SuzukiSavage.com - Spray carb cleaner

DavidOfMA

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Spray carb cleaner
05/20/13 at 12:52:52

Is spray carb cleaner harmful to carb rubber parts?

Recently did the Raptor petcock and white spacer mods and also re-checked the TEV for clogged passages. Sprayed accessible parts of the carb with carb cleaner. Afterwards, it occurred to me the spray might be harmful to the rubber diaphragms, because it seemed to cause some deterioration of the rubber nipple I used to plug the vacuum port that used to go to the old petcock. Bike runs the same, but I wonder if I weakened the diaphragms.

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oldNslow

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Re: Spray carb cleaner
Reply #1 - 05/20/13 at 14:15:43

You're likely to get some conflicting opinions about this one. A little bit of SPRAY carb cleaner on the rubber parts probably won't do any harm but IMO it's better to keep any kind of solvent off anything that's not metal. Soap and water followed by compressed air is probably the only totally safe cleaner for the diaphragms and boots etc.

The DIP type carb cleaner - the stuff that comes in a can with a little basket to soak the parts in - will ruin anything that's not metal in a heartbeat.

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ToesNose

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Re: Spray carb cleaner
Reply #2 - 05/20/13 at 16:34:00

From what I understand the carb cleaner isn't really going to hurt anything just spraying the jets and all, worst case is the edges of any rubber/gasket material will get dried out. You don't want to spray any rubber or gaskets with it while they are fully exposed it will dry out the entire piece, causing it to dry up, shrink and potentially fail after being put into place.

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DavidOfMA

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Re: Spray carb cleaner
Reply #3 - 05/20/13 at 18:09:04

ToesNose wrote on 05/20/13 at 16:34:00:

From what I understand the carb cleaner isn't really going to hurt anything just spraying the jets and all, worst case is the edges of any rubber/gasket material will get dried out. You don't want to spray any rubber or gaskets with it while they are fully exposed it will dry out the entire piece, causing it to dry up, shrink and potentially fail after being put into place.

Well, in this case I sprayed the whole TEV area including the diaphragm. What seems to happen was that it expanded a little, so it was hard to fit back into place. What I don't know is what happened to it after I buttoned things up. Seems to drive about the same, but I don't know what the symptoms of a leaky TEV diaphragm would be. Anyone here know? Backfiring seems about the same.

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« Last Edit: 05/20/13 at 22:05:12 by DavidOfMA »

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Serowbot YaBB Moderator ModSquad Offline OK.... so what's the speed of dark? Posts: 28628 Tucson Az Gender:	Re: Spray carb cleaner Reply #4 - 05/20/13 at 18:16:53 The stuff is made for carb cleaning,... I imagine it won't hurt anything in a carb... I've never had a problem... ...
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WD

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Re: Spray carb cleaner
Reply #5 - 05/20/13 at 21:18:34

MA, NY, NJ and several other eastern seaboard/ New England locales get the same neutered carb cleaners, brake cleaners and related as California. You can't buy the good stuff there, don't sweat it. I used to listen to my cousin's mechanic (mobbed up at that) husband whine and moan about NY adopting CA standards for VOC content in cleaners, paints, etc... As long as you didn't spray the stuff on your upholstery, it'll be fine.

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DavidOfMA

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Spray carb cleaner does seem to harm carb diaphrag
Reply #6 - 05/23/13 at 04:39:31

Decided to check to see if I had harmed the TEV diaphragm by cleaning it with carb cleaner. I took the TEV apart, and although I couldn't see light through the diaphragm, the edges, just inside the cover rim, seemed crinkly. The top layer of rubber is cracked. I can't be sure that these cracks weren't there the first time I cleaned the TEV, but it now seems likely that the carb spray did some damage. Fortunately I have a spare carb so I swapped the TEV diaphragm assembly from the spare into the one on my bike.

Can't remember if I sprayed the main diaphragm with carb cleaner when I did the white spacer mod. What would be signs of pinhole leaks or cracks in that diaphragm?

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Badass94Cad

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Re: Spray carb cleaner
Reply #7 - 05/23/13 at 05:57:12

WD wrote on 05/20/13 at 21:18:34:

MA, NY, NJ and several other eastern seaboard/ New England locales get the same neutered carb cleaners, brake cleaners and related as California. You can't buy the good stuff there, don't sweat it. I used to listen to my cousin's mechanic (mobbed up at that) husband whine and moan about NY adopting CA standards for VOC content in cleaners, paints, etc... As long as you didn't spray the stuff on your upholstery, it'll be fine.

Having lived in MA for the first 25 years of my life, and NJ (north Jersey, just outside NYC) for the next 10, I agree that whatever CA does regarding chemicals, vehicle emissions, etc., these poser states follow. Grin

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LANCER

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Re: Spray carb cleaner
Reply #8 - 05/23/13 at 07:09:45

I spray everything when cleaning carb parts if it's not getting clean with kerosene or WD40. After spraying with carb cleaner I spray with WD40, and for the diaphragms will rub it in well.
I've never had an issue with cracking on the diaphragms because of it.
Any time you take a diaphragm out and allow it to sit for more than a couple of minutes it will seem larger than it did when removed. You've got to work it a bit to get it to sit in the groove properly again.

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DavidOfMA

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Re: Spray carb cleaner
Reply #9 - 05/23/13 at 09:29:21

LANCER wrote on 05/23/13 at 07:09:45:

I spray everything when cleaning carb parts if it's not getting clean with kerosene or WD40. After spraying with carb cleaner I spray with WD40, and for the diaphragms will rub it in well.
I've never had an issue with cracking on the diaphragms because of it.
Any time you take a diaphragm out and allow it to sit for more than a couple of minutes it will seem larger than it did when removed. You've got to work it a bit to get it to sit in the groove properly again.

Thanks for the tip on using WD40. Too bad I didn't know about it before I ruined one (and maybe two - I remember now I cleaned the slide with carb cleaner and wiped down the whole assembly with a cleaner-sprayed cloth). But at least I have a spare carb to draw from when I break stuff. Those diaphragms are absurdly expensive parts.

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