[RevLee]

Well I got a ultrasonic cleaner and started using it via Larry's method to clean my carbs. Used his suggestion for mixing Simple Green and all the parts come out with a thin green film over them. Was able to get it back off (I hope) by running it again using only water several times. Anybody else experienced this? I used a 1 to 4 ration of Simple Green by the way.

 

[LRCXed]

Now that's another first! I don't even know where to start. What bottle of simple green did you use specifically?

Automotive or household?

Do you have a picture of the results?

How long did you leave them in the sonic?

 

[Linny]

Not me. I used Larry's method on my CX carbs and was so pleased with it I have since used the simple green on the carbs of two lawn mowers, a three wheeler, a four wheeler, and two outboard's..

 

[Toehead]

Now that's another first! I don't even know where to start. What bottle of simple green did you use specifically?

Automotive or household?

Do you have a picture of the results?

How long did you leave them in the sonic?

I used simple green on mine, but had no film that I could see....



Each carb was in the heated bath for an hour and a half.

 

[RevLee]

Just checked my Big Bottle of Simple Green, and I seriously started thinking I was going start talking like my old Navy days. Clear as a you know what bell, it clearly says is "Concentrated." how stupid can you get.

The mixture ratios are

Heavy 1 oz to 1/2 cup water

Medium 1 oz to 1 cup water

Light 1 oz to 4 cups of water.



Didn't even pay attention, just mixed it up with a 1 to 4 ratio, which would be fine using regular stuff I guess, but obviously is way too much with the concentrated bottle I got. Leave it to me to find a new way to screw up.

 

[RevLee]

By the way, I only ran it for about 20 minutes as I got the ol'cheapo version from Harbor Freight and didn't want to burn it up.

 

[Bryan]

If you have a Home Depot near you, try to get a gallon of Simple Green Pro HD. Great stuff, and absolutely safe for bare aluminum. Used it in the ultrasonic and it worked very well in a 10:1 (water to concentrate) solution, but is only available at Home Depot. Suppose the "HD" could either mean Heavy Duty or Home Depot. Simple Green Pro HD

 

[showmedude]

The mixture ratios are

Heavy 1 oz to 1/2 cup water

Medium 1 oz to 1 cup water

Light 1 oz to 4 cups of water.



Didn't even pay attention, just mixed it up with a 1 to 4 ratio, which would be fine using regular stuff I guess, but obviously is way too much with the concentrated bottle I got. Leave it to me to find a new way to screw up.

Rev,



Don't be too tough on yourself. The "heavy" mixture you reference above is the recommended 1:4 ratio I used with the concentrated stuff, and I didn't notice any green coating. We may have to start a whole new thread to uncover the Cause of the Mysterious Film. Your bike isn't from Ireland, is it?

 

[RevLee]

OK, Maybe I'm not going stupid after all. Checked the Simple Green Website and I this is what I got, My linkJust got the gallon sized which got me confused into thinking I mixed it up wrong.



So my original question still stands. If I got the right stuff, was the mixture to much or not. Don't have any photos of the pieces with the film still on it, but if it happens again I'll have a photo posted within minutes.

 

[LRCXed]

After thinking about this a while, I'm going to take a guess that your carbs may have had some calcium or corrosion build up on them before you put them in the mixture. Did they appear to have a white or crusty film on them? Cause all I can think of is that the green dye stained that film. Not the carbs. If this is the case, put them back in and run the sonic until it's all eaten away. I have had stubborn corrosion before that I used a nylon brush and straight CLR on to break it down and get it off.

Don't be afraid to run the sonic for hours. You don't need to leave the heater on all the time either. Just make sure the solution isn't dirty so it doesn't stain the aluminum by forcing the dirt color back into the carbs body.

Lately I have been leaving the carbs in the sonic until all the dirt has been cleaned away. A good indicator is the corrosion that gets under the lip of the ACV diaphragms. When that's all gone I know the inside is cleaned out the best it came be too.

 

[philbrewer]

Use pinesol.

 

[RevLee]

After thinking about this a while, I'm going to take a guess that your carbs may have had some calcium or corrosion build up on them before you put them in the mixture. Did they appear to have a white or crusty film on them? Cause all I can think of is that the green dye stained that film. Not the carbs. If this is the case, put them back in and run the sonic until it's all eaten away. I have had stubborn corrosion before that I used a nylon brush and straight CLR on to break it down and get it off.

Don't be afraid to run the sonic for hours. You don't need to leave the heater on all the time either. Just make sure the solution isn't dirty so it doesn't stain the aluminum by forcing the dirt color back into the carbs body.

Lately I have been leaving the carbs in the sonic until all the dirt has been cleaned away. A good indicator is the corrosion that gets under the lip of the ACV diaphragms. When that's all gone I know the inside is cleaned out the best it came be too.

Actually the carbs didn't look too bad when I pulled them apart. Very little visual corrosion. Since the cleaner can only run for 6 minutes max at a time I ran it through 3 cycles using heat, and (1) without heat. The film showed up after running without heat. I didn't change out the fluid after each cycle so that may be the cause. I am a bit clueless here. If it happens again I will make sure to get photos of it.



And no the bike isn't from Ireland. Although after seeing the film show up a good Stout might not have been a bad thing.

 

[philbrewer]

Use pinesol. It plays nice with the rubber bits too.



These results just from soaking for 2-3 days without ultrasonic cleaner: http://cx500forum.com/index.php?/topic/139-cleaning-carbs-with-pinesol/page__p__1042__hl__pinesol__fromsearch__1#entry1042



The shit works wonders.