Recommendations For Carb Cleaner

[tombell572]

I'm restoring a 1962 BSA B40 single cylinder bike and want to preserve the original Amal concentric carb. The bike sat in a garage for at least 30 years after being put away and has a layer of fuel/dirt mix coating the carb. I tried some Gumout carb & injector cleaner but it's not having much of an effect.

Anyone have good results with anything else for this application? I have the carb apart and would like to immerse the body in something in addition to all the other parts.

Tom B.

 

[TommyK]

You can try a 50/50 mix of Pinesol and H2O.

Also, there was a recent thread on ultrasonic cleaners that my be of interest to you.

 

[DadsTools]

I had to do something similar many years ago. There was a product that came in something like a large paint can that actually had a basket inside that you put the carb parts in and lowered it into the can for so many hours. Worked like a charm, got rid of all the gunk and varnish. Then rebuilt the cxarb, worked like a champ. Too long ago to remember what it was called but it may give you a lead on what to look for.

 

[Davefr]

Put the carb. in a glass jar with Coleman Fuel (ie Naptha) and then put the glass jar in an ultrasonic cleaner with a water bath. Turn the heat up to around 140 degrees F and give it a 15 minute clean followed by a 5 minute rinse with clean fluid. (Coleman fuel is cheap and abundant at g-sales.) Odorless mineral spirits will also work.

You can also try Berryman Chem Dip without the ultrasonic cleaner but it has to be Berryman Professional. The new Berryman regular is ineffective.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Chemtool carb dip is what I use. No plastic or rubber bits as it will dissolve them.

 

[JoCoSawdust]

I've always used a product called SeaFoam for gummed up carbs but I'm sure there's a lot of actual mechanics on here that know a lot more than I do.

 

[ttpete]

That bike is too early to have had a Concentric carb. Those didn't show up until about 1967. It would have had an Amal Monobloc carb, which was a better carb to begin with. The Concentric was designed at the request of the industry to be more inexpensive, and had wear problems as well as having a built-in idle jet that couldn't be changed and was very difficult to reach to clean.

Burlen Fuel Systems in the UK currently makes new Amal carbs that are better than the originals including both Monobloc and Concentric types. They will jet one properly for your bike so it will be the same as the original.

 

[tombell572]

Thanks for the input, everyone. Gives me plenty to go on.

ttpete-you are indeed correct, Monobloc carb. Result of a brain fart.

Tom B.

 

[Honda guy]

As others have already mentioned, ultrasonic cleaner. That would be my first choice .

Second choice would be, soak it in a can of Yamaha brand carb cleaner. Bring the cleaner to a boil on a hotplate or with a propane torch. Cleans amazingly well and it's safe for rubber and o-rings. Also, the cleaner is reusable.

It's available at most Yamaha dealerships.

 

[TalonFE]

B-12 Chemtool (berryman). Very effective if you want to avoid full did-assembly for some reason. Eye protection a must as is a well ventilated space. Amal units, especially monoblocs, require careful attention to mating surfaces, over-tightened float bowl screws can surfaces but these can be restored with lapping paste on a glass pane. That B40 is a nice piece of kit, btw.

 

[TalonFE]

...can distort sufaces

 

[disston]

My problem with carb cleaners in the gallon can was that after using the very toxic smelling stuff I had no way to get rid of it. And the stuff is nasty.

I have used spray carb cleaners supplemented with compressed air and tiny wires to rout out the tiny passages in Bing carbs.

But the best and simplest seems to be an ultra sonic machine and 50/50 mix of favorite soap. Simple Green is popular.

 

[Lonnies Performance]

Gumout carb cleaner is now a very weak product.
Lacquer thinner is a stronger cleaner.

You can also try these brands which are still rather potent:
Berkebile Gum Cutter
K&W Technician strength carb cleaner

These ones also dissolve paint & many brands of super glue.

 

[Davefr]

My problem with carb cleaners in the gallon can was that after using the very toxic smelling stuff I had no way to get rid of it. And the stuff is nasty.

You're absolutely right.

I had a 5 gallon dipping pail of old formula Berryman B-12. I could dip anything in that bucket and in minutes it would come out squeaky clean stripped of any and all paint.

I kept it out in the barn and after about 10 years it developed a pinhole leak.

The only way to get rid of it was to fill it with cat litter and take it to a hazardous waste collection event.

It was nasty/smelly stuff, but sure worked good. I think you can still get it as Berryman Professional but storage and future disposal is a PIA.

 

[Sevenhills1952]

Heated ultrasonic cleaner with 5% Simple Green cleaner, 95% distilled water (10%+90% if needed). You want a cleaning kit shown, for tiny passages small springs stretched straight, cut end at an angle.
Rubber tipped blowgun.

Sent from my SM-S320VL using Tapatalk

 

[Sevenhills1952]

'86 Mikunis I finished yesterday.

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[Zrxrunner]

Hondaguy beat me too it. 200x carb from my signature would have needed brown gunk chipped out if the carb if it weren't for the Yamaha carb dip and hot soak. Make sure all the rubber and plastic parts are taken off first tho, it's some potent stuff!

 

[gungatim]

guys on some of the old motorcycle forums I used to frequent were always recommending pine-sol, which someone mentioned above. I haven't tried it personally as I can usually get buy with carb cleaner. when that doesn't work, strong clear grain alcohol, (try cheap vodka) works pretty good since alcohol is a quite strong solvent by itself.

the worst carbs I couldn't clean with a chemical I used a soda-blaster. initially I used the diy blowgun with plastic tube method until I bought an HF unit. makes a carb look like new, but if it has a steel bowl you may find pin hole rust spots once blasted clean.

 

[MrDeerHunter]

Camp fuel or naptha in a Sonic cleaner. It works amazingly well.

The cheap HF unit works just as well. You don't need to completely disassemble it either.

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[ZRX61]

Another vote for pinesol, that **** works.

 

[tym]

I had to do something similar many years ago. There was a product that came in something like a large paint can that actually had a basket inside that you put the carb parts in and lowered it into the can for so many hours. Worked like a charm, got rid of all the gunk and varnish. Then rebuilt the cxarb, worked like a champ. Too long ago to remember what it was called but it may give you a lead on what to look for.

Yes. You can still find it at Napa. However, the parts need to be cleaned of the residue from the stuff in the can before use.

 

[ttpete]

Yes. You can still find it at Napa. However, the parts need to be cleaned of the residue from the stuff in the can before use.

Hot water works well for that.

 

[tombell572]

Thanks everyone for your input!!

Tom B.

 

[Motorman55]

I had to do something similar many years ago. There was a product that came in something like a large paint can that actually had a basket inside that you put the carb parts in and lowered it into the can for so many hours. Worked like a charm, got rid of all the gunk and varnish. Then rebuilt the cxarb, worked like a champ. Too long ago to remember what it was called but it may give you a lead on what to look for.

Believe your thinking of the old GUNK cleaner cans with built in strainer baskets. The old GUNK was great stuff but pretty nasty. I still have a couple old unused GUNK spray cans left on my shelf.