Best substance to clean tarnish off carb insides

[Suzuki Mad]

So far I have tried:-

Malt Vinegar 5%
Apple vinegar 5%
Bi-carbonate of soda
Coke
Carb cleaner

...and nothing is shifting this varnished old fuel from the carbs, jets and tubes.

Anybody else suggest something that will at least soften this off.

I know we cant buy Berrymans carb cleaner here in the UK so that's a non starter option.

This is what I am trying to soften off...

 

[hampshirehog]

Cellulose thinners will shift it no problem and you can still get a can easy enough.

No 3, left to right, looks like the cutaway is skewed?

 

[Spyder]

Acetone... I don't know how chemical laws work in the UK, but acetone will make short work of that. If that's not available, just go with a good carb dip, like Berrymans, or Gunk.

And yes, the second from the right looks a little bent on the bottom cut out. Like it was dropped.

 

[Suzuki Mad]

Cellulose thinners will shift it no problem and you can still get a can easy enough.

No 3, left to right, looks like the cutaway is skewed?

Cheers HH. I will see if I can get some.

Yes it is. The jet thread is also damaged now. I have a new one on order.

 

[Suzuki Mad]

Acetone... I don't know how chemical laws work in the UK, but acetone will make short work of that. If that's not available, just go with a good carb dip, like Berrymans, or Gunk.

And yes, the second from the right looks a little bent on the bottom cut out. Like it was dropped.

Acetone is more likely that Berrymans here in the UK.

It wasn't dropped. I had to get a little aggressive to get it out after 24 hours of soaking and thats where the damage occured.

 

[Guest]

If you can get a cheap ultrasonic I’ve heard placing them in a container full of gasoline in an ultrasonic will clean anything.

 

[Rich82GS750TZ]

EDGECRUSHER, I don't know if that's the wisest advice. I have no experience with an ultrasonic cleaner. But I have done some reading on their use and what to put in them (and what not to put in them.)

The Don’ts

To avoid damaging your cleaners (and your bodies), you should:

• Never mess with the electronic controls, transformer, or transducers on the unit, or try to do your own repairs. Ultrasonic cleaners operate under high voltage, and if you don’t know what you’re doing, you can damage the equipment and yourself. On a similar note, don’t spray down the outside of the tank, control box, or electrical box with water or other liquids. If the outside gets dirty, unplug the unit and wipe it down with a clean rag.
• Never fill the tank of an ultrasonic cleaner with alcohol, gasoline, or any other flammable liquids. They will vaporize, and could cause a fire or explosion, or release harmful gasses into the workspace.
• Never put any parts of your body into the ultrasonic cleaner while it is operating without proper protection such as thermal gloves and goggles. The detergents can cause mild skin irritation, and the cleaning action can cause discomfort. In addition, the operating temperature of the solution and tank can reach 160 degrees F, which will cause burns.
• Avoid putting chlorine bleach into the tank. Bleach does not promote good cavitation activity.
• Keep parts off the bottom of the tank. Setting parts directly on the tank bottom bottom increases the incident of cavitation erosion – pitting of the tank eventually causing the ultrasonic cleaner to leak . Use a basket, tray, or suspension system to hold parts in the unit.

 

[Suzuki Mad]

When I stripped the bowls off a few days ago....



....about 3 minutes with Nail varnish remover supplied by my daughter.... (its acetone in another form)



Cheers guy's.

 

[Guest]

You don’t fill the sonic with fuel. Just a container which you then set in the sonic. This is a trick experienced users use so they only have to fill the sonic with water which keeps it clean and in good condition. A small glass jar big enough for your parts is employed with your favorite noxious chemical. Of course caution is always smart whenever using anything flammable. A sonic doesn’t run for hours but seconds. You can afford to sit and watch it for a minute to make sure nothing happens.

 

[Grimly]

Cellulose thinners is trivially available in the UK. Contains acetone, xylene and all that good stuff.
https://www.brewers.co.uk/product/BN5502F just as an example. You can get it all over the place.

 

[Nessism]

The throttle shaft seals could be damaged by acetone so be careful what you dunk.

 

[Suzuki Mad]

I'm soaking jets, emulsion tubes, washer and pilots in acetone. I have the floats, float needle housing, float needle, screw, locating bracket and pin in white vinegar cleaning over night to get the worst of the varnish/old fuel off the carbs.

I washed the inside of the float bowls out with acetone to remove the sludge and caked on blackness from the old fuel and then washed stuff out. I wasnt going to go mad and shove it in the carbs.

I have used acetone one a paper towel and wiped the slide and needle clean making sure not to touch the diaphragm with the acetone as the slide and needle have a load of sticky fuel on them.

Then it's the carb bodies. They still have chokes in and mixture screws.

 

[bull958]

Not sure if its available in the UK, but Yamaha has a carb cleaner you mix with water that works great. Its a part of their Yamalube line. Maybe check that out.

 

[1948man]

EDGECRUSHER, I don't know if that's the wisest advice. I have no experience with an ultrasonic cleaner. But I have done some reading on their use and what to put in them (and what not to put in them.)

The Don’ts

To avoid damaging your cleaners (and your bodies), you should:

• Never mess with the electronic controls, transformer, or transducers on the unit, or try to do your own repairs. Ultrasonic cleaners operate under high voltage, and if you don’t know what you’re doing, you can damage the equipment and yourself. On a similar note, don’t spray down the outside of the tank, control box, or electrical box with water or other liquids. If the outside gets dirty, unplug the unit and wipe it down with a clean rag.
• Never fill the tank of an ultrasonic cleaner with alcohol, gasoline, or any other flammable liquids. They will vaporize, and could cause a fire or explosion, or release harmful gasses into the workspace.
• Never put any parts of your body into the ultrasonic cleaner while it is operating without proper protection such as thermal gloves and goggles. The detergents can cause mild skin irritation, and the cleaning action can cause discomfort. In addition, the operating temperature of the solution and tank can reach 160 degrees F, which will cause burns.
• Avoid putting chlorine bleach into the tank. Bleach does not promote good cavitation activity.
• Keep parts off the bottom of the tank. Setting parts directly on the tank bottom bottom increases the incident of cavitation erosion – pitting of the tank eventually causing the ultrasonic cleaner to leak . Use a basket, tray, or suspension system to hold parts in the unit.

That's how it works... The resulting fire burns all the gunk off and hopefully not the shed.

 

[Suzuki Mad]

Not sure if its available in the UK, but Yamaha has a carb cleaner you mix with water that works great. Its a part of their Yamalube line. Maybe check that out.

Padgets of Batley sell it.

 

[Nessism]

From carb rebuild tutorial...http://zeus.mtsac.edu/~cliff/storage/gs/Mikuni_BS-CV_Carburetor_Rebuild_Tutorial.pdf