Ultrasonic Cleaner?

[Christopher]

Hello Im considering purchasing an ultrasonic cleaner for carb cleaning my GS850GN recomission. Please give me any advice regarding ultrasonic cleaners - which size and brand, best cleaning solution, carb cleaning advice etc. thanks Christopher

 

[Nessism]

Unless you are willing to spend the big bucks for a name brand industrial unit, that leaves the china cheepies, sold under a multitude of different names, but all basically the same. I bought a 6L china unit, and it's never cleaned well. On top of that, the power boards burned out components, which were fixed, and a couple of the transducers fell off, which were reinstalled. Basically, a POS. My experience excluded, many people have had better luck than me. Don't expect Branson durability and performance, though.

 

[93Bandit]

I bought the 2.5L unltrasonic cleaner from my local Harbor Freight about a year ago. I have cleaned probably 15-20 carbs in it so far, some weren't too bad but some where really gunked up and clogged. The only cleaning solution I've used is tap water with some dawn dishsoap because it's non toxic, easy on the hands, won't harm rubber or plastic parts (that I'm aware of) and cleans really well. Overall it has worked very well, but I have a few complaints. First of all, the 2.5L is just too small, it's not deep enough. I have to flip most carbs several times while cleaning because they aren't full submerged. That gets annoying. Also, the timer on the harbor freight has a maximum of 8min run time. Most carbs need a minimum of 3 cycles and many benefit from even more. So I have to stay near it and keep turning it back on. That's really annoying. Once done in the ultrasonic cleaner, I still gently clean the jet orifices out with my torch tip cleaning files, and spray all passages thoroughly. This method has successfully rebuilt every carb I've attempted, no matter how bad they were. One in particular came from a gokart that was stored outdoors for years and was full of water/dirt/grass debris. I didn't think it could be saved but I was able to. That ultrasonic is truly a miracle maker in my opinion, and a necessity if you do much carb work. I used to use the can of carb dip to clean carbs. It works well but you have to be careful what you put in it and for how long you let it soak. I still have the can of dip, but after switching to the ultrasonic I haven't used the can since.

As Nessism said, the china made units are a real gamble but unfortunately they're the only affordable option for hobbyists. I've been fortunate in that the one I bought has worked well for me. I am looking to upgrade to the 6L. Harbor freight recently started selling a 6L version, it appears to be built in the same factory as the ebay/amazon ones. It's more money than the 6L ebay ones but if I wait for a cupon I will likely get it for nearly the same price and can pick it up same day. From what I can tell in images and videos, the 6L is the right size for most powersport and small engine carbs. It looks like you could fit two carb bodies from a GS in the 6L at a time, plus the longer cleaning cycle would drastically speed up the process for me. I will clean up the 2.5L and reassign it to firearm component and jewelry cleaning. Its the perfect size for that.

 

[Christopher]

Hey thanks Nessism and 93Bandit. Hey 93Bandit does the 2.5L fully submerge a single carb? Im not sure If you meant single or multiple carbs? Thanks Christopher

 

[oldGSfan]

I got one cheap that was big enough for a bank of carbs, it is Chinese and passed the aluminum foil test. I dunno, yeah it cleans but I'm not super impressed with it. I suppose it gets in places that are tough to get to otherwise, but I can clean better with a can of spray, rubber gloves, and various brushes and pipe cleaners etc.

 

[93Bandit]

Hey thanks Nessism and 93Bandit. Hey 93Bandit does the 2.5L fully submerge a single carb? Im not sure If you meant single or multiple carbs? Thanks Christopher

The 2.5L does not fully submerge a single carb, let alone a whole bank. It doesn't even fully submerge some smaller lawn mower carbs. Here's an image of one BS carb from my 850 in the cleaner.

 

[93Bandit]

I got one cheap that was big enough for a bank of carbs, it is Chinese and passed the aluminum foil test. I dunno, yeah it cleans but I'm not super impressed with it. I suppose it gets in places that are tough to get to otherwise, but I can clean better with a can of spray, rubber gloves, and various brushes and pipe cleaners etc.

I've read several reviews that say the cheap ultrasonics don't clean well, yet I've had the exact opposite experience. I'm not an electronics expert, in fact I know very little about the subject so take this with a grain of salt, but I have a theory. I suspect it has something to do with the size of the ultrasonic in relation to the transducer(s) used. I think my 2.5L uses 1 transducer which is sufficient for the volume. The larger ones I've seen use 2 transducers, both a 6L and a 15L. Being these cheap chinese machines are likely all built by the same factory, I wonder if they use 2 of the same size transducers in the larger units, regardless of volume. If that's true, I would think the larger the unit gets the less powerful it would be? I see the benefit of an ultrasonic big enough to clean a whole bank of carbs at a time, but for me I think the 6L would be the right size. Maybe a good balance between large enough to fully submerge 2 carb bodies at once while retaining enough grunt of the smaller 2.5L to do adequate cleaning.

I loathe scrubbing so I don't mind waiting on the ultrasonic cleaner to do it's job.

 

[Rijko]

I also have the 6L but it's not good for the inner passages, nor does a full carb bank fit in it.
And using the "wrong" cleaner in it may turn your carbs dark grey and/or have them corrode quickly (huge amounts of the white/yellow aluminium corrosion)
Carb material is different often so it takes some experimenting.
I now start at low temperatures, short time (35C, 30 min, i used to select an hour) in the cleaner,
and rinse and dry immediately.

 

[zed1015]

Can't give advice on the make as there's so many out there but you get what you pay for.
As for cleaning solutions - Plain old warm water in the tank is what you need.
It's the cavitation that does the cleaning and not any chemicals.
The utrasonic should be used as one of the last stages of carb cleaning after general solvent washing and degreasing etc as you normally would when cleaning carbs .
If you just drop the carbs in as is then any grease or soft deposits won't be removed as they simply absorb and dampen the cavitation effect..
Also the carbs bodies must tbe stripped bare of all components and not put in the tank complete so there's no real need to have a tank wide enough to take a full bank.

 

[Nessism]

This dude has a bunch of good ultrasonic videos, including how to build your own, and the weakness in the china units.

One thing I found interesting is the fact that if a transducer falls off, it typically gets damaged and needs to be replaced. It's not good enough to just reattach it. That may explain some of the problems I've experienced on my machine...

https://www.youtube.com/@BranchusCreations

 

[93Bandit]

If you just drop the carbs in as is then any grease or soft deposits won't be removed as they simply absorb and dampen the cavitation effect..

It's worked just fine for me, on multiple occasions. I've pulled carbs off engines that are covered in mud/grease/grass and disassembled and dropped them straight into my ultrasonic cleaner. They came out clean as new. I just use warm water with some dawn dish soap in it. Maybe I'm doing something wrong, or maybe I'm just lucky? :victorious:​

 

[Rijko]

...there's no real need to have a tank wide enough to take a full bank.

no real need, but in hindsight i would of bought one large enough to fit 4 bare carb bodies.
Saves 30 minutes each time, doing 2 at a time now.
Live and learn ... if i thought it important enough i would buy a bigger one.

 

[zed1015]

no real need, but in hindsight i would of bought one large enough to fit 4 bare carb bodies.
Saves 30 minutes each time, doing 2 at a time now.
Live and learn ... if i thought it important enough i would buy a bigger one.

I've had a 6ltr one for around 20 years now and do two bodies at a time too.
By the time i've prepared the first two and all their jets etc ready for rebuild the other two are ready for the same too so no real time lost.
The touch controls and timer etc packed up on it a few years ago and it will just keep going until you switch it off so was recently thinking of getting another bigger one while i'm at it but there's so much choice now it make it very hard to decide which one to take a chance on..

 

[Suzukian]

I would think using tap water would not be a good thing. You never know what minerals are in there. Seems like you could Tig Weld a lip around that tank and make it deeper. Probably would reduce the effectiveness though. I would try the D.I.Y. way, if I were to get into this. You can usually build something and get a lot more for your money than buying something ready made, if you have the tools and fabrication skills.

 

[93Bandit]

I would think using tap water would not be a good thing. You never know what minerals are in there. Seems like you could Tig Weld a lip around that tank and make it deeper. Probably would reduce the effectiveness though. I would try the D.I.Y. way, if I were to get into this. You can usually build something and get a lot more for your money than buying something ready made, if you have the tools and fabrication skills.

As I mentioned before, I've cleaned probably 15-20 carbs so far with tap water and dawn. I always immediately blow dry the carb with compressed air followed by a quick shot of carb cleaner through all the passages. So far I've not seen any ill affects, to the carbs or the ultrasonic. It's only been about a year, though. Maybe more time will reveal its not ideal???

 

[zed1015]

As I mentioned before, I've cleaned probably 15-20 carbs so far with tap water and dawn. I always immediately blow dry the carb with compressed air followed by a quick shot of carb cleaner through all the passages. So far I've not seen any ill affects, to the carbs or the ultrasonic. It's only been about a year, though. Maybe more time will reveal its not ideal???

I've been using tap water since i bought mine around 20 years ago and done hundred of carbs and other items.
Just be sure to blow out the passages etc soon afterwards and there will be no problems.

 

[1978GS750E]

I've been using tap water since i bought mine around 20 years ago and done hundred of carbs and other items.
Just be sure to blow out the passages etc soon afterwards and there will be no problems.

I've been using tap water without any issues for a few years also. I use tap water and Pine-Sol to clean carbs, then soda blast them to get them looking like new. I also use mine with plain tap water for disolving the residual soda, after I soda blast the carbs.

 

[Suzukian]

Were I live, the water is extremely hard. You have to run plastic piping, as it just corrodes everything. Ive had it tested, and it's supposed to be extremely good drinking water (I have a 500 ft. deep well, and live between two large ponds). I know that when I wash my cars, no matter what I use, the rinsing always leaves a layer of white dust. It almost blows away. When I worked in the aircraft industry, they had a department called "Chemical Milling'. It's how they make the windows for large panels. They dip the whole part in a Light Green plastic, cut a template, lift that piece out, and then cut out whatever shape they want to disappear by dipping it in the acid. You got a .010" for every 1/8th of an inch variance (taper). It's amazing to see 100 foot long troughs, about 10 in a row, and next to them, fresh water for cleaning. That water was run through many filters to make sure there was nothing but water, no minerals whatsoever. I wouldn't drink the stuff, but the guy who ran that department told me about how tap water can be detrimental for that process..

You may live in an area that has low mineral content. Maybe the right minerals may improve in scrubbing. I've seen some pretty wild de-burring set ups. Do what works for you.

 

[oldGSfan]

Can't give advice on the make as there's so many out there but you get what you pay for.
As for cleaning solutions - Plain old warm water in the tank is what you need.
It's the cavitation that does the cleaning and not any chemicals.
The utrasonic should be used as one of the last stages of carb cleaning after general solvent washing and degreasing etc as you normally would when cleaning carbs .
If you just drop the carbs in as is then any grease or soft deposits won't be removed as they simply absorb and dampen the cavitation effect..
Also the carbs bodies must tbe stripped bare of all components and not put in the tank complete so there's no real need to have a tank wide enough to take a full bank.

Good info, thanks!

 

[roeme]

The usage of tap water does depend on your municipality/location. If the tap water is rather hard, it's advisable to put it through a filter first. For example in my case if I don't do it, I'll get calcium (chalk?lime?) deposits on certain alloys. In some locations you'll even need to use proper distilled water (which can be had cheaply as it is/was also used for certain things in a household).

It is correct that cavitation is doing the work in an ultrasonic cleaner. Chemicals can/do help with certain things – I for one skip cleaning/degreasing (or to be more accurrate, only superficially clean) carbs before I put them into the ultrasonic cleaner, and either use some dishwashing liquid and/or some citric acid in the bath. But also, I usually run 40- to 50-minute cycles at 50?C.

IMO, it's up to oneself to find out what works best for a particular situation (carb condition/water hardness/amount of elbow grease willing to be spent/...). But as one can see from other's experience, it's not rocket science, and for most very simple solutions (pun intended) work quite well.

As for the devices itself, IMO everything important has already been said and I don't need to repeat them.

...also OP should search the Forum, as one would per netiquette, but y'all are just such a nice bunch of people here