Topic: Carb clean with what?

[TwoTired]

I have his pressure washer with a Brigs & Stratton engine.  I let it sit too long with modern gas in it.  Yeah plugged up carb.  So, I cleaned the carb and now it will only run on choke with reduced power.  Pretty clear the pilot circuit is plugged.  But, I've been unsuccessful at getting it clean.  There is a big metal pressed in plug blocking access to the pilot circuit passages.  I thought about carb dip.  But, there is a silicone float valve seat in the body, that is unlikely to survive that.

So, looking for ideas, short of replacing the carburetor, to get that pilot circuit clear again, without damaging the plastic and silicone parts of the carb.  I have access to real gas, if I can accomplish this government induced repair.

Cheers,

[scottly]

The issue is more likely a plugged main jet. Does your carb have an aluminum cup for the float bowl, held on with a central brass "nut"? If so, the "main jet" is a tiny hole in the side of the brass nut. BTW, be aware that running the engine without the water supply connected can damage the pump.

[dave500]

maybe persist with a guitar string and carb spray cleaner and compressed air over and again?surely a simple blockage should purge any crud out,its not like an old barn find crusty rusty old thing?

[Don R]

 Mine was exactly what Scottly said. I re-negotiated the purchase price after I had to clean the carb to get it running.

[ekpent]

Sometimes on chainsaws etc. that I have worked on there is a fuel filter/screen sitting under that plug you may be describing. Is the plug flat or slightly domed or concave ? Little carb rebuild kits comes with new plug, screen etc..

[BenelliSEI]

Recently repaired my neighbour’s generator with the same problem. He cleaned the carb until it gleamed, but no luck. 20 minutes in my tiny (cheap) ultra sonic cleaner, blew it out with air, and it runs like new. Best “tool” I ever bought.

[grcamna2]

Will that carb plug allow itself to be removed ?

[jgger]

If it is the Briggs with the tank below the carb, they don't like to run without the air cleaner screw in place. They will run without the air cleaner in place but must have the screw in there.

How old is the unit. I have an old repair manual for Briggs, they are alot like Harleys and still stuck in 1940's technology. If I can find the book I'll look it over for clues. I have had some luck by reving the snot out of it then covering the carb intake to choke off the air, this can sometimes suck the obstruction through the jets/ports. But you did say it won't rev very good.

Good luck with it TT.

[jlh3rd]

compressed air, siphon tube blow gun, cans of seafoam or Berrymans B12 chemtool ?.....

[tourmax]

Might want to consider investing in an ultrasonic cleaner. I bought one years ago and I never stop finding uses for it. Getting the tiniest passages crystal clean in carbs is only one of them.

Brushes, wires sprays etc are never going to clean as well as an ultrasonic cleaner. Even DIP won't do as good a job. An ultrasonic works where others won't because it  uses cavitation as the cleaning method. Anywhere water can get, the ultrasonic cleaner cleans it. IT works better than dip because if you get an air pocket while in the DIP, it doesn't clean. Same can happen in an US, except the solution is just water so you can reach in and rotate the part to "burp" air pockets. you can do that with DIP, but it's a nasty, toxic process to mess with the thing once it's in the DIP.

Also, an ultrasonic won't harm rubber or plastic parts *although I remove as much as possible, just in case). DIP will dissolve them into nothingness.

Spray can stuff won't even touch fuel that's turned to varnish. For that you need DIP or an Ultrasonic.

i got lucky and bought a lab grade 5 gallon unit for cheap at a close out auction but you can pick up a smaller one pretty affordably. You'd have to do one carb at a time with a multi-carb setup with the smaller units, but it's still doable and give you the best possible cleaning results.

[BenelliSEI]

Might want to consider investing in an ultrasonic cleaner. I bought one years ago and I never stop finding uses for it. Getting the tiniest passages crystal clean in carbs is only one of them.

Brushes, wires sprays etc are never going to clean as well as an ultrasonic cleaner. Even DIP won't do as good a job. An ultrasonic works where others won't because it  uses cavitation as the cleaning method. Anywhere water can get, the ultrasonic cleaner cleans it. IT works better than dip because if you get an air pocket while in the DIP, it doesn't clean. Same can happen in an US, except the solution is just water so you can reach in and rotate the part to "burp" air pockets. you can do that with DIP, but it's a nasty, toxic process to mess with the thing once it's in the DIP.

Also, an ultrasonic won't harm rubber or plastic parts *although I remove as much as possible, just in case). DIP will dissolve them into nothingness.

Spray can stuff won't even touch fuel that's turned to varnish. For that you need DIP or an Ultrasonic.

i got lucky and bought a lab grade 5 gallon unit for cheap at a close out auction but you can pick up a smaller one pretty affordably. You'd have to do one carb at a time with a multi-carb setup with the smaller units, but it's still doable and give you the best possible cleaning results.

#1 to this. Mine is small, one carb at a time, but it WORKS every time.

[ofreen]

I'll add my 2 cents worth about the ultrasonic cleaner.  I bought the small one from HF a few years ago.  It does the job no matter how corked up a jet is, even pilot jets.

[ekpent]

I've got one on the bench also.

[TwoTired]

Thanks for all the comments guys. 

I don't have a sonic cleaner.  Sounds like a good idea, though.  There are a quite few out there to buy.  Is multiple frequency a good thing to have?

I'm going to see what new replacement carb costs.  That might be the cheapest route.

I've been repairing and resurrecting small engines since the 50's.  This is the first carb that has resisted cleaning.  Dissapointed with Briggs and Stratton and the cheap parts changeover to non-repairable carbs.  Along with the gov that poisons the fuel supply.

So far it seems the cost of a decent sonic cleaner is more than a replacement pressure washer!  I might get an electric one, I think.  That way I only have to maintain my generator to power it away from electrical house power.

Thanks again!

[BenelliSEI]

Thanks for all the comments guys. 

I don't have a sonic cleaner.  Sounds like a good idea, though.  There are a quite few out there to buy.  Is multiple frequency a good thing to have?

I'm going to see what new replacement carb costs.  That might be the cheapest route.

I've been repairing and resurrecting small engines since the 50's.  This is the first carb that has resisted cleaning.  Dissapointed with Briggs and Stratton and the cheap parts changeover to non-repairable carbs.  Along with the gov that poisons the fuel supply.

So far it seems the cost of a decent sonic cleaner is more than a replacement pressure washer!  I might get an electric one, I think.  That way I only have to maintain my generator to power it away from electrical house power.

Thanks again!

Look around. I got mine locally (new) on KIJIJI. It’s only about 10 X 8 X 6” deep and cost about $120. I do one carb at a time. Not sure why you vary the frequency, I play with it until the part inside is vibrating and rattling the most! They make a noise like being in the dentist chair, so I usually silence it with a big towel, when running!

[TwoTired]

Update:
So, I took off the carb again, and Scottly was right, the main was still plugged.  Although the side holes were clear, the hole in the top center was not.  It felt solid with the dental probe.  But, a bit of carb cleaner soaking (again) got it soft enough to poke through.  Put it back together with water and hose connections and the motor runs okay now when warmed up.

It’s been sitting for about 5 years.  And it won’t make pressure anymore.  I guess the pump is bad now. As it won’t sustain pressure after the handle is squeezed.  Funny I get the same pressure and flow as from the water hose going into it after the handle is squeezed. Ha!  Don’t know if the pump is reparable.  Take it apart tomorrow.  Maybe critters crawled inside and is blocking a valve…or something.  Maybe I ran it dry years ago fiddling with the motor.  We will see.

Cheers!

[grcamna2]

Lol    I think it's difficult to gain success with that machine.

[TwoTired]

Lol    I think it's difficult to gain success with that machine.

How'd you know?  The machine was a rescue, had no compression, wouldn't run.  Since I like fixing things, I gave him $20 for it, like 10-15 years ago.  It had spark and gas going in.  So, I removed the head on the motor to see what was up.  The exhaust valve seat had popped out of the aluminum alloy block, and wouldn't allow the valve to seal.  Not feeling too lucky, I squared up the valve on the seat and tapped both valve and seat back into the block.  Started up and ran fine.  I used it for several years including pressure washing the entire house prior to painting, expecting the valve seat to pop out again.  But, I guess I never got it hot enough for that to happen again.  Then I fed it crappy gas and let it sit too long, and with the move to AZ it became derelict.

As it is with most machines, neglect makes them forget how to perform.  They can usually be retrained.  Not very hopeful the pump is repairable.  But, taking things apart has been a lifelong activity.  And, I now have a vertical shaft 6HP motor that needs a new purpose in life.  Maybe something on Craigslist will pop up?  What's one more project when the stack is over a hundred or two?

Cheers,

[tourmax]

most likely a seal or spring gone bad. Here's a generic diagram of how a pressure washer pump works:



Other than that, it might be a bypassing pump piston, but that's unlikely unless it started to corrode internally in the piston bores.

[TwoTired]

Thanks for that diagram Tourmax.

Before taking the pump apart (not my usual mode of process), I decided to scrutinize the output hose and wand.  The first clue was there were what appeared to be yellow orange carpet fibers stuck in the end of it.  But, extracting those bits didn't make it work any better.  Next clue was there was still pressure in the wand when I unscrewed it and pump was off.  Yes, I got wet and had to clean spray off my glasses.  After I figured out how to dismantle it, I found another internal jet in the nozzle that was clogged.  Cleared that with a paper clip (must use correct tool for the job ;-) ).

Fired it up, and the pressure washer works again as I remember it.  Sometimes you just have to keep at it to fix things.  So now the washer is worth $20 in 1995 -ish currency plus two to four days of work...(so far).  Which in retirement terms is a cheap recreational activity.  And I've learned to block the ends of the unattached hose in storage and flush the pump before attachment.  Now, if I can just remember to do that when shinier things present as distractions.

I like fixin' things.  Now to find something to wash.

Cheers,

[grcamna2]

Thanks for that diagram Tourmax.

Before taking the pump apart (not my usual mode of process), I decided to scrutinize the output hose and wand.  The first clue was there were what appeared to be yellow orange carpet fibers stuck in the end of it.  But, extracting those bits didn't make it work any better.  Next clue was there was still pressure in the wand when I unscrewed it and pump was off.  Yes, I got wet and had to clean spray off my glasses.  After I figured out how to dismantle it, I found another internal jet in the nozzle that was clogged.  Cleared that with a paper clip (must use correct tool for the job ;-) ).

Fired it up, and the pressure washer works again as I remember it.  Sometimes you just have to keep at it to fix things.  So now the washer is worth $20 in 1995 -ish currency plus two to four days of work...(so far).  Which in retirement terms is a cheap recreational activity.  And I've learned to block the ends of the unattached hose in storage and flush the pump before attachment.  Now, if I can just remember to do that when shinier things present as distractions.

I like fixin' things.  Now to find something to wash.

Cheers,

Success 

[BenelliSEI]

Well done! Nothing better than turning scrap into gold!