Carb Cleaner: A Very Dumb question!

[stan_deezy]

Okay, so I get a can of carb cleaner (a product I must admit I have never used in the past) and I spray it into the throttle body of my project car (a 1988 MK2 VW Golf GTi). WOW! Before my very eyes I see all the gunk and carbon just disappear leaving lovely shiney metal like the day it came off the line..........<br /><br />.......so here's the question:<br /><br />I recently got an old (1973) Evinrude 25 Sportster which had been stored in the garage for 30 years. Done all the usual stuff, lower unit oil, fuel and water pump, plugs etc and she runs great. In fact looks like she hadn't been used much from new before being put into storage.<br /><br />I'm standing looking at the engine with the can of carb cleaner and wondering.........should I spray some into the carb anyway? <br /><br />I'm wary because the engine is so good and seems to be running great and I got the phrase "If it ain't broke don't fix it" punched into me as a kid.<br /><br />Any views or thoughts?

 

[novicetech]

Re: Carb Cleaner: A Very Dumb question!

personally, I would not use it unless it was designed for two stroke outboards you dont want to take all of the oil off the cylinder walls bearings etc. There are other products to remove carbon fron the system such as seafoam and mercury power tune.

 

[novicetech]

Re: Carb Cleaner: A Very Dumb question!

Also some of the marine carbs are dipped in somekind of coating during the manufacture process, to make them non porous. Using regular carb cleaner can make them porous.

 

[stan_deezy]

Re: Carb Cleaner: A Very Dumb question!

Excellent answer and just what I needed to know! Thanks for that, I definitely am glad I asked before spraying!<br /><br />many thanks

 

[Holdimhook]

Re: Carb Cleaner: A Very Dumb question!

Bro, There are no dumb questions on this board; However, there are a lot of inquisitive idiots! <br />Edit: And I'm proud to be one of 'em!!

 

[stan_deezy]

Re: Carb Cleaner: A Very Dumb question!

Yep holdimhook, I'm on that list too <br /><br />Glad I asked the question though

 

[jim dozier]

Re: Carb Cleaner: A Very Dumb question!

In addition to what novicetech said, there is a common misconception oft seen on these boards that spraying something into the throat of the carb on a 2 stroke is somehow going to travel upstream against the flow of fuel back into the wee orifices of the carbs main jet and idle jets and clean out the crud that might be there. The dirt that counts in most carbs 2 or 4 stroke is not accessible from the outside of the carb or from its throat, it usually requires some degree of disassembly. On your car you might have cleaned up a sticky linkage due to exterior dirt but you didn't do anything to your orifices. Exterior dirt is rarely a problem on the water. Spraying a decarbonizing product in the carb throat is done for the cylinders not the carburetor and is a different story and product.

 

[stan_deezy]

Re: Carb Cleaner: A Very Dumb question!

Thanks for that jimd: you are absolutely right. The only way I would suspect that you could "possibly" (and I stress that word) dislodge crud in the system would be to put some potion in the fuel tank, but even then I've always been a bit sceptical about the claims made by the manufacturers of such products.<br />The throttle body on the car is a different matter: it's a fuel injected system and the throttle body holds the throttle valves; they were gunked and sticky so spraying the cleaner in did wonders to remove the old build up and return them to pristine. Any carbs that I rebuild I use good old fashioned compressed air to clear the jets.<br />Many thanks for the reply.

 

[rodbolt]

Re: Carb Cleaner: A Very Dumb question!

the problem with just placing snake oils in the fuel tank is in some cases it will dislodge large particles in the fuel system and leave them in the fuel bowl to clog small passages. <br /> but people use them all the time. its good for business

 

[TELMANMN]

Re: Carb Cleaner: A Very Dumb question!

Start it up and if it runs good ok. If crappy then go with seafoam in gas and deep creep down the carbs as if need to rebuild can't hurt. If it runs better can use till winter when can rebuild.<br /> http://www.seafoamsales.com/deepCreepTech.htm

 

[rodbolt]

Re: Carb Cleaner: A Very Dumb question!

or you can run it with half clogged carbs and rebuild them when ya replace the piston that was damaged from a lean condition. either way the carb kits cost the same

 

[TELMANMN]

Re: Carb Cleaner: A Very Dumb question!

I guess you use a motor more than I have. Broke a crank(how many others can say) but never had a bad piston.