Pine-Sol for carb cleaning

I saw in a few post where Pine-Sol is mentioned as potentially being a good carb cleaner. What I didn't find was anyone actually having done it. So, after doing some further reading courtesy of Google, I tried it.

I can only say WOW! This has got to be the best carb cleaner I've ever used. I let the whole rack soak in hot water with Pine-Sol for about two hours and then hit it with an old toothbrush and a stippling brush. The crud came of with very little effort. A warm water rinse and careful drying with compressed air has the carbs looking almost new. I was expecting this to dis-color or "tarnish" the carb bodies but it didn't. They look great.

Pine-Sol is cheaper, stinks (way) less, isn't as rough on the hands, works better and can be poured down the drain.

PS-I had been using the "boiling lemon juice" method. This beats that hands down. Plus, lemon juice STINKS when it gets hot.

 

What ratio water/pine sol did you use?
Hot water... or boiling water??

(trying every trick in the book to clean this bike up, lol)

 

The ratio wasn't perfect. I just poured. Roughly though I'd say 1/2 a cup per gallon of water. I used hot (140f) tap water. I don't know if hotter water would necessarily yield better results.

 

I bet they smelled good whe you were done! ;-)

 

Did you just drop them in with rubber and brass attached or does the rubber need to come off?

 

I dropped them in with the brass still on - and honestly some rubber bits (the enrichment valve assembly - because i forgot to remove it); no problems at all.. its not 'boiling' hot, and pine-sol isn't going to ruin brass rubber from what i understand.

definately warm water is better then cold (I tried both); i honestly set up my little hibatchi grill on low and put a pot of water on it w/ the pine sol.. just enough to keep it hot for a few hours - not enough to make it 'too' hot.

 

I just cleaned mine with Simple Green at full strength and liked the results. As far as I can tell the seals and rubber was not effected. Worked nice for me and it is bio-degradable too.

 

I read on another Forum that someone tried using C.L.R. with good results.

Chris - Let me see if I understand this correctly. You put the pot on your grill and left the burner turned on low for a couple hours?

Hoped you cooked yourself a Burger or Hot Dog while you waited!!!!!

______________

Bob
'82 550xj Maxim

 

No, jgb1503 put his on the Hibachi and cooked 'em. I just put mine in hot tap water and let them soak until the water got cold. Mine were stripped of all parts.

 

well.. i wouldn't say i cooked them.. it was hot enough to keep them hot for a few hours.. not boiling or anything (i could put my hand in the water) ;-) that way i can reuse my water for more parts ;-)

 

In a post some place on this site i tried and found that Hoppe's solvent #9 gun cleaner works great on the brass items e.g. jets, emlution tubes, needles. This stuff will destroy rubber so don't use it to soak the fuel needles.

My tubes were a mess almost all the holes were sooted up. After letting them soak over night in a glass jar they looks brand new the next day and did not alter size of the holes.

 

+1 to hopps #9, i grabbed that when i saw thepost too and used it - great stuff for cleaning out the hard to reach spots