itserich asked 10 years ago
I would like to soak a carburetor. Most parts and hoses have been removed, but it has some plastic parts remaining attached, including a couple electrical wires from a carburetor heater. I would like to be sure soaking the carburetor including the plastic and wires are safe. O-rings have been removed.
I read elsewhere that plastic can be soaked up to 30 minutes at a time, for a total of 4 hours. Is this correct, and does that mean if a carburetor is cleaned over the years and the plastic is soaked each time, eventually it will be soaked for more than 4 hours, and may start to break down?
1 Answers
chemtooler Staff answered 10 years ago
Berryman offers two varieties of Chem-Dip. Our Chem-Dip in the 1-gallon paint can (part #0996) is safe on most plastic, rubber, and painted parts, but extended soak times can darken aluminum and aluminum alloys. We use 4 hours as a rule of thumb, but some aluminum and aluminum alloy parts can be affected more quickly while others can remain unaffected after days of soaking. The protective layer of unaffected components will regenerate to some degree, but soak times will be somewhat additive over the years.
If the metal part to be cleaned is particularly old, valuable, irreplaceable, etc., then our other immersion cleaner, Professional Chem-Dip in the 5-gallon bucket (part #0905), might be a better candidate. It is safe on all metal parts indefinitely, although it can affect some plastic, rubber, and painted parts. Where aluminum and its alloys are concerned, 0905 is definitely the safer choice, but plastic, rubber, and painted components that are to be reused should always be removed before soaking.
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