cleaners

i've heard that some cleaners are hard on the orings and seals . they may make them swell? what are the 1's i should stay away from? if u were going to put something in the carb to keep the seals and gaskets fresh for storage what would u use? lite oil? WD40?:side:

I know that on the buna (sp?) and urethane o-rings used in paintball markers wd40 is a big no-no. It will swell them, and make them soft (much more likely to shread).

We always used what amounted to air tool oil (though marked for paintball gear, so people would pay $12 for an ounce.) Automatic tranny fluid was always considered good as well.


But this may all be irrelevant as those were different toys.

WD-40 is crap. Use it for cleaning filth or water off a metal piece, but never leave it on anything for any length of time. It oxidizes down to something like sticky varnish.

I think most guys store their carbs with the gas in them, but you MUST add the gas preservative specially made to keep it from oxidizing during storage in the fuel tank and run it through the carbs (I think one brand is "STA-BIL" ?). That would probably keep the rubber parts fresh with a minimum of degradation.

If the carbs are using Buna N (nitrile) or Urethane, those rubber pieces will disintegrate with modern fuel containing alcohol. Those parts should ideally be Viton only.

I don't know how the cleaners affect any of those, though. I try to avoid getting cleaner on the rubber parts.

Not sure what the question was here really. If you want to store a bike or store a set of carburetors, disconnect the fuel line and blow the carbs out with compressed air and dry them completely and store them dry. Don't put anything in/on them. You can wipe down the outsides with WD40 to keep them from oxidizing if you are somewhere where there is a lot of salt in the air.

Don't use any carb cleaner on any of the rubber bits. The formula on most carb cleaners; either spray or dip is rapidly changing and it is therefor tough to make a lot of statements... most are getting weaker and are less prone to harming the rubber than they used to a number of years ago but I would still keep away from carb cleaners on the rubber bits. I think the EPA is affecting the cleaner companies to lighten up on the harmful chemicals that made the products useful in the past. Berrymans is a good example. They now have two formulas. The one in the yellow/blue & red can is weak and you could probably drink it (joke). It also doesn't do any good on carburetor crud. The stuff in the white can with red/blue trim is the old formula that will dissolve all crud (and plastic and rubber) and it is hard to find now... only see it is spray cans.

I don't use much chemical carb cleaner as using in on a daily basis probably kills brain cells or worse. I now use an industrial ultrasonic machine which does a good job of cleaning using aqueous non-harmful cleaners... you can pour them down the drain. When cleaning carbs, it is helpful to buy an industrial machine as the frequency of the ultrasonic pulses are geared to cleaning carb bodies... most of the smaller home machines are made for cleaning small parts, like jewelry and not effective on bigger parts like carb bodies. A good machine, like the one I use has multiple frequencies being generated plus heats the water up real warm which makes cleaning a lot more effective.

i am more interested in long term storage of a set of carbs on the shelf.im thinking i should use the storage fluid u use when u fog an engine. it seems like some kind of oil.of just oil?
i want to clean my vm33's and sell them but if they dont sell they will be ready for a long cosy nap.

I can't comment on the fogging stuff you mention; I always use WD40 for this purpose... to keep aluminum from dulling and oxidizing and it works OK. I also wipe down my bright engine cases and fork legs from time to time after cleaning since I stripped all the clear off these parts and the WD40 works OK. There probably is stuff out there that is better and lasts longer. I wouldn't smear any grease or stuff like that because of the cleaning issues so maybe the fogging oil will work OK.

I seem to remember discussing a few yrs back with someone about using LPS3 to preserve parts because it's palm oil and would not harm plastics or rubber. Might be worth checking into.

Hardrock the air tool oil is a good idea. it must be ok for seals and beingoil it should prevent oxidation and keep the gaskets soft.
Thanks
KZE , what is LPS3 ?