carb cleaning question?

[ejc03katana]

got the carbs off my 03 katana yesterday have not took them apart yet but my questions are am i cleaning every thing thats not rubber? and whats better spray or dip? since this is the 1st time i've done this figured i would get the experts on it hope kreylyn answers on this one, or steves watched carbs 102 the video good explanations man!!!!!!!!

[Kreylyn]

got the carbs off my 03 katana yesterday have not took them apart yet but my questions are am i cleaning every thing thats not rubber? and whats better spray or dip? since this is the 1st time i've done this figured i would get the experts on it hope kreylyn answers on this one, or steves watched carbs 102 the video good explanations man!!!!!!!!

Yes, clean everything.

Chem Dip = clean. Carb Spray = rinse. Compressed Air=dry.

Clean them, rinse them, dry them.

Krey

[ejc03katana]

should i dip them for days or is it hours? or does that depend on how dirty they are,

[Stumpy]

What Krey said.

Disassemble, dunk two stripped carb bodies in the can for 24 hours. Take them out, dunk the other two for another 24 hours then take them out.

Spray them with carb cleaner and go over them with a cloth and a plastic pick, clean out all the grooves and any gunk. Slide a copper wire through the passages, hold it tight and then spin the carb body round slowly to clear out any crap. Really - use the tiniest thread you can strip out of an old USB or ethernet cable or something. Don't use guitar strings or a bit of wire brush or anything harder than the body.

Spray in more cleaner into the passages, and blow out with air to dry. Don't use water.

Using water to wash or rinse your carbs won't do them any harm if it's distilled - but if it's tap water you'll leave residue everywhere that will block up passages and undo all your cleaning.

[Wild-Bill]

What Krey said.

Yup!

Disassemble, dunk two stripped carb bodies in the can for 24 hours. Take them out, dunk the other two for another 24 hours then take them out.

Yup again although 12 hours is generally enough unless it's really cold!

Spray them with carb cleaner and go over them with a cloth and a plastic pick, clean out all the grooves and any gunk.

Wrong order. Scrub first and then spray. An old toothbrush is good.

Slide a copper wire through the passages, hold it tight and then spin the carb body round slowly to clear out any crap. Really - use the tiniest thread you can strip out of an old USB or ethernet cable or something. Don't use guitar strings or a bit of wire brush or anything harder than the body.

NO!!!!! Don't use a wire on anything internal to the carbs, especially not the jets. Scratches inside the jets affect fuel flow and you don't want that. After soaking and spraying out with solvent, anything left will be a thin surface film which will go away if you run a bit of Seafoam through soon after putting everything back together. (Probably not needed but I like to be thorough.)

Spray in more cleaner into the passages, and blow out with air to dry. Don't use water.

Using water to wash or rinse your carbs won't do them any harm if it's distilled - but if it's tap water you'll leave residue everywhere that will block up passages and undo all your cleaning.

Not needed. Soak, spray, clear out with compressed air and you're done.

[Stumpy]

With respect Bill - spraying with carb cleaner first after soaking, will loosen any really stuck gunk that may or may not contain bits harder than the bodies. Loosening them first will ensure they don't get rubbed into anything during scrubbing.

Copper is softer than aluminium and should not damage it. Substitute with fishing line if you prefer.

[jondoe]

Is there any difference between engine spray cleaner, parts spray cleaner, and carb cleaner? Do I need a cleaner that specifically says carbs on it? Can't find one that says that, but found many with engine and general parts cleaner.

[Wild-Bill]

There are big differences. Engine cleaners are meant to remove old, baked on grease. Carb cleaner is meant to remove the shellac left when gas dries out. You can get it at Autozone/Advance/O'Reilly's/etc. If you don't see it then ask at the counter. They'll have it. You need a gallon can (Berryman's B-12 is a common brand) and one spray can.

[ejc03katana]

when i bought carb dip today guy told me not to take the rack apart should i listen to this guy?

[Stumpy]

It's up to you, wether you want them clean or not

[Maverick.Marq]

if you can fully submerge them all, then sure why not, but if I remember correctly it's hard to get the choke plungers out without separating them, and you don't want that (or any)
rubber in the carb dip.

[badwithcomputer]

You have to disassemble EVERYTHING if you plan to dip them. You will dissolve all of the little rubber bits if you don't.

[XXWoodmanXX]

And if you do, and have to replace all the OEM rubber pcs, you will quickly find out just how expensive a set of carbs ends up costing you.

If the rubber parts aren't flattened/cracked/dryrotted, then remove and save them for when you re-assemble. Some rubber pcs come with OEM rebuild kits, too.

[ejc03katana]

so your saying seperate them stumpy?

[Stumpy]

Yeah - completely disassemble them, clean, clean again, dry, replace any parts out of spec, reassemble, spec, remount and sync.

Carbs are very simple but intricate things. Take your time and pay attention. If anything seems out of place, or you get stuck with something - just ask on here and I am sure peeps will do their best to help.

But please, whatever you do - don't believe what anyone says about spraying the brass bits with diesel, or you can clean your carbs without dismounting them, or you can dunk the entire assembly into a tub of kerosene and it will fix everything. Some people believe that saying Seafoam three times in a row, backwards, on a Sunday with a gibbous moon will work.

I am not an expert on this, but I can do it, and speaking from experience - the only way to clean carbs is to completely disassemble, soak, and start rebuilding.