carb cleaner

[bluediamond46]

what is a good inner motor cleaner for every thing including the carbs??

 

[Scaaty]

Re: carb cleaner

Lots of people use SeaFoam, sold at Napa. Look in the FAQ's section under Decarb..

 

[DJ]

Re: carb cleaner

I can vouch for Sea Foam (NAPA). A touch of it in every tankful and the engine runs better every time.

great for: fuel preservation, cleaning, decarb, and more.

 

[h_lankford]

Re: carb cleaner

Interesting stuff. I looked at the specs.

Seafoam is nothing other than 3 ingredients:

naptha (white gas like camp fuel),
an oil derived from naptha "cut" of the petroleum distillate
isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol)

 

[iwombat]

Re: carb cleaner

Works great though. Both as a gas additive, and as an oil additive for 4-strokes.

 

[DJ]

Re: carb cleaner

Seafoam is nothing other than 3 ingredients:

naptha (white gas like camp fuel),
an oil derived from naptha "cut" of the petroleum distillate
isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol)

Yup. And it works.

I have NO issues with it whatsoever. It won't fix mechanical problems but it sure does clean up old stuff.

 

[iwombat]

Re: carb cleaner

Not sure you want to run it all the time in your four-stroke oil. But, every few changes to break up the sludge and the like.

 

[Scaaty]

Re: carb cleaner

Interesting stuff. I looked at the specs.

Seafoam is nothing other than 3 ingredients:

naptha (white gas like camp fuel),
an oil derived from naphtha "cut" of the petroleum distillate
isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol)

Here we go again...its NOT your bathroom Isopropyl Alcohol..its Pharmaceutical Isopropyl. And 99% of all the cleaning snake oils have Naphtha in them. AND you need a "carrier" to get the Naphtha where you want it. Guy asked a question, not how to set a basement lab

 

[Scaaty]

Re: carb cleaner

and as an oil additive for 4-strokes.

I would run nothing in the crankcase but the recommended oil. PERIOD. You are thinning out the oil, and the sludge issue is just about non-existent with todays oils. Just change often. Don't play Chemist. The oil companies have talented Chemist, and more resources than we can dream off, to come up with what works.

 

[DJ]

Re: carb cleaner

NEVER run it in the crankcase of a four stroke.:^

Sea Foam is a FUEL additive.

It keeps fuel: stabil, fresh. With added benefits of keeping 2-cycle rings free.

 

[iwombat]

Re: carb cleaner

Well, that's a new one. I've had mechanics swear by adding it to oil for years. I gotta say, I had a chronic problem with clogging breather screens in an old bike until I started using about 4oz every four oil changes or so.

Anyway, it works for me.

 

[DJ]

Re: carb cleaner

I've had mechanics swear by adding it to oil for years.

That in itself is scary. Some "Old Time" methods work, some do not-with disastrous effects.

I'll look at a 'mechanics' qaulifications before entrusting him/her. Yeah, get ready for the latter part of that.

Old time methods do not always work. My experience is just that. That is what I can share. I'm hesitant to say that it will always work-regardless.

 

[iwombat]

Re: carb cleaner

I agree. There's as many old wives tales as there are old wives.
I have a hard time arguing with positive results though. As for causing harm, I seriously doubt 1oz/qt every 4 changes is going to really do much either way.

A grain of salt is standard measure for any mechanical advice from any source.

 

[iwombat]

Re: carb cleaner

Thinking about it a little harder, that seafoam is probably going to make it _maybe_ twice through the oil circuit before volitizing out of solution anyway. That's probably why it managed to work on the vent screens so well - it probably reached them in vapor state before exiting the crankcase.

No matter, point well taken.

 

[h_lankford]

Re: carb cleaner


Scaaty, I said isopropyl alcohol. (Not a water/isopropyl alcohol mix which is bathroom/rubbing alcohol). It is known in the chemical trade as IPA and therefore is the pure ingredient - not diluted with water. I did not list IPA because no one would have known what it was!

Just thought I'd throw out a little chemical info for those who were interested. Do you take a pill from the doctor and ever want to know what it is and how it works? eh?

For the details, they did not come from me, but from the horses mouth:

http://www.seafoamsales.com/pdf/MSDS_SFTT_US.pdf

 

[Cricket Too]

Re: carb cleaner

The absolute best thing to add to oil for 4 strokes, to clean up rings and any sludge that may have accumulated is Auto Rx. You can't find it stores I don't think, but it's available online. It works great. It's the equivalent of running Sea Foam through your fuel or straight through the carbs.

Now sludge may not be as much of an issue on newer 4 stroke outboards, and I agree about the chemistry of oil these days. But 4 strokes have been around for a long, long time, and if you have an older one Auto Rx, will work wonders. It has brought life back to 2 of my old Jeeps. You can't count on anyone who has owned an engine before you to have taken care of it.

To me it's the same as how I decarb, any used 2 stroke I buy before I ever use it, along with changing the water pump and the t-stats and lower unit oil.

 

[bluediamond46]

Re: carb cleaner

OK, Now i am totally confused,, what do I use??????
i am not a scientist or a full pledged mechanic,,so talk to me like a country hick.. i understand english very well not to the point of arguing! Should i use seafoam at least once whithout hurting my outboard engine???

 

[h_lankford]

Re: carb cleaner

Ok, I'll do it again. Strictly FYI of course, no implications:

Auto Rx (mentioned above by Cricket)

Material sheet says it is Fatty Acids - Lanolin Esters

see
http://www.auto-rx.com/pages/msds.html

interpretation= metal soap !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: carb cleaner

bluediamond, what these guys have said outside of the arguing and agreeing on an off topic subject is: YES, use Seafoam. It is designed to clean carbs and other engine innards. Follow the label directions.

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: carb cleaner

Bluediamond, you don't mention what kind of engine you have so it's hard to be certain. If you're talking 2-strokes, then Seafoam (deep-creep is the aerosol kind) is a great cleaner. It will clean the carbon out of the combustion chamber, which is something you need to occasionally do with 2-strokes as preventative maintenance depending on how they're rigged. The outboard OEMS; Johnson, Evinrude, Yamaha, Suzuki, Mercury all have their equivalent products under their own labels. Yamaha Ringfree, Mercury Power Tune, BRP Engine Tuner, etc.

You can either spray the stuff down into the engine through the carburetor with the engine running or even the spark plug holes, or mix it with your gasoline. It seems to work better if you directly spray; putting it in your gas is more to keep things clean after you've cleaned it well.

Please note that none of these products are really capable of cleaning a carburetor. That requires disassembly, cleaning all the passages with the aid of carb cleaner (something really noxious which melts rubber and strips paint), and reassembly with a new carburetor repair kit. There isn't a "mechanic in a bottle" that will do that for you.

- technical side:
My take is, naptha for cleaning carbon deposits, isopropyl for mixing any water in the fuel tank with the fuel, and oil to keep up the lubrication.
LATE EDIT: I had forgotten about this one - isopropyl alcohol is the bulk of fuel stabilizers too. They've got some other important stuff that I don't think seafoam has though.