Carb dip alternative?

[bakalorz]

A completely different idea

Before I resort to buying a gallon of carb cleaner online, most of the parts places no longer stock carb cleaner near me, only NAPA does, but it's $90 a gallon! Too much for something that will probably only get used once every few years.

I've heard about boiling them in lemon juice, does it actually work? Short of that? I can try to get the Yamaha dealer nearby to rush out some of that Yamaha carb cleaner that you have to dilute with some water.

I used to fly model airplanes, and the engines would get all kinds of varnish and fuel residues on them.

The thing we used to do with them is put the whole engine in a crock pot and fill it with ethylene-glycol antifreeze (the old kind, not the new non-toxic stuff) and then turn the crock pot on overnight.

They would come out spotless.

If/when I do my carbs, this is what I intend to try first.

Some cautions:
Ethylene glycol is poisonous, you can't use the crock pot for cooking after this. You can't wash it out adequately, so don't even think about it.

Small children and animals are attracted to the smell of warm ethylene glycol, and will try to drink it. secure it so you don't kill all the neighborhood pets or kids.

(all that said ... I'm pretty sure ethylene glycol is less toxic than regular carb cleaner)

I would either keep the used antifreeze for another cleaning later or properly dispose of it when done. I would not recommend using it as antifreeze in an engine after getting it full of varnish/dirt

[supergrafx]

Already put the rings on the brass parts, and they're plenty clean and clear. I'm just worried about the carb bodies themselves.

After seeing what the lemon juice did to the original carb bodies' varnish, I was worried too. They are dull, the clear coat has completely come off. I'm not sure if this will make the carb bodies more suseptable to rust or not. Also, without the clear coat, maybe it's just psychological, but it seems like the metal is more brittle, probably not due to the clear coat, but just the metal used in the carb bodies period. But on a good note, if the lemon juice was harsh enough to remove the clear coat, it seems that it is good stuff. Perhaps dip each body in a jar of that B-12 after the lemon juice boil to get any pulp/citrus residue the water rinse missed. I have seen some key members pics of the carbs on their bikes and they stated that they dipped but their carb bodies are as dull metal looking as mine after the lemon boil, so I think the lemon juice works just as good as the berryman's. I would dip in berrymans though after to just make certain. Perhaps someone has insight on carbs losing their clear coat and rusting or not...?

[Rein]

After seeing what the lemon juice did to the original carb bodies' varnish, I was worried too. They are dull, the clear coat has completely come off. I'm not sure if this will make the carb bodies more suseptable to rust or not. Also, without the clear coat, maybe it's just psychological, but it seems like the metal is more brittle, probably not due to the clear coat, but just the metal used in the carb bodies period. But on a good note, if the lemon juice was harsh enough to remove the clear coat, it seems that it is good stuff. Perhaps dip each body in a jar of that B-12 after the lemon juice boil to get any pulp/citrus residue the water rinse missed. I have seen some key members pics of the carbs on their bikes and they stated that they dipped but their carb bodies are as dull metal looking as mine after the lemon boil, so I think the lemon juice works just as good as the berryman's. I would dip in berrymans though after to just make certain. Perhaps someone has insight on carbs losing their clear coat and rusting or not...?

Wouldn't Berryman's also eat away the clear coat?

[rustybronco]

Perhaps someone has insight on carbs losing their clear coat and rusting or not...?

They're not made of a ferrous material, they can't rust.

to the OP, clean hot water with a little dish soap, borrow a tooth brush and scrub like heck. rinse well with HOT water, blow dry, make sure the passages and orfices are clear and then assemble.

*** make sure the air box is sealed properly, carb boots attached properly...