Carb Feels Rough, Metal Finish Gone (Post-Carb Dip)

[Legionnaire]

I don't know how to explain this, but I ruined my old set of carbs like this. Someone said that when I dipped my carbs in old carb dip it caused a chemical reaction on the metal. So I bought some carb bodies off eBay and dipped them and then washed the dip off with water and one of the carb bodies survived and the other got the same effect.

Here are some pictures to make things more clear:

(Left is good, right is what I am talking about)

Basically I thought it would be okay to use my old carbs before, but my pilot jets kept getting clogged because the metal was literally disintegrating and getting in the jets.

When I bought new ones I thought all this headache was over, but I guess, not please if anyone could explain that would be great!

 

[barnbiketom]

wow.. what kind of dip did you use . and better to ask.. how long did you leave them in?

I've read people leave them in 12, or even 24 hours.. I wouldn't do that with fresh dip!!

I use degreaser and water hose on them first outside to get rid of the big outside crap, then I dip them in Berryman's an hour, then wash and blow out passages with hose adapters hooked to the water hose.. , then another hour to make sure and blow out again. (actually then i put em in my ultrasonic too. just to see what happens.)

the more you use the dip, the weaker it seems to get and then it takes longer.

after it seems to loose it's effectiveness, I throw it away and get new. for 20 bucks, its a good deal.. It seems I get about maybe 12 to16 carbs dipped?? thinking back is hard but that's an estimate??

 

[Guest]

Dipped my carbs in Berrymans for 24 hrs, they came out fine. Nothing like that in the pic. What brand of dip did you use? How old was it? Was anything else dipped in it?

 

[Crankthat]

Is it residue?
Will it rub off with a little wd 40?

 

[Big T]

Try some soap, hot water and a scrub brush, like a nail brush and see if that residue comes off

It is residue, your metal is not disintegrating

 

[chuck hahn]

WD40 and some of those metal "tooth brushes" you buy at the dollar store. Ive had scale like that after Berrymans and its just that scale..scrub it off and be done with it. Some green dish scrubbies and a pair of hemostats to get into the tight places and around the outside of the bodies. I suspect they were well corroded when you got them from Ebay and the damage was done well before the dipping took place.

 

[chuck hahn]

The metal isnt disintegrating...whats happening is there is still scale up in the internal passages and thats flaking off and jamming up the works. Youve gotta get that scale out somehow. LOTS and LOTS of flushing with carb spray and more compressed air than you can imagine.

 

[metalman]

I don't know how to explain this, but I ruined my old set of carbs like this. Someone said that when I dipped my carbs in old carb dip it caused a chemical reaction on the metal. So I bought some carb bodies off eBay and dipped them and then washed the dip off with water and one of the carb bodies survived and the other got the same effect.

Here are some pictures to make things more clear:

(Left is good, right is what I am talking about)

Basically I thought it would be okay to use my old carbs before, but my pilot jets kept getting clogged because the metal was literally disintegrating and getting in the jets.

When I bought new ones I thought all this headache was over, but I guess, not please if anyone could explain that would be great!

Legionnaire.

Feel your frustration and not trying to hijack your thread. This is just one of many problems after recently having carbs cleaned, freeing one of the sticking slides. Hope it works out for you.

 

[loud et]

My carbs were crusty on the outside also. I finally ended using this

Harbor Freight stainless steel wire brush set(cheap, under 5 bucks i think) for my dremel to clean up the outside. These tiny brushes work great. The small cup brush is the best. Careful, the tiny ss wires fly off, I had half a dozen stuck in my face. Glasses a must.
Althought this does not solve your internal passages being clean/clear, it will surely clean up the outsides. 15 minutes each carb.

 

[loud et]

Installed:

Of course they will darken with time/weather. Look good long enough to get some "vanity shots" lol
Its probable a great prep for painting too.

 

[Legionnaire]

Okay so here is some more info:

Carb Dip: Berryman’s (BRAND NEW)

Dip Time: 4 hours, I have also dipped carbs for 24 hrs before and nothing bad happened at all. Plus I dipped each carb for 4 hours a piece and one was totally fine and one was totally messed up.

Also I tried on my old carbs I tried to scrub away the residue, and visually I got most of it, but yeah I must have left it in all the small passages, but the float bowl threads stripped out so I gave up on them.
The one thing that gets me is that you all say it’s residue, but wouldn’t the residue sit on top of the metal sheen. These things literally lose their metal appearance. They feel like stone with dust on top.

@Metalman: So yours feel the same as mine? I am at such a loss as to what causes this, it usually makes them feel rough and turns all the brass/shiny parts black too like the butterflys.

@Loud et: I will definitely give them a shot cause it seems as if you got the sheen to come back, but did yours have the same appearance as ours all rough and rock-like? PS: They look real purtyyyyy!

Edit: Would it be a good idea to fit the float side of the carb with the wire brushes because one is just full of gunk and I can't clean it up with a scrubby and carb dip...

 

[metalman]

loud et.

Those look absolutely great. Some clear coat or paint and no worries. Harbor Freight stainless steel wire brush set. I'd never of thought.

 

[metalman]

Legionnaire.

Mine feel like emery board and after cleaning slides with Deep creep and carb spray can not get a vacuum reading on Morgan carb tune. Only vacuum is revving high and letting off throttle. I be at a loss at the moment.

Try some Deep Creep and let soak then polish the rough out, don't know about the insides though.

before using deep creep.

now just stained.

 

[loud et]

Hey Legion.... yes my carbs had areas of that growth like corrosion after my dip. They were also dark grey and dull. All that stuff is just on the surface, the moment you hit it with the wire brush it all comes off and you have shiny metal. You will be surprized, it takes very little effort, just lots of nooks/crannies to hit.
As I said, the little 5 pack is only a few bucks. I would get 2 because the cup one is the most effective, followed by the strait brush (which was great for getting gunk/corrosion out of the tube/choke holes) and the other wheel brushes work for a few cracks/other areas.
I think its a winner. Please remember your safety glasses. I gurantee you will feel those wires hitting you in the face.

 

[Legionnaire]

Hey Legion.... yes my carbs had areas of that growth like corrosion after my dip. They were also dark grey and dull. All that stuff is just on the surface, the moment you hit it with the wire brush it all comes off and you have shiny metal. You will be surprized, it takes very little effort, just lots of nooks/crannies to hit.
As I said, the little 5 pack is only a few bucks. I would get 2 because the cup one is the most effective, followed by the strait brush (which was great for getting gunk/corrosion out of the tube/choke holes) and the other wheel brushes work for a few cracks/other areas.
I think its a winner. Please remember your safety glasses. I gurantee you will feel those wires hitting you in the face.

Okay I am just flabbergasted that it's all surface it literally looks like it destroyed the metal. Okay I will give it a shot! I should just wear my motorcycle helmet when I do it haha.

So these brushes aren't too rough to just go inside the carbs and stuff?

 

[loud et]

Okay I am just flabbergasted that it's all surface it literally looks like it destroyed the metal. Okay I will give it a shot! I should just wear my motorcycle helmet when I do it haha.

So these brushes aren't too rough to just go inside the carbs and stuff?

All you can do is give it a shot. I know that no chemical/liquid treatment is going to improve the surface of the carbs at this point. Abrasion is the only way now. Like someone elso said, even after a good and proper carb dip, most carbs have some scaly/corrosion on them.
And no, the brushes are not rough at all. Very feathery feeling when you put them to the carbs. I obviously still was gentle anywhere an o ring goes.
I look forward to seeing your results.

 

[loud et]

On another note, I used berrymans on my cylinder head when I did my rebuild. I kept basting it and keeping it moist with damp rags to get the oil/carbon build up broken down.That was good, but..... THEN I did the dummy move and tried to give it a soak in some purple power or some other general purpose house wash stuff. It was acidic and left a powdery chalky growth all over the head. And on the insides where there were shiny milled aluminum it turned it dark grey/black.
Took a lot of hand work to wire brush all that junk off the outside. I left the cam journals alone and other milled surfaces.
I feel your pain. ha ha As long as your carb internals are ok, you will make out fine. If all else fails there is always paint.
And honestly from your pictures, although they did change for the worse from before the dip, they dont look so bad.

 

[Legionnaire]

On another note, I used berrymans on my cylinder head when I did my rebuild. I kept basting it and keeping it moist with damp rags to get the oil/carbon build up broken down.That was good, but..... THEN I did the dummy move and tried to give it a soak in some purple power or some other general purpose house wash stuff. It was acidic and left a powdery chalky growth all over the head. And on the insides where there were shiny milled aluminum it turned it dark grey/black.
Took a lot of hand work to wire brush all that junk off the outside. I left the cam journals alone and other milled surfaces.
I feel your pain. ha ha As long as your carb internals are ok, you will make out fine. If all else fails there is always paint.
And honestly from your pictures, although they did change for the worse from before the dip, they dont look so bad.

Sheesh yeah man I will definitely give it a shot! Nothing can hurt them now...

That is a gnarly store, but it looks like your handy work saved ya. I don't really care about the outside at all, but I just don't want my jets getting clogged. So will those steel brushes get in the nooks and crannies? I feel like I am asking the same questions.. sorry!!

I thought most people would say that they look awful. That makes me feel better one of them is pretty good, but the other was already pretty grimey before things went south.

 

[loud et]

The brushes are mainly for the outside. For internal , as someone said, carb spray to get the product to the places inside and compressed air to blow it out.
Dont let the carb spray shoot ya in the eye!
If you spray it in one hole and it shoots out of another nicely, then you got it made. Just take note of passages that seem clogged or blocked. I am sure they are clear, or will clear easily.
Nothin to it, but to do it!

 

[Legionnaire]

The brushes are mainly for the outside. For internal , as someone said, carb spray to get the product to the places inside and compressed air to blow it out.
Dont let the carb spray shoot ya in the eye!
If you spray it in one hole and it shoots out of another nicely, then you got it made. Just take note of passages that seem clogged or blocked. I am sure they are clear, or will clear easily.
Nothin to it, but to do it!

Yeah totally! But I don't believe any of my passages are blocked they are just deeply coated in residue. My last carbs I boiled and degreased and scrubbed like crazy and when I would use a clean white paper towel to wipe and see if it left residue it was clean. In the end my bike wouldn't idle or turn on sometimes cause the pilot jets would get clogged from the "metal dust/residue"

I seriously think I have some sort of freak thing but I will try and clean it out real nice tonight. Ain't got nothing to do but to do it