Carb Cooker

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LAMBCRUSHER

LAMBCRUSHER

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SO... some wildcard weekend whackiness...

I got this old carb that has a throttle that likes to stick open. JimC says it's likely got layers of varnish on the butterfly shaft that cause the shaft to stick after the varnish gets good and hot.

I also have this old pressure cooker that will get to 250* inside when the water one puts in it boils.

Thinking - I know, I know - thinking that an hour long 250* steam bath of the throttle body might just melt off enough of that goo to keep the shaft from sticking.

I googled it figuring it was a widely used method, but came back bupkiss. One search suggested it might be hazardous due to the potential for an explosion, or the toxicity of the gasses coming out of the vent (would be done outside with the old cooker that doesn't get used much anymore).

Before I run this up the flag pole to general tech, I thought I'd give the sty a chance to roast my chops if I'm oinking up the wrong trail.
 
you think the steam bath is a bad idea?
 
LAMBCRUSHER said:
you think the steam bath is a bad idea?
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I don't know that hot water will break down the varnish any quicker than a soak in solvent, like I said you can submerge the entire carb over night in some E85 without taking it apart and beak down the varnish, if you steam you'll need to dissemble and rebuild at the very least.
I use this spray to clean carbon out of suppressors and firearm's and it works fantastic. something like that could also work for you!
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I considered going this route, and may still.

I know I should just send it off to Jim. And regardless of how I address this, that will still be the end result. In the mean time, just trying to prove to myself the whole thing will still work well. I'd hate to spend all that dough on a carb only to find there is another more insidious issue deeper down.

The throttle body is already off- a few links and screws. the body itself and all attached shafts and links are all metal. My thought is that if the engine temp is enough to get the varnish tacky, then another 50 degrees should get it hot enough to flow, and the steam should get into every tiny orifice. I figure an hour- hour and a half in steam and a quick high pressure blow dry should do.

IDK; just checking to see if there was a solid reason to not try it.
 
I would absolutely start with solvent…and probably stay with solvent. You need 15 psig to get water to boil at 250F. And once you get there you only have steam in the vapor space and it’s no better than the boiling water as far as dissolving something. We use a pressure cooker for vegetables often but it doesn’t go that high. 15 psig can absolutely be a bomb if something fails in “an old pressure cooker I have sitting around”.
 
Pighead said:
I don't see a problem with a long steam bath. I trust Jim C. more than google...
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Same.

To be clear:
JimC did NOT tell me to pressure cook it; he only suggested the varnish causes the shafts to stick when it gets hot...

I might just try this with an older throttle body to see if it doesn't destroy it. I'm confident that the alarmist AI on google is jumping the gun on the risk of explosion or toxic fumes. Just some grease, and varnish, and I can cook outside.
 
I’m sorry my friend but this could absolutely be a “hold my beer” endeavor. Water/steam at 250F is not going to be better at removing a petroleum based varnish than a petroleum based solvent. One of the first rules of chemistry is like dissolves like. Please just try some brake cleaner or whatever you have laying around first.

FWIW I see no issues with potential toxic fumes or whatever. I just know that 15 psig in an old pressure cooker is potentially dangerous because if it fails it will fail catastrophically and if you are nearby it’s going to hurt.
 
WarDamnEagle said:
I would absolutely start with solvent…and probably stay with solvent. You need 15 psig to get water to boil at 250F. And once you get there you only have steam in the vapor space and it’s no better than the boiling water as far as dissolving something. We use a pressure cooker for vegetables often but it doesn’t go that high. 15 psig can absolutely be a bomb if something fails in “an old pressure cooker I have sitting around”.
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I've got an old All American steam sterilizer we used to use to sterilize grain for mushroom farming. It'll get to 17PSI and hold it as long as there is a bit of water in the can. The idea would be to set it on a brick above the water line, so it's only getting steamed. Probably wouldn't want to use the same cooker again for beef stew, but I have 2 more just for that :hillbilly:.

OK; 2 votes against, and 1 why not.

I appreciate the feedback!
 
WarDamnEagle said:
I’m sorry my friend but this could absolutely be a “hold my beer” endeavor.
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Could be, but probably not. A hot soak in any solvent might be better than nothing, probably won't hurt the carb. Follow the steambath with an assortment of room temp varnish specific solvents. A little of this, a little of that sometimes works.
 
LAMBCRUSHER said:
I've got an old All American steam sterilizer we used to use to sterilize grain for mushroom farming. It'll get to 17PSI and hold it as long as there is a bit of water in the can. The idea would be to set it on a brick above the water line, so it's only getting steamed. Probably wouldn't want to use the same cooker again for beef stew, but I have 2 more just for that :hillbilly:.

OK; 2 votes against, and 1 why not.

I appreciate the feedback!
Click to expand...
Okay so now I am less concerned about the pressure cooker. In your first post I got the impression it was just something that was laying around that you had little to no experience with. I still think a petroleum based solvent is your ticket and given the minimal effort to try whatever you have laying around it seems like a no brainer to try that first.
 
ordered one today. almost big enough to put a subaru EJ head in complete. Only gets up to 175* tho. needed one for a long time. Tomorrow, we cook a carb. Or two, depending upon how the spare TB comes out. Pics WILL follow.
 
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