Carb cleaning Options ?????????????????

[00.]

WOW, well I got a lot of responses.... cool

Yeah I think different cleaning options can be a pain.

So it looks like everyone is likeing the option #3 (the old school carb enviromently toxic carb dip) I have used this before, and it really sucks to work with smells like **** and the worst part is that the smell tends to hang around for about a year... Does anyone know of good carb dip, the "gung carb dip" sound like it might work well, I aggree its not about what the carb looks like from outside its all about how well the little passages get clean on the inside.

I have used pinesol and it works very well but I don't think it cleans the inside of the carb all that well but it works very good overall and it smells great too, I have used pinesol many times and works well but when I did the honda cbx carbs pinesol did not work too well because of the very small passages in the carb, so I had to use that nasty carb dip for the cbx carbs. But either way let me know if you got any other good ideas...

 

[Steve]

...and the worst part is that the smell tends to hang around for about a year...

Then you must not be using it right. :-s

When I do a set of carbs, I get all the parts for one carb ready to dip, open the can for about 30 seconds to put all the parts in, then close the can.

A day later, the can is open for less than a minute again, while getting the parts out, then closed while I carry the parts to the sink for a HOT water rinse. The can is open for a few seconds again when I put the second carb's parts in, and so on. Except for the few seconds that the can is open and maybe for a couple of minutes after, there is no discernible odor, not sure what you are doing to get it to hang around "for about a year". :-k

I have used pinesol and it works very well but I don't think it cleans the inside of the carb all that well but it works very good overall ...

Make up my mind for me. Does it work or not?

First you say "it works very well", then you say "I don't think it cleans the inside of the carb all that well", then you end up with "but it works very good overall".

.

 

[00.]

The carb bodies smell even after you rinse them with water,,,, when I put my nose next to my carbs I can still smell the carb bodies year later, its as if the carb cleanner became part of the carb bodies.... if the bike sits in the garage for a while I can smell the carb cleanner in the garage. The carb dip can is no problem that is left outside and closed, and I clean the carbs out side so no worries on that....

Pinesol works great, it brakes up a lot of dirt in the passages but not in very small passages, non of the suzuki gs carbs have such small passagess as the honda cbx carbs, the honda cbx carbs are the only carbs that I have not been able to clean with pinesol mix, all the suzuki gs carbs never gave me a problem when I clean them with pinesol....

I guess I'm just looking to see if there is any stuff out there that does magic on the carbs, sometimes people have great mixes of weird chemicals that end up working great.....

What about the $2000 utlrasonic machines? not the $100 cheep machine, that works like crap, I know from experience since I bought the $100 crap machine

 

[SVSooke]

Hope you're not in Canada, or at least not in BC. Good carb dip is out of the question.

Not quite true,you can get this stuff:

Looks evil and smells worse but works great.Ate all the varnish and stuff off the 1000's carbs very nicely.Pretty much had to insist on getting it at the auto parts store.

 

[00.]

bump bump bump

 

[tkent02]

Who has used the ultrasonic cleaner?


Does it work very well?

 

[Agemax]

Who has used the ultrasonic cleaner?


Does it work very well?

i use an ultrasonic cleaner for carbs and other bits and pieces and get very good results. i am however still experimenting with different solutions to obtain the best and most economic results

 

[Guest]

#3 ..... after 8 sets of carb rebuilding/cleaning with no issues, works great. But a good cleaning with warm water is a must.

 

[john82q]

quickest and easiest,

quickest and easiest,

So if you dont care how the outside looks, but you want it to work.
and you want it done by lunch time.

use acetone, nail polish remover is a cheap source. but you need to observe the following points.

- MOST IMPORTANTLY , you need to understand how the carb works and where all the passages go, its not that hard, and is documented in some of the service manuals. GSX750 of note.

- fully dissassemble
- you need new o-rings
- use a squeeze bottle and squirt though each fuel and air passage untill it is clear. (if you dont know how to tell its clear this is not for you)
- soak things like jets and diffuser, which you did remove.
-rinse with carb cleaner, and blow out with air
- lube orings with oil while assembling, so you dont pinch them.

A bank of 4 can be done in 2 hours, or less. (if you know how)

I know some very experienced and knowledge people, are at great pains to advise the dipping method, but that does not involve understanding the carbs operation.

 

[Nessism]

So if you dont care how the outside looks, but you want it to work.
and you want it done by lunch time.

use acetone, nail polish remover is a cheap source. but you need to observe the following points.

- MOST IMPORTANTLY , you need to understand how the carb works and where all the passages go, its not that hard, and is documented in some of the service manuals. GSX750 of note.

- fully dissassemble
- you need new o-rings
- use a squeeze bottle and squirt though each fuel and air passage untill it is clear. (if you dont know how to tell its clear this is not for you)
- soak things like jets and diffuser, which you did remove.
-rinse with carb cleaner, and blow out with air
- lube orings with oil while assembling, so you dont pinch them.

A bank of 4 can be done in 2 hours, or less. (if you know how)

I know some very experienced and knowledge people, are at great pains to advise the dipping method, but that does not involve understanding the carbs operation.

Are you removing the throttle shaft, butterfly, and throttle shaft seal? If not, you risk seal swell because of the acetone. For that reason I don't recommend acetone of lacquer thinner for cleaning carbs since removing the throttle valves is not recommended.

 

[john82q]

what part of;
-- fully dissassemble
did you miss?

usally the screws are rivited or loctited so removing the butter fly can be hard, and you need new screws.
if you have no idea how to remove a screw thats riveted or loctited,, this is not for you.

since removing the throttle valves is not recommended.

Just where do you get a statment like that?
Just how are you going to inspect the shaft for wear and replace the seals, and thus eliminate a most probable air leak if you dont. it is detailed in service manuals...Must voice caution, not all carbs are the same...

Alot of the crap people soak carbs in could swell the seals to.

not sayin one ways better, or anything, just another way.

 

[Nessism]

what part of;
-- fully dissassemble
did you miss?

usally the screws are rivited or loctited so removing the butter fly can be hard, and you might need new screws.


Just where do you get a statment like that?
Just how are you going to inspect the shaft for wear and replace the seals, and thus eliminate a most probable air leak if you dont. it is detailed in service manuals...Must voice caution, not all carbs are the same...

Alot of the crap people soak carbs in could swell the seals to.

not sayin one ways better, or anything, just another way.

In my experience having hung around here since 2006, I can only remember one instance of a throttle shaft seal failing, and have never heard of a worn shaft. There is far greater risk with removing the butterfly screws than leaving them alone. If commonly available carb dip is used there is virtually no risk with damaging the seals so why mess around with trying to remove the shafts and using acetone?

 

[exdirtbiker]

No one has mentioned Simple Green ???
a gallon super-hot water and a cup of SG did about 80% of what Berrymans did.
AND it worked better at getting the bowl gasket off the bottom.
AND it revived the original orange rubber cap gaskets ( if I had known the aftermarket gaskets were sooo crappy, I could have re-used the originals.)

 

[Nessism]

Carb dip is significantly more effective at removing varnish and grease/grime than Simple Green. It also smells worse and is very harsh on skin so always wear gloves when messing with the stuff.

 

[exdirtbiker]

Oops, I failed to mention I did the hot SG ... then berrymans. the bodies were dirty enough to need a "pre-clean" so I didn't get my bucket-o-dip full of dirt on the first use.

 

[john82q]

not as common or as cheap

not as common or as cheap

If commonly available carb dip

not as common or as cheap,how often do we read about people that cant find the brands mentioned on this site in California, Canada or Australia. 500ml nail polish remover $14 is more than enough any, supermarket

I can only remember one instance of a throttle shaft seal failing

that you know about, read all the posts about people that dip their carbs 2 or 3 times and still have trouble and give up.

why mess around with trying to remove the shafts and using acetone

my answer

and you want it done by lunch time

 

[Guest]

The carb bodies smell even after you rinse them with water,,,, when I put my nose next to my carbs I can still smell the carb bodies year later, its as if the carb cleanner became part of the carb bodies.... if the bike sits in the garage for a while I can smell the carb cleanner in the garage. The carb dip can is no problem that is left outside and closed, and I clean the carbs out side so no worries on that....

Pinesol works great, it brakes up a lot of dirt in the passages but not in very small passages, non of the suzuki gs carbs have such small passagess as the honda cbx carbs, the honda cbx carbs are the only carbs that I have not been able to clean with pinesol mix, all the suzuki gs carbs never gave me a problem when I clean them with pinesol....

I guess I'm just looking to see if there is any stuff out there that does magic on the carbs, sometimes people have great mixes of weird chemicals that end up working great.....

What about the $2000 utlrasonic machines? not the $100 cheep machine, that works like crap, I know from experience since I bought the $100 crap machine

What are you doing sniffing your carbs??

 

[Toasty]

+1 on using Carb Dip. It's not that expensive and if you're going to take the time to strip the carbs you might as well do it right the first time. You're not saving any time or money of the simple green/pine sol dip doesn't clean out the tiny passages and you have to do it again.

 

[Nessism]

not as common or as cheap,how often do we read about people that cant find the brands mentioned on this site in California, Canada or Australia. 500ml nail polish remover $14 is more than enough any, supermarket

that you know about, read all the posts about people that dip their carbs 2 or 3 times and still have trouble and give up.

Good gravy man, the reason people have to tear into their carbs two and three times is because they short cut the cleaning process and don't do it right the first time. Pulling out the throttle valves would roughly double the complexity of a procedure that many people struggle with as it is. When you consider that carb dip doesn't hurt the seals, and the seals rarely cause problems, then the decision to leave them alone is a no-brainer.

For countries where carb dip is unavailable, Yamaha sells a water soluble concentrate that mixes with water. There are also various other alternatives as mentioned in this thread. Bottom line: stay clear of acetone to clean carbs.

 

[Big T]

i use an ultrasonic cleaner for carbs and other bits and pieces and get very good results. i am however still experimenting with different solutions to obtain the best and most economic results

I just used an ultrasonic filled with petrol to boil out the stuck slides in my latest VM set

Set it outside and didn't use the heater (since the ultrasonic genrates heat) Took about 1+ hour /each to get them free. Not much petrol left when we were done

My friend, who's ultrasonic we were using, is still experimenting with different solutions also

To the OP, the reason the carbs still smell after a dip is that the zinc alloy the bodys are made from is pretty porous. I'd rinse in hot water, then gently boil the bodies in hot water with a dash of SG to finish. The heat moves the solvent out of the pores and the SG surfactants whisk it away. Boil for 10-15 minutes and rinse again