Carb cleaning

[chirpy999]

Hiya , I am doing a prioject on a Morini 350 sport 1979 , and want to know what is the besty way to get the carbs cleaned.

On the internet Ive seen people soaking in diesel for a week, having them ultrasound cleaned ot using cellulose thinners to clean them .

What recomendations has anyone got????

[buster]

Saw an article about an air compressor, gun, a piece of plastic pipe and baking soda for a cheap DIY way of doing it, that is if you have said items, as it was suggested that the compressor be at least 25 gallon, IIRC. Not that cheap

Sorry meant to say this was for cleaning up the outsides, very effective and they came up like new

[blow_away]

Clear a big space on the workbench/kitchen table. Get a good few little containers, with lids if you can. Get a marker pen and scriber (a sharp nail will do) and scribe "1" and "2" onto the carb, mark the containers so you know which bit came from which carb.

Dismantle the carbs and put the brass parts to soak in vinegar. You might need 2-3 days in the vinegar to clean them up. DO NOT PUT ANY ALUMINIUM CARB PARTS IN VINEGAR as they will disintegrate.

Go to the shops and buy some carb cleaner. Not cheap, but very helpful. Buy some Silkolene Pro FST as well (about £12 a litre) both shown in this link

Collect up a few old toothbrushes, you can use them plain, or cut the end so you can get into all the nooks and crannies. Use a single plastic bristle from the toothbrush to poke into all the tiny cross drilled bits. Don't be tempted to use a piece of wire to do this, you run the risk of enlarging the holes. Similarly, if you have an airline, go careful pushing the nozzle into the holes, for the same reason. Blast the parts through with the carb cleaner.

It's a great job for OCD freaks like me who love spending hours cleaning the same jet - if you are not very patient with this sort of job, it might be best to give the carbs to a pro to get them done. I think V Ten motorcycles in Bristol do this, but I've never tried them. Send Foo a PM and ask him who did his R1 carbs? I'm pretty sure he sent his away for cleaning

[skyline]

One thing I've heard about for cleaning carbs is to strip the tops and some main bits off the carbs - float bowls, diaphragms, needles, - then put the carb bodies in a large 20 litre container of water and leave for a week, or more if possible.

Then take the carb bodies out, strip the rest of the parts off and blow all the water out.

Allegedly this does a better cleaning job than using carb cleaner and the water doesn't harm any of the seals and plastic in the carbs.

May give it a try next time I've got my carbs on the bench/living room table etc...