newboater67
Contributing Member
I recently bought another boat, had problems with the carbs, and discovered they needed a good cleaning. I’ve read over and over again to use an ultrasonic cleaner. The carbs on my Yamaha F90 have a dozen or so openings and passageways so I finally decided to break down and buy one.
It’s been hard to find a lot details on using an Ultrasonic Cleaner in one place, so I’m posting this info for anyone who may find it useful. A number of people have helped me along my journey, so I’m hoping someone else can use this information. Use it at your own risk. It’s only one opinion and it’s also my first time using an ultrasonic cleaner to clean carburetors.
I decided on a Solid Tech 6L ultrasonic cleaner with 150 watts of cleaning power and 200 watts of heating power. It actually only holds about 5 quarts of solution and sells for $229 on eBay. My Yamaha F90 carbs have a primer starter assembly on carbs 1 and 3 and I wanted a basket big enough to be able to do at least one completely disassembled carburetor at a time.
I bought a small round fine mesh stainless steel sink strainer for $1 at Family Dollar. I hung it inside the larger basket with cable ties to hold the jets, drain screw, float valve seat and SS screws.
SharperTek makes a solution called 1220 Degreaser/Carburetor Cleaner for $45-65 per gallon and a Shellac Buster for $175 for 5 gallons, specifically for cleaning carburetors. I wanted a cheaper alternative and did a lot of internet surfing and found several sites and outboard motor forums that said a 50% solution of Simple Green and Distilled Water was a good mix for cleaning carburetors. I wasn’t really very happy with the results but this is the first time I’ve used an ultrasonic cleaner as well. I used Brakleen and CRC Carb Cleaner on my previous carb rebuild on a Honda 50 but those carbs don’t have half the openings my carbs for the Yamaha F90 have.
I degassed each of the test solutions I used by running them in the ultrasonic cleaner for 15 minutes before putting a carb in for an actual cleaning cycle.
CARB 1 – I tried a 25% Simple Green and 75% distilled water solution for 20 minutes and wasn’t really happy with the results. I went to a 50% solution of Simple Green and distilled water for two more 30 minute cycles. The 50% solution did a better job of cleaning, but it also turned the aluminum a darker mottled shade of gray. I thoroughly rinsed the parts in hot water. There was still a tint of black inside the carburetor throat that could be wiped off with your finger. I blew Brakleen through all the holes and dried them with compressed air. Several hours later I noticed there was a spotted soap like powder residue left from the Simple Green on all the parts. It was inside the carb, float bowl, primer assy, etc. The Simple Green solutions did not damage any rubber goods (o-rings, seals, jet caps, etc.).
Overall, I wasn’t very happy with the results I got using Simple Green, but it’s possible a 50% mix is too strong or I had them in the solution too long between the two batches of Simple Green solutions and 3 cleaning cycles. I did pull the basket out of the solution and rinsed everything off in hot water when waiting in between cleaning cycles so I didn’t damage the cleaner the first day. I have read that certain materials can be attacked if left in certain cleaning solutions too long, like aluminum in an ammonia based solution.
CARB 2 – I tried an 11% mix of LA’s Totally Awesome all-purpose concentrated cleaner, degreaser and spot remover. It’s more environment friendly, can be dumped in your septic system, and is available at Walmart and most of the Dollar stores. I bought 64 ounces for $3 at Family Dollar. It’s about $1.50 for a 32 oz spray bottle of concentrate at Walmart.
I used 14 ounces of LA’s Totally Awesome cleaner and 1 gallon of distilled water. 14 ounces was easier to measure than the 12.8 ounces I wanted for a 10% test solution. I ran Carb 2 through two 30 minute cleaning cycles with the solution heated to 120 degrees F. I didn’t run the heater any higher since the temperature builds up to 140-145 degrees during the cleaning cycle.
All parts came out bright and clean and I didn’t need to rinse them off. I dried all the parts with compressed air, blew Brakleen through all the holes and dried again with compressed air. All the stainless steel looked better than new. The aluminum carb stayed the original color, but looked much better. The Totally Awesome solution will damage rubber, like the rubber caps for the #42 jets in my Yamaha F90 carbs. It did not harm hard plastics like the spacers for the intake manifold or cable ties. It did turn the jets on Carb 2 different shades of color though. I checked them with a 20x loupe and there isn’t any apparent damage. It may not remove a shellac buildup. I had a little bit of shellac in the bottom of the bowl, but it wiped right out with a gauze pad and some Brakleen.
I ran Carb 1 back through the Totally Awesome solution for 30 minutes and it came out just like carb 2. I probably could have run it for a much shorter period of time but wanted to make sure there wasn’t any residue left in any of the places I can’t see. Oddly enough, the solution did NOT change the color of the jets for Carb 1.
CARB 3 – Looked good after one 30 minute cycle. The solution did NOT change the color of the jets for Carb 3. I ran it through one more cycle just for good measure.
CARB 4 – Looked good after one 30 minute cycle. The solution did NOT change the color of the jets for Carb 4. I ran it through one more cycle just for good measure.
I’m very happy with the results I had using the 11% mix of LA’s Totally Awesome cleaner/degreaser. I used the same solution to clean all 4 carbs, both primer start assemblies and a few miscellaneous items. I have no idea why the color changed on the jets in Carb 2. I would definitely use this solution again. My carbs were not dirty/greasy so I don’t know how well it does with grease or built up sludge.
I haven’t found anything that specifies an on time and off time for my ultrasonic cleaner. The user’s manual is a whopping 7 pages and only says not to run it continuously for more than 1 hour. I ran an initial 15 minute degas to get any air bubbles out of the solution, waited 20 minutes, ran a 30 minute cleaning cycle, waited 30 minutes and ran another 30 minute cleaning cycle. I waited a 1-2 hours in between carbs but don’t know if it’s necessary or if it’s not long enough. Just being a little cautious.
I definitely think it was worth the trouble. It did a really good job of cleaning the hard to get to places. I hope this helps someone who wants to make the leap. Feel free to email me at [email protected] if you have any questions I might be able to help you with.
Bob Murry
Cape Coral, FL
It’s been hard to find a lot details on using an Ultrasonic Cleaner in one place, so I’m posting this info for anyone who may find it useful. A number of people have helped me along my journey, so I’m hoping someone else can use this information. Use it at your own risk. It’s only one opinion and it’s also my first time using an ultrasonic cleaner to clean carburetors.
I decided on a Solid Tech 6L ultrasonic cleaner with 150 watts of cleaning power and 200 watts of heating power. It actually only holds about 5 quarts of solution and sells for $229 on eBay. My Yamaha F90 carbs have a primer starter assembly on carbs 1 and 3 and I wanted a basket big enough to be able to do at least one completely disassembled carburetor at a time.
I bought a small round fine mesh stainless steel sink strainer for $1 at Family Dollar. I hung it inside the larger basket with cable ties to hold the jets, drain screw, float valve seat and SS screws.
SharperTek makes a solution called 1220 Degreaser/Carburetor Cleaner for $45-65 per gallon and a Shellac Buster for $175 for 5 gallons, specifically for cleaning carburetors. I wanted a cheaper alternative and did a lot of internet surfing and found several sites and outboard motor forums that said a 50% solution of Simple Green and Distilled Water was a good mix for cleaning carburetors. I wasn’t really very happy with the results but this is the first time I’ve used an ultrasonic cleaner as well. I used Brakleen and CRC Carb Cleaner on my previous carb rebuild on a Honda 50 but those carbs don’t have half the openings my carbs for the Yamaha F90 have.
I degassed each of the test solutions I used by running them in the ultrasonic cleaner for 15 minutes before putting a carb in for an actual cleaning cycle.
CARB 1 – I tried a 25% Simple Green and 75% distilled water solution for 20 minutes and wasn’t really happy with the results. I went to a 50% solution of Simple Green and distilled water for two more 30 minute cycles. The 50% solution did a better job of cleaning, but it also turned the aluminum a darker mottled shade of gray. I thoroughly rinsed the parts in hot water. There was still a tint of black inside the carburetor throat that could be wiped off with your finger. I blew Brakleen through all the holes and dried them with compressed air. Several hours later I noticed there was a spotted soap like powder residue left from the Simple Green on all the parts. It was inside the carb, float bowl, primer assy, etc. The Simple Green solutions did not damage any rubber goods (o-rings, seals, jet caps, etc.).
Overall, I wasn’t very happy with the results I got using Simple Green, but it’s possible a 50% mix is too strong or I had them in the solution too long between the two batches of Simple Green solutions and 3 cleaning cycles. I did pull the basket out of the solution and rinsed everything off in hot water when waiting in between cleaning cycles so I didn’t damage the cleaner the first day. I have read that certain materials can be attacked if left in certain cleaning solutions too long, like aluminum in an ammonia based solution.
CARB 2 – I tried an 11% mix of LA’s Totally Awesome all-purpose concentrated cleaner, degreaser and spot remover. It’s more environment friendly, can be dumped in your septic system, and is available at Walmart and most of the Dollar stores. I bought 64 ounces for $3 at Family Dollar. It’s about $1.50 for a 32 oz spray bottle of concentrate at Walmart.
I used 14 ounces of LA’s Totally Awesome cleaner and 1 gallon of distilled water. 14 ounces was easier to measure than the 12.8 ounces I wanted for a 10% test solution. I ran Carb 2 through two 30 minute cleaning cycles with the solution heated to 120 degrees F. I didn’t run the heater any higher since the temperature builds up to 140-145 degrees during the cleaning cycle.
All parts came out bright and clean and I didn’t need to rinse them off. I dried all the parts with compressed air, blew Brakleen through all the holes and dried again with compressed air. All the stainless steel looked better than new. The aluminum carb stayed the original color, but looked much better. The Totally Awesome solution will damage rubber, like the rubber caps for the #42 jets in my Yamaha F90 carbs. It did not harm hard plastics like the spacers for the intake manifold or cable ties. It did turn the jets on Carb 2 different shades of color though. I checked them with a 20x loupe and there isn’t any apparent damage. It may not remove a shellac buildup. I had a little bit of shellac in the bottom of the bowl, but it wiped right out with a gauze pad and some Brakleen.
I ran Carb 1 back through the Totally Awesome solution for 30 minutes and it came out just like carb 2. I probably could have run it for a much shorter period of time but wanted to make sure there wasn’t any residue left in any of the places I can’t see. Oddly enough, the solution did NOT change the color of the jets for Carb 1.
CARB 3 – Looked good after one 30 minute cycle. The solution did NOT change the color of the jets for Carb 3. I ran it through one more cycle just for good measure.
CARB 4 – Looked good after one 30 minute cycle. The solution did NOT change the color of the jets for Carb 4. I ran it through one more cycle just for good measure.
I’m very happy with the results I had using the 11% mix of LA’s Totally Awesome cleaner/degreaser. I used the same solution to clean all 4 carbs, both primer start assemblies and a few miscellaneous items. I have no idea why the color changed on the jets in Carb 2. I would definitely use this solution again. My carbs were not dirty/greasy so I don’t know how well it does with grease or built up sludge.
I haven’t found anything that specifies an on time and off time for my ultrasonic cleaner. The user’s manual is a whopping 7 pages and only says not to run it continuously for more than 1 hour. I ran an initial 15 minute degas to get any air bubbles out of the solution, waited 20 minutes, ran a 30 minute cleaning cycle, waited 30 minutes and ran another 30 minute cleaning cycle. I waited a 1-2 hours in between carbs but don’t know if it’s necessary or if it’s not long enough. Just being a little cautious.
I definitely think it was worth the trouble. It did a really good job of cleaning the hard to get to places. I hope this helps someone who wants to make the leap. Feel free to email me at [email protected] if you have any questions I might be able to help you with.
Bob Murry
Cape Coral, FL
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