Cheapest Way to clean carbs

[themess]

Lemon juice or vinegar = acid.
Dishwasher soap = alkali.

Either one will disolve gunk without destroying plastic or rubber. Petroleum based solvents will degrade rubber and plastics by breaking down the molecular structure. Plastic will become fragile. Rubber will dissolve.

i cleaned my carbs for .. uh. 2 dollars or so. used an old toothbrush and a solution of very hot water and vinagar/very hot water and barkeepers friend.

Stay the heck away from both acids and bases. Neither one is friendly to aluminum or zinc. On aluminum, you could get pitting inside those tiny passages, and if you do, the carbs are almost certainly shot, forever.

The cheapest way is to put some of the carb cleaning gas additives into your gas, and hope that it works. Might, might not. If that doesn't work, use the dips as described above. Those will destroy almost all plastic and rubber components. But many types of plastic and rubber survive quite well in most hydrocarbon solvents. General rules will get you into trouble!

[Steve]

Try Harbor Freight for a set of metric nitrile o-rings.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=96282

Not sure if you want to go that route. They say that they resist heat and most petroleum products, but you might want to check to be sure. And, even though you have a large selection of sizes, there is no guarantee that you will have what you need.

Robert Barr has collected all the right sizes in the right material (mostly Viton, I think) that works well, and for about $15. Some kits might be a bit more, others a bit less, but you will probably spend that much to get a large assortment of o-rings that you won't be able to use. Contact Robert at www.cycleorings.com

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[loungeguy69]

Stay the heck away from both acids and bases. Neither one is friendly to aluminum or zinc. On aluminum, you could get pitting inside those tiny passages, and if you do, the carbs are almost certainly shot, forever.

The cheapest way is to put some of the carb cleaning gas additives into your gas, and hope that it works. Might, might not. If that doesn't work, use the dips as described above. Those will destroy almost all plastic and rubber components. But many types of plastic and rubber survive quite well in most hydrocarbon solvents. General rules will get you into trouble!

It's a tradeoff. Solvents will affect rubber and plastics while acids/alkalis will affect metals. My approach is that solvents will affect plastics and rubber quicker than acid/alkalis will cause oxidation on aluminum or zinc.

My experience with cleaning parts in an adgitated soap bath leaves no degradation on aluminum or zinc as long as parts are rinsed after the wash.

[loungeguy69]

Not sure if you want to go that route. They say that they resist heat and most petroleum products, but you might want to check to be sure. And, even though you have a large selection of sizes, there is no guarantee that you will have what you need.

Robert Barr has collected all the right sizes in the right material (mostly Viton, I think) that works well, and for about $15. Some kits might be a bit more, others a bit less, but you will probably spend that much to get a large assortment of o-rings that you won't be able to use. Contact Robert at www.cycleorings.com

.

I have a Harbor Freight store near me and purchased a set of nitrile o-rings. The sizes in the kit work well with the carbs and the price can't be beat. Quality is good too. I have o-rings in the carbs that are over 2 years old with no degradation.

[Loose Seal]

It's not really a trade off at all. You keep the plastics/rubber out of the carb dip, problem solved. They should be removed when you are cleaning anyways - otherwise you're not really cleaning.

[loungeguy69]

Why use different baths when you can use one? It's cheaper to use dishwasher soap and just as effective.

BTW, the only difference between nitrile and viton o-rings is the temperature range. Viton is rated higher but that's not an issue with carbs. Don't waste the money.

[Roger P.]

Some guys at www.xjbikes.com seem to be having luck with a hot water/Pine Sol solution.

[themess]

Try Harbor Freight for a set of metric nitrile o-rings.

It's a tradeoff. Solvents will affect rubber and plastics while acids/alkalis will affect metals. My approach is that solvents will affect plastics and rubber quicker than acid/alkalis will cause oxidation on aluminum or zinc.

My experience with cleaning parts in an adgitated soap bath leaves no degradation on aluminum or zinc as long as parts are rinsed after the wash.

BTW, the only difference between nitrile and viton o-rings is the temperature range. Viton is rated higher but that's not an issue with carbs. Don't waste the money.

You're incorrect. Dishwasher detergent has a high level of lye because of it's effectiveness in cleaning grease. Lye is caustic, which is why it isn't included in modern hand soaps. 'Oxyclean', et al, contains hydrogen peroxide which forms the foam that is marketed on TV.

"Nitrile" isn't a single type of rubber, but a family of types of rubber. Same thing applies to "Viton", which is a DuPont trademark for fluoroelestomers. 3M sells more fluoroelestomers than DuPont does, under their Fluorel trademark. Each different subtype has its own characteristics. The major ones to pay attention to are solvent resistance, temperature resistance, tear resistance and compression set. Fluoroelastomers usually have very good temperature resistance compared to nitriles. And some fluoroelastomers have better solvent resistance.

I personally would stay away from Harbor Frieght nitrile O-rings. I have a hard time imagining that their buyers know one type of nitrile from another, or that they have anyone testing the O-rings to be sure that they'll be good for any particular kind of service. They probably buy based on "price and delivery". That means that the company that makes the O-rings, and the type of rubber in them, might change from year to year, or even from month to month. So this year's HF O-rings might not perform as well as last year's.

Lye (= sodium hydroxide = caustic soda = caustic) is almost never used in modern soaps, due to its high corrosivity and inherent dangers when used above low concentrations. Almost every "soap" or "detergent" we buy uses sodium dodecyl sulfate (= SDS = sodium laurly suflate) as its primary ingredient. "Cogeners", (chemically similar compounds) are often included. Different other ingredients are used to modify fragrence, texture and foaming. I've read the labels on lots of containers of dishwasher detergents, and don't remember seeing lye as an ingredient in any of them. The powdered detergent I'm using now contains sodium carbonate, sodium silicate and enzymes. Sodium carbonate is a very effective detergent, but it dissolves very slowly at room temperature. At high temperatures, hotter than our hands can bear, it is very effective. Lye isn't needed, and shouldn't be used.

The sodium percarbonate in Oxyclean breaks down to sodium carbonate and hydrogen peroxide when dissolved in water.

Cleaning a few sets of carburetors does not an expert make. You've had decent results - this time. People with experience disassemble and remove rubber and plastic parts because they won't hold up to the best solvents for the job. They want to do the job once, instead of going to progressively stronger chemicals a bit at a time.

[loungeguy69]

Thank you for the lesson. I've already responded to my mistake re: lye in detergent.

I recommend the Harbor Freght o-rings because they're inexpensive, which is point of this thread. i.e. No $25 carb dips or big money carb rebuil kits.

And I'm no wet-behind-the-ears carb rebuilder. Thanks for asking though.

[TheCafeKid]

"Nitrile" isn't a single type of rubber, but a family of types of rubber. Same thing applies to "Viton", which is a DuPont trademark for fluoroelestomers. 3M sells more fluoroelestomers than DuPont does, under their Fluorel trademark. Each different subtype has its own characteristics. The major ones to pay attention to are solvent resistance, temperature resistance, tear resistance and compression set. Fluoroelastomers usually have very good temperature resistance compared to nitriles. And some fluoroelastomers have better solvent resistance.

I personally would stay away from Harbor Frieght nitrile O-rings. I have a hard time imagining that their buyers know one type of nitrile from another, or that they have anyone testing the O-rings to be sure that they'll be good for any particular kind of service. They probably buy based on "price and delivery". That means that the company that makes the O-rings, and the type of rubber in them, might change from year to year, or even from month to month. So this year's HF O-rings might not perform as well as last year's.

Lye (= sodium hydroxide = caustic soda = caustic) is almost never used in modern soaps, due to its high corrosivity and inherent dangers when used above low concentrations. Almost every "soap" or "detergent" we buy uses sodium dodecyl sulfate (= SDS = sodium laurly suflate) as its primary ingredient. "Cogeners", (chemically similar compounds) are often included. Different other ingredients are used to modify fragrence, texture and foaming. I've read the labels on lots of containers of dishwasher detergents, and don't remember seeing lye as an ingredient in any of them. The powdered detergent I'm using now contains sodium carbonate, sodium silicate and enzymes. Sodium carbonate is a very effective detergent, but it dissolves very slowly at room temperature. At high temperatures, hotter than our hands can bear, it is very effective. Lye isn't needed, and shouldn't be used.

The sodium percarbonate in Oxyclean breaks down to sodium carbonate and hydrogen peroxide when dissolved in water.

Cleaning a few sets of carburetors does not an expert make. You've had decent results - this time. People with experience disassemble and remove rubber and plastic parts because they won't hold up to the best solvents for the job. They want to do the job once, instead of going to progressively stronger chemicals a bit at a time.

Thats the BIGGEST and BEST money saving advice right there. Do the job RIGHT THE FIRST TIME. Using stuff that is PROVEN to work, that is DESIGNED to do the job will save you the most money in the end. Every time you pull those carbs apart, you risk ruining the orings in them. Which means more money replacing them. And, I dont know about you guys, but my TIME is worth more to me than $25 for a bucket of Berrymans (use it religiously and exclusively) or the $15 for orings. I want to do it ONCE per set. Thats worth more than some cheap, unproven orings, or somewhat questionable cleaning solutions would save me.

[boathead]

i have a friend who has ridden his whole life, and he swears that putting 4 or 5 ounces of Techron in a full tank of gas, and then riding until that tank is empty, will clean any carb. cheap, and fun, he says.

[loungeguy69]

Thats the BIGGEST and BEST money saving advice right there. Do the job RIGHT THE FIRST TIME. Using stuff that is PROVEN to work, that is DESIGNED to do the job will save you the most money in the end. Every time you pull those carbs apart, you risk ruining the orings in them. Which means more money replacing them. And, I dont know about you guys, but my TIME is worth more to me than $25 for a bucket of Berrymans (use it religiously and exclusively) or the $15 for orings. I want to do it ONCE per set. Thats worth more than some cheap, unproven orings, or somewhat questionable cleaning solutions would save me.

In the context of this thread the idea is to effectively clean the carbs with minimum expense. If the original question from GSJake was to go out and buy gallons of carb dip then it would be a short thread.

Dishwasher soap, and some of the other responses here, work just fine and they do an equal job of cleaning as carb dip, albeit with perhaps a little extra elbow-grease.

Despite TheMess's diatribe about quality of the Harbor Freight o-rings I have found them to consistently high quality. I have used them in many applications, not just carbs on bikes. Anyway, where do you think most o-rings are made? Whether they're from Harbor Freight, auto parts store or bike manufacturer.

I've been taking bikes apart for nearly 25 years. I have no intention of misleading anyone with half-baked ideas. We're here to help each other, not throw our dicks around.

[Nessism]

i have a friend who has ridden his whole life, and he swears that putting 4 or 5 ounces of Techron in a full tank of gas, and then riding until that tank is empty, will clean any carb. cheap, and fun, he says.

If the carbs only have a small amount of varnish type contamination, using Seafoam or Techron is a great idea. I recommend one ounce per gallon a couple of times per year. This is completely different than cleaning dirty carbs that are full of old O-rings. These GS bikes are 25 years old or older now and the rubber parts are almost sure to be hard and brittle - which leads to leaks. Pulling down the carbs and replacing the o-rings is mandatory if you want trouble free usage from your bike over an extended period of time.

[TheCafeKid]

In the context of this thread the idea is to effectively clean the carbs with minimum expense. If the original question from GSJake was to go out and buy gallons of carb dip then it would be a short thread.

Dishwasher soap, and some of the other responses here, work just fine and they do an equal job of cleaning as carb dip, albeit with perhaps a little extra elbow-grease.

Despite TheMess's diatribe about quality of the Harbor Freight o-rings I have found them to consistently high quality. I have used them in many applications, not just carbs on bikes. Anyway, where do you think most o-rings are made? Whether they're from Harbor Freight, auto parts store or bike manufacturer.

I've been taking bikes apart for nearly 25 years. I have no intention of misleading anyone with half-baked ideas. We're here to help each other, not throw our dicks around.

Im sorry, but I simply disagree. You cant "elbow grease" into all those little tiny orifii. They need to be SOAKED in something, and even Berryman's call of 30 mins doesnt do it. Dish soap doesnt have the ass to break that crap down. I have tried it. It failed miserably. You may have luck with yours, and more power to you. Or maybe you have spent alot of extra time cleaning them with wires or whatever else. My time is worth more than that to me. I have multiple bikes to ride, maintain, play with, plus work any helping people with their bikes. That was the point of MY post. I am going to use something that i KNOW will take care of it the FIRST time, with minimal scrubbing, poking prodding or anything else. And, Im not "throwing my dick around", simply stating *MY* view point on the subject. Which, last I checked, was what this forum was for. People giving their thoughts on subjects. So if your manhood or pride or whatever feels threatened, my bad, but I was in no way attacking you or your ideas. Ive seen and tried stranger things, some with success, most not so much.

[loungeguy69]

Im sorry, but I simply disagree. You cant "elbow grease" into all those little tiny orifii. They need to be SOAKED in something, and even Berryman's call of 30 mins doesnt do it. Dish soap doesnt have the ass to break that crap down. I have tried it. It failed miserably. You may have luck with yours, and more power to you. Or maybe you have spent alot of extra time cleaning them with wires or whatever else. My time is worth more than that to me. I have multiple bikes to ride, maintain, play with, plus work any helping people with their bikes. That was the point of MY post. I am going to use something that i KNOW will take care of it the FIRST time, with minimal scrubbing, poking prodding or anything else. And, Im not "throwing my dick around", simply stating *MY* view point on the subject. Which, last I checked, was what this forum was for. People giving their thoughts on subjects. So if your manhood or pride or whatever feels threatened, my bad, but I was in no way attacking you or your ideas. Ive seen and tried stranger things, some with success, most not so much.

I wasn't directing the 'throwing' comment at you. I have used dishwasher soap, not ordinary dish soap, with excellent results and not really much more effort than carb dip. The stronger nature of dishwasher soap in hot water dissolves just about every type of gunk. It works. I'm not making up fish stories.

I appreciate your point of view. Likewise my point of view is just as valid and so insinuations that 'this' or 'that' won't do it properly or that someone doesn't have enough experience are baseless. Frankly my daughters show more maturity than some of the other posters here.