Jet cleaning (or, "You've got to be kidding!")

[jbcollier]

The carb cleaners available today just don’t work as well as the toxic stuff of bygone years. In many ways this is a good thing but not so much when trying to clean pilot jets. The Dellorto carbs can have long, thin pilot jets which are even worse. I was doing a google-search for any new ideas and found an interesting recommendation. I got the stuff and dropped the recalcitrant jets in and left them for a few hours. Thoroughly rinsed with water and popped them back into the carbs.

Transformation! Nice smooth idle and with a clean pick-up.

The miracle substance? Toilet bowl cleaner. Not the gel stuff but the thin, liquid kind. Cheap, plentiful and it works very well.

This is just for BRASS parts. Do NOT put your carb bodies, plastic or rubber parts in!

[Gary t]

I used pinesol put whole body and all of the parts in for a day or so very clean  and smelled great. (Webber)

[TurboFource]

Ultrasonic cleaner helps too….thanks for the tip JB!

[GavinT]

I'll have to try toilet bowl cleaner. What is the active ingredient in the one you used?

I've used oven cleaner which is really good at dissolving varnish etc. - the most common active ingredient is sodium hydroxide.
But, yeah, don't use oven cleaner on carb bodies or aluminium, either.

[Fotog]

What is the active ingredient in the one you used?

That's always my question.  I'm no chemist, but I think that the things we often use to clean or restore parts of our cars are  detergents, solvents, acids, or bases.  (I realize that those categories aren't mutually exclusive).  And I'd like to know approximately what these many proprietary or magic potions are.  It can help with our expectations or understanding of what might take place when we choose to use something. Just going by brand...   Jeez!  We know nothing.

Vince