Carb Cleaner into float bowls

Would it hurt my carbs if I gave them a quick spray of aerosol carb cleaner into the drain of the float bowl while the carbs are fully assembled and on the bike? Would it hurt rubber the rubber gaskets and seals?

I'm just seeing if I can take a mid season shortcut to get a little better performance.

 

RefinedXJ, if the bike currently runs, I'd probably just get a can of SeaFoam at the parts store, and add it to a tank of gas. Ride it, and let the SeaFoam do its work. I think it will do a better job of cleaning out your whole system than a limited-area spray of carb cleaner.

 

It would do more hard than good, best bet is a fuel system cleaner like SeaFoam or something else like it.
I recently found this quote from MiCarl: It sticks in my head
"Take no short cuts or you'll have to keep redoing them until you don't cut corners"

 

Mikuni's, right?

It probably won't do any good. Most of the problematic areas are just too far away from the drain hole to be reached by cleaner that shot into there.

You would be able to wet the main fuel jet and the enrichment jet pressed into the carb bowl, but the crud that builds up on those jets usually needs a combination of chemical AND mechanical action to have any significant effect.

If you want a mid-season short cut, might I suggest you pull the couplers between the air cleaner box and the carbs and spray some cleaner into your main air jets that are in the intake carb throat. You can leave the carbs bolted to the engine, but make sure the main AIR jets are clean.

There was a great tip posted here a while ago about using heat to soften the nozzle straw on your carb cleaner can. Like you did with glass tubing back in high school chemistry class (I assume everyone did?). That trick works great for narrowing the straw to blast the main air jet. If I get a chance, I'll find that pic.

 

What is the reason you want to do this? It would not suffice as an alternative to taking the carbs/apart and cleaning them if that is the reason. I can't see it doing anything to improve performance.

 

Yeah, actually that's a good question.

I understand the desire to take a short cut mid-season rather than take the time to do a thorough tear-down in the middle of prime riding time, but is there some specific issue that you're hoping to improve?

You're looking to "get a little better performance". What is it that you're hoping to improve? :?:

Starting?
Idle?
Just off idle?
Mid-throttle?
WOT?

 

If your Bike IS running OK and alll you are looking for is a bit of improvement in Performance, ...

You'd get more out of a little bit of Elbow Grease than you will Carb Cleaner.
Shine all the Diaphragm Piston Bores.

Use a Narrow Strip of ScotchBrite -- Gray
Followed by an application of ScotchBrite Extra Fine -- White.


POLISHING BORES WITH SCOTCHBRITE STRIP:

 

Thanks for that tip rick, and I definitely want to do that and try the "Clunk Test" after following your guide to cleaning the carbs.

I was just thinking that as the carbs get gunked up over time and as more fuel flows through them, I wanted to do a light cleaning before they got too bad, and blast any gunk out of there before I noticed a significant decrease in performance or reliability.

But thanks for all of the advice.

 

Fuel flowing through them keeps them from becoming gunked up. Gunk forms when they sit (sometimes for as little as a few weeks). The more volatile elements (the solvents) of the gasoline evaporate away and leave behind the gunk.

 

Yea if you have been driving your bike on a weekly basis sense you last cleaned the carbs they aremt going to be to dirty unless you put bad gas in the tank or something along that line.

If your just trying to give the bike the a little extra boost to performance I would suggest making sure the gaskets connecting your carb to the air filter and to the block are tight. A lot of times #2 & 3 are loose because they're such a pain to get tight.

And then just do a little general TLC.

 

WARNING:

The Manifold Fasteners are made of SOFT STEEL.
Those Fasteners are often SEIZED.
Any attempt to tighten them may fracture the Fastener(s).

WARNING:

The Manifold Fasteners are made of SOFT STEEL.
Those Fasteners are often SEIZED.
Any attempt to tighten them may fracture the Fastener(s).