Carb cleaning?

[Chris-R]

The inside of my carb is caked with white deposit, which is almost like a calcified layer. It doesn't want to come off with aerosol carb cleaner - does anyone have advice? The pic shows the top of the float bowl, but the float bowl itself is badly affected too.
Everywhere else in the system the ancient fuel deposits have brushed or blown out as dust, but not here.

[Sniper]

Might likely  be corrosion as well.  I've used vinegar in other applications to remove that kind of deposits, but I have no idea how it would affect the base metal on your carb, in other words the fix might be worse than the problem. 

[Chris-R]

1 hour ago, Sniper said:

Might likely  be corrosion as well.  I've used vinegar in other applications to remove that kind of deposits, but I have no idea how it would affect the base metal on your carb, in other words the fix might be worse than the problem. 

I thought corrosion too, but the same stuff is stuck to the brass float - so hopefully it's something that will come off. I'll try some vinegar though, cheers!

[Los_Control]

If it was my carburetor & I had to use it, I would want to give it every chance I could. They are getting harder to find.

My theory is the powder is the way this type of metal rust or deteriorates. We see it all the time on aluminum heads, intakes ... wheels.

It cleans up nicely with some sort of soda or bead blasting & polish.... worse cases leaves pitting behind from deterioration.

Just something you do not want to see inside of your carburetor with all the small passages.

 

Vinegar has a million uses & a excellent cleaner, it might do the trick. my grocery store stocks a gallon sized jug with a higher acidity rate that is more for cleaning then for cooking. .... I also use it as a mild flush for my cooling system to remove rust/corrosion.

 

I was going to suggest Berrymans to soak your carb in, I soaked mine in it for 48 hours. Mine was in good shape & no powder.

I paid $25 for it 2 years ago & used it with 3 different carbs and various parts since then.

Today they want $62 for the same item 

 

[keithb7]

My vote is ultrasonic cleaner. Worked well for me.  

[Veemoney]

I have a gallon can of the Berryman as well. I purchased it years ago at a price of $17.60 which is still on the lid. It does a nice job of cleaning up carbs and I have used it on many over the years. Mine has a steel galvanized parts basket inside and that finish is still fine on it. I usually leave parts in anywhere from a few hrs up to 24hrs.  

[Art Bailey]

I'm guessing that a lot of water either got in there at some point, or a well meaning PO tried to clean it using soap and water. In the 1948 Mopar repair brochure "The Story of the Carburetor," there's a paragraph that states "when water enters the carburetor, it may corrode the zinc parts and form an oatmeal-like mush which may clog the jets." I ruined a carb body by dunking it in an ultrasonic cleaner using Simple Green (degreaser sold in the States, I can't remember if I diluted it or not, no idea what's in it), which came out looking like yours, and seemed to be exactly what was described in the brochure. I tried to pretend it didn't happen, assembled it, and couldn't ever get it to run consistently. I tried scrubbing that junk off, but there's just too many impossible to reach areas, it always came back, so I just gave up. My wreck came with another carb, so I ended up using that one, which is still problematic, and I'm currently working on carb #3, an ebay find that looks like it never saw much use. The inside has some kind of coppery looking finish, like it was anodized. I know a lot of folks swear by the ultrasonic cleaner, but I have a feeling that if any of that original finish was left on my ruined carb before it was ruined, I may have blown it off with the ultrasonic.

 

White vinegar is 90% water, so personally, I'd stick to mineral spirits, Berryman's, Gumout, etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 8, 2022 by ratbailey

[curtisw]

2 hours ago, ratbailey said:

I'm guessing that a lot of water either got in there at some point, or a well meaning PO tried to clean it using soap and water. In the 1948 Mopar repair brochure "The Story of the Carburetor," there's a paragraph that states "when water enters the carburetor, it may corrode the zinc parts and form an oatmeal-like mush which may clog the jets." I ruined a carb body by dunking it in an ultrasonic cleaner using Simple Green (degreaser sold in the States, I can't remember if I diluted it or not, no idea what's in it), which came out looking like yours, and seemed to be exactly what was described in the brochure. I tried to pretend it didn't happen, assembled it, and couldn't ever get it to run consistently. I tried scrubbing that junk off, but there's just too many impossible to reach areas, it always came back, so I just gave up. My wreck came with another carb, so I ended up using that one, which is still problematic, and I'm currently working on carb #3, an ebay find that looks like it never saw much use. The inside has some kind of coppery looking finish, like it was anodized. I know a lot of folks swear by the ultrasonic cleaner, but I have a feeling that if any of that original finish was left on my ruined carb before it was ruined, I may have blown it off with the ultrasonic.

 

White vinegar is 90% water, so personally, I'd stick to mineral spirits, Berryman's, Gumout, etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I recently rebuilt my Carter BB by soaking it in straight Simple Green, per Mike's Carbs where I got the rebuilt kit. Everything seems fine but I didn't soak it very long. 

[Art Bailey]

31 minutes ago, coffeepathsofglory said:

 

I recently rebuilt my Carter BB by soaking it in straight Simple Green, per Mike's Carbs where I got the rebuilt kit. Everything seems fine but I didn't soak it very long. 

I let it cook a good long time. I can't honestly say whether it was the ultrasonic, or the Simple Green, or the time in the pot that did it, but from now on, I'm sticking with nasty skin removing chemicals.

[Chris-R]

White vinegar worked a treat. I filled the float bowl cap with it, and after a few minutes tiny pinprick bubbles started to form as the vinegar did its work. I emptied and refilled the vinegar twice over the course of an hour and a half, and it came out as per the pics below. No scrubbing or brushing required to shift the previously immovable deposits - I just rinsed the vinegar out then gave it a wipe with carb cleaner. I soaked the float separately and it turned out the white deposits had formed over a big solder repair, and not the rest of the brass. Anyway, that all came off too, so now just waiting for my carb rebuild kit to arrive. Thanks for all the tips!

[Kilgore47]

Your carb looks good.  You should probably use a thin wire to clean out all the passages.  There could be corrosion left in the small areas.  I use small gun cleaning brushes where they will fit.  Then use compressed air to remove the remaining dust.  I would have thought that you were going to have to soda blast that carb but it looks like vinegar did the trick.  

 

Thats a lot of solder on that float.  Could have been repaired at one time.  

[Sniper]

11 hours ago, ratbailey said:

I let it cook a good long time. I can't honestly say whether it was the ultrasonic, or the Simple Green, or the time in the pot that did it, but from now on, I'm sticking with nasty skin removing chemicals.

 

Interesting, I ran my carb thru an ultrasonic cleaner with simple green and all it did was clean it up real nice.  My carb wasn't all that cruddy to begin with and I don't remember how long I ran it  either.

 

You can see the before and after here

 

http://www.yourolddad.com/carb-rebuild

[Art Bailey]

16 minutes ago, Sniper said:

 

Interesting, I ran my carb thru an ultrasonic cleaner with simple green and all it did was clean it up real nice.  My carb wasn't all that cruddy to begin with and I don't remember how long I ran it  either.

 

You can see the before and after here

 

http://www.yourolddad.com/carb-rebuild

I know, I used your blog for reference when I was doing mine! If I could remember how long I cooked it for (if I remember correctly, I forgot and left it on overnight), or if I had diluted the Simple Green, my opinion on ultrasonic cleaning would be less knee jerk reaction and more scientific, but alas...

 

I have a 70s Carter non B+B carb that I was going to dink with and see if I could get it to work on my DeSoto, maybe I'll dunk it in the ultrasonic for a specific, reasonable amount of time with undiluted Simple Green and see if I get different results. 

[Plymouthy Adams]

If a carb is showing signs of oxidation I use a 55% phosphoric rinse...it quickly and safely reacts with the oxidation and leaves the base metal clean and if pitted it is chemically treated for prtection against further oxidation.  NOW...aluminum and other non ferrous metal carry cautions when using the phosphoric and thus you will not want to dip the parts for any length of time.  Works great, just use a bit of common sense when using the product.  You can use lower strength dilutions and up the time you have for scrubbing with wire brushes, scuffy pads or other items in your inventory.  DO rinse very well flushing with clear water and blow all passages with compressed air, I like to then spray passages and inner surfaces with WD40 and then again spray the excess.  Ultrasonic cleaners are fantastic, however I realized many do not have a unit suitable sized for carbs....ultrasonic cleaning is most effective with de-gassed water.  I do miss my access to the super larger ultrasonic cleaner with second stage tank for rinsing and the third stage compartment for heated force air drying.

[Bob Riding]

22 hours ago, keithb7 said:

My vote is ultrasonic cleaner. Worked well for me.  

Hey Keith...I watched your video when you cleaned your carb-didn't get the brand of ultrasonic cleaner you bought. Would you buy it again?

[keithb7]

I am happy with my Ultrasonic cleaner. I’d buy it again. Have not owned it long yet though. So far I’ve cleaned 2 carbs. Both were immediately improved very much.  In fact my lawn mower would no longer run at all. Now it’s like new again. 
 

I did not see any indication of my carbs “losing their finish”. Perhaps some folks are using cleaners that are too harsh? I used 1 cup of Spray nine. Then about 10L of water. I set the water heater temp to about 150F. The little imploding bubbles did their job. I ran it for about 3 hours per carb. I am enjoying excellent results. 
 

I’d have to look up the brand name when I get home, then report back. 

Edited October 8, 2022 by keithb7

[Plymouthy Adams]

this is similar to the setup I used at one place I worked moons ago.  Ample size for working carbs such as these.....cleaned and rebuild these carbs after setting idle many years...balanced them on the bench and let the big dog eat...bolt on ran great.

 

 

 

 

[keithb7]

I believe Mine is 15L size. 
 

 

 

[uncleaud]

I used my little hand held self contained sand blaster with baking soda from the dollar store. Cleaned it up great with no surface damage, rinsed off with water and compressed air. 

[Chris-R]

A couple of extra questions related to my strip down...
1. There's what looks like a small ball bearing in the centre of the first picture. Should pushing it down release the component it's attached to, allowing it to be withdrawn from the casting for cleaning - or is it something else? Mine seems stuck.
2. Pic 2 shows part of the casting with an unusual bend in it. Is this normal on a Carter BB or is it a sign of damage?
Thanks!

[Kilgore47]

That's not a ball bearing to be removed.  It's a plug.  That's at the accelerator pump jet.  Go to Sniper's link to see how to remove and clean that area.  The link in Sniper's response above is a great go by for these carbs.

 

The bent area is part of the spacer.  Not sure if it's supposed to be there but I don't think it will be a problem.  

[kencombs]

Just my observations on carb maintenance.   No dedicated carb cleaner that I've encountered will attack corrosion.   They are formulated to remove varnish, fuel deposits etc which are organic in nature.  Corrosion is not. It is  metallic or mineral and is best removed by either a base or acid.  The problem is that those will also attack metals.  So the strength of the solution is important too weak and it won't work, to strong and the metal gets etched, or worse.  The same applies to duration of immersion.  And, to make it even more difficult, not all carbs are the same metal composition.  Zinc, aluminum and others are alloyed in varying proportions and may react differently.

 

Working on old garden tractors, I've seen the result of to much of a good thing, carb bodies just eaten away.

 

I usually start with normal grocery store white vinegar, for a couple of hours, then progress to stronger and/or longer if needed.   This is after cleaning with something else to get the varnish, etc off.  

 

Seldom, but sometimes, soda blasting also, but that is usually just for outer appearance.  Cast iron can be cleaned in the normal blast cabinet with Black Beauty media.

 

BTW, that is how I remove rust from smaller body parts too.  Soak in vinegar then pressure wash and rinse with a soda solution.

 

 

[Sniper]

3 hours ago, Chris-R said:

A couple of extra questions related to my strip down...
1. There's what looks like a small ball bearing in the centre of the first picture. Should pushing it down release the component it's attached to, allowing it to be withdrawn from the casting for cleaning - or is it something else? Mine seems stuck.
2. Pic 2 shows part of the casting with an unusual bend in it. Is this normal on a Carter BB or is it a sign of damage?

 

1. That ball seals the end of the passageway that comes from the accelerator pump and feeds the pump jet.  It shouldn't come out.  The plug on the outside of that cavity is what you pull to access the pump jet, as mentioned I show how in my link.

 

2. Looking at my pics in the link, it does not appear to be bent.  Lay a straight edge across it to see if it's flat.  If it is not you probably have a leak there and it needs addressed.

[Bob Riding]

What about using an old crock pot and boil with a mild degreaser Like Simple Green for a few hours?

[kencombs]

43 minutes ago, Bob Riding said:

What about using an old crock pot and boil with a mild degreaser Like Simple Green for a few hours?

I'm not fan of Simple Green on white metals as it can attack some  due to its citric acid content.  For instance it will dull aluminun almost instantly.   But, with careful attention to soak times it is an effective cleaner of dirty parts.

 

Purple power seems to be non-acid and cleans well.  I've noticed no discoloration on aluminum wheels or parts with it.  But I've not used in a heated solution.