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Does anyone know any household substance that would do as a carb soak? I cannot get carb cleaner here on this tiny south pacific island I live on so I must improvise. Nor can I get an air filter. Anyway I can use something else as an air filter? Thanks.

As far as cleaning up carb, using Simple Green will do the trick. I've used it in a pinch. As far as filter, depends on what type of filter media the original is. Your best bet is OEM.

Before I got the ultrasonic cleaner we used to boil carbs using a big pot & a dishwasher tablet
The ones with the ball in the middle seem to work better
A nice rolling boil works best
Give it an hour or so then boil some more water and take it out of the boiling soapy water then strait into the boiling rinse water
Give it a 5 minute rinse hen take out & blow dry.
Do not allow the carb to sit in the wash water unless it is boiling or it will oxadise.
Some like to do a pre-rinse in boiling water with some vinegar in it to neutralise the alkaline soap first.

Sentinel said:

Does anyone know any household substance that would do as a carb soak? I cannot get carb cleaner here on this tiny south pacific island I live on so I must improvise. Nor can I get an air filter. Anyway I can use something else as an air filter? Thanks.

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Simple Green or equivalent for a carb cleaner ...and foam rubber lightly oiled for an air filter

So what island are you on and what are you using your equipment for?

When I'm dreaming of being on a tiny south Pacific Island I don'r envision myself being behind a lawn mower......

seattlepioneer said:

So what island are you on and what are you using your equipment for?

When I'm dreaming of being on a tiny south Pacific Island I don'r envision myself being behind a lawn mower......

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Ha Ha. Well, there's grass here too that needs cutting. I live on Camiguin Island near the big island of Mindanao. Not much here in the way of lawn and motor accessories so I have to McGyver most of the lawnmower stuff. Right now I'm waiting on carb springs from the States. My mower surges whenever it starts and keeps surging. I think that means I need to clean out the carb. I will experiment with the boiling idea that sounds likely to me to work. Thanks for the reply and have a great day.

Yep, most likely a blockage in the carb... could be an air leak due to a failed gasket or cracked intake pipe. but most likely it is the carb that needs a bath time

bertsmobile1 said:

Before I got the ultrasonic cleaner we used to boil carbs using a big pot & a dishwasher tablet
The ones with the ball in the middle seem to work better
A nice rolling boil works best
Give it an hour or so then boil some more water and take it out of the boiling soapy water then strait into the boiling rinse water
Give it a 5 minute rinse hen take out & blow dry.
Do not allow the carb to sit in the wash water unless it is boiling or it will oxadise.
Some like to do a pre-rinse in boiling water with some vinegar in it to neutralise the alkaline soap first.

Click to expand...

I like that idea and will give it a try. I will have to use some other detergent though, can not get dishwasher tablets here. Thanks for the reply sounds good. Have a great day.

Tinker Ty said:

As far as cleaning up carb, using Simple Green will do the trick. I've used it in a pinch. As far as filter, depends on what type of filter media the original is. Your best bet is OEM.

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Thanks.

slomo said:

Simple Green is weak. If you can get it use straight ammonia. Around here it's available all over and cheap.

Look for some dense foam for a filter. Pantyhose or anything to stop dirt.

slomo

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Thanks

Scrubcadet10 said:

Yep, most likely a blockage in the carb... could be an air leak due to a failed gasket or cracked intake pipe. but most likely it is the carb that needs a bath time

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Thanks for the reply. That's what I thought so I will give it a boil in a bath.

Thanks all for the good advice, now to work.

bertsmobile1 said:

Before I got the ultrasonic cleaner we used to boil carbs using a big pot & a dishwasher tablet
The ones with the ball in the middle seem to work better
A nice rolling boil works best
Give it an hour or so then boil some more water and take it out of the boiling soapy water then strait into the boiling rinse water
Give it a 5 minute rinse hen take out & blow dry.
Do not allow the carb to sit in the wash water unless it is boiling or it will oxadise.
Some like to do a pre-rinse in boiling water with some vinegar in it to neutralise the alkaline soap first.

Click to expand...

Wait, are you sure about the boiling. This is a plastic carb.

Sentinel said:

Wait, are you sure about the boiling. This is a plastic carb.

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How the hell do you expect me to know your carb was plastic ?
All you have told us is it was on a B & S engine .
Plastic carbs rarely clog up that bad where a simple clean will not suffice
They usually fully pull apart
SO if you want good help then start with the model number of the engine so we know what advice to give you
In fact you might like to fully describe the problem you are having and why you think the carb needs a soak >

bertsmobile1 said:

How the hell do you expect me to know your carb was plastic ?
All you have told us is it was on a B & S engine .
Plastic carbs rarely clog up that bad where a simple clean will not suffice
They usually fully pull apart
SO if you want good help then start with the model number of the engine so we know what advice to give you
In fact you might like to fully describe the problem you are having and why you think the carb needs a soak >

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Were you insulted by the word "wait'? If so, I apologize. I merely mentioned it was plastic, something I didn't know myself until I pulled it off. I figured it needed a soak because of the surging the motor did when it did run and the fact I had never had it apart before. This new composite material is all new to me. I'm used to the 1950s and 1960s stuff. As far as what is wrong with the motor, that is being handled in other posts in which I have put not only details but pictures too. All I wanted from this post was to know what to clean it with and how. You mentioned boiling yourself. Maybe I should combine these posts into one so as not to create a big problem.

There were around 200 post yesterday
They get looked at in chronological order of posting.
Sorry if did not recognise you had another thread running.
Generally I do not but in if some one posts a problem & a person who I know is competient has started a dialogue with them
We all do things slightly differently and it just confuses the original poster, a case of too many chefs in the kitchen

As for insulting me not a hope in hell of doing that.
But it does help whoever is trying to help if the make & model numbers are included in the first post at best, or a refference to the other post at worst.

bertsmobile1 said:

How the hell do you expect me to know your carb was plastic ?
All you have told us is it was on a B & S engine .
Plastic carbs rarely clog up that bad where a simple clean will not suffice
They usually fully pull apart
SO if you want good help then start with the model number of the engine so we know what advice to give you
In fact you might like to fully describe the problem you are having and why you think the carb needs a soak >

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Or if you don't know much about small engines and possibly live on a remote island, come here and ask away. Some of the nicer fellows will chime in. Engine numbers do help.

slomo

Scrubcadet10 said:

Yep, most likely a blockage in the carb... could be an air leak due to a failed gasket or cracked intake pipe. but most likely it is the carb that needs a bath time

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Thanks for the reply to my other post "rusty gas tank" too. After I dug into the carb and took it off I realized it was a plastic (composite) carb. The 450 Series model 90000 Briggs carb is all new to me. It is such a simple thing. It mounts atop of the gas tank a with few screws, has one gasket, no bowl/float, no idle, or airflow adjustment. So, do you know how this thing actually works? My mower did work fine until the carb springs fell off and got lost. But it sure beats me how it can work well w/o adjustments once in a while.

House hold Vinegar

Sentinel said:

Does anyone know any household substance that would do as a carb soak? I cannot get carb cleaner here on this tiny south pacific island I live on so I must improvise. Nor can I get an air filter. Anyway I can use something else as an air filter? Thanks.

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Oh, but maybe you can tell someone to send the carb cleaner to your island? I have problems with cleaning something, so in my house and garden was a total mess. But as everyone I want to live in a comfortable place, with an esthetic appearance, and clean rooms. I don't have time to take care about all of this, because I always work and sometimes I don't have the necessary time to eat. My sister told me to use procleaninglondon.co.uk. Now, my house and garden is totally different, they look very beautiful, everything smells way too good in my house and the most important - I feel nice in my house!

We built a house near the mountains last year, and it remained to arrange the garden. We wanted a special garden, with a place where we could plant some trees and flowers, with a place where we could install a fountain. All of the stuff we have bought from this website: https://housebouse.com/how-to-use-an-adjustable-wrench/, because they have a high quality and a lot of things to look for. After the renovation our garden looks seek, and all the neighbors were amazed. I recommend you to use this website, because you will find the best quality here, at the best prices.

Huh

Tinker Ty said:

As far as cleaning up carb, using Simple Green will do the trick. I've used it in a pinch. As far as filter, depends on what type of filter media the original is. Your best bet is OEM.

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Person is on a small island. Might not have shopping resources most mainland American's do.

slomo

kwgerloff said:

House hold Vinegar

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Maybe if you have 30 days to waste.

slomo

Straight from the Philippines web site.


slomo

wyniatau said:

My grandmother repaired her house and she reorganized her garden for her taste.

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Web bot

Sentinel said:

Ha Ha. Well, there's grass here too that needs cutting. I live on Camiguin Island near the big island of Mindanao. Not much here in the way of lawn and motor accessories so I have to McGyver most of the lawnmower stuff. Right now I'm waiting on carb springs from the States. My mower surges whenever it starts and keeps surging. I think that means I need to clean out the carb. I will experiment with the boiling idea that sounds likely to me to work. Thanks for the reply and have a great day.

Click to expand...

Did you boil? Did your carburetor warp

Sentinel said:

Ha Ha. Well, there's grass here too that needs cutting. I live on Camiguin Island near the big island of Mindanao. Not much here in the way of lawn and motor accessories so I have to McGyver most of the lawnmower stuff. Right now I'm waiting on carb springs from the States. My mower surges whenever it starts and keeps surging. I think that means I need to clean out the carb. I will experiment with the boiling idea that sounds likely to me to work. Thanks for the reply and have a great day.

Click to expand...

Did you boil? Did your carburetor warp

Sentinel said:

Wait, are you sure about the boiling. This is a plastic carb.

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I was thinking the same.....warpage

I was thinking the same, warping