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Fri Nov 20, 2009 5:27 pm

I removed the idle solenoid and the electric choke and plan on soaking the carb in a mix

of water and degreaser, good or bad? Until the rebuild kit arrives, But need to get the heavy gunk off first.

I have not done a carb rebuild before and am looking foward to it.

What tips can you all give to prepare for a carb rebuild?

Fri Nov 20, 2009 5:31 pm

dont use water. if you can try to scrape all the heavy stuff off you can with a wirebrush then soak in degreaser, vinegar or a bucket of chemdip carb cleaner. when i got my carb from the local junk yard it had alot of calcium build up on the inside of it so i soaked it in CLR for a few hours and that cleared it out in a big hurry (made it run much better too). i dont know if yours is dirty or having running issues but i would say CLR is a last resort.

Fri Nov 20, 2009 5:59 pm

Soak it in a bucket of gasoline if you don't want to pay the $20+ for the Chemdip. Work the throttle by hand to pump fresh gas through the carb in the bucket. This should take care of the jist of it.

If you want, you can get a quart of Xylene (Xylol) from the hardware store . It is one of the main ingredients in most of the fuel system cleaners. You can even dump some in your gas tank to clean up the fuel system, cheaper and more effective than the fancy stuff from the auto parts store.

Xylene evaporates really slow, so you can scrub the carb with a toothbrush and some xylene. This will break up all the thick brown varnish.

Fri Nov 20, 2009 6:05 pm

Matt Wilson wrote: Soak it in a bucket of gasoline if you don't want to pay the $20+ for the Chemdip. Work the throttle by hand to pump fresh gas through the carb in the bucket. This should take care of the jist of it.

And this does what?

Fri Nov 20, 2009 6:14 pm

Rebuilding a carb is probably the easiest thing to do on the car.

First buy a rebuild kit, and a gallon bucket of parts cleaner. Then strip the whole thing down completely, placing every metal part (no plastic or electronics) in the parts cleaner basket. Dunk it overnight, pull it out and wipe everything off with a clean rag. Blow out all of the nooks and crannies with compressed air and reassemble the carb with the new rebuild kit.

Finally think to yourself, wow, that was hard. 30 whole minutes of work and my car actually runs again. Why didn't I buy a new carb or send it off to someone so that I wouldn't get my hands dirty and I'd still have 30 minutes?

Fri Nov 20, 2009 6:17 pm

69 Jim wrote: Matt Wilson wrote: Soak it in a bucket of gasoline if you don't want to pay the $20+ for the Chemdip. Work the throttle by hand to pump fresh gas through the carb in the bucket. This should take care of the jist of it.

And this does what?

gasoline is a horrible substitute. just shell out the $20 for the bucket of cleaner and do it right. lets think about this. gasoline is always in the carburetor, if it DID clean carbs dont you think the carb would never get dirty because its always cleaning?

Fri Nov 20, 2009 6:19 pm

The inside of the carb is in good condition, The outside is a muddy mess but I really

need to inspect the jets, and the idle solenoid for clogs and install new gaskets as I have

gas soaked gaskets in a few spots. Ive got a good degreaser I can use.

Is there anything else I need to remove from the carb before soaking it in degreaser?

Fri Nov 20, 2009 6:20 pm

Remove everything.

Fri Nov 20, 2009 6:22 pm

wompninja wrote: Remove everything.

Oh, I posted before reading your other post. :lol:
I dont have the rebuild kit on hand, I wanted to soak it assembled until the kit arrives, but maybe I will just clean the outside and then when the kit comes I will tear it apart and soak it in peices.

Fri Nov 20, 2009 6:25 pm

If you don't need the car then I would just soak it for awhile. I don't think you can soak it too long. A toothbrush works well for getting the thick stuff off.

Fri Nov 20, 2009 6:26 pm

just a regular can of aerosol carb cleaner usually gets gunk off the ouside if thats really all your going to be cleaning. usually very effective too.

Fri Nov 20, 2009 6:41 pm

connella08 wrote: 69 Jim wrote: Matt Wilson wrote: Soak it in a bucket of gasoline if you don't want to pay the $20+ for the Chemdip. Work the throttle by hand to pump fresh gas through the carb in the bucket. This should take care of the jist of it.

And this does what?

gasoline is a horrible substitute. just shell out the $20 for the bucket of cleaner and do it right. lets think about this. gasoline is always in the carburetor, if it DID clean carbs dont you think the carb would never get dirty because its always cleaning?

We have a winner!

Fri Nov 20, 2009 6:42 pm

^Amen!

Fri Nov 20, 2009 7:11 pm

berrymanns carb cleaner! it does not remove the protective coating applied to the carb...let it soak over night or days if need be. remember it does not remove the protective coatings! disassemble the carb before the soak then reassemble the carb with new gaskets shut off valve and adjust floats. lacquer thinner will work but may remove the coatings on the carb. take your time work in a clean area and lay out all parts on a clean surface for reassembly. i use paper that you use for masking off a car for painting it also protects the bench your working on. please remember berrymanns carb cleaner is toxic and should not be takin orally in any way shape or form so if you can wear gloves and glasses for protection and clean your work area when finished to remove. after soaking the carb in berrymanns cleaner rinse the carb in warm water. a five gallon bucket works well. then dry and use compressed air to remove all water. and dont forget to cover your eyes when using compressed air.

Sat Nov 21, 2009 12:18 am

dan devin wrote: berrymanns carb cleaner! it does not remove the protective coating applied to the carb...let it soak over night or days if need be. remember it does not remove the protective coatings! disassemble the carb before the soak then reassemble the carb with new gaskets shut off valve and adjust floats. lacquer thinner will work but may remove the coatings on the carb. take your time work in a clean area and lay out all parts on a clean surface for reassembly. i use paper that you use for masking off a car for painting it also protects the bench your working on. please remember berrymanns carb cleaner is toxic and should not be takin orally in any way shape or form so if you can wear gloves and glasses for protection and clean your work area when finished to remove. after soaking the carb in berrymanns cleaner rinse the carb in warm water. a five gallon bucket works well. then dry and use compressed air to remove all water. and dont forget to cover your eyes when using compressed air.

What protective coating? Aluminum oxide? That's natural, it comes back.

Sat Nov 21, 2009 3:14 am

Sat Nov 21, 2009 4:52 am

When you remove the jets blow back down through the passage-ways in the carburettor with a cleaner and then compressed air. Give the inside of the carburettor bowl a really thorough scrub with cleaner and a toothbrush. I used an aerosol brake cleaner because it's what I had, but I found that it dried very quickly. For compressed air I used an 'airbed adapter' on the end of my footpump hose for short blasts of air. It's definitely worth replacing the vacuum and accelerator pump diaphragms too, they may be perished with age.

edit: Have some clean sealable plastic boxes (or similar) handy to keep the cleaned parts in until you start rebuilding.

Sat Nov 21, 2009 2:58 pm

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. :D

Sat Nov 21, 2009 3:16 pm

wompninja wrote: Rebuilding a carb is probably the easiest thing to do on the car.

First buy a rebuild kit, and a gallon bucket of parts cleaner. Then strip the whole thing down completely, placing every metal part (no plastic or electronics) in the parts cleaner basket. Dunk it overnight, pull it out and wipe everything off with a clean rag. Blow out all of the nooks and crannies with compressed air and reassemble the carb with the new rebuild kit.

Finally think to yourself, wow, that was hard. 30 whole minutes of work and my car actually runs again. Why didn't I buy a new carb or send it off to someone so that I wouldn't get my hands dirty and I'd still have 30 minutes?

30 minutes might work for some but IMHO many/most of these old carbs have much more serious issues and things that can be wrong with them than a quick "strip and dip" and rebuild with a kit can solve. :wink:

That said I think everyone should try that first if they want to! Gotta start somewhere.

Sat Nov 21, 2009 5:42 pm

Keifer.......

After I am done with the rebuild and have to disassemble it 2 more times,then install it and my car still doesnt start, then I will ship it to you. :lol:

Rebuilding a carb is something I have not done and with my background this is something I should done already, I want to give it a try for the experience, even if I dont use the carb.

:wink: