Carb Cleaner?????????????

[Dragon Tamer]

I picked up my latest aquisition (an'81 XS1100 SH) last fall and trailered it home but had not had time to work on it until this week. I got the carbs off of it last night and tonight after work I started to tear them down for the expected cleanup. (Expected because the bike has been sitting in a shed since 1994). I had pulled off all of the float bowls and was spraying down the brown crust that had developed. The spray cleaner was doing its usual lackluster job, soak, scrub, soak again, scrub again etc. Just like normal. After I got the last bowl off I accidentaly picked up a can of BC-10 Gunzilla gun cleaner that was on the bench and sprayed down the bowl with it. Having realized the mistake within a minute or so and not knowing the effect the stuff might have on the aluminum I immediatly wiped it out of the bowl. To my utter astonishment ALL of the brown crud came out with it! I then sprayed some of it into the completely blocked jets and other passages, within a minute or two I could blow air through all of them! I am cautiously allowing one of the first bowls to soak for a while to see if the stuff will damage anything. I wil report more thoroughly soon as a friend of mine is bringing his carbs over this weekend to be cleaned and I am going to try this again. Now all I have to do is remember where I got this stuff and get a LOT more of it.

[Hawkins]

sounds good. let us know how it goes. I just read up on it at http://www.topduckproducts.com/default.aspx

[Dragon Tamer]

Hawkins,
Thanks for that link, I had not had time to track it down. It looks as though the stuff being a plant extract should not have any bad effects on the carbs themselves. It sure attacks carbon though and I would suppose that gas residue being a hydrocarbon comes under that heading. I dug out a couple of carbs that I had given up on a few years back and it cleaned them right out in well under an hour.
I am going to go back to their website and order a bunch of it!! Guy just brought over a set of carbs off an XJ650 and the butterflys were frozen tight, a few quick squirts and in less than three minutes they were free. We are just now tearing the rest of them down and I will report back yet this weekend how it worked on the rest of the system.

[tw1980]

If it attacks carbon the way you say I wonder how it would work on pistons,valves,spark plugs etc... ? I have some old pistons and valves lying around I I'll conduct a scientific experiment. Terry

[dbeardslee]

In reading the material it say's it eliminates the need for oiling (in reference to firearms). Does that mean it's leaving a little something behind? How does it react with gasoline?

[Dragon Tamer]

It does appear to leave some sort of a film behind it and it is slippery. However we pulled a carb set off of a XJ650 this morning at 10:00 and pulled the float bowls and jets out, sprayed them down and all passages. The butterflies and slides were stuck tight so they were sprayed also. Within just a few minutes they were movable with almost no effort, the jets had been soaking in one of the float bowls and came clean with a small blast of air from the air hose, all passages blew out easily. Same with the low speed pickup through the bowl. We had the carbs back on the bike by 11:30 and she fired up almost immediatley. There were a few hiccups and burbles for the first few minutes and then she settled down and runs smooth and sweet so I am thinking that any residue washed out easily with the incoming gas and gave us no problem that we could see. So far I am very impressed, I have never had it this easy! Terry made an interesting point, I don't at this time have anything laying around that is carboned up enough to try it but he must as he is willing to try an experiment, keep us posted Terry.

[MrOzz]

Most cleaners for firearmes leave a little residue. After using a firearms cleaner use some rubbing alcohol to remove the residue.

[tw1980]

Well the woman and I went out for dinner last night.So I stopped at the sporting goods store to pick up some gun cleaner to run the controlled scientific experiments that I promised.Well I got sidetracked looking for the waterproofing spray and forgot to look for the gun solvent.I think I'll have time to stop again tomorrow. Will advise. Terry

[Hawkins]

I just spoke with Don Kettles at Top Duck Products and ordered a couple of bottles. I told him I would be using it as a carb cleaner and he told me he used it as a gas additive to get his lawnmower working good again.

[Dragon Tamer]

I had not considered that aspect, I will try some in the four wheeler this afternoon and see what happens!

[nightpilot]

In my conversation with my mechanic his only concern was the rubber. There is not rubber in guns but sensitive stuff in carbs. Have you left some on rubber for an extended time to see if it harms it? If not, we that seem to have a proclivity to re work old bikes can sure love something that cleans the gunk out of carbs.
__________
82 xj1100
98 magna
93 souped up FXR Harley
86 700x
85 700
81 550

[Dragon Tamer]

Actually, many guns have rubber parts in them, "O" rings, shock buffers etc. I have been using this product for over a year on guns and have seen no damage to any rubber part. I have also seen no detrimental effect on any of the carbs I have done with it either, it being a plant extract I really did not expect any.

[TopCatGr58]

I've followed this thread,

And I thought it made perfect sense! When you are firing a gun, what's being burned and left behind....CARBON residue and such from the gunpowder! What's the gunk in our carbs...Carbon based junk leftover from evaporated gas and such! Sounds like it might be quite good for removing carbon from pistons and valves when folks are doing teardowns.
Thanks for the info!
T.C.