Rebuild'in the 32/36 Weber

[Supergeek]

Thanks to all who gave me advise on my rough running weber question. I removed it today to give it a carb cleaner bath and decided I should rebuild it while Im at it. What can I soak the carb in (if I can?!). Also, what do I have to remove in order to soak it. Jets etc?......I ordered the rebuild kit so I want to soak it to remove all the oil and grime from the outside and give the inside a good cleaning. Let me know what you guys and gals have used. Rebuilding it instead of buying a new one will save me some cash. Thanks!

David

[Senna27]

Thanks to all who gave me advise on my rough running weber question. I removed it today to give it a carb cleaner bath and decided I should rebuild it while Im at it. What can I soak the carb in (if I can?!). Also, what do I have to remove in order to soak it. Jets etc?......I ordered the rebuild kit so I want to soak it to remove all the oil and grime from the outside and give the inside a good cleaning. Let me know what you guys and gals have used. Rebuilding it instead of buying a new one will save me some cash. Thanks!

David

I read this a while ago. It relates to motorcycle carbs but I'd imagine it applies to Webers as well.

"If you've watched my Carb Rebuild Video, you know that I'm strongly opposed to total immersion chemical carb cleaning methods. The very harsh ingredients in these "buckets of doom" are bad for your carbs, your health and the environment."

"Here's an exception to my "no dunk" mandate. This method is advocated by old school mechanics like Howard Halasz and myself: 20 minutes in a slow-boiling pot of distilled water is an excellent cleaning method for vintage Honda carbs (don't use tap water...it's not as effective)."

"This procedure is safe for the carbs, so long as they are completely disassembled and you use a pot with a thick bottom. On early carbs, leave the throttle and choke butterflies in place. They are very hard for amateurs to reassemble without introducing binding."

He also suggests doing this outside so as not to piss off the wife. He had them in pots on his BBQ.

I have never tried this method so I can't vouch for its' effectiveness but I can't see it doing any harm either.

[Guest Anonymous]

Can't put my finger on it, but your suggestion raises the yellow caution flag. Maybe the distilled water makes everything safe. I recall a restorer who used to dip all such products into a pot of electrolyte that was nothing more than a process to remove tarnish from silver. (Baking soda +sacrificial metal). Made the pot metal look new, but somehow microscopically affected threaded surfaces or pieces of dissimilar metals.

He later turned to using good old fashioned steam.

Not a criticism, just a cautionary tale (or wive's tale?).

[Guest Anonymous]

It may be that "boiling" promotes "warping."

[Senna27]

It may be that "boiling" promotes "warping."

212 Deg. F. isn't that hot and I doubt it would warp anything.