Technical Is there any decent soak type carb cleaner on the market?

I'm not even opposed to mixing up unsafe chemicals if anyone has any of the old industrial recipies, infact i'd prefer it(F' the EPA). I havent bought any in 10ish years and ive heard the quality has gone down due the the tree huggers

Also i saw some people saying that some of the good spray stuff was almost straight tetrachloroethylene, and i see that can be bought by the gallon, is that gunna work good for a soak? Will it evaporate fast?

 

I love it. A guy asking for the 'good stuff'. I would think you already know tetrachloroethylene is nothing more than dry cleaning fluid. Overexposure to it is less than rewarding; even though in small amounts it probably won't kill you outright. That said, elsewhere, here on the HAMB, is a discussion on using a diluted solution of PineSol to clean carbs. Yep. Also, some claim Simple Green and other stuff available from discount stores works pretty good. After all, the real reason to clean a carburetor, for a rebuild, is to remove organic solids from the outside, and soften gaskets and the shellac, or sealer that was added to their surfaces to make them tacky enough to adhere to the opposing surfaces they are used to seal. Anything more aggressive removes the coating added to the casting to make it less porous. Personally, I have nothing against 'tree huggers', and I'm conservative enough in my political leaning not to want a nanny-state; however, there are people who forget we share responsibility for caring for our nest, and it's the guys who profit from heedless destruction that are the real assholes. Form two lines.

 

for the real tuff stuff I use paint sprayer cleaner GSG14 from klean strip , a gallon was 45 bucks , but its methyl chloride , like what they used in the old dip tanks , and it don't have the potassium hydroxide to strip off the finish of the carb ( unless it was painted and not plated ) melts all the varnished real good and drys clean . ( I also have the old tub of Napa carb dip still and tp it off with this stuff . ) as for disposal I just mix in it with my waste oil and the rerefinery distills it out .

 

trichlor1.1.1. and PERC ( tetrachloretheylene ) is getting real hard to find as the epa put a kebosh on it even for drycleaners ( because of the chlorine ( Montreal protocol ) production in the US ceased in 2010 ( Perc will be gone in 2030 ) , I used to get it by the gallon from the chemical terminals , but now its a closed loop system with quick connects , all the old fluid comes back for redistilation/cleaning and they are now starting to use other materials instead .

 

Go to the local DOLLAR STORE and buy a two quart bottle of " AWESOME" all purpose household cleaner for $4 cut 50% with water and soak parts overnight --- AWESOME!

 

I use Berryman Chem-Dip professional carburetor and parts cleaner about 20 min flip parts then another 20 min and rinse the parts with water works great.

 

A friend of mine who has been rebuilt carbs for 15 years professionally, and still does it has a side job 2 years ago switched to a sonic cleaner and dish soap. He says it was the best move he ever made.

 

My Grandfather was a life-long mechanic. He never hugged a tree in his life. He was in nearly constant exposure to the very chemicals the you are trying to get for your own personal use.

He died in 1995, from complications of chemotherapy treatment of Leukemia, brought about by exposure to said chemicals.

It is your life, and your choice. Choose wrong, and your end might be brutal, unreasoning, and agonizing. If you have a family, they might just not appreciate the risks that you are taking for your own personal convenience.

 

Someone else posted about this a couple days ago. The answer of Pinesol came up and was repeated a bunch. Cheap and smells nice. Especially if you use the crock pot method.

 

Another cleaner that works well - for me - is the thick blue toilet bowl cleaner. It cleans the gunk & deposits & varnish from inside & out, real quick-like. Immerse the piece(s), in un-diluted potty cleaner (new only, thank-you very much... ), for a bit ( try ~ a minute or two. Easier to go longer than to deal w/damage) - watch them closely, you only want to leave it in long enough to clean them. I also use an old syringe ([from when we had diabetic cats] w/the needle removed), as a tiny pressure injector, to make sure all the small thin passageways get cleaned too.Then rinse real well w/clean water. I also used compressed air to dry them & the passageways, then use alcohol to get all the water, & use another clean syringe for the water & rubbing alky to get the passageways clean, & finally, using a good non-clorinated brake clean afterwards, as a flush.The potty-cleaner *will* dissolve the plating & eventually the pot metal. On tarnished brass, you can see the tarnish being eaten away. Idea was given to me by a bike shop. I've tried it & like it.

BTW, & FWIW: don't be stupid. Use eye protection, & nitryl gloves are a good idea, & keep the mouth shut, esp while using the syringe. (No, I haven't had to learn that the hard way... ).The stuff may not bother you, but I do get (some) reaction(s) to (some) chemicals, these days. So I'm a bit over-cautious these days. Healing takes longer & longer, the older I get. .

Marcus...

 

How long have you had yours? Mine's like 20 yrs old, but I hear the currently available Berryman's isn't so good.

 

I've tried several soaps in my sonic cleaner and am not impressed. I'd like to talk to your friend

 

I like that gallon bucket you get at napa.

 

My luck has been that I can clean about 12 carbs then it starts to lose its power.
When it is new I give them 20 min then flip parts and another 20 min and they are done.
When it wears down it takes longer so I then use it for cleaning engine parts and other parts for paint removal.
I have used Master brand and it works real well but it is hard to find.

 

How long have you had yours? Mine's like 20 yrs old, but I hear the currently available Berryman's isn't so good.

 

Mine is only about 8 month old but I do a bunch of carbs so it gets replaced often.

 

20 mins a side sounds great, like my 20 yr old stuff. But, locally I'm getting conflicting stories saying the Berrymans has to be aggressively brushed. So, if you're telling me the current stuff's that good my question is how nasty are the carbs you're rebuilding? I mean, motorcycle carbs for example are never as nasty as automotive carbs. I really need to know all this before I spend the $150. THX

 

I bought a gallon of berrymans two years ago. I left my carb in too long and it ate away at the coating on my Rochester 2gs. It works good but I have started short soaks and then warm water bath.

 

Most of the carbs I get are pretty nasty most of the time I am to lazy to scrub them before the dip but a quick run through the parts cleaner would help it last longer.
If you leave the carb in to long it will change the color and leave a black scum on it that is had to get off.

 

I still use the Berrymans stuff, but have also used PineSol and Simple Green in a cheap sonic cleaner with decent results (make sure you immediately thoroughly rinse the latter off after dipping as it WILL eat aluminum castings). And although I haven't tried it, I keep getting good reports on Yamaha carb dip (available from your local Yamaha dealer) as it supposedly won't damage exterior finishes (including paint) or rubber parts.

 

I took a Holley apart some years back... tossed it into the dishwasher and washed it with the dirty dishes... came out pretty clean!

 

Yamaha makes a great soak. I've had a bottle I've been using for the last few years. I dont use it often, but it works great. I now have a sonic cleaner, I'd bet the combo of the 2 would be awesome

 

how long is too long?

 

I WANT the stuff that hurts paint and rubber. That's the good shit

 

what's the secret to sonic? I've had 3 machines, several soaps and they suck on grimey carbs

 

To long would like 6 to 8 hours

 

If you want to get them really clean try carbontet.

I doubt that anyone will use what I am going to suggest but I use gasohaul and "seafoam", heavy on the seafoam. It will come out so clean that you will want to use it for a shot glass.

 

F the EPA. I'm gonna play with chemicals I know are unsafe and I don't give a crap. Way to go winning the intelligent choice of the day award.

Good point, the EPA has rules dealing with certain chemicals for a good reason.
You know what they say, there is no cure for stupid, however a brutal drawn out and painful death from cancer will put a stop to it.

 

Carbontet is supposed to be real dangerous. It is still used in the electronics industry and I know a lot of people who are still alive that were using it before PPE was common. But that doesn't mean that they have a good quality of life.

Lots of really nasty stuff is sill being used but it should be used cautiously. Good skin eye and lung protection is a must.

@Blue One makes a good solid point here and it wouldn't hurt for all of us to pay attention even those of us who are still alive and lucky to be that way.

 

You know, that as you get older your thinking kind of moves in that direction.
I'm glad I'm still here and that I dodged a bullet from some of the stuff I was exposed to.
Maybe being a little smarter is in order for all of us.

It's like the farm dogs and farm cats. They only get to be old when they learn to be smart.
Staying away from things that will kill them.