Cleaning carbs

[dodge trucker]

Anyone here use an ultrasonic cleaner to clean them? The "good stuff" old school carb cleaner dip buckets aren't available. Today's crap is weaker, and the gas is worse than back then. Other things (besides buying a $17 China made carb) that work?

[ol'George]

Originally Posted by dodge trucker

Anyone here use an ultrasonic cleaner to clean them? The "good stuff" old school carb cleaner dip buckets aren't available. Today's crap is weaker, and the gas is worse than back then. Other things (besides buying a $17 China made carb) that work?

I've always used lacquer thinner,works for me.

[J-Mech]

Originally Posted by ol'George

I've always used lacquer thinner,works for me.

I've used lacquer thinner....

Unless they recently stopped making the 1 gal carb cleaner "dip buckets", Napa carries them.... or like I said, used to a few years ago. I thought they still did.

Today's gas has more alcohol in it than the gas of old. Carbs are cleaner. You don't see dried up carbs on today's gas, with varnish in them you can't chip out with a chisel, like gas of old. If the carb you are cleaning is that nasty, it's from something other than today's gasoline....

[dodge trucker]

Yeah the dip buckets are still around but they ain't as good as they used to be.
Lacquer thinner was never strong enough to clean up the really nasty ones in my experience.
And yeah I got into a couple of really nasty ones over the past weekend. I have a few engines here, did a carb clean up spree the last couple days. Waiting for parts to get here for 2 of them. Both Kohler/Carter ones. One has a bent throttle shaft (IDK how that happened.)
Both of these need new main nozzles-- the one from the 26 is cracked and the one out of the 30 barely has a screwdriver slot left and that was a plain nasty one.
I also did a walbro whg 52 (2 mixture screw version) and 2 tillotson carbs from off topic machines.
Got to change the water and simple green mix in the ultrasonic cleaner and drop the 30 in again.... Outside came out great inside still has an oil slick in the Venturi.

[J-Mech]

I bead blast carbs and the main parts when I rebuild them. Just have to be sure there is no beads (sand) in the passages when you go back together. Scares some people. I've never had an issue, and they look brand new!

[zippy1]

This is what I use. Ain't had a carb yet, it didn't clean...

[jaynjeep]

Berryman still makes the good stuff.. they also still make the weak watered down stuff.. you have to specify the PROFESSIONAL strength to get the old stuff.. most of the time they have to order it... what they sell in the store is terrible.