Bought lovely biplane recently, really beautifully built. Snag is, the engine is very dirty with brown gum. So bad that the carb is completely seized. Got it soaking in fuel at present. Grateful for any ideas.
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The best method that I have found is to strip the engine down as much as possible and then soak it in warm antifreeze, I use a slow cooker I bought very cheap a number of years ago. This will completely remove the brown gum but beware don't use this method with engines that have coloured anodized heads or those with painted or coated crankcases.Originally posted by \
Keep an eye on the engine as it 'cooks' and give it a rub with an old toothbrush from time to time, a badly dirty engine may require 'cooking' overnight. When clean pour out as much antifreeze as you can then give it a good spray with WD40 and run the engine as soon as you can. -
Buy a can of carb cleaner, it will un gum everything and clean out any carbon deposits , its used for full size veh carb cleaning and maintenance. , it is available from most good automotive shops, its not expensive.Originally posted by \
regards sub.Comment
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are we talking about a full size plane or an r/c plane?
one thing to be carefull with, is if the housing is constructed of aluminum. ive never heard of the coolant cook method, but everything is worth a shot. only hazard there is to check and make sure the coolant is compatible with aluminum. some coolants have special aditives added that help the aluminum in automotive engines resist corroding. also found that most aluminum used in the automotive industry is of a different grade than other industries. dont know if that would fair the same with the aviation industry.
my understanding is engines are air cooled in planes versus air cooled liquid that is found in 95 percent of the auto industry.Comment
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I live in the USA, and here, we can buy carb cleaner in 1 gallon cans with strainer baskets built in. If it's an aluminum engine, take it apart, and remove all the rubber gaskets, and whatever plastic parts, then soak the carb for a day or so. That should clean it inside and out. If it has needle valves, remove them too, being careful to look for rubber washers or seals, but count the number of revolutions when removing them so that you can set them to a rough starting point. Clean it up, and reassemble it, and see what happens. LewComment
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