Topic: Ultasonic Cleaning Machine

[Rocky2010]

Would like to know if any of the people on this forum have their own Ultrasonic Cleaning Machine and what type of cleaning solution they might be using.
I have been using mine to clean the carbs on my CB500/4 & CB350/4 it makes life so easy and it really does clean them up well.
Just been trying some different scenario's with the water, cleaning products also the temperature of the water.

[NobleHops]

What kind do you have Rocky? I have been considering one too.

[MoMo]

Been thinking of getting one too, almost every bike in for repair lately has clogged carbs and it is getting old cleaning by hand...Larry

[Muckinfuss]

gave mine to the wife for her jewelry.  too slow, too weak, too much of a pain.  A gallon can of carb cleaner with a basket is faster, better, cheaper for me.

[MoMo]

gave mine to the wife for her jewelry.  too slow, too weak, too much of a pain.  A gallon can of carb cleaner with a basket is faster, better, cheaper for me.

Doesn't the carb cleaner eat the rubber and/or plastic?  What brand did you have?  Larry

[PeWe]

I have looked for one too. 15L or 22L so the carb rack with 4 carbs can be cleaned without taking everything apart

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Digital-Control-Ultrasonic-Cleaner-15l-15-L-Liter-Stainless-Steel-Dental-Medical/131551838456?_trksid=p2047675.c100011.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140107083358%26meid%3Dab71f7bc857a48da848507a42b8016d5%26pid%3D100011%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D10%26sd%3D181763397265

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Digital-Stainless-Steel-Ultrasonic-Ultra-Cleaner-Bath-Tank-Timer-Heater-/252015247778?var=&hash=item8042d4c51f

[Rocky2010]

The machine PeWe has listed on his post is the one I purchased.
It will fit a set of cb350/4 carb in the basket without taking them apart if that is the way you want to go about it.
Firstly I degrease the parts so that the machine doesn't have to do too much work and it makes the water last longer between changes.

I have taken the carbs apart, put hot water in the tank which is about a 1 and a half buckets of hot water then I put the heater on so that the water temp is around 70. Also been putting a mix of cleaning solvent in then de-gass the water for a minute without anything in the water.
After that I put the carb bodies in for about 5 minutes and they come out very clean, rinse them off in cold water then blow them dry with compressed air.
So far the machine has been a great help, I still have to do the carbs on the CB750 also the CB500.
Unit cost a few bucks but it has saved me so much time already.

[oldhatt45]

I picked up a Harbor Freight small Ultrasonic (around $70.00) and have done a bunch of stuff in it. 
I did all 4 carbs, 1 at a time.  No big deal because I didn't touch the slide adjuster nut.

What I do is to put warm water in the ultrasonic, then put the parts in heavy duty zip-loc bags or a plastic zip-loc container and fill the zip-loc with a 50/50 mix of water and Simple Green HD (purple stuff).  Run the parts through a few cycles using the heat function.

So far they have come out very reasonably clean and I haven't used a lot of the Simple Green.

Charlie

[chewbacca5000]

I got a 7 Gallon one large enough to put a cylinder head in.

[seanbarney41]

gave mine to the wife for her jewelry.  too slow, too weak, too much of a pain.  A gallon can of carb cleaner with a basket is faster, better, cheaper for me.

Doesn't the carb cleaner eat the rubber and/or plastic?  What brand did you have?  Larry

Larry, I use Gunk brand carb bucket....It gets stuff really clean, easily clears the most stubborn pilot jet clogs, does not harm external finish, and I have found it safe with rubber parts soaked for up to a half hour, maybe longer but have not found the need to soak anything for longer

[FrankenFrankenstuff]

Hey there. I've got an ultrasonic cleaner. I typically use it with Wax and Grease remover for small complex items and for carbs I dilute simple green in warm water. One of those amazing things to watch. Works great with warm water and even dish soap.

[MoMo]

gave mine to the wife for her jewelry.  too slow, too weak, too much of a pain.  A gallon can of carb cleaner with a basket is faster, better, cheaper for me.

Doesn't the carb cleaner eat the rubber and/or plastic?  What brand did you have?  Larry

Larry, I use Gunk brand carb bucket....It gets stuff really clean, easily clears the most stubborn pilot jet clogs, does not harm external finish, and I have found it safe with rubber parts soaked for up to a half hour, maybe longer but have not found the need to soak anything for longer

Thank you,  give it a try....Larry

[RAFster122s]

I have the larger Harbor Freight ultrasonic cleaner and have used it after breaking down the parts. The drawback is that the heater is supposed to be on for no more than 15 minutes and each cycle can run for 480 seconds at a time.  So, you have to babysit it while using it to restart the ultrasonic cycle. The heat stays on once started. It won't heat constantly for no more than 45 minutes.

I use the Simple Green HD solution which is purple (I have only found it at Home Depot) and don't go more than 50% cleaner to water. The heat really helps and should be used.

It is amazing how much dirt comes out of the carbs even after spraying then with carb cleaner beforehand. I pull the carbs completely apart and clean the brass separately and use a short dip in CLR cleaner to cut through any calcium types of deposits.

I rinse the carbs thoroughly with water immediately after pulling them out of the ultrasonic cleaner.

The ultrasonic transducer is not huge so you have to move the parts around in the tank to concentrate the cleaning effect.  Placing a sheet of aluminum foil in the water and when you pull it out after about 5 minutes it will be torn where the ultrasonic is strongest.

Despite the drawbacks it was worth it since I cannot afford the cost of a proper industrial ultrasonic cleaner.

David

[PeWe]

I read somewhere that it is possible to fill the cleaner with other stuff so less liquid can be used when small parts need to be cleaned.
An alternative is 2 cleaners: 15L or 22L (4 or 6 gallon) AND a small 2L (0.55 gallon)

[EROCK]

I have the HF one for smaller parts and a 30 liter for full banks of carbs...

I read from a reliable source on the CB1100F forum the Simply Green has a very high PH that for longer cleaning cycles is harmful to aluminum castings....
I can attest to this by leaving carb bodies in a 50/50 Simply Green and H2o to long and it basically ate away at the metal........

I now use LA's Awesome cleaner (Found at your local Dollar store...and is excellent for grease cleaning) and distilled water (50/50 mix)...Works perfect.....Give it a try.


Eric

[Johnny340]

I got the Harbor Freight one and swear by it!  I used Power Clean diluted with water and the heat on.  Previous to this purchase I tried to make one out of a 5 gal jug of solvent and a sander, plus tried copious cans of carb cleaner and compressed air all of which which proved a waste of time. 

An Ultasonic Cleaning Machine is a 'must have' in my opinion!

[RAFster122s]

The Simple Green green solution is not recommended for aluminum. The purple Simple Green HD is safe for aluminum if it is not left in the bath and rinsed appropriately.  The formula is different and is more bio friendly than the original.

[NobleHops]

Great info piling up here.

Who can tell me the pros and cons of using distilled water? How important is it in the scheme of things?

N.

[EROCK]

Nils,

So my guess is the distilled water is free of calcium and other products that simply aren't good for the mini passageways of a carb body...

E

[RAFster122s]

Erock is correct,  when trying to remove deposits I want to not add other things into the mix so I use steam distilled water.