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ok...so i bought a bucket of berrymans chem-dip today and placed some old carburetors in them in hopes of rebuilding them. the fuel bowl is in bad shape on the inside, as with any carburetor its age, with all the varnish and gum in it. it sat in the chem dip for at least an hour and a half. it says to elt it sit for 15-30 mins.....so does anyone have any good ideas for cleaning carbs?

I hope you disassembled the carbs first . Normally I would let it set even up to an hour . Use small soft wire brush or tooth brush for cleaning . Followed by water rinse then I always dipped in lacquer thinner to get any film off and let dry . Then reassemble .
That's how I've always done it . Worked for me .
Regards, Wizzard

oh yeah, they cant be any more disassembled than they are now, haha....lacquer thinner? would xylene work better? is it more caustic? i need something that'll really get the crud outta there, as its caked on pretty good.

I used Berryman's on some carbs that had gas in them for over 15 years and it worked like a charm. I had to use a toothbrush though. And I double-dipped them. Once to get all the big stuff and then again to get them really clean. If your experience is like mine you'll still have a bit of hand work to do if they are real nasty. I'd be scared of using anything too caustic.

hmmm...guess some good ol fashioned elbow grease is in order huh? haha...thats ok i guess. what about the carburetor main body, and all those small passages? think the chem-dip will get that well enough? cant fit a toothbrush in there! haha

another question on the side...any idea what the mixture screws look like? i dont have a manual, but im presuming they are the ones just above the fuel bowl seam, bottom of the main body...what i mean by what they look like is, what do the tips look like. on the carbs that are currently on the bike, one of the mixture screws snapped off when i was trying to adjust it. if its just a standard screw, awesome, ill drill and tap it out and replace it..but i thought maybe it would have a coned tip...any clue guys? thanx a bunch

txbadboy wrote:hmmm...guess some good ol fashioned elbow grease is in order huh? haha...thats ok i guess. what about the carburetor main body, and all those small passages? think the chem-dip will get that well enough? cant fit a toothbrush in there! haha

Try Brake Klean with a little straw on the end of it (should come taped to the can)? Oh, pipe cleaners too. Like from a hobby shop. If you're not sure what i mean, Google Image search "pipe cleaner".

hmm...pipe cleaner...yeah that might work. and brake cleaner..god u have to love that stuff. kills wasps instantly too!! lol thanks guys..any other ideas very welcome!

txbadboy wrote:hmm...pipe cleaner...yeah that might work. and brake cleaner..god u have to love that stuff. kills wasps instantly too!! lol thanks guys..any other ideas very welcome!

lmfao, wasps eh? i'll have to try that.

GeoffXR200R wrote:

txbadboy wrote:hmm...pipe cleaner...yeah that might work. and brake cleaner..god u have to love that stuff. kills wasps instantly too!! lol thanks guys..any other ideas very welcome!

lmfao, wasps eh? i'll have to try that.

Just don't miss the wasp, or you'll have a very mad, slightly stoned wasp looking to inflict pain on something, that something being you.

BrakeKleen also works great for killing mice and anthills. I sure am glad I get free from work, I use at least a case of it per day. That's at work, I probably burn through that much of it at home too.

Varsol? Don't need no stinkin' Varsol....

txbadboy wrote: another question on the side...any idea what the mixture screws look like? i dont have a manual, but im presuming they are the ones just above the fuel bowl seam, bottom of the main body...what i mean by what they look like is, what do the tips look like. on the carbs that are currently on the bike, one of the mixture screws snapped off when i was trying to adjust it. if its just a standard screw, awesome, ill drill and tap it out and replace it..but i thought maybe it would have a coned tip...any clue guys? thanx a bunch

i dont think anyone saw this, hehe...*bump* thanx fellas