Lucas Carb Cleaner

[GS1100G]

well at least I am not the only one who thought that...^^^ I thought I was a little optimistic

[twistedwankel]

sounds like a plan the test will be in the morning when I go to work... that is when it throws a temper tantrum, i don't think my bike is a morning bike like me i hate mornings

I ran a bottle of Lucas thru my car and it didn't hurt anything - but the car ran fine before too. I've used Stabil for years in stored cars always with full gas tanks and all manner of vehicles with great success. Never drained it out just ran the engine come spring no problems.

I used Seafoam recently with great success but/and it loosened up rust so fine it went thru the petcock screen and got into the carb bowls. Also the drain bolts on my carbs were rusted on the tips and when I really got on it lowering the gas level it would suck crude into the carb and the bike would run rough at 3-4k but idled great and under full throttle was okay. Once I put a filter between the tank and the carbs, replaced the rusty drain bolts and flushed the bowls using the prime setting 3 times into a white plastic cap...all is now well. Didn't have to rebuild the carbs and that was 2000mi ago Even a pro GSer said I didn't need to with kit in hand.

Got the valves adjusted, carbs synched and will leave the pre filter on to keep any more rust from getting into the carbs. The things one learns the hard way will always stay with us.

Good luck in the morning.

[GS1100G]

well i ran a 32 oz bottle through my explorer at one time and it helped tremensly... but bike engines are a little more high preformance and tighter specs... so i thought it would effect the engine differently...

[chef1366]

On some level it probably did what it's supposed to do. It broke some deposits loose which then clogged the carb.

That's what happened. If you ran several tanks through it the additive is long gone. Pull the pita carbs and clean them again.

[GS1100G]

I was afraid someone would say that, I am really anal when it comes to my carbs so to clean them means taking each one apart setting aside the O-rings and scrub them with cleaner ( kerosine with hi-test fuel) cuts shat pretty good, and don't forget the good ol' spray cleaner in a can... it means 4+ hours of work PER carb... Quality time with Mr.Toothbrush

[doctorgonzo]

I was afraid someone would say that, I am really anal when it comes to my carbs so to clean them means taking each one apart setting aside the O-rings and scrub them with cleaner ( kerosine with hi-test fuel) cuts shat pretty good, and don't forget the good ol' spray cleaner in a can... it means 4+ hours of work PER carb... Quality time with Mr.Toothbrush

Buy a can of Berrymans carb dip.

[GS1100G]

I will look it up anything is better than what I am doing now... as long as I get the same quality finish, I will spend the time if it is necssary and worth it... but if it makes my life easier I am all for it!!!

[doctorgonzo]

I will look it up anything is better than what I am doing now... as long as I get the same quality finish, I will spend the time if it is necssary and worth it... but if it makes my life easier I am all for it!!!

It's good stuff. Works for ALL metal parts. Autozone carrys it. There is some controversy on how long to dip. Can says 30 minutes, some on here dip for 24 hours, some say that can damage internal rubber on the throttle assembly. I dipped mine 2 hours.

[GS1100G]

do they come up pretty and shiny??? like new??? as far as dipping goes start at 30 min and work yer way up from there i'm up for as long as it takes... even if it is 16 hours of work plus dip time.

[doctorgonzo]

do they come up pretty and shiny??? like new??? as far as dipping goes start at 30 min and work yer way up from there i'm up for as long as it takes... even if it is 16 hours of work plus dip time.

Yeah, they are pretty clean when they come out. ALL o-rings, etc... have to be removed because it will disintegrate them. It's excellent for the small bits like jets and is good for cleaning out all the small internal passages in the carb.

[chef1366]

If there is no oxidation they will be as clean as you've ever seen them. Especially in the important parts like the inner ports.

[GS1100G]

sounds good, but before I do all the carb teardown, I hope my simple fix of draining the pans and I saw the fuel switch was on reserve (it is now in the on position) solves the problem...

[mighty13d]

whatever you do, don't forget an in-line filter between the tank and the carbs... I know a lot of people don't run them, but if anything gets in the tanks, it's better to catch it then let it run right into your bowls (if there isn't screens above your needle valves, if there is, then it will clog them up right there!)

Don't forget to make sure that if you do get a filter, get one that is for gravity fed engines, not one that is meant to have a fuel pump pushing through it.

[Steve]

do they come up pretty and shiny??? like new???

OK, you tell me ... are they clean and shiny?




That is after about 12 hours in the 'dip'. The carbs were last used in December, and the bike was parked for other reasons, which necessitated carb removal, therefore, drainage. They did not look too bad, so I only dipped them for 12 hours. We will find out later this week how well that worked.

As TheCafeKid and mriddle have noted, my polishing wheel is just a bit too close to my work bench. Here is what tends to happen:

[mighty13d]

HOLY CRAP Steve... those look great. My GS just got her first bath that involved SimpleGreen and a brush.. she looks great. I can't wait until I get some spare time and start polishing like you have already!