Wintergreen Oil???

[tkent02]

Cool, I just found some petrified old 550 intake boots laying in a box for decades, hard as a rock. Can't wait to test this stuff out. But most of them on most of the bikes are just a little bit hard.

 

[tkent02]

Wow this stuff really works. Intake boots went from the texture of a cue ball to the texture of a floppy puppy.
Got a whole bunch bigger too.
Maybe I left it in too long.

 

[chuck hahn]

Airbox boots I startat 8 hrs and check them. Intake manifolds ( because they are so thick ) 24 hrs wont hurt them at all.

 

[tkent02]

I forgot and left them for three days. Oops!
Maybe they will shrink again.

 

[tkent02]

My granddaughter just said it smelled like a peppermint farm out in the garage!

 

[jdvorchak]

They will almost double in size. No problem. Just let them air dry for a day or two and they shrink back to normal size but are pliable like new.

 

[jdvorchak]

My granddaughter just said it smelled like a peppermint farm out in the garage!

Yeah there is that. I think the smell lingers for a few months especially if you keep it in the garage like over the winter. I did notice that after a couple of rides the smell is gone. But when I did the boots it was just starting winter and I left that bike in the garage without taking it out but a couple of times right after doing them.

 

[loud et]

Got me some oil on the way....have a set of APE pods that got hard. Nice to know some of these old boots can be brought back to life. It's a good money saver.

 

[tkent02]

Those old 550 boots were all soft and floppy after a few days in the Wintergreen jar. A lot bigger than they were but definitely soft and floppy. Curious what they will be like now after sitting out in the dry air for three weeks.

 

[loud et]

I guess the theory is the rubbing alcohol/ xylene / etc is the carrier that pulls the winter green into the rubber after it is absorbed, then the xylene evaporates leaving the wintergreen in the rubber.
I will probably just try a short dip....4 hours and check on the expansion and go longer if they aren't swollen.
Try and find an average window of time to soak.
Based on reviews and past comments I am optimistic of the success in doing this.

 

[jdvorchak]

I soaked mine for at least a day. Yes they were swollen to almost twice the size. But letting them air dry overnight returned them normal size. I have soaked items for days and once removed and allowed to air dry, in every instance they returned to their original size and fit perfectly.

 

[tkent02]

Interesting stuff. Boots got way too big after forgetting them a couple days, now a month later they look about the right size and very soft and supple. Did an XL 500 boot, didn't really do much for it. Tried a spare CV carburetor diaphragm, it rolled up like a flower in a couple hours. Two days later it's the right shape again. Tried some old hardened O rings, they got softer but still crumbled. They were really hard though. My fingers smell funny but I'm used to that.

 

[jdvorchak]

It does work well if you're not in a hurry... oh and your boots smell like wintergreen for a few weeks until you get them really aired out.

 

[Guest]

Great stuff, but wear gloves, it is poisonous. Keep it out of the reach of children.

 

[loud et]

Well I did the APE (k&n style) filter pods. I didnt want to submerge them so I did them in a shallow pan with about 1/2 inch of the solution. I stood the pods on the rubber end. (The carb end) I didn't want the rubber to over expand where it is bound to the filter media and mesh covering. I didn't want it to separate. It worked good.
The flange got nice and soft and it didn't over absorb higher up where the rubber is formed to the filter mesh.
I also did some carb overflow lines and the crankcase vent hose and the round gasket for the fuel sending unit.
I actually used Acetone by mistake instead of Xylene. It didn't seem to hurt but I will use the Xylene next time to see if there is any difference.
I brought the parts inside (in the basement where i an rebuilding the bike) after they were done. I rinsed them in the utility tub and put them on a shelf. 2 weeks later my basement still smells good and fresh.
That is some potent stuff!

 

[jdvorchak]

I have noticed the same thing. it will not leech or soak up above the level of the mixture. So you do have a lot of control over what gets treated.

 

[tkent02]

Trying it on eight of the little plugs that cover the pilot jet on CV carbs..... Hard as rocks.

 

[chuck hahn]

Check them very frequently!!! I did some and let them go too long and they turned into gummy bears and were useless at that point.

 

[loud et]

Trying it on eight of the little plugs that cover the pilot jet on CV carbs..... Hard as rocks.

I did a set of 4. Ya know how the top flange of the plug gets all mushroomed out and cracked from the bowl pressing on it?....yeah well when I pulled the plugs out of the solution, the main plug that goes into the pilot jet hole was soft, but the upper mushroomed out shoulder just crumbled off when I squeezed it.
It may work on pilot jet plugs that are still structurally solid and not overly mushroomed and cracked.

Btw, the best deal I could find on e bay was 16oz for 27$....but 32oz was only 31$ so I got the 32oz.

I guess I'm good for life. Haha

 

[CJ450T]

I need to correct this. It is 30% wintergreen oil to 70% xylene. I agee totally with jdvorchak, re-use it many times over.

Can I use rubbing alcohol or acetone instead of xylene? I have both on hand and didn't want to spring for a jug of xylene. Is the mixture still the same?