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superpro56 Samba Member
Joined: July 25, 2012 Posts: 206 Location: Michigan
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Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2020 6:24 am Post subject: Ultrasonic Cleaner |
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Thinking about getting a small (3L capacity) ultrasonic cleaner with heat. Want one big enough to drop a torn down Weber 44 into. It has a stainless steel tub, so should be no issue filling with carb parts cleaner.
Thinking it will be a good idea to skip the heat when filled with the cleaner? How should I handle once I remove it from the bath, blow it out with compressed air and then spray carb clean or will the air be sufficient? Also, the brass should be ok in the carb parts cleaner correct? I have some spots to clean on the emulsion tubes and butterflys.
Any tips from those of you that have used an ultrasonic cleaner would be appreciated. |
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RailBoy Samba Member

Joined: March 10, 2008 Posts: 2790 Location: Virginia
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Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2020 7:44 am Post subject: Re: Ultrasonic Cleaner |
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I sent my DRLA's to be rebuilt and to trouble shoot..
This is what the Ultrasonic cleaner can do... RB
_________________ [quote="slalombuggy"]
smitty24 wrote: |
"HELP, I ported my own heads and now have fire coming out my ass" . |
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Glenn  Mr. 010

Joined: December 25, 2001 Posts: 70490 Location: Long Island, New York, USA
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slalombuggy Samba Member

Joined: July 17, 2010 Posts: 8566 Location: 30 minutes from nowhere
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Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2020 8:00 am Post subject: Re: Ultrasonic Cleaner |
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I've cleaned lots of carbs in an ultrasonic cleaner. They work very good. After the carb comes out, you must rice it with water and then blow it out with compressed air. No brake clean or carb cleaner needed. Just wash it out good with water and dry. It is safe for all metals but the cleaning solution doesnt like plastics or rubber. We used the heater even with carb cleaner solution in it.
brad _________________ Lucky Monkey Landspeed Racing
Proving that you can spends ridiculous sums of money to go slow |
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superpro56 Samba Member
Joined: July 25, 2012 Posts: 206 Location: Michigan
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Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2020 8:26 am Post subject: Re: Ultrasonic Cleaner |
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Thanks for the replies and pics of the results. Thats exactly what I'm after. I will get one ordered up. |
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Pruneman99 Samba Member
Joined: February 22, 2012 Posts: 3569 Location: Oceanside
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Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2020 9:05 am Post subject: Re: Ultrasonic Cleaner |
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I like to use water with about a cup or so of the purple simple green. I spray everything down with WD-40 as soon as it comes out to displace all the water and to prevent any flash oxidation on aluminum parts. Usually the parts come out looking great. It's cool watching the muck dissolving off the part when you turn it on.
I use hot water to fill the tank up, just using the heater to warm it the last bit and to keep the solution hot.
I've seen ppl fill the ultrasonic with carb cleaner solution, but I've not tried it. The water with a bit of the purple green works very well so I don't see the need to use the carb chemicals. Not sure if it could be a fire or inhalation hazard as well. |
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DUELLER Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2008 Posts: 100 Location: salem, or
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Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2020 9:54 am Post subject: Re: Ultrasonic Cleaner |
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I'll have to disagree with the above picture a bit. I have a 1 gal and a 2 gal both from a dental office so they are high quality. Both stainless internals, one I leave with the carb cleaner in it. They for sure do not make the brass look like that. That brass has been polished or boiled in vinegar. I have found that the ultra sonic tanks work way better when mostly full, 1 or 2 items not so much. Also not all carbs come out looking like new, some do. |
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petrol punk Samba Member

Joined: August 21, 2007 Posts: 867 Location: Las Vegas, NV
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Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2020 2:19 pm Post subject: Re: Ultrasonic Cleaner |
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The detergent you use is important. I've cleaned parts with alconox in the ultrasonic at work and it does a pretty decent job of cleaning stuff. Not amazing though, and that stuff will even make aluminum and copper corrode if you don't wash it off. _________________ Stock 36hp '56 European DeLuxe oval, '70 bug 1835cc dual 36DRLA, and a '98 4x4 5spd single cab Tacoma |
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Glenn  Mr. 010

Joined: December 25, 2001 Posts: 70490 Location: Long Island, New York, USA
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mark tucker Samba Member

Joined: April 08, 2009 Posts: 22679 Location: SHALIMAR ,FLORIDA
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Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2020 3:00 pm Post subject: Re: Ultrasonic Cleaner |
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have they changed the purple stuff?? it was crosive to aluminum and caused aluminum rot and the aluminum stank all to hell too when purple cleaned...(long ago) |
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Clatter Samba Member

Joined: September 24, 2003 Posts: 5496 Location: Santa Cruz
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Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2020 3:05 pm Post subject: Re: Ultrasonic Cleaner |
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I just started using a big old industrial one from the 80s my friend gave me.
Really pretty fun to use.
Doesn't have a heater, but does get hot from use after a while.
Did lock cylinders and all kinds of old parts, still yet to do carbs.
I'm using it for all kinds of stuff now, and it works great.
Mag and pot metal cast stuff comes out great.
Doing a 15:1 or so mix of water and Simple Green in mine.
Make sure to suspend the parts somehow so they don't touch the sides or bottom of the tank.
i hang them from wires above, or for small parts suspend a cup full of Simple Green into the water. _________________ Bus Motor Build
Fastback Build
modok wrote: |
if you have the expectation that you can put mexican taxi bearings, in a brazil engine case, and put a chinese crank in it and have the right clearance...
Time to change your expectations.
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Pruneman99 Samba Member
Joined: February 22, 2012 Posts: 3569 Location: Oceanside
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Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2020 3:09 pm Post subject: Re: Ultrasonic Cleaner |
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mark tucker wrote: |
have they changed the purple stuff?? it was crosive to aluminum and caused aluminum rot and the aluminum stank all to hell too when purple cleaned...(long ago) |
I don't know if it was changed. The stuff I use is the simple green, but the purple stuff. It says it non corrosive and I haven't noticed any burning etc. I only use about a cup or so in the tank with hot water, and spray everything down with WD as soon as it come out to displace the water. The parts keep looking clean for quite a long time just sitting on the shelf.
I have used some other cleaner that was purple. I can't remember what brand it was, but that stuff was corrosive. |
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Chickensoup Samba Member

Joined: January 06, 2018 Posts: 3358 Location: Good Hope, Ga
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Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2020 6:37 pm Post subject: Re: Ultrasonic Cleaner |
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buy the biggest one you can afford. i loved my small one so much i ended up buying a larger one. you will use it for more than just carbs. _________________ #your_feelings_dont_matter
.................................................................................................
'65 Tourist Delivery Beetle
'66 baja- crumbled
'69 sunroof standard- parting out, PM ME if you need parts
'05 passat wagon TDI rolling coal mobile
'04 jianche flywing mx100 w/ head work and other goodies
-Aiden |
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Rome Samba Member
Joined: June 02, 2004 Posts: 7313 Location: Pearl River, NY
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Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2020 5:53 am Post subject: Re: Ultrasonic Cleaner |
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Quote: |
I have used some other cleaner that was purple. I can't remember what brand it was, but that stuff was corrosive. |
Castrol SuperClean. About 20 years ago when the original formulation was still readily available in the gallon jug, I placed a rocker shaft assembly into a small aluminum foil bin such as a banana bread mold. Poured enough SC into cover the rocker and left it in my basement laundry sink overnight. Next morning the foil had partially dissolved ( ) and the stuff drained down in the sink. It cleaned the rockers very well, though. |
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runamoc  Samba Member

Joined: June 19, 2006 Posts: 4782 Location: 37.5N 77.1W
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Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2020 6:59 am Post subject: Re: Ultrasonic Cleaner |
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Quote: |
filling with carb parts cleaner |
The instructions for mine said do not use flammable liquids. I did anyway. So I put it in the middle of my driveway on an extension cord and watched it with a CO2 fire extinguisher near by. No problems. Didn't use the heat but the gauge showed heat was generated by the 'vibes'. After a few spaced timed intervals of the cycles over a few days the carburetors looked better than new. _________________ Daily driver: '69 Baja owned 41 yrs. Plan B: '81 Rabbit Diesel LS Deluxe Plan C: '72 Ghia
In garage for rehab: '71 Beetle Yard Art: 2 Sandrails
Outback: '69 Ghia - '68,'69,'70,'72 Beetle - '84 Scirocco, GTI - Pair of '02 Golfs-
VW Wiring = It's just wires |
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Trevor P Samba Member

Joined: January 21, 2004 Posts: 792 Location: Saskatoon, SK, Canada
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Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2020 7:14 am Post subject: Re: Ultrasonic Cleaner |
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Don’t use simple green in high concentration or for too long with aluminum parts. I made the mistake of leaving one of my the 40 IDAs from my 911 in too long and it darkened the hell out of the aluminum body!😡 After that I switched to Zep orange liquid degreaser or dish soap. _________________ 53 Barndoor singlecab
53 Canadian standard oval
56 Wolfsburg PG/SG
57 Oval, 2332 & Berg 5
63 Beetle
70 911T |
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Pruneman99 Samba Member
Joined: February 22, 2012 Posts: 3569 Location: Oceanside
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Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2020 9:32 am Post subject: Re: Ultrasonic Cleaner |
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Rome wrote: |
Quote: |
I have used some other cleaner that was purple. I can't remember what brand it was, but that stuff was corrosive. |
Castrol SuperClean. About 20 years ago when the original formulation was still readily available in the gallon jug, I placed a rocker shaft assembly into a small aluminum foil bin such as a banana bread mold. Poured enough SC into cover the rocker and left it in my basement laundry sink overnight. Next morning the foil had partially dissolved ( ) and the stuff drained down in the sink. It cleaned the rockers very well, though. |
Yeah that was the stuff. It works good on hard parts, but it would eat AL and MG. Once I put a case half in some super clean and water mix and forgot about it. When I found it a week later, the case was pitted all to hell.
I'd only use super clean on steel/iron parts and rinse well after. And don't let it sit on your hands if you value your skin. |
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mcdragracer Samba Member
Joined: December 30, 2007 Posts: 511 Location: Cally
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Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2020 11:47 pm Post subject: Re: Ultrasonic Cleaner |
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RailBoy wrote: |
I sent my DRLA's to be rebuilt and to trouble shoot..
This is what the Ultrasonic cleaner can do... RB
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Hope your carbs are working well since I did them.
Here is a before and after rebuilding a set of dellorto carbs running them through my ultrasonic cleaner.
Here is a set, one I rebuilt and ran through the Sonic cleaner and the other is prior to rebuilding, these are a set of 40 i d a 911 carbs I did a few months also running them through my Sonic cleaner.
I have four different Sonic cleaners, one is a commercial one, and I used three different Cleaning Solutions, from my experience with cleaners and different temperatures and how long a carburetor sits in them, determines how clean and how they look when they come out, I went through testing on how long I can keep them in without tarnishing or them tarnishing in a dull color also if the carbs are extremely dirty or stained or dulled in color the Sonic cleaner for the most part will not bring that back to original pigment and shine in that case what I do is have them Vapor blasting and they come out like new, also I have a different process cleaning the brass Jets to make them look shiny and new.
These are probably one of the cleanest set of carbs I received from a customer to go through, over the years they had extremely little mileage put on them, so they retained the original pigment aluminum and Hardware, so they literally shined up like new, it sure beats using the old carb dip from back in the day.
Last edited by mcdragracer on Sun Sep 20, 2020 2:18 am; edited 1 time in total |
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ivkings4 Samba Member

Joined: February 03, 2018 Posts: 1057 Location: Southern California
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Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2020 12:38 am Post subject: Re: Ultrasonic Cleaner |
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mark tucker wrote: |
have they changed the purple stuff?? it was crosive to aluminum and caused aluminum rot and the aluminum stank all to hell too when purple cleaned...(long ago) |
Any cleaner with caustic or sodium hydroxide will eat, smoke and discolor aluminum. All the strong ones usually have it in it. _________________ 1961 Ragtop, Autocraft 2783cc for street/strip 3200 miles and counting...200.9 HP to the wheels thru Muffler with the belt and screens on Stacks
https://www.instagram.com/king_vw61/?hl=en |
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Lo Cash John Samba Member

Joined: February 06, 2004 Posts: 2094 Location: Jacksonville, FL
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Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2020 9:31 pm Post subject: Re: Ultrasonic Cleaner |
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I just ordered a 10 liter ultrasonic cleaner and it should be in later this week. I can't wait to clean some parts!!  _________________ www.LoCashRacing.org
More brains than bucks...Believe it or not!!
If you actually drive your VW, you need www.AirMapp.com
My boss told me I need to work on my mutli-tasking. So now when I use the bathroom at work I surf The Samba on my iPhone. |
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