Carb cleaner

I'm guessing that this stuff eventually goes bad? Both buckets are 5+ years old, and have soaked countless carbs. Any idea on the useful life expectancy?

Yes it goes bad. I used to buy in 5 gallon bucket. That was when it was the good stuff. Ate hole in bucket by that time.

It goes bad when it no longer cleans well. How long will depend on usage / contamination, how well sealed the container is and storage temps. It won't go bad in a way that harms anything so just try it and if no longer working dispose as with other hazmat.

It's no where near as good as it used to be.

Now I use full strength Purple Power. Heating it helps, as in a crock pot.

It will eventually eat thru the can, the lid anyway. Most cans are plastic now. I have had chem dip do that twice and I think it was beacause the water layer evaporated off and like I said it took several years. The last one was about eight years ago. I remember the B-12 aerosol suff back in the eighties and nineties about all it was good for was taking pine sap off of shoe soles. I have a gallon can of ChemDip and it does OK, just have to let stuff soak overnight and be sure to remove rubber parts.

I just found a spray can of carb cleaner that has to be 25 years old. Still good, and works.

Have you ever tried simple green, pinesol etc for a cleaner. I use straight pinsol on small engine carbs with good results. I have never had a carb really dirty though to test it. It makes them sparkle for me. I know a guy that uses a mix of simple green,white vinegar and water on all his chainsaw carb in an ultra sonic cleaner.

100% agree with those who said the new stuff is nowhere near as potent as the old. That old stuff would about burn your skin off if you got it on you. I got a new 5 gallon bucket of NAPA brand and you cant even feel it on your skin. The old stuff, I think I had Tyme brand or something similar to that in a green and yellow 5 gallon bucket, would make your eyes burn just opening the lid! And it WORKED 10X better than the new.

tyme was the best carb cleaner,as posted above burn hands. use rubber gloves. gunk was next . new stuff is about like glorified dawn dish soap.
speaking of tyme i used their degreaser you mixed with diesel. use an air gun spray nossle ,let soak a few hours n fire up pressure washer n most dried caked grease came off. simple green purple power nothing like tyme. id bet epa killed tyme like everything else that worked

HiYa Grandpa-
HA! I remember the old GUNK stuff well. Since the brainless greenies and EPA banned or restricted many chemicals and substances 30 years ago, nothing is made or works like it used to. Things like carb cleaner, paint thinner, and even windshield wiper fluid are now watered down - yes get an MSDS list of your product and read the ingredients. I make my own carb/parts cleaner by using either plain old Mineral Spirits or mixture of Spirits and a 50/50 mix of Acetone and UTF. Plain gasoline will help by soaking the carb first in a covered coffee can. My late, great, gunny buddy, 'Farmer' Dan Howe used plain PINE-SOL to clean his carbs and it worked fine. like Tom,You can test the older stuff by placing a 1/2 pint in a metal soup can and using a candle/grille ignitor, see if it is flammable. Keep you hand away from the test so you don't get burned. BTW, Mineral Spirits is an excellent cleaner for many things. I use it for parts and cleaning grease and crud off my tractors all the time. I keep a spray bottle of it for hitting areas like carbs and distributors when I have to pull them off. Saves getting the dirt and grease all in your hands and possibly falling into tractor parts when feature is removed. Spray area, Blow off with compressed air. I buy Mineral Spirits by the 5 GAL bucket at NAPA. You can get a can of plain Charcoal Lighter Fluid too; it is 100% Mineral Spirits. Paint Thinner is the same stuff too, but some brands sold today are watered down. It matters where you buy from. Always read labels. Here is my recipe for cleaning a carb...

RECIPE FOR CARB CLEANING:
1. Pull carb halves apart and place all parts in a coffee can, submerge in gas, cover, and let set for at least a week. Store well ventilated away from flame source. Gasoline will dissolve any paint on the unit as well as all the grease and crud.

2. Remove carb & parts, blow off with compressed air, then proceed to dismantle unit. Place all parts in another coffee can and soak in the solution of Mineral Spirits. Cover and let stand for at least a week in a well ventilated area away from open flames.

3. Remove all parts and blow off. Use pipe cleaners and/or old guitar strings to chase all fine passages in carb. Never use drills or reamers, to chase the jets with. You don' want to wallow out the passages. They are designed and drilled specifically at a certain size. If you need to chase a thread, be careful to first make certain you are using the correct thread size, and that you don't bottom out in a blind hole and/or break it off.

4. Once carb halves are clean, can soak in PINE-SOL for a few hours and blow off dry. Begin re-assembly of new parts. A few old parts may have to be reused, like float and Venturi. Clean, inspect, and test float for leaks. If it leaks, get a new one. If Venturi is cracked or split, get a new one. I won't use the new plastic ones. The Air Idle Spring too may have to be reused. It is often not included in new parts kits.

5. Adjust the Main and Air Idle Mix screws to specs per OEM Manuals. Adjust the speed/throttle screw so plate just starts to open as specified. The fully assembled carb is now ready to mount and test. If rebuild is done correctly, you should not have to make very many if any at all, adjustments I've found. Engine must be up yo operating temp and any adjustments always with short, 1/8 - 1/4 turns and then WAIT for engine speed to catch up and go from there.

CARB REBUILD TOOLS:

Tim Daley(MI)

Napa still sells a solid carb soak in gallon cans. I like the Napa stuff better because it doesn't etch aluminum. Never been a fan of Berryman's Chem Dip because if you leave aluminum in it too long, it can start to blacken it.

Onliest thing missing is a BF hammer.......