Best way to clean a carburetor ?

Can you dip a carburetor in those dip tank cleaners? Is there any cleaner thats "safe"? Something that wont ruin O rings and hidden seals?

Hi solidstateirons,
some carb dip-cleaners are safe to use on elastomers & plastics but others ain't.
Best you read the can very carefully before you dip a complete carburettor.
OTOH dipping the whole thing is not the "best way"
Best is you dismantle the carb and use the spraycan's extension tube to blow carb cleaner through each jet, orifice and passageway it's got.
My best advice is to grind screwdriver bits to an exact fit in the jets so the jets come out rather than their slots crater out and to do carb work inside a cafeteria tray so that all those little parts can't get lost so easily.
 
Hi solidstateirons,
some carb dip-cleaners are safe to use on elastomers & plastics but others ain't.
Best you read the can very carefully before you dip a complete carburettor.
OTOH dipping the whole thing is not the "best way"
Best is you dismantle the carb and use the spraycan's extension tube to blow carb cleaner through each jet, orifice and passageway it's got.
My best advice is to grind screwdriver bits to an exact fit in the jets so the jets come out rather than their slots crater out and to do carb work inside a cafeteria tray so that all those little parts can't get lost so easily.


What spray do you recommend best?
 
If the bike runs but lags a little or has other carb related issues the spray cleaners will do the job. To properly clean a dirty carb the ultrasonic cleaners are the only real way to do the job.
 
Gummout Carb cleaner has been effective for me.

Throttle Body Cleaner is similarly effective.

...and then use compressed air to clear passages.
 
I like to soak them in simple green a few days then scrub and rinse them before drying. Then use compressed air and torch tip cleaners to make sure all passages are clear. Finish with brake or carb spray through jets/passages.
 
My tried and true, thorough, and reliable method is complete disassembly, soaking in Berrymans' from an hour to overnight depending on accumulation of sediment and residue. Then a vigorous flushing of every port in my parts washer. And finally blasting each port with 100 psi of compressed air.

https://www.berrymanproducts.com/pr...rryman-chem-dip-carburetor-and-parts-cleaner/

My preferred method, and the easiest, is to feed a steady amount of fuel through them by riding the beech every few days!:bike:
 
A strong dose of Seafoam, you don't even have to take the carbs off. Also, 2-3 ounces of TC-W3 per tank of fuel (2-stroke oil), I thought it was stupid too until I tried it.

Scott
 
I have a Branson HDA 1000 ultrasonic cleaner at my disposal...... I soak them in Pinesol :) and some times I even use the ultra sonic cleaner.
Straight PineSol no added water , Not the no name brand get the real stuff. When you're done pour it back in the bottle and save it for the next set.
 
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Use Yamaha dip carb cleaner, part # ACC-CARBC-LE-NR available at any Yamaha dealer. Mix it with 2 parts water and store it in a sturdy plastic jug for future use. This stuff will not hurt your rubber and plastic parts and will melt away varnish and stale fuel residue in a couple of hours.

One more piece of advice, never ever use torch tip cleaners on your passages and jets! They make everything bigger!
 
I have a 1975 xs650 and I actually found an article about boiling them in lemon juice and it worked like a charm cleaned them all the way through and even got into the parts the carb cleaner wouldn't.
 
Soda blast has worked best for me overall as far as the carb bodies go, and ultrasonic for fuel/air passages if they're gummed up. The lower cost ultrasonics like at Harbor Freight don't do as good a job, the industrial strength parts washers will knock off near anything. Most dips like Berryman do a solid job unless your carbs are really gunky.

Pine-Sol and Lemon Juice I've seen do a good job cleaning, but after trying them I would give a warning that if you're using anything highly acidic I would suggest when you take them out of that to immediately put them in hot water with a good bit of baking soda (at least hot enough that the baking soda dissolves and doesn't settle at the bottom) in it to make absolutely sure you've neutralized the acid. Acidic stuff chews metal up and promotes oxidation pretty heavily if it's on there long enough and if any remains you'll have some nasty chalky residue everywhere that you'll end up having to blast off later. At the very least make sure to rinse them very thoroughly with water and use compressed air to dry the carbs out as soon as you take them out of <insert acidic solution here>.
 
Sell the OEM carbs on ebay. Call Sudco buy new Mikunis set up and ready to go. You will be grateful in the end.
 
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