Simple Green Vs. Chem Dip Show Down

In this video I compare the difference between the two cleaning chemicals.

[@toyrari1]

I overhauled Weber Carbs, S.U.'s, Zenith Stromberg Carbs, anything British pretty much. I always bought Berryman's Chem Dip, but I would buy the 5-gallon pail plus it came with a nice steel basket. I mention this because the Chem dip Gallon was different than its 5-gallon counterpart. The 5-gallon pail when stirred, especially when it was new, turned from a black color to a yellow color. The gallon size did not. Probably because the gallon was on retail shelves and the pail they sold to garages, so it could be more caustic. You couldn't leave aluminum in there for more than an hour, nevermind overnight, there wouldn't be any carbs in the basket if you did. EPA, it's changed everything, and for good reasons.

[@STBRetired1]

NOTE - the chemistry of Pine Sol has changed over time. I have some OLD bottles and the main ingredient on one was surfactants and MONOethanolamine. On the other bottle, not quite as old, it was surfactants and TRIETHANOLAMINE. Note that SIMPLE GREEN EXTREME (not regular Simple Green), which is safe for airplane metal including aluminum, also has TRIETHANOLAMINE. But, today's Pine Sol has all sorts of chemicals including alcohol, benzoic acid and sulfonic acid. So, if you are going to clean carburetors which are made from aluminum or an aluminum zinc mix (pot metal) then be careful what you soak them in OR THEY'LL TURN BLACK OR GET EATEN AWAY.

[@phouse123]

That big crack in the table top scares me. lol. Looks like a black hole for small pieces.. screws, nuts bolts.. etc..

[@orlandomoreno5326]

Exactly how I felt..... cant count the number of times I lost littlw bits ans pieces. 😭 Man I hate losing stuff. Ive gottwn alot better at not losing stuff. For example I tlake apart carbs inside of a bot / or small bucket. Cant and wont run the risk of losing something ....

[@SharpAndCunning]

How old is that berrymans your using? That looks like it's probably a 20 year old can, which is definitely a different formula than available today. Thanks for the video though!

[@ScroatBagGarage]

The old school carbs I rebuild (Holley 94's/Strombergs) I use the 'industrial' Simple Green (Home Depot/gallon) that is safe for use on aluminum as the regular Simple Green yes will turn it black when soaked long term. I also use a sonic cleaner (Harbor Freight) w/ a 3:1 distilled water/simple green (industrial) mix. Heat and run for several cycles. They come out looking mint! If it's a piece I want to show, I will use muriatic acid in the sonic cleaner instead of simple green and then soda blast the cases. I agree the Chem-dip of 20+ years ago was the bomb, used to use it back in the 80's for carbs and if it wasn't metal it was gone. Great vid, stay well.

[@daveco1270]

I recently bought an ultrasonic cleaner. I like it because I can get good results without using the harsher chemicals.

[@supersportimpalass]

Try using Acetone. It will run circles around any of these products. The reason is because Acetone has a chemical structure closer to varnish than acid based cleaners. Just as a test try using Simple Green to remove road tar from a car and then try mineral spirits.Mineral spirits is far superior for the same reason as the chemical composition is similar and can dissolve the tar much faster and do a better job. Acetone can also be used to clean varnish out of old gas tanks too but you will need to use some type of acid like muriatic or even vinegar if there is any rust present. Acid will dissolve rust but does a poor job removing varnish and vice-versa. Try it sometime and you will be amazed and even better it's super cheap.

[@tayro7265]

Run your chem-dip though a filter from decade to decade it will work better. If your dip is brown/black and full of crunchies.... It's hard to clean things in sewer water.

[@chipper2462]

Time for a fresh can I'd say.

[@haydenlogston2164]

Great point

[@brandonneil8954]

The berrymans chem dip is brown brand new

[@joej.4170]

Nothing works better then chem-dip in my experience. Let it sit for 24 hours and you will be amazed at the results. The varnish that bad gas leaves in carburetors is tough to remove with ordinary cleaning products.

[@nathanholm7584]

Doesn't it say not to do that on the bucket or is it really not a big issue , I'm wondering because I meed to clean off pistons

[@joej.4170]

It doesnt matter how long you leave it in. 24 hours will do a better job.@@nathanholm7584

[@doug3805]

Simple Green is the worst degreaser I have ever used. I used the Chem dip on my S&S Super E and it cleaned up excellent in about 4 hrs.

[@toyrari1]

Oh, sorry, I wanted to add a degreaser tip I use that you might try. When you find yourself running to the parts store for Gunk engine degreaser or the like, swing by your neighborhood grocery store and pick up a can or two of Easy-Off oven cleaner. You have to buy the brand name the generic doesn't cut it. It's 10 times more effective at cutting through the grease and grime.

[@j.s.2623]

Use simple green D it is aluminum safe and will not turn black!!!

[@Boodieman72]

I would use Simple Green Aircraft & Precision Cleaner

[@ClintsTractor]

Interesting, I didn't know that variation existed.

[@mrblanche]

If you can find it, try the citrus version of Simple Green.

[@ClintsTractor]

Interesting, I'll have to look into that.

[@mrblanche]

It's still available. Called "Lemon Scent" now. Bought some yesterday, in fact.

[@ClintsTractor]

Interesting, I might just try that out.

[@STBRetired1]

Relying on any soak to thoroughly clean a carburetor is only doing a partial job. Invest in a soda blaster to clean out the varnish and other crud. THEN, clean with an ultrasonic cleaner with one of your chemicals. Or, ultrasonic clean first then soda blast then ultrasonic clean with clean water as a rinse.

[@ClintsTractor]

We eventually got an ultrasonic cleaner. I had been wanting to get one of those for quite some time. With Simple Green as the cleaner it works quite well. If a carburetor doesn't work after the ultrasonic cleaner, it's royally clogged and never will.

[@STBRetired1]

I did a real thorough job of using solvents to soak my carburetor and then spray solvents and wires to clean every nook and crannie. Then, I just wondered if an ultrasonic cleaner could clean it any better. So, I bought a $ 300 unit and put a bit of the old Pine Sol in the water. After 20 minutes at 50 degrees C, the water was black. I couldn't believe how much dirt still remained and it had looked spotless. So, now, I've bought a baking soda blaster from Harbor Freight and in the process of putting together some air line filters to make sure the compressed air is dry. You definitely need dry air when soda blasting or sand blasting and especially when painting.

[@fordman7479]

Is not!

[@KingKatRider]

Absolutely nothing even comes close to chem clean, I work in a powersports shop I know we try everything but chem clean is the best there is. just sayin. Rinse all parts with hot water after soaking! Only need to soak for an hour.

[@elmeradams8781]

Chem clean is a chemical company. Which product do you use?

[@donrutter6765]

Soaking carb parts in pine sol is a close 2nd place to chemdip.

[@ClintsTractor]

I've finally decided to order an ultrasonic cleaner. So I'll make a new video in comparison with that, Pine-Sol and the citrus version of Simple Green. It should be interesting.

[@x-man5056]

Never heard that but will try it next time. Pine Sol has strong enough smell, it ought to work pretty good.