Will CLR Clean a Crusty Carburetor?

[@robertclymer6948]

You are doing great videos. Bordering on a project farm cleaning materials, kinda like your intake manifold cleaning. Good Stuff, love it. Very useful info! Thanks for sharing!

[@MuscleCarSolutions]

Occasionally I’ll get comments asking if I’ve tried some procedure or in this case, a cleaning product. Had lots comment on CLR so gave it a try! Thanks for watching!

[@briang4470]

Unfortunately once you use any type of acid or aggressive solvent. The protective coating/plating is gone and even if the carb is spotless will corrode up very quickly in the future, especially if stored in a moist/humid climate or used with any ethanol type of fuel. The Rochester carbs are really bad about corroding if you remove the plating, I have seen it before many times. That's why carbs are not worth sandblasting or using an acid-dip unless you plan on spending big bucks and having them re-plated.

[@markcole6475]

When a carb like these are this bad ! I guess who cares if it takes the coating off!

[@aapddd]

I found this out the hard way. Looks like I’m buying a new carb after all.

[@mermaiddreams83]

The absolute best product I've found for cleaning parts like this is Simple Green undiluted full strength and it's also non toxic and made with all natural products!! Would be great to see what results you would get with it!!

[@MuscleCarSolutions]

Check on my video on cleaning an intake manifold.

[@robertclymer6948]

Hi Amber! He did a recent video on cleaning an edelbrock aluminum intake manifold using Simple Green. Worked pretty darn good.

[@DavidM2002]

What would make it even more interesting is to now put some of the parts into an ultrasonic cleaner with either CLR or some other cleaner. There are a couple of interesting videos on YT on building an ultrasonic cleaner with a palm sander and they are surprisingly effective. You really need to read the comments on those videos as they are very helpful.

[@jgmopar]

With Aluminum you have to be careful with really alkaline cleaners. It will turn them black. I tested a few junk carbs years ago.

[@bigdon2241]

im a carb rebuilder and im using pine soil ont dirty carb but i was wondering how CLR would react thank you

[@MuscleCarSolutions]

Funny you mention that. I’m in the middle of testing cleaners right now. Stay tuned!

[@robertclymer6948]

Wonder if CLR will help with cleaning my Edelbrook aluminum intake manifold. The engine cleaner and mean green did ok, but not that good. Even scrubbed it with a brush and scotchbrite pads. Getting ready to paint it.

[@steveproctor1748]

I use it to clean some of my carburetors. Especially Holleys. But watch it ,and don't leave them in it to long.

[@MuscleCarSolutions]

Compromises the finish on carburetors and worse if they’re in contact too long.

[@Driven_Dragon]

So I have a Carter Comp. AFB carb that had sat for 3 years with ethanol fuel in it. It was completely dry and stuck. There was a black coating along all the bottom surfaces of the bowls and throughout. It was about a 1/8" thick. This black coating was very hard and would not come off with a scraper even after sitting in carb cleaner for an hour. I watched some youtube videos and ran off to the dollar store and bought vinegar, pinesol and cheap Coke. Soaked it in the vinegar for 4 hours and it didnt even touch it. Pinesol next. Nothing! Then I tried the Coke overnight. Worked great! Scrubbed everything out, sprayed all holes with carb cleaner and blew out all the holes with compressed air. Slammed a new kit in it and its working and looking great today. Ball burnished finish looks like brand new! And this carb is 35 years or so old. Only run non-ethanol fuel in it and its happy. So am I. Moral of the story? Dollar store Coke overnight worked better than anything else!

[@MuscleCarSolutions]

Gosh. I wonder what that dollar store coke does to your guts when you drink it! 😳

[@Driven_Dragon]

@@MuscleCarSolutions Have you ever put one of your grandchildren's teeth in a 1/2" of coke overnite? Make sure to get a before pic and show it to all the kids. Pull it out the next morning and be shocked!! All the enamel will be gone an the tooth will be 1/2 as big. My Grandmother did this for us kids 55 years ago...And I've never forgotten it. It makes a great demonstration for everyone.

[@MuscleCarSolutions]

Heck no! I get those kids jacked up on Mt Dew and send them back home! I don’t want them scared of the stuff. It’s one of my few joys left in life. 😂😂😂

[@romeparrilla8307]

nice video,i was wondering if i could boil my scooter 50cc two stroke carb in lemon juice or vinegar,because ive tried soaking it with carb cleaner and poking with small wires and blowing with air compressor for a few days and my pilot jet is still plugged up it will be cheaper if it work lol" thank you...

[@MuscleCarSolutions]

@@romeparrilla8307 it will smell nice when you boil it in lemon juice but that’s as far as it’s usefulness will go.

[@Waltkat]

Vapor blasting would have removed a lot of that corrosion without damage to the zinc base metal. Then some time in an ultrasonic cleaner with some aviation grade Simple Green (won't damage alloys). Afterwards, plate it with zinc and then chromate passivation coating from Caswell and the carb will look like new. Of course, the rusted out steel parts are going to remain toast.

[@Hydrogenblonde]

Give a solution of soduim carbonate a try. (washing soda) Ps: most cars are not aluminium, they are zinc die-cast. That is mostly zinc with maybe a little aluminium and other things added.

[@stoneyswolf]

I watched a video the guy used concrete cleaner diluted it's muriatic acid. Worked extremely well.

[@duaneafields]

Best carburetor cleaner ever! Ronnie Henson has the clean fix

[@MuscleCarSolutions]

*worst

[@Comm0ut]

CLR contains "muriatic" (hydrochloric) acid so be sure your carb isn't high zinc alloy. I partially dissolved a pair of old Triumph Amal carbs learning the difference.

[@MeLoNHeAd00]

What can you do to prevent the ethanol issue? Besides ethanol free .

[@MuscleCarSolutions]

That’s a great question. Lots of maintenance. Not letting the fuel sit in the carburetor if the vehicle won’t be driven. Using an additive like the one linked below helps keep the crap moving through the system. Being careful with the type of lines and filters used. Lots to do and understandably, most don’t. It’s a lot of work. Driven- amzn.to/3ekWJvi

[@super1079]

So prior to this experiment what do you use ?

[@MuscleCarSolutions]

Ultrasonic cleaner and an off the shelf product from Zep. It’s what I still use.

[@413x398]

I have a Holley crustacean that was at the bottom of the Pacific for a couple hundred years. I'll skip the CLR and try a one-two punch of Easy Off and Vinegar. We shall see.

[@MuscleCarSolutions]

😂

[@DesertRatFabrication]

Oh Oh, Brian's breaking out the ballpeen hammer that can't be good, lol, just looked like both of those carburetors were pretty far gone, i would think because of the CLR taking off the protective coating it's probably not a very good product to use on a good carburetor, i do have a question for you Brian, i store the 55 truck in Eastern Washington with the 1406 what should i add to the gas, thank you buddy

[@MuscleCarSolutions]

Drain the carb and add this to the tank! amzn.to/3T6R1fT

[@DesertRatFabrication]

@@MuscleCarSolutions thank you buddy

[@beachboardfan9544]

Try evapo rust in a heated ultrasonic cleaner!

[@MuscleCarSolutions]

I’ve seen that work on mildly rusted stuff with good results. Guessing it wouldn’t be effective on the ethanol damage. Might be worth a look though! Thanks for the suggestion!

[@Lakeman3211]

I agree with Brian below, even a treatment of neutralizer won’t remove the acidic treatment, also acids and aluminums do not go well together….test somewhere first

[@MuscleCarSolutions]

These were two of the worst carbs I had. They’re junk. They were my test!

[@wilfredbruce5327]

I believe that weird powder is aluminum oxide. Looks like sandpaper covered in aluminum oxide.

[@Challengerscatpack50]

30 minutes isn’t anywhere near long enough. I use to work on EDM Wire machines. The process of cutting metal with a .010” thick wire causes very fine metal particles and they bond to everything. And I mean bond. Everything is submersed in water. I would disassemble the whole machine (internal) and soak everything in CLR overnight. Some things I would put into a sonic cleaner with CLR. After that, I would mix baking soda with water and put the parts in that for a few minutes to neutralize the CLR. CLR would kill the deionized water used in the machine. I think for something that is corroded as bad as the carbs, you would be better off soaking it down with like PB Blasters, (or similar) for a few days first.

[@MuscleCarSolutions]

Dig the channel name. 😂 When I asked for recommendations on how long it can remain in contact with an aluminum based carb, I got responses that were all over the place. Some said more than 5 minutes it would start to deteriorate. Some said no more than a few hours. 30 minutes was my middle ground. Overnight would be the longest recommendation I’ve gotten! I mean, they’re junk anyway. What could I possibly hurt? I’ll give it a go. Thanks for the insight!

[@Challengerscatpack50]

@@MuscleCarSolutions Thanks. I put brass and copper (they are on the do not list too), overnight. I never did aluminum. The brass and copper came out looking like new. CLR was the best thing I tried, and I tried everything. It would be interesting to see aluminum overnight. You have to neutralize the CLR with baking soda and water, after the soak. It only takes a few minutes. This stops anymore corrosive effect of the CLR. I do know that o-rings will not do well.

[@MuscleCarSolutions]

Fortunately there are no o-rings in this carburetor that aren’t service/repair items so no worries there. I’ll keep this in mind and give it a go when I get some time. Thanks for the insight.

[@awfab3517]

Ethanol is not the problem as you can see the same corrosion on the outside. Not using the vehicle months at a time is the problem and storing it outside is. Yes ethanol will absorb water and eventually that water will sink down to your carburetor and sit and cause galvanic corrosion because there is steel parts in there too. The aluminum loses electrons to the steel when water is there, just like aluminum anodes on a boat. Even with ethanol free gas if you don't have a full tank, the cold mornings and hot days will produce moisture in the tank and sink to the bottom. Easiest thing to do is Start the engine at least once a month to burn out any water that's collected in the carb. Even using pure ethenal doesn't damage aluminum, it's the water that sits in the carb but it will damage rubber seals and o rings, those need to be changed to handel ethanol. Ethanol will actually keep your engine cleaner if it's built to handel pure ethanol and you take the steps needed when your not using the motor.

[@MuscleCarSolutions]

@@awfab3517 saying ethanol isn’t the problem is like saying the forest burned down because of the fire and the match that lit the thing was not the problem. Ethanol is the source of the problem. Yes, water can get in any fuel system. Ethanol attracts a greater amount of water. And ethanol in of itself is quite corrosive. Ignoring that ignores the issues it causes in a fuel system that wasn’t designed to contain it.

[@born2wrench]

Should have just bought some carb dip

[@VinoRatRodbuilds]

Yep lm surprised, looking good on the outside.

[@MuscleCarSolutions]

Sadly both aren’t going to cut it. Into the scrap they go! But we tried something new and learned something. I’ll take that as a win! Thanks for watching sir!

[@VinoRatRodbuilds]

@@MuscleCarSolutions still was a good demo.

[@MuscleCarSolutions]

Many thanks!

[@born2wrench]

Clr states not to be used on aluminum

[@markcole6475]

Typically you’d have to leave it soaking longer than 30 minutes! Soaking in carb clean you’ll usually leave it in over night! I mean if the carb is junk what is there to lose?

[@MuscleCarSolutions]

There’s a tipping point somewhere. If you have a carb like the Carter here that’s bad, but maaaaaybe could be salvaged? How long do you let it soak and how much do you let it destroy before it wasn’t worth it? But like anything cleaning that’s caustic, there’s always going to be that decision to make.

[@Psalms19.1]

I almost quit watching the video when I saw the hammer in the beginning of the video… But then I realized it was a junk carburetor anyway…😂 I wasn’t to impressed with the CLR… I think I’ll save that for the tub and shower head. Lmao I’ve got a running/driving Ford F100 pickup and I’m gonna disconnect the fuel pump and fill the bowl with seafoam and pump it through the carb a few times and let it sit and see if I notice a difference. It’s running but I think it could be better. If nothing else it will loosen most of whatever is in there up for when I get ready to take it apart.

[@MuscleCarSolutions]

Oh if that wasn’t to your liking, don’t watch my last video on cleaning solutions. What we do to those poor Holley carburetors should be illegal. 😆 And they were all functioning, good carbs. I just couldn’t find anyone wanting to buy them!

[@Psalms19.1]

@@MuscleCarSolutions Lmao I gotta watch now

[@MuscleCarSolutions]

@@Psalms19.1 I will apologize in advance. 😆

[@Psalms19.1]

@@MuscleCarSolutions Lmao

[@devinherin2418]

They were only in there for 30 mins to tho. I’d say it would’ve worked a lil better if it would’ve been in it for at least 2 hours or so

[@MuscleCarSolutions]

@@devinherin2418 you can conduct that experiment on your own and let it ruin your carburetor!

[@BPattB]

I like the intro 😂

[@MuscleCarSolutions]

😆

[@HowardGoldman]

Boil in Pine-sol.

[@MuscleCarSolutions]

Yeah I’m not gonna stand over a tub of boiling pine sol. lol My guess is it wouldn’t have done any better than the CLR.

[@HowardGoldman]

@@MuscleCarSolutions Its an old trick that works. But, I use an ultra sonic cleaner unit. It has heat also. Got great results. I put Pine Sol in it.

[@MuscleCarSolutions]

I use an ultrasonic cleaner also. I might give it a go sometime but the CLR comments got to the pint where it made sense to give it a whirl. It would smell nice after a pine sol bath!

[@HowardGoldman]

@@MuscleCarSolutions My dirty old shop smelled like a pine forest for months. LOL

[@MuscleCarSolutions]

@@HowardGoldman is be ok with that! 😂

[@jhscheppele2448]

With the price of CLR you could have bought a new o rebuilt carb

[@CCAutoWorks]

U find that carb in the bottom of a lake lol

[@MuscleCarSolutions]

That’s about what it felt like tearing it a part. 😂

[@bicylindrico]

It's off one of those 'ran great when it was parked' engines

[@MuscleCarSolutions]

Yup. 😂 I buy them in lots and all are supposed to be in rebuildable condition. Other than this one.. 😆

[@pacbrian3809]

yikes! the one was a boat carburetor. an underwater boat. it was a submarine carb lol

[@MuscleCarSolutions]

That’s a fact!

[@CAROLDDISCOVER-2025]

Man you used to CLR on the wrong thing. At an EA to it and CLE AR some space in your wallet and go buy a basic Edelbrock carburetor replace it. Okay have a little bit fun with that. It would be nice if there was some substitute for the harsh carburetor cleaners. But like you said on those two nothing was going to help them come back to life. When you run across that magic cleaner let us know. I've got a little one barrel I believe it is on a 57 Chevy 235 straight 6. It's a beautiful car for only having 38,000 original miles. And people who like patina would love this. It's an Old government car that I bought a friend of mine who pulled it out of a dry Creek that was sometime wet down in Kentucky. The car set there since the mid 70s and the hood according to some of the old boys hadn't been on it ever since it was parked. So the carburetor and engine just sat there open to the elements. That would be a challenging will it run haha. The car came at the package deal. But did you two and a half inch trucker straps to tie the body down because there was no longer attached to the frame hardly at all. So if you got a magic buffing compound to make that one look new again. Oh I'm just having a little fun with it. Just like that old carburetor this old record be good try things out on. Enjoy your channel

[@VinoRatRodbuilds]

I'm going to say CRL won't work.

[@MuscleCarSolutions]

You were right!

[@jeffheld3971]

When I saw you bust out the hammer I knew this was not good.

[@MuscleCarSolutions]

Yeah that one didn’t lead a very nice life….😂

[@jeffheld3971]

@@MuscleCarSolutions It was a great candidate to experiment with.

[@gregleenyit]

I'd bet the toilet bowl cleaner would work better

[@MuscleCarSolutions]

I’m going to out on a limb right now and predict I’ll never try that. 😂