i have tried napa carb cleaner $30/gal for 24 hr and advanced auto parts $10/gal for 24 hr. and dont care for eather one. napa was better but still not impressed. what do you use. i am not looking for a spray cleaner but a full rebuild soak cleaner. thanks
I've got a seven gallon can of Zep carb cleaner that works well, but again, it's several years old. Probably all you can get now is "environmentally friendly" carb cleaner that works about as well as soaking it in water.
Just like they all said... About a year ago I rebuilt some carbs for my Dodge. I bought the Napa stuff because we have an account through them at the shop I work at. I too thought it worked at best ok. I think the problem with the newer stuff is that it has to be 'environmentally friendly.' Guy at the shop that used to work at an old Dodge dealership said they had the same 5 gallon container sitting there the whole 6 years he worked there- never got touched. One of his co-workers that had been there for 30 years said it was the same can they'd had since the early 70's when he started. Can't imagine all the old Mopar carbs that thing had seen. Guess that's the way to go if you can find some of the old stuff sounds like your best bet...or just be very patient with the newer chemicals and don't be afraid to scrub a bit with the toothbrush afterwards... Wrong Way
As far as a good cleaner you can just dunk and rinse, there are none I have found. But, after soaking your cab parts for a day or so in the cleaner, take them out and rinse with boiling water. Now, using Castrol "Super Clean" (the purple bottle) resoak your pieces for another 10 minutes in the bucket or whatever you use to rinse, ( I use an industrial sink) and you will be amazed at how dirty the runoff is, which means you are getting to the core of the junk in the carb pieces. Don't be afraid to take a brush and scrub the outer areas. Again rinse with boiling or at very least super hot water for about 2 minutes. Use compressed air to blow out all the moisture and any trapped debre, and you have it about as good as it can get. I have done thousands using this procedure and it does work. the ****ster
Hello All..today's cleaners are weak..Berrymans no longer makes the cleaner that burns your skin..Most of today's cleaners will work if you let them soak, rinse and soak again, again..What your doing is removing the build up little by little, that's why you soak and soak. I have found that after boiling( like ****ster said) use a brake cleaner in the pressurized can..It cleans really good and the plastic nozzle will fit in the tiny p***ages..Use, rinse and do it again..Also when done boil in Qxy clean and rinse.... Duane..
You mean Oxy Clean? The stuff the wife buys for the laundry? I never heard of using it. How much do you use and how long do you boil it for? I have two carb bodies I need to go through. I can set up the Colman stove in the garage. I dont think the wife will under stand why I'm making carburator soup in the kitchen.
A very good mechanic I used to use who specialized in carb rebuilds always used laquer thinner for his.
I used a gallon of kerosene in a 5 gal bucket. covered it with a rag and put a blow gun blowing a little air in it to agitate it and left it over nite. (the compressor wasnt on, I just let it run the tank out.) i found that this worked far better than any of the carb cleaners that i tried
You can still buy the strong stuff. It's available as paint gun cleaner through your auto body jobber. I use Klean Strip. It comes in a 5 gal. bucket with a soaking basket inside. This product may not be for sale in some states like Ca. I've been using it for years,and does real well if you let it sit over nite. Temp does affect results, so I use a electric heater like the ones for the 5gal. body plastic cans, in the winter (I live in the N.E.). Just rinse with water and blow out with compressed air. Most aluminum comes out bright as new.
Hello. Oxy-Clean...yes..Couple of table s****s per gallon.. use it after the soaking in carb cleaner, and the brake cleaner is used. keep reboiling till all residue is gone. It works best when it's "At boil" ....You won't believe what comes to the top or settles on the bottom.. Then boil in clean water. Duane's' formula
Just to re-visit this topic, last night I was rebuilding a carb that I soaked overnight in Chem-Dip from ****ty Autozone, and it not only did NOT clean the carb nicely, it left this thick, sticky varnish residue. I pissed-offedly returned it to Autozone. So, now I'm back to square one. I have an old can of Mac's from NAPA, part number 6401, which they do not sell anymore. That stuff worked pretty nice, but I don't have much of it left after reusing it over and over again for 10+ years. Does anyone know where to get any of this? My local NAPA still lists it in their computer but says they can't get any, but they said maybe some stores still have it or can get it from their warehouse. So, if any of you happen to be swingin' into your local NAPA, check on it. If they have it, PM me, I'll pay someone to pick it up for me.
I used to use the same stuff about 20 years ago on carbs. Also worked great for cleaning up cylinder heads. Would have to put the head in the can half way over night then switch it around the next day for another overnite soak. Took care of all the nasty carbon in the ports!
I used to LOVE that stuff - always burned the **** out of me... and it's a wonder I don't have f'n SKIN CANCER. Like THIS: http://www.ratical.org/radiation/CNR/PP/fig5.gif ~Jason
I checked with the local auto body supplier. They have Klean-Strip, but the guy said he would NEVER use it for carbs, because he said if it soaked in just a tiny bit too long, it would eat away at the p***ages and pit the aluminum. Is he exaggerating a bit? I figured a carb and a spray gun are made with pretty much the same materials (aluminum and br***) so why would a carb be any different?
I think the "old" 5 gallon bucket I still have was called "Hydro-Seal". Man, that stuff works great! Don't know if you can still buy it, though.
I have been using this product for over 30 years for both carbs and spray guns. Motorcycle carbs too. Need to soak some carbs for 2-3 days sometimes. Never had any issues like that. If you would be more at ease, try it on a s**** carb first. You'll be impressed. Frank
I take them to the machine shop and have eddie put them in their hot tank they use to clean blocks and heads. Got to be in a wire basket with little holes.
I used to use this stuff from a company called Turco. It's called "transpo" and it's downright nasty. We used it in aviation to clean the p***ages in hydraulic prop governors. Worked great on carburetors too, just don't get it on your skin. It's a soak type cleaner just like the old carb cleaners. Heres the stuff: http://www.telfordindustries.com.au/products_03.asp?ProductID=219 Shawn
Has anyone every used an ultrasonic cleaner ??? I've got access to one and have used it for cleaning small parts, but not sure if its safe for use on carbs or not. I've used it with straight water, various cleaning mixtures and even denatured alcohol with great success. Thanks TurdMagnet
Yes The laquer Thinner works great. I read that Pine Sol has changed there formula in 2013 and now it will harm the carb casting Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using H.A.M.B. mobile app
The link does not work. Were can you purchase this chemical ? Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
I use antifreeze in a dedicated crock pot for 24 hours on medium. Rinse in warm water. Do not reuse the crock pot for food ever again. Not that any of you would.
Hydro-Seal by GUNK was the best parts cleaner available back in the day. All the Harley shops and automotive machine shops had that glorious Hydro-Seal smell when you walked in the door! Alas, it worked too well and was taken off the market by the wretched environmentalists... If you can find some of the original formula, it's wicked expensive, but worth every penny!
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