Abby’s Guide > Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) > Discussions > How do you clean your carburator?
Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions |
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Dr_Woof
Don't blow into the wind, and don't eat yellow snow. WOOF!
Location: Saskatchewan
Joined: Dec 13, 2010
Points: 253
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Re: How do you clean your carburator?
Reply #17 Dec 8, 2011 8:59 pm |
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To flesh out the thought, yes, I also used a lot of spray carb cleaner, some little picks & hooks (not for jets, just for getting gunk off the carb body, etc), and two different diameters of copper wire, for running through openings and passages. Sprayed carb cleaner through each hole to make sure it came out the other side, and used compressed air as well. The only passage I could not get the wire to go all the way through (coming out the other end) was the idle jet/passage, on the engine side of the throttle plate. I could run the wire into it ~2", starting in the flow path by the throttle plate. And I could get it to go into the hole by the main jet, but I couldn't get it in far at all, just into the hole. I think that passage maybe takes a turn right at the hole, so maybe that's why.
The engine runs now, so this pretty much worked. But it does hunt/surge a bit when sitting with no load (it has no throttle control, it's at 4000 RPM). I understand that could be due to it running lean, or having a partially blocked idle jet/passage. And that's the only one I couldn't really confirm was fully open. The carb is not adjustable at all. I'm not sure that the o-ring between the plastic emulsifier tube and the main jet is sitting where it's supposed to be, it slipped out of its groove while installing it, and is somewhat between the end of the tube, and the top of the main jet. I'm hoping the engine will smooth out when I can put a load on it (today's possible-snow turned out to just be rain).
I soaked it in the hopes that the cleaner could help deal with anything internally, which I couldn't really reach (such as the idle jet/passage). Gasoline is a very good solvent for many things, like grease, oil etc that are non-polar, but, as you mention, obviously not for the kind of deposits that clog your carb. But, when exposed to oxygen in the air for long periods, gasoline fuel oxidizes to more polar things that deposit in the carb. To dissolve these, you need a more polar solvent ie some kind of chlorinated material (carb cleaner), acetone would probably work too. BUT...most of these solvents are toxic so it is important not to be breathing the solvent fumes when you do the cleanup.
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jrtrebor
Location: Michigan - 3 hours north of Chicago on the lake
Joined: Feb 10, 2010
Points: 539
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Re: How do you clean your carburator?
Reply #18 Dec 10, 2011 8:18 pm |
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How's this for a dirty Carburetor bowl. Pulled this off a carb. on a Honda 11Hp GX390 Pretty sad. Water got into the cyl. as well. Not much, just enough to weld the piston in place in one spot. (cast Iron sleeve) Rest of the enigne is good. 
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