Pine sol and 2 stroke carbs

[hard_y_rd]

Just wondering if you can soak 2 stroke carbs in pine sol? I did my bs38's in it. Did a great job. Just not sure on the 34mm mikuni's for my snowmobile.

 

[fredintoon]

Hi hard_y_rd,
WTF not, eh? The carbs don't care if the gas has oil in it or not, so why should pine-sol be any different?

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

... why should pine-sol be any different?

Hey, Fred! Pine sol is somewhat acidic. Lots of net discussions on this, try googling "pine sol aluminum".

Aluminum carbs:
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,133302.0.html

XS650 zinc carbs:
http://www.xs650.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22386

 

[fredintoon]

Hi 2Many,
acidic, eh?
I did not know that and I use a carb cleaning mystery solvent from Canadian Tire anyway.
However, hard_y_rd was happy with pine-sol soaking his BS38s in it and asked if soaking his 2-stroke carbs would be OK with it too.
But if pine-sol will dissolve the one it'll dissolve t'other so he shouldn't have and he'd better not?

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

Fred, yeah, this is a messy arena. A lot of that has to do with base metals and immersion time. I've had Aqua Regia on my fingers (pH less than 1), then quickly rinsed and neutralized with no ill effects. Same with strong caustics. But, give them a few minutes..........!!!!

I've used pine sol on my BS38s, in an ultrasonic cleaner. It was ok removing some fuel deposits, ineffective on others, including that 'zinc rust'.

I think what we've got here is a challenging combination of:

Things that you want cleaned, and not damaged:
- Carb parts materials (zinc, aluminum, brass, rubber-type seals, gaskets, nylon, ...etc)

Things that you want removed:
- Fuel related deposits, complicated by gasohol and additives
- Non-fuel related deposits (tank sealers, fibreglass, sugar, children's toys)
- Surface corrosion residues, from carb metals and such (like that white zinc rust)

Things available for cleaning:
- Cleaning solvents, with various properties, and various compositions
--- Polar and non-polar
--- Acidic, neutral, caustic
--- Organic (hydrocarbons) and inorganic (acids, salts, bases)
----- Various organic types (chain, cyclic, ...etc)

Cleaning procedures and guides:
- Time, Temperature, Agitation
- Then add the obscure rules, like trichlor on aluminum

Lotta combinations here, and I'm sure there's more. Whatta mess.

As much as I like experimentation and testimonials, I'd rather have some kind of chart, identify problem -> solutions.

Or, a magic elixir that fixes everything (*har-har*)

But, for the most part, I've been playing it safe using off-the-shelf like you, including the Berryman's dip...

 

[hard_y_rd]

I seen the berryman's dip on different sites. Don't know if its available here in Canada. I guess the Pine sol is O.K. Moderation is the key. I know a few on this site that use it. I wont mention any names. Lol

 

[racerdave]

I have used CLR and Lime Away on my snowmobile and motor cycle carbs for years. Works great.

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

I seen the berryman's dip on different sites. Don't know if its available here in Canada.

Fun stuff. See if you can read this out loud:

I guess the Pine sol is O.K. Moderation is the key. I know a few on this site that use it. I wont mention any names. Lol

That's it. More than an hour or two of immersion may not get them any cleaner, but may start etching...