Carbs are really gunked up

[dcoffey48]

I am trying to get my bike running this summer.  It sat all last year 

I have fixed the drive shaft and now I am working on the carbs.



They were really bad. Some jets completely plugged.





One was so bad I could not remove the float valve from it's seat and I had to tap the needle out with a punch.  The needle has a bit of corrosion on it so I will likely need to replace it??  Looks like I will be ordering a whole carb kit for this.  I may as well rejet while I have it apart.

Budda if your out there I could use a rejet kit.  PM sent.


Dave.

[The Buddha]

Yea rejet kit - I dont think I got PM ... I'll check though.
However why did you derack that set. Its easier to fix and clean as an assy.
I'd start with very hot water and dishwashing liquid.
Cool.
Buddha.

[dcoffey48]

Yea rejet kit - I dont think I got PM ... I'll check though.
However why did you derack that set. Its easier to fix and clean as an assy.
I'd start with very hot water and dishwashing liquid.
Cool.
Buddha.

I'll try the PM again.

I deracked the Carbs mostly cause I did not know better.    next time I will leave them intact.

[The Buddha]

I am working on a concoction that would clean carbs with a mix of hot water ... basically it involves a metal cleaner like brasso, a surfactant like diswashing liquid and a mild etcher ... make that very very very very mild and only if a first and second dip doesn't do it, Lye.

Or liquid aluminum cleaner/polisher and dishwashing liquid and very hot water, like boiling water. Remember it cannot be alkaline it will turn aluminum black, it cant be too acidic, it will eat aluminum ... so right about 6-7 Ph is what it needs to end up @.

Can someone try this on very gummy carbs and post back. I think dish soap aluminum cleaner and water oughta do it.

Cool.
Buddha.

[noiseguy]

Whatever is used, it needs to be able to dissolve gasoline varnish as well as grease/oil.

I've had good luck with Simple Green on oily/greasy stuff, but I'm not sure it will cut varnish.

Spray carb cleaner converts the varnish to dust which then gets blown away by subsequent spray.

If you come up with a better dip, I'm all ears. I'm not a fan of the super toxic dip I'm using now. 

[The Buddha]

I am a big fan of mecahnically cleaning them, wd40 and tooth brush is my preferred method. Maybe I could try somethign like a dip, but well, how does it matter I am getting into it anyway to jet.`
Cool.
Buddha.

[noiseguy]

I did a google search on "homemade carb cleaner."

General consensus is around either using Berryman's or carb spray. Frankly, I like a combination of carb spray and mechanical cleaning, though I'll use the dip for really icky carbs.

Recalling that I soak vacuum-operated petcocks in straight gasoline to clean them... I think new gas dissolves old gas varnish, so perhaps that's the (smelly) answer.

Alternates also found:
Boiling in water with Tide (and only Tide brand) for 1 hour. Seems like a lot of work.
Soak in acetone / MEK mixed with other volatile stuff (like gasoline, alcohol, and/or kerosene.) I don't like MEK; acetone is an interesting choice though. These to cut the varnish.

Also found out that Simple Green is harmful to aluminium (which I was not aware of.)

[dcoffey48]

Well I finished cleaning/rejeting the carbs  yesterday. -- 125 mains, 40 Pilots, 2 washers, 3 turns out.
I put her back together and running just as the rain stared    I will take her out for a test run when the whether drys up maybe tomorrow.

One thing I notice is that when blipping the throttle it hangs high and drops back down slowly.  Not sure if I need to adjust the idle mixture screws or remove one washer.  Will keep you updated.

Dave.


 

[mister]

MEK? To quote Iron Maiden.... "Run to the hills...." That stuff devours certain plastic. Nasty stuff that.

Michael