Carburetor soak fluid???

[waltsuz]

Many years ago I purchased a carburetor cleaning system from Napa. Was a gallon bucket with a steel basket to soak carb parts in for rebuilding. The stuff had a distinct smell common to auto garages and machine shops when I was a kid, we'll say 40 years ago, it was a common thing. I have come to find that this soaking solvent that was used has been stopped due to enviormental issues. Would soften and desolve #2 permatex and would clean parts unbelieveably if soaked overnight.

Whats everyone using to soak out carb bodies before rebuilding today? I did an internet search and the solvents available with the soak type system seem to be not effective compared to the older systems per user comments.
Just went through hell with a motorcycle carb that plugged up from setting for 4 years. Took 3 disassembles with several cans of aerosol type carb spray cleaner, compressed air and a piece of MIG wire to unplug it and get it running...Whats the easier way to go as in soak it and assemble it....

 

[jpr95]

On all my race carbs I use lacquer thinner, and or acetone when they need a soak.. Zep sells a 5 gallon soak system that's the same as you remember. Though its not what it use to be, its still the best that I have found..

Jimmy

 

[danc9]

I too use the acetone with some gas mixed in to make it a little more stable. The gas will slow the evaporation down a little.


DAN

 

[metal man]

i use a mix of stuff in a 1 gallon paint cann . its a mix of lacquer thinner and carb spray it eats paint off and reall pulls the old gas out of the ports .just drop in and let it sit

 

[buckeye]

Now this is a good thread. Great info for someone who wants to learn the "old" guys tricks. Thanks!

 

[hoppy]

I got mine from Advanced Auto. I forget the make now but its what you recalled. One gallon can with the metal basket inside. It works very well. I will get the name for you. I think its made by GUNK?:shrug:

 

[Oldschool]

Dichloromethane if you can find it.

Very unhealthy stuff.....

Xylene and time are generaly effective for dipping

 

[george3]

I got mine from Advanced Auto. I forget the make now but its what you recalled. One gallon can with the metal basket inside. It works very well. I will get the name for you. I think its made by GUNK?:shrug:

I bought gunk dip from the local A/P this stuff is a joke. its like wd40 not carb cleaner I had a carb in it for 3 weeks still no better than it was.

 

[minibikedude]

Try AutoZone they carry Berryman in the stores here in North West Ohio. I pick this one up a couple of months ago. 19.99 each.

 

[MB165]

That old school cleaner was banned several years ago. It truely was good stuff, but very toxic. Im glad its gone. The new, safer stuff sucks, some is even water based. It takes a few days to accomplish what the old stuff did in a few hours. We have the 5 gallon pail from napa, its ok stuff.
Does anyone boil carbs anymore? Sounds crazy but before we stopped rebuilding carbs at the shop we saved quite a few by boiling them, especially when the little plunger on the tecumseh carbs wouldnt rattle, freed em right up.

 

[Bill Ellerby]

I use a combination of Minerial Spirits and Paint Thinner in a HF Ultrasonic Cleaner to do my carbs. So far its worked real good.

 

[Richard Trotter]

After several days of soaking in the new carb cleaners and no results, we tried vinagar. It freed up the check ball in a briggs fuel pick-up, should work for the tecumseh checkball too.

 

[steven Durham]

I bought one from Napa ( I get a discount there ) and it works good.
time for another story. I was checking for a no heat call on a Lennox gas furnace, and found real bad burners and the heat exchanger was full of gunk. I found sitting right below the furnace a slightly open 5 gallon can of professional carb cleaner that had sent all the fumes from that fluid into the furnace burn chamber. The can was almost empty the man of the house was a Ford Mechanic and said he thought it was closed up tight. It did 15 years of ageing to that furnace.
Steve

 

[Oldschool]

Does anyone boil carbs anymore? Sounds crazy but before we stopped rebuilding carbs at the shop we saved quite a few by boiling them, especially when the little plunger on the tecumseh carbs wouldnt rattle, freed em right up.

I never tried that.

Sounds like a very smart trick.
Going to throw out a thought now.

Maybe a boil with a little washing soda to push the PH up and help dislodge the varnish.

Since talking about boiling things.
I remember Gramps boiling old batteries to clean the plates in a big wash tub.
Then we would refill them with acid and try and squeeze a little more life out of them.
Point to my ramble is we often forget how effective a little heat and water can be to clena things.

 

[JustEnough]

I have had great results using vinegar, but you need to degrease the part first. I use laundry detergent and water to degrease, then 10-15 minutes in vinegar. You have to then rinse and brush the parts with water to be sure to remove all traces of the vinegar or there will be spots of corrosion later. White vinegar is 5% acetic acid and is about $2.00 at the grocery store. The ability of vinegar to remove varnish from old gas is impressive. The vinegar gets dirty after a few carb cleanings and then it can be used to remove rust on parts. I have soaked chains overnight that were rusted solid and they are very useable afterwards.

 

[oldfatguy]

I have used vinegar on corroded carbs to clean them up , I heard that boiling in vinegar works too. And yes it has to be cleaned off well because vinegar is a mild acid.

 

[jesse8931]

all you need

 

[Jeff Clark]

A like to have a 5 gal bucket of NAPA # Mac 6505 around, its just a general parts cleaner read the msds some potant stuff.

 

[radical]

I have been using "Engine Tune-up" spray for years. I learned about this stuff while working on outboards. OMC and Yamaha sell it. You can also get the same stuff from any general Motors dealer. The may call it "Top Engine Cleaner" or something similar.
The solvent is designed to be sprayed into a running engine to loosen carbon deposits and free sticking piston rings and valves. Believe me, this stuff works! Half the performance problems on old outboards is from sticking rings because of the cold water cooling effect and two stroke oils.
Getting back to cleaning carbs, This stuff absolutely eats gum and varnish left from old fuel. Just hose everything down with this and wait a while before rinsing with gumout spray or contact cleaner.
Then pick up some mag wheel cleaner (the etching kind that is the strongest) and clean everything again, but use hot water to rinse off parts, and don't leave things soaking for more that a few minutes at a time. Repeat the wheel cleaner process as needed. blow out all the passages and jets.
You will now have a clean and shiny carburetor!

Rad

 

[oldbugger]

That "New" Chem dip is not the same as the old stuff; the old Chem dip would have melted that plastic basket in a New York second.
IF you go to Mexico... yep you can get some of the old stuff, the real McCoy, will melt your socks off and also melt the can it comes in (Also says Berryman on the can)!
As said Dichloromethane is good and nasty but hard to find and not available over the counter due to issues, but in Mexico..
I used to repair printers years ago and we used a mixture of Benzene, acetone, 3608 Lacquer thinner and a 90% solution of Alcohol to clean our printers with and found it worked well on carbs too, we all had our own idea of how we mixed it but the Benzene, acetone and Lacquer thinner alone worked well 1/3 each. Might add some gas or diesel to slow down the evaporation though and keep it sealed in an airtight container all the time. Store it in the backyard!
Do not store this brew inside as it can spontaneous ignite on its own, rags and towels HAVE to be disposed of in a sealed container as they WILL catch fire if left in the trash.
So not burn them in the BBQ as it makes the food taste funny (also toxic).
Just for the record here, most engine cleaners that are aerosol are little more then dishwashing liquid and diesel fuel mixed (and a foaming agent).