I need to dunk and rebuild carbs.

I have been looking for Berryman's at Pep Boys, Kragen (O'Rielly) and a few local shops. No one carries it.

Anyone have a place I can get this stuff in LA?

TIA

Last time I saw it was at a Napa car and truck parts store. Probably outlawed in CA now anyways.

If it works, it causes cancer in California. I haven't lived there in 10 years but I used to see it everywhere. I know Scherba's, Napa and Grand Auto had it. But that was back when you could buy paint that wasn't water based.

Ok, so how does one dunk their carbs then? What else can I use?

Just use the spray cleaner to get the snot off, then soda blast them. Looks killer when done, and you can make a home made soda blaster for next to nothing.

Do not use berrymans! It does not work and gums up all the bits. Use spray one carb cleaner and compressed air. Stay away from berrymans.

Zach

I am not sure that I am getting the carbs clean enough without dunking and letting them sit.

Mind you, I would still blow them out with cleaner after the dunk. I just can't find the dunk.

Move to Utah... we could give a shit.

I agree with carb cleaner and compressed air. Should be fine. It's made to do the job.

People in the know dunk them over night......do what you like!
(disolves varnish&gum)

If you look real carefully at the pictures, you'll see it being used in the MFI manual from Porsche. They recommended at the Porsche training center as the product of choice for cleaning carbon from the idle air bleed passages in the throttle bodies. I've used it with great success for years. I no longer carry it in stock because I no longer see MFI cars in the shop (and VERY few carbureted cars, either).

The Cap'n

I had good luck with Berrymans. Dunked the carb bodies and all the little brass bits overnight. Then shot everything with lots of carb cleaner and compressed air.

Well, in my experience, I tried dipping a set of IDF innards in Berrymans for 24 hours. When I put them in, they were dirty, but not horrible. Not the worst I have seen. When I pulled the bits out, they were literally so gummy that the jets stuck together. I figured it was varnish, and put them back in the dip for another day. When I pulled them after 48 hours, the brass bits were not only still very gummy, but turning green. It was actually more work getting them clean after dipping them.

I am sure at some point in the past 30 years it was a great product. But like every other volitle chemical in the past decade, I bet the formula has changed to make it more green. My expectation with Berrymans was that it was going to save me some elbow grease, and the actuality was that it ended up doubling the scrubbing time and increased my project time from a few hours to several days.

YMMV, but I highly doubt the product from even 15 years ago is the same product sold now - assuming it is still sold in your area.

Zach

My mistake. Forgive me, but I failed to see the word "dip" in the original question. I was referring to Berryman's Chemtool, a spray can product. Actually came in liquid form, as well. As for carb dip, you may be oput of luck. Shops have been prohibited from having carb dip on the premises in CA for at least 20 years, so I doubt it can be purchased for personal use, either. Back in the day, I used to buy it in 40 gallon drums and dip engine cases and components in it before a rebuild. Even removes Kuril ................. Nasty stuff, carrying chemicals that are absorbed through the skin, much like MEK, and cause liver damage.

The Cap'n

I just packed up a gallon can of carb dip. I think it was Berryman's. Too late to look now because it's in a big box that I'm not going to un-tape (labeled: This end UP - Liquids - of course). I bought it about 10 years ago. Still works as well as it used to. I used it a year or so ago. No gummy mess here...

That's what I was thinking of too Cap'n. Red white and blue can. I used the stuff all the time. As far as dip goes, I think they state right on the can not to dip brass parts. I always disassembled the carbs before I dunked them and cleaned the brass bits by hand with carb cleaner.

Yep, back in my HS days working in an automotive machine shop we had 50 gallons of it. Leave stuff too long and it just melts away. It would get gummy when it got real old.

So...how do you clean carbs at home now if we can't buy dip?

Carb cleaner in spray cans, and compressed air.

For the bodies, I made a soda blaster for them. Turned out looking like new, and took little time and less money then a can of dip - and not nearly as hard on the planet...
Finished result for the bodies:


Zach

Those look great! Maybe I'll spray them and let them sit for a while, then repeat, then compressed air.

Small Related HJ: I have the post on making a soda blaster. What kind of soda do you get? Grocery store kind or something else? Thanks. Those are sharp looking carbs.

I used the cheapest baking soda I could find at the supermarket. I think I got 6 pounds for ~$4, or something like that. I needed ~1 pound per carb body, so I over bought. I have been told that if you buy actual blasting soda, you need even less. but blasting soda is not efficient for such a small job, unless you are doing a lot of them.

You do have to rinse the carbs in warm water after blasting them, and I put a little carb cleaner and compressed air through the passages to make sure I had all the residue out. All told, I spent maybe 45 minutes per body to blast them, rinse them, blow them dry.

Zach

Just used Berrymans chemtool spray in my Cub Cadet lawnmower carb this weekend.

Stuff cleaned it out really great.

Only took me four cleanings to find out my problem was a flap of some black crap
that folded across the main jet whenever the tractor tipped on a hill. Whatever it was, The Berrymans wouldn't touch it and I had to dig it out.

On the other hand, the Berrymans worked so well that it lifted the yellow enamel paint off the outside of the carb. Aparently 1969-1970 mower styling included painted carbs.

Here's the link from the Berryman's site:

http://www.berrymanproducts.com/Default.aspx?tabid=146

Notice they say it's California compliant. Ugh....

So I have a blast cabinet with glass beads in it. Replace with baking soda and have at it?

HAHAHA i thought you wrote " I need to be drunk to rebuild these carbs"

If you're buyin!!!

fer sure my man...

IMHO no need to do this in a cabinet. You can't reuse the soda once shot, and it cleans up with water. I just shot mine over the driveway.

Zach

There's absolutely no comparison to immersion. Blasting makes the outside pretty, nothing more, so you can feel good about the work you've done. In contrast the carb dip (chemical cleaner, cold tank) dissolves the crud in passages. Clean with high pressure water followed by high pressure air and you have what are essentially new castings. There's absolutely no comparison with any spray, though if that's all you have then that's what you have to use.

I'm sorry you can't get the dip in California. Maybe next time you're travelling out of state?

Let me look and see if they sell it out here...

Acetone/ paint thinner should work as a decent dip as well

I was thinking acetone, but am not sure that's what I want to do yet. Still searching.

Here's a link to the soda blaster I made on my site. It works great and is cheap (you may already have all you need).

Cleans all the orifiiiicccccce's!(inside)

I found a can at the local NAPA. They actually had it! It's their brand, but it's prolly the same schizz. It's dunkin time!!!!

Funny that this topic just came up.

I have a gallon of Berryman's B-9 in the garage, about to go off to the local hazardous waste disposal site.

If anyone wants it and can pick it up in San Francisco, it's yours...

I bought it several years ago and it has been sitting. I wouldn't be surprised if it is outlawed around here, the stuff is nasty!

Last time I used Berrymans carb cleaner was on a rattlesnake that was between me and my shovel. Worked great!!! He moved out of the way after one blast to the head and I was able to get to the shovel and finish him off.
I highly recommend it!!

Yeah, I splash myself from time to time... I sympathize with that poor snake.