KZR's Bikes of the Month for 2024

Carb cleaner/ brake cleaner are they inerchangable

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20 Aug 2022 16:12 #872565 by ckahleer
I have 5 spray cans of brake cleaner on the shelf, but have just run out of carb cleaner. (Both the Walmart Super Tec stuff). Is there any harm in using brake cleaner to clean carbs? Will it be less effective?

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81 CM200t
82 KZ305
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  • gd4now
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20 Aug 2022 16:33 #872570 by gd4now
IMO the brake cleaner is more likely to harm rubber parts like o-rings than carb cleaner will. But here are some quick links via the internet you may want to read.
pj1.com/blog/brake-cleaner-and-carburetor-cleaner/
www.sanvochemicals.com/break-cleaner-vs-...r-their-differences/
gearslap.com/carb-cleaner-vs-brake-cleaner/

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20 Aug 2022 17:52 #872572 by ayeckley
In my experience if the carbs are properly disassembled then brake cleaner will be more effective at removing varnish that carb cleaner doesn’t touch. I agree that it will degrade most soft goods (except maybe Viton). I don’t understand why the linked article suggests that brake cleaner will somehow introduce contamination.

1976 KZ900A4
1976 KZ900A4
1978 KZ1000A2
1983 ZX750 A1 aka GPz 750
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1973 CL350K4
1984 ZX1100 A2 aka GPz1100
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  • Scirocco
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20 Aug 2022 18:08 #872574 by Scirocco
Break cleaner didn´t harm any rubber parts, o-rings, caliper dust seal or boots and evaporates very quick!

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20 Aug 2022 19:04 #872578 by TexasKZ
Chlorinated brake cleaner will melt rubber while you watch. It is no longer available in California and other places. The non-chlorinated cleaners are not so aggressive on the soft parts. In my experience, good carb cleaner does a much better job on carburetors than brake cleaner does.

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21 Aug 2022 05:20 - 21 Aug 2022 05:24 #872589 by Nebr_Rex

Chlorinated brake cleaner will melt rubber while you watch. It is no longer available in California and other places. The non-chlorinated cleaners are not so aggressive on the soft parts. In my experience, good carb cleaner does a much better job on carburetors than brake cleaner does.   
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I agree, compaired to Berrymans B12 brake cleaners are weak sause.

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Last edit: 21 Aug 2022 05:24 by Nebr_Rex.

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21 Aug 2022 06:30 #872592 by ayeckley
Hmmm. I wonder if I’ve been using very bad carb cleaner, or very good brake cleaner.   I’ve got a gallon of very old Berrymans (from before the change in chemistry) and even that isn’t as good as the brake cleaner I’m using. I get mine from Menards (Ohio); there are Chlorinated and non-Chlorinated both available side by side on the shelf. It’s going to seem even odder, but I’ve found the non-chlorinated stuff to work better than the chlorinated. 

1976 KZ900A4
1976 KZ900A4
1978 KZ1000A2
1983 ZX750 A1 aka GPz 750
1983 ZX750 A1
1973 CL350K4
1984 ZX1100 A2 aka GPz1100
1969 CT90
2006 Burgman 400

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  • Kelly E
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21 Aug 2022 13:38 #872621 by Kelly E
Non-clorinated brake cleaner doesn't hurt the soft rubber and plastic parts. It doesn't hurt the rubber caliper piston and slider pin boots. I even use it to degrease parts just before I paint them. As soon as it evaporates they are ready to paint. I have painted several bikes worth of parts after using non-clorinated brake cleaner without any problems. I use it to blast old petrified grease out of the handlebar control switches. It also works great for cleaning out all of the connectors on the wiring harness. We buy it two cases at a time.

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1974 Honda CB 550 K0
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1977 Kawasaki KZ 1000 LTD
1980 Suzuki GS 1100E
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1984 Honda Interceptor 1000
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