Flushing out carb bowls with a syringe.

[RonW]

I'm going to flush out my carb bowls with a syringe pushing in and pulling out the plunger a few hundred strokes, carb bowls still on bike. I'll be using either Stabil or B-12 diluted not less than 50% strength. After that spray some canned air (don't have compressor). Then soak the bowls overnight with a fresh infusion of stabilizer solution. The tubing is connected to the drain spout. I also have Pinesol. Would Pinesol damage the rubber gaskets or other rubber parts.

[pancho]

Ron, I don't think that will be very effective in cleaning anything that matters to the operation of the carbs. Even if you fill the bowl completely, (which 100 ml will do) the cleaner will just go out the bowl vent and not it to the small passages (path of least resistance) that probably need cleaning. Just my opinion.  I realize you don't have a shop at your disposal to do a carb. rebuild, but just don't see the effectiveness of that operation.

Might think about removing the pilot screws and doing it through those passageways.

[Chrisj CMA]

I used a syringe without the tubing. Remove the jets the cannula fits right in. Then, press it against the vent hole and push until the fluid goes somewhere. I used Crud cutter which did an excellent job of dissolving the “Crud”. Then I flushed with water and dried with a hair dryer.

I did this with the carbs OFF. I suppose if you have Houdini hands and or using the tube you might could do it with the carbs on

[Avanti]

Be mindful of the air cut valve.

[John Schmidt]

Another method posted years ago by another member involves the use of a MityVac. Attach it to the bowl drain hose under the bike, pump up some good vacuum, then open the bowl drain. The vacuum creates a good amount of internal turbulence of the bowl contents and flushes it out the drain. Just remember to close the drain before going to the next carb. I've used it a few times and if there's any debris present it will flush out, however caked/dried on film won't.

[agrady1995]

Story time! I rode up to Live Oak FL (from Lakeland FL) on my wife's 08' Honda Rebel (her on the back, bag of clothes sitting on the tank) 186 miles. We stayed the night 10 min from a Valkyrie I wanted to check out, and rode over in the morning to see it. It was in ROUGH shape.

Sat for 7 years, started for 5 min a month for 80% of that time. 3 cylinders were not firing unless held above 3000RPM (and so-so). I bought it, and me and the 10 year old tires rode home next to my wife.

 Stopped at the gas station and dumped half a bottle of B12 Chem-tool in the tank and topped it off with 93. All 6 firing by the time I got home.

I did this 3 more times between home and a day or two of riding it to the DMV and to Orlando and back once for new tires.

I took those carbs apart as I had done on my 99' Interstate, and they were as if they had been polished. even my 99' didn't have anything close to this clean, and I used it every day for 2 years before I eventually did the carbs (to change the rubber).

All the rubber was old, and the chem-tool had eaten up my petcock diaphragm, but other than cleaning the outside of the bodies, the insides were PRISTINE.



I would highly recommend just running a few tanks of B12 through it, and if you do it at the recommended concentration you might not damage your petcock diaphragm. It will clean those carbs better than 4 hours of hot ultrasonic cleaning!

P.S. I'll ride it for you if you like

Kilroy

[RonW]

Apparently there's more to this than a syringe and playing doctor. I completely forgot about the carb vents. This means the bowls aren't a sealed chamber all to its self. Where injecting cleaning fluids into it via the drain spout would not have as much of a washing machine effect. Or like shaking a jar with soap water inside. Perhaps many rinse and repeat's might do the trick. I'll think on this a little more. My mityvac is on strike (non-operational).

Oh, my other question was does pinesol damage rubber parts?

[Led]

Yea......spend as much time as you want on the project Ron......

But there is NO "easy" way around rebuilding SIX carburetors.  Sure, you may luck out on five of the six.......but that still leaves that "one".......that will keep haunting you.....

Strip them down, and electro sonic clean all the parts with Simple green (or equivalent)

Make sure all the passages are clear including the jets.

Replace all the rubber and gaskets........MUCH FUN!!     

[RonW]

oh, my.

Next year's resolution.

[Mooskee]

Be VERY careful blowing compressed air into the carbs. You can cause problems you can't easily recover from.

[Avanti]

Be VERY careful blowing compressed air into the carbs. You can cause problems you can't easily recover from.

Exactly!!

[RonW]

maybe pulling the carbs is in my future. I don't have a garage only a basement parking stall and a living room.

[Skinhead]

Is the living room large enough?

[RonW]

Lol, I'm not trying to get out of it. I think. Or, you guys are too sharp.

[Led]

I grew up in the days, where there were only one or two Carbs on a bike.....

Then there were four.....

Then there were six......

But now there is a LOT of "fuel injection" going on.  And I know NOTHING about that!!   Time marches on.....so don't feel too bad.