Best solvents for soaking carb bits?

[ccogswel]

Hey Mack. Thats funny cause on the bottle I got shows them dipping a carb in it half way showing the results. Now to be honest it looks to be a Eldebrock type carb but they seem to made of the same stuff as our carbs. Could be wrong. I've been using it to clean out rusty gas tanks. Takes a while cause of all the turning of the tank to get all the areas but does clean. I seen this stuff on the Gearz tv show with Stacy David using it. I was like if it was good for him it be good for me.

And to XS1100_OEM4ME. Your welcome. Hope it works as good for you as it has for me so far.

jetmechmarty I like your idea about buying a crock pot. I'd like to find something big enough maybe with a crate screen inside to place parts on.

[mack]

The Japanese

don't have a mining industry and rely soley on recycling and imports for metals. Thus the aluminium used in our bikes is notorious for impurities. Chris I'm just saying I'd be careful. Carbs are hard to replace and are getting more scarce by the day. I'd test with a couple with broken posts before I put any good ones in.

[jamak]

How about if you're skill/knowledge level is lacking, and you also have rheumatoid arthritis, which limits playing with small parts handily? I've got the carbs off the bike, but don't want to get too cute with disassembly. I'd like to clean 'em up as best I can, without taking too many small parts off them. Any suggestions from a group that seems to know their stuff?

[Lamric]

Check out this guide to cleaning XS1100 carbs with spray cleaner

CLICKY

[old_skool]

How about if you're skill/knowledge level is lacking, and you also have rheumatoid arthritis, which limits playing with small parts handily? I've got the carbs off the bike, but don't want to get too cute with disassembly. I'd like to clean 'em up as best I can, without taking too many small parts off them. Any suggestions from a group that seems to know their stuff?

Even though you don't want to completely disassemble them, at least take the part off as far as you can one carb at a time to include the float as the needle underneath it is sometimes the main culprit for fuel dumping in your engine when it doesn't seal properly. you can leave them all attached, I use baby food jars and labeled them with the appropriate carb number 1-4, your going to want to run a carb wire brush through all the jets, and remove the diaphragms before using any cleaning solvent on them. We also have plenty of carb cleaning threads here as well, I think even on the home page.

[sthomag]

The only real issue is coming up with a pan that fits the carbs still on the rail.

I've had good luck with the kind of long, narrow pan plasterers use. I found mine in the paint department at Home Depot. It's a bit too narrow, so the sides need to be spread a little, but it works great for soaking all four carbs together. Just be sure you get one that has all its seams welded. The first one I tried to use was only spot welded: it leaked.

Naturally, you need to get the stainless steel one. The cheap plastic ones will dissolve in carb cleaner.

Also, I'd like to second the guy who recommended Gunk in a gallon can. That stuff flat works, and I've had mine for about 15 years.

Be sure to blow out the little passage in each float bowl. Those clog easily, and soaking in cleaner doesn't always unclog them. If they're stopped up, your idle jets don't work. If you don't have compressed air, use an aerosol cleaner with a straw.