallon tank. I will probably put 4 oz in it since it probably needs a good cleaning.

Does it matter how I put the stuff in? Can the fuel tank be all the way full or should I fill it up half way, add the Seafoam and fill it up rest of the way? How long does the stuff take to work?

It is okay to add it directly to the fuel tank, isn't it? I googled this and most places say add it to the brake booster line but this is on vehicles. Just want to make sure.

 

To adjust the friction on the choke ****, grab the round housing and twist.

Just dump the stuff into the tank. You can jossle the quad around to slosh it and mix it if you feel like it.

Also, even slightly stale fuel can make the difference in cold weather starting. Fuel goes stale fastest in small quantities when it is exposed to air (like in the carb float bowl).

You might try shutting the gas off and running the carb dry when you park, or opening the float bowl drain.

Also, make sure the spark plug is good and not starting to foul.