Cleaned carburetor SEIZED after 2 days?

BarnyardEngineering · Apr 30, 2019

Your first question will be: What did you use to clean it?

CARBURETOR CLEANER. Generic store brand spray carburetor cleaner. Can clearly says "carburetor cleaner" on it.

With that out of the way, here's my problem: I took the Marvel Schebler carb off my Onan-powered welder to clean it because the welder won't run. Took it all apart, dipped it in Berryman's for 20 minutes, then sprayed everything off with carburetor cleaner, wiped it all down with rags, blew it all dry with air, let it set to dry for a while, then put it all back together.

Went to put it back on the engine two days later, and everything's SEIZED solid. Choke won't move, throttle barely moves, needle is stuck in seat.

Took it all apart again, stuff is "gummy." Cleaned it again with more spray carburetor cleaner, wiped, blew dry. Came back later, still gummy.

So what can I do to get this carburetor clean?

Gene Dotson · Apr 30, 2019

Hot water.

Bob · Apr 30, 2019

ASSUMING it's cast iron, take it all apart, remove throttle and choke shafts and set the float and any gaskets and rubber parts aside, aside and bake the rest at 350? for a couple of hours.

fusion · Apr 30, 2019

White Vinegar
soak over night

Mike M · Apr 30, 2019

After the berrymans soak you should of rinsed it off with water then blown it dry.

Crazy Horse · Apr 30, 2019

When you say a M-S carb I first think of an old tractor carburetor. Sounds like something newer to me with maybe some kind of
plastic or synthetic seals or bushings, etc? Some of that carb cleaner is pretty potent stuff, however they must realize that
people would be using it on newer carbs and they all must have some kind of plastic parts somewhere. A mystery until someone
solves it for sure.

Old560 · Apr 30, 2019

I?d look on e bay. I just bought a carb for my mower for $15. I believe in fixing things but for the price why wast the time. Rinse it with water next time and you will have to replace the needle valve now.

Blackhole49 · Apr 30, 2019

Take it apart again. Remove any rubber or flimsy plastic parts. Soak for at least 24 hrs in lacquer thinner the
continue the cleaning process.

David G · Apr 30, 2019

Dipping Carb Cleaner is caustic, needs water rinse to neutralize.

David G · Apr 30, 2019

Take it back apart, dip overnight, rinse with water, then blow dry.

moresmoke · Apr 30, 2019

20 minutes in Berrymans is a waste of time. Takes more like overnight. You cleaned all the light hydrocarbons and left the heavy varnish which set up
after 2 days.

David G · Apr 30, 2019

I agree, I leave them in overnight if can.

Dave H (MI) · Apr 30, 2019

Well, you have been told this already. When I do a carb I take it completely apart and put everything I want to use again in the little basket in a can of carb soak and leave it at least overnight. Gummy tells you that you just took hardened varnish and made it soft. You removed little or nothing. Sprays evaporate. Soak it.

jeffcat · Apr 30, 2019

Actually I have found a can of brake cleaner works better. Just keep away from
rubber parts.

the tractor vet · Apr 30, 2019

Well dioing for 20 min. really does not give it enough time to really work with the carb cleaner of today . Letting then soak over night if they are not to bad will do a far job . Then washing them out with really hot strong soppy water then a cold rinse the use compressed air to blow dry and this is dopne with the cab completely stripped down . One must be sure that places lit throttle shafts and choke shaft do not have some sort of shaft seals as the carb cleaner can cause them to swell . Some times these are o/rings , sometines a felt and sometimes cork . Needle valves can have and o/ring or a graphite packing .

Mark-Ia · Apr 30, 2019

Pine-Sol is a great cleaner for those carbs.

Traditional Farmer · Apr 30, 2019

Before I took it off the tractor I'd spray ether up into the carb anywhere I could,that will cut a lot of things

rustred · Apr 30, 2019

this is what I use for soaking. its not like the old stuff used to be. could remove carb in an hr. this takes longer soaking.

Bob · Apr 30, 2019

(quoted from post at 06:03:41 04/30/19) Your first question will be: What did you use to clean it?

CARBURETOR CLEANER. Generic store brand spray carburetor cleaner. Can clearly says "carburetor cleaner" on it.

With that out of the way, here's my problem: I took the Marvel Schebler carb off my Onan-powered welder to clean it because the welder won't run. Took it all apart, dipped it in Berryman's for 20 minutes, then sprayed everything off with carburetor cleaner, wiped it all down with rags, blew it all dry with air, let it set to dry for a while, then put it all back together.

Went to put it back on the engine two days later, and everything's SEIZED solid. Choke won't move, throttle barely moves, needle is stuck in seat.

Took it all apart again, stuff is "gummy." Cleaned it again with more spray carburetor cleaner, wiped, blew dry. Came back later, still gummy.

So what can I do to get this carburetor clean?

I find it amusing that no one has replied to my post, "pro" or "con", I didn't realize there was an "Ignore" button here, but there must be.

Putting all "BS" and drama aside, "baking" a stripped down carb DOES work very well, when it cools, the "varnish" has been converted to a powder that can be simply brushed off.

NO DRAMA , or harsh chemicals involved.

showcrop · May 1, 2019

(quoted from post at 19:43:42 04/30/19)

(quoted from post at 06:03:41 04/30/19) Your first question will be: What did you use to clean it?

CARBURETOR CLEANER. Generic store brand spray carburetor cleaner. Can clearly says "carburetor cleaner" on it.

With that out of the way, here's my problem: I took the Marvel Schebler carb off my Onan-powered welder to clean it because the welder won't run. Took it all apart, dipped it in Berryman's for 20 minutes, then sprayed everything off with carburetor cleaner, wiped it all down with rags, blew it all dry with air, let it set to dry for a while, then put it all back together.

Went to put it back on the engine two days later, and everything's SEIZED solid. Choke won't move, throttle barely moves, needle is stuck in seat.

Took it all apart again, stuff is "gummy." Cleaned it again with more spray carburetor cleaner, wiped, blew dry. Came back later, still gummy.

So what can I do to get this carburetor clean?

Click to expand...

I find it amusing that no one has replied to my post, "pro" or "con", I didn't realize there was an "Ignore" button here, but there must be.

Putting all "BS" and drama aside, "baking" a stripped down carb DOES work very well, when it cools, the "varnish" has been converted to a powder that can be simply brushed off.

NO DRAMA , or harsh chemicals involved.

Bob, actually I would estimate that probably only 10% of posts here are acknowledged in any manner. I have worked in industrial cleaning for over forty years. In order to clean anything, anywhere, successfully you need adequate time, temperature, chemical, and agitation. In barnyard's attempt to clean the carburetor, He used plenty of chemical, however his amount of time was woefully inadequate, he had zero agitation, and very little heat. So what happened is that his chemical penetrated whatever foreign material was on the shafts just a little way, and the emulsification produced a residue that increased the volume of foreign material in the passage. This increase in volume caused worse binding than he had originally. in order to get the shafts clean Barnyard needs to move either the cleaning solution or the parts in oder to have some agitation. Yes, some heat would help too, but the key here would be agitation to clean and then some rinsing to remove the cleaning residue. Some heat or solvent to remove the water to prevent oxidation would help too.

BarnyardEngineering · May 3, 2019

The Berryman's can says "soak for 15-30 minutes, any longer can/will cause damage" so I followed the directions.

I've done everything suggested aside from soaking it in the Berryman's again, multiple times, and it is still sticky. As soon as it dries out the throttle and choke shafts gum right up and the needle sticks in the seat.

It is an old Marvel Schebler downdraft carburetor off of an Onan engine. There is no $15 ebay replacement for it, or else that's what I would've done.

RedMF40 · May 3, 2019

(quoted from post at 05:38:36 04/30/19) Take it back apart, dip overnight, rinse with water, then blow dry.

Should blow dryer be on "style" or just "dry" setting?
(You'd think by now I'd show some restraint with such comments but I really have none).

showcrop · May 3, 2019

(quoted from post at 12:27:13 05/03/19) The Berryman's can says "soak for 15-30 minutes, any longer can/will cause damage" so I followed the directions.

I've done everything suggested aside from soaking it in the Berryman's again, multiple times, and it is still sticky. As soon as it dries out the throttle and choke shafts gum right up and the needle sticks in the seat.

It is an old Marvel Schebler downdraft carburetor off of an Onan engine. There is no $15 ebay replacement for it, or else that's what I would've done.

Barnyard, your problem is as I stated in my earlier post. The solution can penetrate only a short way into the bores that those shafts are in. If you flip the throttle and choke back and forth a few times and swish the carb around the broken down deposits will flush out so that the solution can penetrate further. You can't expect the cleaner to clean if it can't get to the crud.

Cleaned carburetor SEIZED after 2 days?

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Similar threads