Below are the tools I use to clean a really nasty carburetor like the one shown above . When I'm done and the mower/motorcycle/ATV runs again, I expect at minimum of one of these and on some machines it's two.... I love ethanol fuel
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Seafoam vs Chemtool B12
You can get a pretty good debate going on here with this subject, almost as good as "What motor oil is the best?" There really shouldn't be any real cause for debate, because it all depends on what you're trying to accomplish by adding theses products to your fuel system.....
Seafoam ---- Good stuff, works fine for most LIGHT DUTY carb/fuel system cleaning..... Main ingredients are petroleum Naphtha (Lighter Fluid) and highly refined oils.
Chemtool B12 ---- For HEAVY DUTY carb/fuel system cleaning for really gummed up carbs.... Much harsher chemicals than Seafoam. Main ingredients are acetone, methanol, and toluene.
If you're trying to clean a heavily gummed up carb without pulling the carb completely off the engine, B12 is your best choice. If you want a little "Spring Cleaning", or maintenance cleaning on a carb that has sat with 10% ethanol in it over the Winter, Seafoam works fine.
I buy just Chemtool B12 because it's about 25% cheaper for the same size can and it works for both situations, I just pay close attention to the mix ratio I'm using. B12 can be a little harsh on plastic floats and rubber-tipped float needles if you concentrate the mix to much, or soak those particular parts directly in it for to long. Chemtool B12 is not a good idea in diesel engines, but Seafoam will work with no problem in a diesel and you can actually get your $$$'s worth out of that over priced lighter fluid/refined oil mixture in their nifty white can
OK..... I've lit the fuse, let the debate begin, but you have to read the link below that backs up what I'm saying before you drag what your Grandpa told you to use into your post
Seafoam vs Chemtool B12
Seafoam ---- Good stuff, works fine for most LIGHT DUTY carb/fuel system cleaning..... Main ingredients are petroleum Naphtha (Lighter Fluid) and highly refined oils.
Chemtool B12 ---- For HEAVY DUTY carb/fuel system cleaning for really gummed up carbs.... Much harsher chemicals than Seafoam. Main ingredients are acetone, methanol, and toluene.
If you're trying to clean a heavily gummed up carb without pulling the carb completely off the engine, B12 is your best choice. If you want a little "Spring Cleaning", or maintenance cleaning on a carb that has sat with 10% ethanol in it over the Winter, Seafoam works fine.
I buy just Chemtool B12 because it's about 25% cheaper for the same size can and it works for both situations, I just pay close attention to the mix ratio I'm using. B12 can be a little harsh on plastic floats and rubber-tipped float needles if you concentrate the mix to much, or soak those particular parts directly in it for to long. Chemtool B12 is not a good idea in diesel engines, but Seafoam will work with no problem in a diesel and you can actually get your $$$'s worth out of that over priced lighter fluid/refined oil mixture in their nifty white can
OK..... I've lit the fuse, let the debate begin, but you have to read the link below that backs up what I'm saying before you drag what your Grandpa told you to use into your post
Seafoam vs Chemtool B12
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$100-$200 is on a fairly simple removal/install on a lawn mower. ATV's and motorcycles are a whole different price range. Used to do a whole lot of GL1000 and GL1100 Goldwings with the 4-carb "rack". Cheap Chinese after market carb kit is now $100 and it's about 5 hours labor including the synchronization/tuning after the install. Most Honda shops won't even touch them now days because there is nobody in their shop that even knows how to rebuild them, much less synchronize them. Last one I did was 3 years ago, I charged the guy $600 because he was a friend and the bike was in immaculate shape for a '77. His local Honda Shop was going to "send the carbs out to a rebuilder", quoted him $1,200 with no warranty, and it was 4-6 weeks to get the bike back. Brought it to me on a trailer at 8:00AM, rode it home at about 2:00PM, and I really enjoyed the 1 hour "test ride" I took on his vintage Wing....
GL1000 Carb Kit
I can agree with you Bob but more importantly is the question as to what is causing the need to go into these types of carbs. IMO it certainly is related to the use of ethanol fuels coupled with lack of use or the fuels remaining in the tanks and float bowls long past the degradation of the fuel itself. Mild gumming of the carb sure can be cured by using additives on a regular basis but not much can be done if the gumming remains too long other than a complete rebuild and cleaning. I have owned and maintained lots of Yamaha TW200 motorcycles that suffered from the use of E fuel and the fuel sitting too long. The TW200 was first designed around 1986 and has not changed much since. As long as I treated them with fresh fuel and dosed the new gas with Seafoam as soon as I felt any performance issues all was fine. Up here in the frozen north country those dirt bikes get stored for 6-8 months during each winter which was the problem. Proper storage was the key for us. Some of us drained the tanks and carbs while others took different steps.
What worked best IMO was to fill the tank with fresh Non E fuel and a double dose of Seafoam followed by draining the carb and fogging it before putting it up for each winter. Our lawn equipment and boat motors here suffer from the same issues of long term winter storage and fuel degradation. We can discuss the use of ethanol in our gas until the cows come home and then move on to the other, "What oil is best" discussion.
What worked best IMO was to fill the tank with fresh Non E fuel and a double dose of Seafoam followed by draining the carb and fogging it before putting it up for each winter. Our lawn equipment and boat motors here suffer from the same issues of long term winter storage and fuel degradation. We can discuss the use of ethanol in our gas until the cows come home and then move on to the other, "What oil is best" discussion.
Old school, Delo 400 15w40.... "Frank's Hot Sauce" of oil, you can put that $hit in about anythingI can agree with you Bob but more importantly is the question as to what is causing the need to go into these types of carbs. IMO it certainly is related to the use of ethanol fuels coupled with lack of use or the fuels remaining in the tanks and float bowls long past the degradation of the fuel itself. Mild gumming of the carb sure can be cured by using additives on a regular basis but not much can be done if the gumming remains too long other than a complete rebuild and cleaning. I have owned and maintained lots of Yamaha TW200 motorcycles that suffered from the use of E fuel and the fuel sitting too long. The TW200 was first designed around 1986 and has not changed much since. As long as I treated them with fresh fuel and dosed the new gas with Seafoam as soon as I felt any performance issues all was fine. Up here in the frozen north country those dirt bikes get stored for 6-8 months during each winter which was the problem. Proper storage was the key for us. Some of us drained the tanks and carbs while others took different steps.
What worked best IMO was to fill the tank with fresh Non E fuel and a double dose of Seafoam followed by draining the carb and fogging it before putting it up for each winter. Our lawn equipment and boat motors here suffer from the same issues of long term winter storage and fuel degradation. We can discuss the use of ethanol in our gas until the cows come home and then move on to the other, "What oil is best" discussion.
The old 50 sits in the shop year round. It only gets used to push a little snow in the winter and maybe move a bucket of gravel around in the summer, or do a little mowing with a 6' bush hog. I'd say way less than 20 hours a year. I never drain the carb or the tank. But thanks for assuming I don't have a clue, and bringing me up to speed.
"Show me an additive that can make water in your tank simply disappear and I will be all in on it"
There are two types of additives to control water in fuel.... Emulsifying and de-emulsifying. An emulsifier will make water combine with the fuel and get it to pass through a 10 micron fuel filter. A de-emulsifier does the opposite - it binds with any water that happens to be floating around from the fueling process (it drops to the bottom of the tank eventually) and makes it drop down instantly to the bottom of the fuel tank below the pickup tube. You can order HD diesel trucks with a "water trap" in the fuel tank and a drain plug to drain the water off. Of course you wouldn't want to use a de-emulsifier additive in a gravity fed lawn mower tank, but you can run a de-emulsifier additive in a motorcycle tank as long as you don't switch to "Reserve"
I was responding to reo4675 about what he runs in his GL 1500. A lot of old school, carburated Goldwing guys, run 15W40 diesel oil....
I find it kind of intriguing that you're touting an oil that "I don't have the content specs on it". So you're saying it's a Super Oil, but you don't actually know what's in it? It runs $11 a QUART and Delo 400 15W40 sells for $17 a GALLON at Wally World... Doesn't that make you curious as to what's the "magic juice" in it?
This has turned into a lot of fun...... Seafoam v.s B12, "Ethanol Fuel Sucks", and an "Oil debate" all in one thread...... I love this Forum, you can light a fuse, and just sit back and enjoy the pretty colors when it goes off
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