Ultrasonic cleaner experience

[Chevboy0167]

Might be some amazing stuff but not for $54 a gallon!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1557052835...7PwbMup+8gTvHBdFnbZ3sMiyPA==|tkp:BFBM4tXRrIVj
Not much info on the stuff either......

https://northwestenterprises.biz/co...ts/ultrasonic-cleaner-solution-for-carburetor

 

[Chevboy0167]

Price is ok..... under $20 a gallon. They make a parts washer also but could not find it in a gallon size. Think I will grab a jug to try next year.

https://oileater.com/industrial/cleaners-degreasers/original-formula/
https://oileater.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/OIL-EATER-ORIGINAL-CLEANER-DEGREASER.pdf

 

[Pat Burton]

I think there is some ongoing discussion about advisability of using an ultrasonic cleaner to clean chainsaw carb bodies. Here is my recent experience.

This week I decided to tune up a homelite 240 chainsaw and a troybilt tb430 leaf blower that have been lying around my garage. Both of them would start and run, but they both required feathering the trigger and partial choke to keep running. So I decided to clean the carbs and see if that helped. The gaskets, pump membrane and valve diaphragms all looked good, so I just cleaned and reassembled. However, this time I did something I've not done before. I used my new ultrasonic cleaner to clean the bodies. With the 240 carb I immersed it in a jar of acetone, and for leaf blower I immersed in a jar of harbor freight degreaser cleaner solution (the greenish yellow stuff).

Upon reassembly both pieces of equipment would not start or even sputter. Just stone cold dead. If I dribbled fuel into the carb throat they start right up, but die in a couple seconds.

So, I'm thinking in both cases the check valves were damaged by ultrasound and the carb venturi cannot draw any fuel from the line.

This is just my experience. Don't know how the ultrasound has worked for others. Not really a big deal for the leaf blower, cuz I can get a replacement carb easily from hipa. But the homelite 240 makes me sick because I'm not finding any replacement carbs available.

All I use is ultra dawn and a teaspoon of laundry soap enhancer..oxi clean or the like. Hot water in the UC. Run through as many times as needed. Never an issue.

 

[Bill G]

It's interesting people will use anything but carb cleaner on carbs, but will use carb cleaner on everything else. I expect some day to read a guy uses milk to clean his carb and puts carb cleaner on his Cheerios.

I remember the days when my buddies would have a Mt Dew and a cigarette in morning and say... "this is the breakfast of champions" too bad they are dead now.

 

[Philbert]

It's interesting people will use anything but carb cleaner on carbs, but will use carb cleaner on everything else.

Back, through the history of A.S., there have been many, many posts that state that, despite it’s name, ‘carb cleaner’ can damage the plastics and check valves in some small engine carbs.

I do not have the technical knowledge or experience to support or refute this.

It may have something to do with differences between automotive carbs and small engine carbs.

Caveat Emptor!

Philbert

 

[purdyite]

I've used the UC for some time now, and I like the results. But since reading this thread, I think I will trade out my Simple Green for something else. The longest I leave a carb in it is 24 minutes--three cycles of 8 minutes each, then flush with hot water and keep the air compressor away from it. This process has fixed a number of saws and string trimmers that won't run right...I think about those tiny galleries drilled through that little block of aluminum and just imagine how little it takes to stop them up.

 

[Okie]

Working on carbs and equipment, especially old equipment and for example old chainsaws.

I look at the complete model for availability of parts before attempting any repair. I know then that the equipment is headed for the scrap heap or donor salvage if it's my fault or can be easily throwing good money in bad.
If for example a carb, I look at availability of replacement parts to see if I'm handling a dinosaur egg. If it's a rare hard to find one I proceed with caution, first seeing price and availability of a kit or replacement carb.
Then with a carb I usually just place the carb in a Usonic using dawn soap and warm water. (not over 100F) I sometimes just use warm water and low pressure air first and do not direct inject the air into any passages due to causing welch plugs to leak or ruining check valves internally.
If carb still appears bad I then proceed with little more aggressive cleaning in the Usonic, but I never use acetone. (Acetone and some other cleaners will melt plastic and soften or ruin the internal non-serviceable check valves on small carbs. I know this for a fact because I have had to take time out and make check valves for old carbs. (time consuming and takes patience)

 

[djg james]

I'll ask a stupid questions now because I have some carbs I want to clean and am in the process of buying an UC.

You remove the diaphragm and gasket before immersing in the UC? Take out carb screws? Or completely dismantle?

 

[Sidecarflip]

Whatever you do with acetone, make sure you handle it with latex gloves on. Acetone can and will impact your liver adversely. You get it on your hands or skin and it heads right for your liver... Bad stuff, good solvent. I use it all the time to clean TIG rod but always with latex gloves in.

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

Walbro has a vid on rebuilding the carburetor on their website. Their recommending to immerse in acetone then blow dry.

I wouldn't do that to a saw carb any more than I'd do it to my girlfriend's hair, both have value and I don't want to have to replace either. Maybe it's a dumb thought process but in my mind the analogy between the two works.

Back, through the history of A.S., there have been many, many posts that state that, despite it’s name, ‘carb cleaner’ can damage the plastics and check valves in some small engine carbs.

I do not have the technical knowledge or experience to support or refute this.

It may have something to do with differences between automotive carbs and small engine carbs.

Caveat Emptor!

Philbert

Thank you @Philbert. It makes sense that anything "too strong" can pull the volatile compounds out of rubber and shorten the lifespan. Saw carbs aren't automotive carbs...

Whatever you do with acetone, make sure you handle it with latex gloves on. Acetone can and will impact your liver adversely. You get it on your hands or skin and it heads right for your liver... Bad stuff, good solvent. I use it all the time to clean TIG rod but always with latex gloves in.

Might need nitrol gloves? I try not to use highly volatile organic compounds as much as they can be reasonably avoided so am not sure, just know in the past I melted latex gloves with "some stuff" so now use more appropriate gloves.

 

[Chucksta]

I'll ask a stupid questions now because I have some carbs I want to clean and am in the process of buying an UC.

You remove the diaphragm and gasket before immersing in the UC? Take out carb screws? Or completely dismantle?

I usually take them as far apart as I can. That includes the mix screws, because you're going to set them to factory ( manual) turns out when you go to tune it. I use warm water ( not hot), and a splash of Dawn. When the water is clear, sometimes you can see the crud coming out of the carb..

 

[cookies]

I gave up using ultra sonics on small engine carbs, I had more than one suffer internal check valve damage. I mostly used Dawn or Palmolive at a rate of 1 cup per gallon or two dishwasher tablets then rinse in fresh water to remove the detergent. Degreasers are too alkaline for aluminum/magnesium and can even get under plating like acids. I found these work the best for cleaning fasteners. Now I simply rinse with canned carb cleaner, toothbrush corrosion then rinse again. If necessary a second cleaning to remove the jets, welch plugs, throttle plates/rods to soft brush out and re rinse with carb cleaner. Usually when the second step is done the carb is likely beyond serviceable requiring replacement and is only done to hard to find carbs.
Simple green aluminum/aviation cleaner does work well on aluminum at removing oil/grease and is not as corrosive as the regular version but still required lots of water to neutralize it.

 

[Chevboy0167]

I have stuck the carb in my UC with gaskets on if they are hard to peel off. The heat and water based cleaner loosen up the gasket material so if will just peel off in 1 piece instead of small chunks.

It beats having to scrape the gasket chunks off with a tool or razor blade. .... causing possible damage to the aluminum body of the carb parts.

 

[Chucksta]

A few random thoughts on Ultra sonic cleaners...

How much power are you using, over how much liquid? I use a home made UC, All Ebay crap, a 60 watt 40,000 Hz, powered by a driver board. The transducer is JB welded to the bottom of an old stainless steel 1 pint steam tray insert. That concentrates the the waves.

One of the operating principles of a UC, is that water is non compressible, ( basically), the vibrations literally hammer out stuff that isn't metal. What are the compressibility factors of other stuff added , ( carb cleaner, green whatever, etc ), Do added chemicals diminish the compressibility of the fluids in the cleaning tank?

Is SeaFoam compressible, as it's basically an oil? If you were to use it, could you mix it with water, or have to use it straight? Seriously. As it will try to clear out a partially plugged carb jet, would it be effective as a UC fluid?

 

[Chevboy0167]

Something to ponder there Chucksta........ hmmm. Never thought to tear mine apart to see where the transducers are located. But, it is only the 6qt (5.67L) model so not a large pan bottom area.

I will state that a heated unit works better in my opinion. Like the gas ax to a rusty nut.

 

[Chucksta]

Something to ponder there Chucksta........ hmmm. Never thought to tear mine apart to see where the transducers are located. But, it is only the 6qt (5.67L) model so not a large pan bottom area.

I will state that a heated unit works better in my opinion. Like the gas ax to a rusty nut.

View attachment 1132616

I was thinking along the lines of concentration of power.. 60 watt over 1 pint of fluid, vs, 60 watts over 6 qt. Does the volume matter? Or, does water being ( basically), non compressible, spread the power out evenly through the medium? Would 60 watts work as well in a larger volume?

 

[Chevboy0167]

OK, I just did a quick search of ultrasonic power density loss through a water medium, and upon a few articles my brain started leak from my ears.....

Can't do that today, brain needed for other task. Hahahahaha

 

[jellyroll]

I use a ultrasonic cleaner at work but just use standard pine sol in it. Works well too just recently rebuilt a motorcraft 2100 carburetor on a truck and it looks factory fresh!

 

[Philbert]

I have the Harbor Freight USC.

Not sure if ‘too much power’ is an issue?

Have not used it much.

Philbert

 

[Chucksta]

Chevybnoy0167 t

I have the Harbor Freight USC.

Not sure if ‘too much power’ is an issue?

Have not used it much.

Philbert

Chevboy0167 took a quick look at that , but couldn't define an answer. Might be that power determines length of time needed to clean.. low power = longer.. high power = shorter bath time. .. but I'm just guessing.. ( I do that a lot )