Has anyone ever used an ultrasonic cleaner to clean a set of webers? I've got 6 40DCOEs that are pretty messy and they won't fit in my 1 gallon tank of carb cleaner. Besides, that stuff really stinks. The engine shop I'm using does this with everything they machine. Bob S.
Bob, So give them to your engine shop and have them clean them for you. Isn't that the easy solution? I would think they would know if there is a problem doing that with them. Obviously, you are planning on going through them completely, disassembling and cleaning before reinstalling them anyway, so cleaning them in a tank should not be a problem, as long as you won't lose any of the parts. Steve
i had a set of webers cleaned with ultrasound, it seemed to loosen up all the freeze plugs (casting plugs) as they leaked way more after that fiasco than before. i would try to find a parts dunker and do it the ol fashioned way.
I was going to say that the calibrated components shouldn't be cleaned with an ultrasound method, but you make a very good case for turning your back on the whole idea. Thanks for letting the rest of us know. As an aside, I would think that you could snug up the offending casting plugs with some judicious punch work. Pastorini's (sp?) books on Webers (originals are long since out of print) discuss how hammers and Webers make unlikely bedfellows...
Thorough job usually means drilling those out to clean all the passages anyway. The passages have so many right angle turns drilling out the plugs is the only way to clean them. Back when the rebuild kits were still good they included all new plugs. They also sold the tool to properly stake them back in. Since the plugs are no longer supplied I was using lead shot for years. Works quite well
I've stripped & cleaned Webers in my ultrasonic cleaner using simple green & warm water, works well. No smell or nasty chemicals, get the carbs very clean inside & out with little effort and no damage to the original finish. I have found it the best way to clean the internal passages on a carb without the hassle of removing & replacing the lead plugs. The ultrasonic is also great for cleaning tools ( spanners, sockets, etc ) and lots of other things Michael.
If your throttle shafts are worn a carb dunk or supercleaning can magnify the air leaks as it will remove all the varnish from them that helps increase the diameter in the bores, just FYI
If you mean jets when you refer to "calibrated parts" I have found an ultrasonic (not ultrasound) cleaner an ideal way to clean any small parts. Carb. jets, espresso machine filters etc. etc. That is their "purpose" in life. To clean small areas/openings that are not easy or possible to do by hand and without using any abrasive material. Erich
Heads up, Holmes... you really have to be careful with Simple Green. It is alkaline and will etch the metal. This applies to Aluminum and Mazak (Zamak) which is a Zinc alloy. BTW, the are some Weber carbs that used Mazak instead of Aluminum. Castol Super Clean is even worse on these alloys.
The throttle shafts on most, if not all the Webers Ferrari has ever used (DCOE, DCNF,etc.,) rotate on replacable ball bearings with metal air sealing washers. Cleaning them will have no effect. I believe you are refering to the crude carbs they used mostly on US cars, where the carb body was the bearing for the throttle shaft. I second knocking the plugs out and cleaning them the old fashioned way, and using some lead shot as RV has suggested. I would also use caution on the use of simple green on a carb. Old fashioned carb cleaner might be kind of smelly, but it works well and will not do any harm to the metal. Like a Dr. would say "first, do no harm".
Here, here. I used that junk on an engine once and it stripped all the plating on the nuts and bolts and left a hell of a mess. Throw it away if you have it.
Castrol Super Clean is great for ferrous metals like iron or steel. Just don't use on non-ferrous alloys like aluminum, magnesium, zinc, etc.
I would never use an ultrasonic cleaner on something like a carb. My wife (bless her heart) used one to clean up my TAG watch and it cleaned it out so well it filled with water and the face went black and never worked again. Sure watches are maybe a little more "precision" but a carb is not a dumb component and relies on seals and close tolerances to work. Just IMHO. Cheers Mark Taiwan/UK 1988 328 GTS
Ultrasonic cleaners are great for cleaning metal watchbands, eyeglasses, jewelry etc. Never a good idea to put a whole watch in there even if it's "water resistant." If the watchband is metal and grimy you remove it from the watch and put it in the cleaner (not the whole watch). Ruling out ultrasonic cleaning for carbs, I think, is a mistake. Your comparing apples to oranges. Carbs operate with liquid all over many of their internal bits, watches do not. Keep in mind that you can put any liquid in an ultrasonic cleaner. You want to make sure it's appropriate for the job your doing. If my ultrasonic cleaner were large enough for a whole carb I would certainly remove shaft bearings, fiber and plastic washers, paper/rubber gaskets and accel. fuel pump diaphrams before putting it into a container of liquid chemicals! Erich
Yes you're right of course - a watch is meant to be water proof where as a carb is designed to work with liquids running thru it. Cheers Mark Taiwan/UK
Most watches are only "water resistant" at best (not waterproof). The age of the rubber seals can be a factor too. Like everything else they deteriorate with time. In addition, if you used some type of special cleaning solution it may not have been compatible with the rubber of the seals. You really don't always need the expensive "special" cleaning solutions that they want you to buy. For most non-automotive things I use very warm water and about a half teaspoon of dishwashing liquid. Works fine. I've also used Formula 409, diesel fuel, WD-40, Coke!, Simple Green, Liquid Wrench, ammonia mixed with water etc. etc. All depends on what you're trying to do and what material you're going to put in the cleaner.
So I decided to go the chemical route as I already had 1 gallon but the weber won't fit in a 1 gallon can. I've got 6 to do so I decided to get a second gallon and noticed at the store that there's a new VOC formulation. It doesn't work like we all remember it did guys. It leaves a lot of stuff still on there and my opinion is it's a waste of time. You can still get the old stuff in a 5 gallon pail or a 1 quart replenishment size. I've already go over $60 of very stinky and now ineffective chemicals because I have mixed 3 cans, 2 old formula and one new formula that was not marked as the VOC compliant but definitely is. Arrrgh!!!!! I'm thinking the utrasonic may be worth a try as long as I remove the ball bearings which means more weber tools investment. Jay Leno has a big commercial style machine (and someone to do this horrible type of work) http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/jay_leno_garage/4212345.html
Bob, I have a 5 gal. parts washer tank in my garage and have some commercial solvent/cleaner called Agitene in it. Very effective stuff for auto parts. You just need to remove the rubber bits before using it. If you're interested in coming by and giving it a try, let me know. Regards, Steve
The Weber IDA 3Cs used on my Boxer as well as early 911s have no bearings on the shafts or bushings either, bad design, if they wear and get loose you put in oversize shafts or have a machine shop ream them oversize and install bronze bushings
Since I needed some parts anyway I just got off the phone with Pierce Manifolds in Gilroy. They use a combination of carb cleaner(rarely because it's nasty stuff), glass beading for cleaning up the exterior and an ultrasonic cleaner with a fluid from Prosonic in solution. They said they've not had any problems with the lead plugs.
I am looking for effective parts cleaning and found this - Rolling element bearings should not be subjected to ultrasonic cleaning in the assembled state. Ultrasonic cleaning of assembled bearings can damage raceways causing both reduced life and rough operation of the bearing. The vibration of the bearing components induced by the ultrasonic cleaning can cause small depressions or scratches on the rolling elements or the raceways. As the rolling elements pass over a damaged area, a small load spike will occur. In addition to the vibration associated with load spikes, the damage may propagate. For the same reasons, disassembled bearing components should not be cleaned ultrasonically in hard (e.g.: glass) containers. see - http://code541.gsfc.nasa.gov/documents/materials_tips_PDFs/TIP%20026R.pdf
One of this winter's projects is to overhaul and set the carbs on my 77. This is something, i will probably only do once in what is left of my lifetime. The car has 29k on the clock, so may be afflicted with more internal gunk than normal??? So, Is it worth it to buy a 5 gallon bucket of the stinky stuff, or farm out the cleaning, once disassembled?? I recall reading somewhere about repacking the grease in the throttle shaft bushings. What is the best grease to use??? Or is it best to just buy carls new bearings??? Are there any aftermarket gasket kits to use or avoid??? I've got the LM-1 for the final jetting set up and a pair of 4 tube manometers to do the sync. Are there any other helpfull/necessary tools to help me get it right?? Sorry to hijack/broaden the scope of this thread, chris
