Kerosene carb rack dipping???

[Kara25]

Hi just want to give my carbs a thorough cleaning I already removed all the guts from the carbs and I am thinking will a carb dip in kero do a good job or will it damage the aluminum inside the carbs and eat away any rubber? Particularly the T joint o-rings???

 

[Nessism]

Kerosene won't hurt anything but it's not the proper way to clean the carbs either. For one, the carbs need to be fully dissembled to clean them properly. Please check the Newbie Mistake and carb rebuild tutorials linked in my signature.

 

[xkaes]

This thread makes me ask a similar question.
I've cleaned my carbs in the past with the typical gallon paint can of carb cleaner -- disassembled of course. Time consuming and smelly, but I do it outdoors and it's not difficult -- you just have to do everything in order.
I have lots of kerosene. Can it be used as an alternative to regular carb cleaner? They both stink, but carb cleaner is much worse.
I might need to do some carb cleaning again this year, and it would be great if I could use kerosene instead -- I have five gallons of kerosene and only a half can of carb cleaner, so it would be nice if kerosene would do the job!!!

 

[Kara25]

Yeah of course they should be disassembled and they are EXCEPT breaking the carbs from the rack. Because I think my original question caused some confusion the real question is. Is kerosene harsh enough on metals or rubbers??? I know it can de-stink an engine bay easily using brushes but the carb shinny inside metal or rubbers I am not sure.

 

[Nessism]

The O-rings between the carbs on the rack are the ones that deteriorate most rapidly. That's one of the reasons it's important to ungang the carbs when rebuilding them.

Regarding kerosene, it's a good degreaser but I'm not sure how well it would work on carb varnish. It won't hurt metal, but if you don't listen and dip rubber carb parts I wouldn't leave them soaking for long.

 

[xkaes]

I don't know if I will be doing any carb cleaning this year or not. My guess is "VERY likely". If I don't hear any reason not to, after disassembly, I'll try cleaning one carb in genuine carb cleaner, and one in kerosene -- and report back at some point.

 

[Rich82GS750TZ]

I don't know if I will be doing any carb cleaning this year or not. My guess is "VERY likely". If I don't hear any reason not to, after disassembly, I'll try cleaning one carb in genuine carb cleaner, and one in kerosene -- and report back at some point.

I was just going to suggest just that, if you wanted to take the time. Documenting things like this is what has kept this site the great place that it is. Ed Ness's tutorial is the tried and true method of cleaning/rebuilding carbs. But if you want to take a different path, please document any successes or failures of your kero method - compared to the Berryman's method. No harm in trying, and maybe you'll discover something that no one else has tried, or at least bothered to document.

 

[xkaes]

I'm sure this isn't a "Marco Polo" adventure going down "a path never travel", but if I can't find out the results of someone else's mis/adventure, I'll try it myself.
Fortunately, I have two, so I'm all set when one is in "the shop".

 

[Kara25]

UPDATE. Split the rack soaked and agitated each carb with old toothbrushes first in white vinegar and then did the same in kero. Again the Kero amazed me like it did when I did a top end refurbish on the bike and cleaned the whole block with it. Carbs look like they have Been vapor blasted.! The trick is to agitate with soft brushes I think. If you are into cleaning stuff etc it?s very relaxing experience.

 

[xkaes]

Good news -- I guess.

There appears to be a lot of support for cleaning carbs with kerosene -- here is one thread from our sister Forum, "GSX-R":

https://www.gixxer.com/threads/kerosene-for-carbs.703210/

Lots of posts say that carbs typically have an outer clear coating that is destroyed by carb cleaner -- but not kerosene.

Any thoughts???

 

[Nessism]

There is no right or wrong answer regarding what solvent to use. Carb dip came to being because it's extremely aggressive with regards to dissolving old fuel varnish. Realize that we are not just talking about what you see on the outside of the carbs we are talking about the internal passages that you can't touch with a brush or similar. The junk they sell as "carb dip" today is a weak facsimile of the good $hit we used to be able to get. That stuff was HARSH, and awesome! Anyway, use whatever means are at your disposal, just make sure the interior passages in the carbs are properly cleared.

 

[Kara25]

Forgot to add that I have access to compressed air guitar strings and all that jazz regrading the innards of the carbs. I am very pleased with the result I may say that the kero even added some shine to the dull finish that the carbs already had. But keep in mind that I didn’t do the same procedure to the tops with the mikuni logo because they still have amazingly the shiny clear coat on them. Nessism quick question are the o-rings of the T fittings the common o-rings available on hardware stores or they are made from something special and fuel resistant cause I already have a Viton o-ring kit at my disposal

 

[Nessism]

Inside the carb rebuild tutorial are details regarding all the various O-ring sizes you will need. Buna-N or Viton are both good. Some people think Buna-N is bad but pretty sure that's what the original O-rings are made from and they last 40 years so...

 

[xkaes]

The junk they sell as "carb dip" today is a weak facsimile of the good $hit we used to be able to get. That stuff was HARSH, and awesome!

I've got a half a can of the OLD stuff -- and "HARSH" is putting it MILDLY. That's one of the reasons I was intrigued by an alternative, like kerosene -- PLUS, I would be able to save my left-over HARSH stuff for other nasty, de-greasing-type tasks. And, besides, the smell of kerosene brings back fond memories of my grandparents home out on the farm!

 

[xkaes]

Here are some thoughts from someone who tried the kerosene and other cleaning methods, and reverted back to regular, NASTY, carb cleaer (from the AUOZONE website):"I had a motorcycle that sat for 8 years. The gas never emptied. I removed the carb and it was full of varnish. I tried to soak it in kerosene, flushed it with brake cleaner. I used an ultrasonic cleaner... Put it back in the motorcycle. No bueno. I read about Berrymans Carb Cleaner and thought I’d give it a try. Followed the directions (which are simple). I didn’t even have to remove any plastic parts. Carb looked much cleaner... But would it run?? Yes it did! It literally ran like new.
If you have a varnished or dirty carburetor. Do yourself a favor and get this stuff first! It works! Be sure to read the instructions. It’s strong stuff and can do damage if not used properly"

Does anyone need my five gallons of Kerosene?

 

[Nessism]

Kerosene is a great degreaser. Suzuki recommends it for cleaning drive chains for example. It has similar cleaning abilities to mineral spirits (paint thinner.) Good stuff, but it may not be ideal for cleaning carbs that are varnished up.

 

[Gorminrider]

or gasoline....or stove oil, varsol, even diesel. These are All petroleum- based solvents taht do about the same job-removing soft dirty sludges with petroleum base...
Water and detergent can work too just flush all the detergent away.

Stove/furnace oil will do a good job cleaning a chain and is cheaper. It can be reused if you let it settle long enough, too.

But they do not ATTACK varnishes (where the petroleum-distallates have all evaporated). That's what the Berryman's is supposed to do. Likewise, (caustic) paint-removers, oven cleaners and more. All need careful watching and precautions. Some will eat the varnish and then the metal under it if you leave it long enough. Nowadays you can get "sonic" tools to get a little more action because just waiting for a static pool of fancy chemicals to do something is not always effective.

It's hard to resist using a guitar string or similar stiff wire to speed things up if you're careful....or eschew the seriously toxic. Recently one member even removed the brass plugs to get at the passages. I hope to never go to this extreme!

 

[xkaes]

My OLD metal can of carb cleaner has a metal basket it in. I should say "had". The bucket must be made of a different material than the bucket, because the solvent has already started to dissolve the bucket! That's how strong the stuff is!!!