A carburetor is not something that many of us are familiar with, especially if it is not what we work with for a living. For that reason, we might feel gauche and confused when we first try to know how to clean the device after using it for a while. In this article, we will show you how to use a carburetor cleaner in the easiest wastrong.
With this guide, you will be able to clean your machine yourself and will not need to pay extra cash for someone else to do it for you. Keep on reading to find out.
Basic Information about Carburetor and Carburetor Cleaner
What is a Carburetor?
A carburetor is a machine that was created for three main reasons listed below:
- First: It can mix air with gasoline to create a mixture that is combustible. This mixture would then make the machine operate smoothly.
- Second: Carburetor can control the engine’s speed when the machine is running too fast or too slow.
- Third: It keeps the ratio of gasoline (or other kinds of fuel) and the air stay balanced.
What is a Carburetor Cleaner?
Carburetor Cleaner is a spraying bottle with the “mission” of instantly and quickly removing varnish, carbon deposits, gum, grease, sludge, dirt from both of the outside and inside parts of carburetors.
If you use it to clean your carburetor, you can maximize the power of your engine, and in the long term, it will protect your device from unwanted deposits.
How To Use Carburetor Cleaner: A Step-by-Step Guide
Preparing all the stuff you need for cleaning your carburetor in advance will shorten your cleaning time. Here are a few necessary things for carburetor cleaning
Carburetor Cleaner – a spraying bottle: For sure, this is the main thing we need while cleaning the carburetor. However, there are so many kinds of machine cleaner brands that are made for cleaning different types of engines. So, you should always read what is written on the bottle’s label carefully, and make sure it includes these keywords: “Carburetor Cleaner”, “Carbs Cleaner”, “Carbs Choke”, or “Carburetor Choke and Cleaner” before buying one.
An old toothbrush (or something similar): You will be using this toothbrush to clean off the dirt from your carburetor before spraying the carburetor. An old toothbrush is ideal because its head is hard and flexible enough for you to clean the dust, gum, grease, or sludge off the carburetor.
Some pieces of fabric: They will be used to dry the surfaces of the carburetor after cleaning.
Protection gear: We will mention this in detail in the “Warning” section.
You do not need a spacious space to clean your carburetor, but make sure it is spacious enough for you to feel comfortable while you are spraying. The best place to do this is somewhere that has natural airflow (so that you will not have to breathe in all the chemicals from the bottle).
You should only start to clean your carburetor when it has already cooled down.
If you just finished using the machine, there is no need to rush, so wait for a few minutes to let its temperature cool down completely (around room temperature or lower is fine). Cleaning it up while the device is still hot might hurt yourself and cause damage to the engine.
First off, you will have to take the air cleaner out of the engine. It might be a little bit tight so you may have to use pliers to turn its wing nut.
When the air cleaner is not in the machine anymore, remember that the dirt from outside might stick into the machine while you are cleaning it. So make sure you vacuum off the engine’s top to prevent that.
After you take the air cleaner out, it’s time to spray both inside and outside of the carburetor to clean all the gum, dirt, and vanish. If you see some parts that have more dirt, spray more amount of carburetor cleaner in that area.
In step 1, we asked you to prepare an old toothbrush or something similar. Now, use it to clean off the dirt while you are spraying. Spray evenly on all the areas of the carburetor that you can reach, and feel free to use more strength to get rid of stubborn stains.
While you are spraying and cleaning your carburetor, you would see the dirt and grease loosened. Do not let it dry but use the piece of fabric we asked you to prepare to dry it up immediately. You should do this step carefully because if the loosened dirt gets dry, it will stick to your device again.
Wait until the surface of it is fully dried up, then move to the next step.
The next step is to turn the engine on and let it operate normally while we’re cleaning. Spray the carburetor cleaner to the carburetor throat to remove the gum and dirt stick deep from inside of it. You should spray it heavily, then wait for a few seconds, and turn the engine off.
After the engine is off, continue spraying more and clean it with the toothbrush and the piece of fabric if possible.
Now that we’ve finished all the steps, put the air cleaner back to the engine and now you can use your device normally.
When Should You Clean Your Carburetor?
You finished cleaning your carburetor, but when is the next time you should clean it again? To know that, you should pay attention to some signs indicating when it needs to be cleaned.
The jet is one of the most important parts of your carburetor, but the problem is it is easy to get clogged. Normally, when you cannot start your engine easily, or when you feel like your engine is not running as good as before, then you should consider cleaning it because that might be the sign of clogged jets.
You should also consider cleaning your carburetor when you encounter some problems such as idle, backfiring, sputtering, stopping suddenly, and more. After cleaning your carburetor, if you still have the same problems, then you might need to have it checked by an expert to ensure your safety and protect the engine from having further damages in the future.
Most Frequently Asked Questions about How to Use Carburetor Cleaner
Question 1: Is it ok if I soak the carburetor in lemon water or vinegar?
Soaking your carburetor in lemon water or vinegar to boil clean is an effective method. You will see the dirt, varnish, carbon deposits, and gum disappear in no time.
However, we do not recommend this method because it will not do any good for your machine and your health in the long run.
Question 2: Is using carburetor cleaner the best way to clean it?
The answer is No. As you can see, the carburetor cleaner is only of great help in cleaning the part to which it can reach.
The best way to clean a carburetor is to take all the parts off and give them a thorough cleanup. But the problem with this technique is it may cost you some extra money (much more expensive compared to using carburetor cleaner).
Question 3: What should I do if using a carburetor only is not enough to clean it?
Using Carburetor cleaner is a quick technique to clean your carburetor. However, sometimes your machine is so dirty and needs to be cleaned more than just spraying with the carburetor cleaning bottle.
In this case, for the cleanup task to be done properly, you should take apart all of the carburetor components. This will definitely consume much more time and effort, not to mention the device’s many small parts may get lost during the process.
Question 4: I do not have a carburetor cleaner, can I use brake cleaner?
Yes, you can use it. Brake cleaner is not originally made for cleaning carburetors, but it is strong enough to clean off the dirt without harming your engine.
Warning
While using your carburetor cleaner, you’ll be working with chemicals included in the bottle. Since not all of those substances are safe enough to use in the long run, be mindful of your own safety and also for the ones who are around.
Do not Spray Your Carburetor If Kids and the Elderly are around!
The reason why we should make sure the kids are not hanging around your work area (especially if you are parents or there are kids who frequently visit your place) because they are often playful and rarely pay attention to our warnings.
Apart from children, you should also keep an eye out for people who are sick or have health problems.
Do not Spray It Near Fire or Combustible Objects
Substances from the spraying bottles might be dangerous to spray near the fire because it might burn your skin. Make sure you steer clear of your camping fire, and (electric/gas) stove.
Wear Your Protection Gear
Chemicals from products like carburetor cleaner are believed to pose some health risks to your body. Make sure you have some of the most basic protection equipment on such as glasses, masks, and gloves while working with your carburetor.
Do not skip this step! Wear your protections and your health will be thankful for that!
Stop for a While to Breathe Fresh Air
While you are cleaning, even when you have all the protection gear on, you will be breathing in and out of the smell of the chemicals in the spraying bottle.
Stop once in a while and stay further from where you are spraying to breath fresh air, then, you can start again.
Conclusion
Cleaning your carburetor on a daily basis would lengthen the device’s lifespan and ensure its proper operation.
After reading this article, we hope you have come up with the answer to the question: “how to use carburetor cleaner?”This istrong the cheapest, fastest, and easiest way to clean your carburetor that you can do it yourself at home. We wish you a good and safe time working with your engine!