184 Burning Engine Oil

[outdoors4evr]

I don't think 2 weeks between running impacts the ring seating or performance.
The rings are supposed to "walk" (for lack of a better word) around the piston as the engine runs. Stuck rings cannot walk. If some rings are walking and some rings are stuck, then at some point, both ring gaps line up and there will be a significant oil burn and a lower compression on that cylinder.

[tucker86]

Let us know how the 30wt works. Plugs look better. I did notice seafoam May foul plugs. But the end result in gains is much better than before I started using seafoam.

Last weekend I topped off the oil before I cut the grass. It was a much cooler day than previously where it was in the mid 60's as opposed to around 90 and I also ran the motor a little easier, probably around 75% - 80% throttle. The exhaust smelled very clean compared to where it was prior to any Seafoam and it burned very little oil, perhaps 1/8" on the dip stick which is much better than last time (shown in the previous pictures). I am beginning to wonder if the cooler day along with lower engine demand kept the oil temps a little lower which reduced consumption? If this were the case, it would stand to reason that the multi-viscosity 15w-40 was running at a true 40wt on the hot day and on the cooler day it may have been less. If this is true, it would be an indicator that switching over to the straight 30wt would help verses the current 15w-40 I have in it.

I have one or perhaps two more times mowing before I'll be through the Seafoam treated tank of fuel. I was going to wait until I got through that before changing over to the straight 30wt and then run without any Seafoam for comparison. If the oil consumption from last weekend were the normal, I'll run it as is and just top off the oil from time to time and chalk up Seafoam for a win. I'm planning to run it tomorrow, so more to come.

[BigBill]

Sounds what we all been saying about the results using seafoam. It will get better as the rings free up and reseat. It’s not a motor job in a can but it will put off engine work for a while, maybe longer. My c60’s came to life using seafoam. They were sitting for years idle.

[Eugene]

I would continue with the SeaFoam for several gas tanks full of fuel.

[BigBill]

I would put some in the crankcase oil and gas tank. You could put less in it.

[tucker86]

Sounds what we all been saying about the results using seafoam. It will get better as the rings free up and reseat. It’s not a motor job in a can but it will put off engine work for a while, maybe longer. My c60’s came to life using seafoam. They were sitting for years idle.

I ran the tractor again last weekend with the motor running in the 75% throttle range. The tractor continues to run very well and with much cleaner smelling exhaust than before any of the Seafoam. Like last time, the motor did not seem to burn much oil which is encouraging to see again.

It looks like I have enough fuel for one more round of mowing this weekend. I am planning to change the oil and switch over to the straight 30wt after that. I have another can of Seafoam, so I think I will plan to do a standard crankcase treatment (according to the directions on the can) and continue the fuel treatment throughout the next mowing season. Assuming the oil consumption can continue to be like what I have seen the last couple times mowing, I am going to just top off the oil periodically and keep running it.

[outdoors4evr]

Winter is coming. You might want to put a multi-weight oil in there if you plan to run your 184 when the temperature drops.
10w30 or 5w30 is a good winter oil for a C60 engine.

[tucker86]

Winter is coming. You might want to put a multi-weight oil in there if you plan to run your 184 when the temperature drops.
10w30 or 5w30 is a good winter oil for a C60 engine.

I used the tractor again yesterday mowing my grass with it around 75% throttle again. I checked the dip stick today and it looks like I used no oil during the run yesterday! The last two times running the tractor it has used very little to no oil at all which is very encouraging.

In regards to the oil viscosity, I only use this tractor for mowing so it will not see any winter operation which is why I was planning to try the straight 30wt oil first with a standard (according to the directions) Seafoam treatment. Plus I already have a jug of straight 30wt sitting on the shelf too. Depending on how the straight 30wt works, I may consider giving the 10w-30 a try in the future. It would be nice to extend my oil temperature range a bit in the event something came up in the middle of winter where I needed the tractor.

[outdoors4evr]

If you do need to run it on 30wt during the winter, you could preheat the oil with a block heater, tarp and light bulb or some other method.
Just get it up to 45-50 degrees and then twist the key.

[Eugene]

My opinion since I only change the Cub's engine oil once a year. Lengthy tractor operations are when mowing. Cold weather operations are usually for a very short time.
I would wait on the engine oil change until things warmed up next spring. Condensation builds up in crankcase with high humidity and frequent temperature changes.

[BigBill]

Use a lighter weight oil in the cold weather like 5/30 or 10/30.

Looks like the seafoam freed the stuck rings, lubed the valves and guides, reseated the rings, cleaned the carbon, it’s good stuff.

[wrink3]

How does Seafoam react with things like front and rear seals? Anyone have any problems with those after using seafoam? You can't clean so many things without affecting non-metallic parts... Just curious

[tucker86]

How does Seafoam react with things like front and rear seals? Anyone have any problems with those after using seafoam? You can't clean so many things without affecting non-metallic parts... Just curious

I only have ran about one full tank of fuel through the engine since I added the Seafoam to the crankcase and fuel, but I have not noticed any change in the front or rear main seal as of yet. Additionally I have not noticed any change in in status of the tappet cover or front cover gaskets. I am planning to continue the Seafoam next mowing season as well, so I should be able to provide a more long term update in the future.

[Bob McCarty]

Seafoam has been around for a long time and recommended on the forum for a long time. I can't recall any posts stating that they had other than good results from using it to clean out carbon deposits, unstick rings, etc.

[BigBill]

I been using seafoam for decades now never a problem with seals. I run it in all my equipment. From tractors, welder.

My generator had a dirty carb from sitting. It was running rough. I added seafoam and let it sit. A while later the carb was running fine.