What is a good quality, effective carb dip?

isaksp00

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jul 14, 2010
Messages
225
I just bought a pail of NAPA brand carb dip,and then did some research. I saw a lot of posts (mostly on motorcycle sites) that said the newer dips are EPA regulated and not very effective. Some brands may be better than others. The NAPA store had a can of Tyme, but it lacked a parts basket.

Some posts advocated boiling in lemon juice or degreaser, others use of ultrasonic cleaners.

Any experience out there on what works or what to avoid, and how to tell if a newer, "weaker" style dip is in the store?

Also, most cleaning advice on this site says to soak for 4 hrs, some overnight. The NAPA can says 20 mins - what is correct? This would be the metal only parts.

Thanks, Peter
 
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limitout

Banned
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Oct 1, 2013
Messages
543
Re: What is a good quality, effective carb dip?

91% isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) works great as a carb dip/soak but its not as fast as regular carb dip so it needs an overnight dip to do its job.

the thing is you have to remove the softened buildup before it dries or it gets hard again so take it out and brush down any missed spots or areas and spray some carb cleaner through the passages and it will look like new. for heavy buildup you may need a resoak for a few hours to get it all in the heaviest gunked areas. by that im not talking regular gunk inside the carb but the thick crap on the outside from engine greases and such.

the best thing about it is its safe for all plastics and rubbers and your skin and hands (no harsh chemicals), it is very cheap to buy, and you can reuse it several times only throwing it out when it starts turning darker (indicating varnish/sediment is dissolved into it)

when its time to dump it just pour it onto an ant hill or something as it will all evaporate just leaving the varnish behind

ps- your question on soak times is common, its all based on how concentrated the solution is. the harsher and stronger the solution the less time it needs but those are the ones that make you feel light headed or sick if you breath in the fumes or burns when it gets in contact with your skin. the longer the soak time the more diluted the solution is but they all use basicly the same stuff
 
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boobie

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Nov 5, 2009
Messages
20,826
Re: What is a good quality, effective carb dip?

I've always used BRP Engine Tuner. I'd get a gallon of that, put it in a bucket and let it soak, plastic parts and all. If you happen to forget about it when soaking, no harm done. Then rinse of with water and blow out.
 

Bob_VT

Moderator & Unofficial iBoats Historian
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May 19, 2001
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26,065
Re: What is a good quality, effective carb dip?

I am an old school type and REALLY miss the old carb dip cleaners :( I broke down and purchased some from NAPA that had to be mixed with water and are "epa safe" and they actually worked fine. Since I am a fanatic about carbs .....I don't let them get so dirty anymore and I do my carbs annually.

I would not be afraid of the napa stuff and I made my own baskets from screen.
 

Barnacle_Bill

Admiral
Joined
Feb 8, 2004
Messages
6,469
Re: What is a good quality, effective carb dip?

I use Gunk brand from Advance. Never had any problems with it.
 

jimmbo

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May 24, 2004
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13,638
Re: What is a good quality, effective carb dip?

I used to use lacquer thinner
 
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