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A good solvent?
- Thread starter Morris
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I don't think there is any simple solvent that will work on carbon. After all, activated charcoal is used to remove large molecules from simple gasses and liquids, so they couldn't dissolve it.
If there is any commercial cleaners, I don't know of them, so I'll let someone else answer that. Whatever you do, don't use any strong alkalis (like, for example, oven cleaner) as it will etch aluminum.
If there is any commercial cleaners, I don't know of them, so I'll let someone else answer that. Whatever you do, don't use any strong alkalis (like, for example, oven cleaner) as it will etch aluminum.
bigjones
Jedi Warrior
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Morris,
I have been soaking my spark plugs in a 50/50 mix of household ammonia and citric acid. (I had noticed that the small bottle of cleaner supplied with the ColourTune is ammonium citrate) I'm trying to optimize my carb mixture by reading the plugs, so I need to clean them all the time.
The ammonia (nasty stuff!), of course, you can buy at the grocery store. I already had some citric acid (bought on Ebay to clean my homebrewing kegs of "beerstone"). It is a solid and not too dangerous, though if you have children/pets you have to be careful, of course. It is a white powder.
I noticed the mixture also seems to slowly dissolves the metal of the spark plug (or at the least discolor it) so I wouldn't soak your precious parts in it overnight, for example.
Good luck with your engine work!
Cheers!
PS. I assume you are talking about your Midget, which is all cast iron, right.
I have been soaking my spark plugs in a 50/50 mix of household ammonia and citric acid. (I had noticed that the small bottle of cleaner supplied with the ColourTune is ammonium citrate) I'm trying to optimize my carb mixture by reading the plugs, so I need to clean them all the time.
The ammonia (nasty stuff!), of course, you can buy at the grocery store. I already had some citric acid (bought on Ebay to clean my homebrewing kegs of "beerstone"). It is a solid and not too dangerous, though if you have children/pets you have to be careful, of course. It is a white powder.
I noticed the mixture also seems to slowly dissolves the metal of the spark plug (or at the least discolor it) so I wouldn't soak your precious parts in it overnight, for example.
Good luck with your engine work!
Cheers!
PS. I assume you are talking about your Midget, which is all cast iron, right.
dklawson
Yoda
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Had you asked before the engine was out of the car and torn down I would have answered "water". The old school way of getting rid of carbon was to bring the engine to about 3000 RPM and hold it there while you use a pump sprayer to put water into the carb throat as fast as you can just short of stalling the engine. The resulting steam loosens and removes most of the carbon.
lesingepsycho
Jedi Warrior
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Yeah, I'm curious about this too. I was just looking at the cylinder head off the old engine thinking I might be able to clean it up and put it on eBay.
JACK
JACK
G
Guest
Guest
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Morris said:
They throw them in the garbage can and install new ones.
Glass bead cabinet is what my machine shop uses.
I personally use a wire wheel on an electric drill.
I have a few different sizes and stiffness's of small wire wheels.
I would only glass bead a naked head.
And only glass bead the crowns of pistons, protect the sides.
I personally use a wire wheel on an electric drill.
I have a few different sizes and stiffness's of small wire wheels.
I would only glass bead a naked head.
And only glass bead the crowns of pistons, protect the sides.
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And never wire wheel the ring lands. :shocked:
Soda blasting works, too, but Mr. Lawson was the guy with the best answer. Bit too late for that, tho. :thumbsup:
...and oven cleaner if applied with a brush to the top where the 'gunk' is can be removed, jug rinsed and application repeated as necessary without undue damage to the parent material. Just don't apply it and walk away for a day. :wink:
Soda blasting works, too, but Mr. Lawson was the guy with the best answer. Bit too late for that, tho. :thumbsup:
...and oven cleaner if applied with a brush to the top where the 'gunk' is can be removed, jug rinsed and application repeated as necessary without undue damage to the parent material. Just don't apply it and walk away for a day. :wink: