Ultrasonic cleaner tips?

[Red Collector]

I picked up a small ultrasonic cleaner the other day after being curious about one for a while. One thing I've heard is how good they are at cleaning carbs, so I think one of my first jobs will be a carb off an M that I would like to rebuild. My question for guys that use them is, what cleaners do you use in them. I thought about Simple Green or something similar for dirty/ greasy stuff, but is there something better for all the little ports and jets on a carb? Also, I've seen guys using Evapo Rust on rusty items... does this do a better job than just an overnight soak, or is it just quicker? Any other tips, pointers, or observations are welcome. Thanks!

[vtfireman85]

I have used simple green, water and vinegar (not together) all worked well, my friend uses Spray Nine cleaner he gets at the hardware store, he is a mechanic by trade, he gets the tough jobs the local power sports dealer takes in, he works from home, as fussy as they come. I have considered using some of the biodegradable degreaser, beware of really caustic stuff as it may become dangerous or flammable at temperature. 
ive been happy with simple green for carburetors and gun parts so far .  

[Rawleigh99]

And to simplify cleanup you can put the part and cleaner in a jar with a lid on it and put just water in the cleaner.  The waves will transmit through the glass.  Depending on the size cleaner I have used a drinking glass set in the tank.  It just has to be heavy enough not to float and tip over.

[exSW]

I use blue Dawn dish detergent.

[Mike Stearns]

I use straight Simple Green in mine.  It works great. 

[E160BHM]

4 hours ago, Rawleigh99 said:

And to simplify cleanup you can put the part and cleaner in a jar with a lid on it and put just water in the cleaner.  The waves will transmit through the glass.  Depending on the size cleaner I have used a drinking glass set in the tank.  It just has to be heavy enough not to float and tip over.

Would a ziplock bag work in place of the jar?

[IHKeith]

I use dish soap, a good squirt into the 10L tank, I keep the water at about 60-70 degrees C, I have used more expensive solutions but find that the biggest thing that hampers the cleaning ability is when the solution gets murky, so a cheap and plentiful solution works best for me, I mostly clean automotive carbs with mine and run them through about 3 cycles, scraping and wire brushing between cycles mostly for cosmetic purposes, I put the small parts in a glass relish jar filled with the solution, you have to clean and scrub between cycles to clean the most grimy carb to perfection, parts seem prone to corrosion after cleaning, I toss around the small parts from the relish jar in a coffee can with WD40 or similar, give the the outside of the carb a coating after, I have not tried ultrasonic specific solution and wonder if it has an anti corrosion additive

[vtfireman85]

6 minutes ago, IHKeith said:

I use dish soap, a good squirt into the 10L tank, I keep the water at about 60-70 degrees C, I have used more expensive solutions but find that the biggest thing that hampers the cleaning ability is when the solution gets murky, so a cheap and plentiful solution works best for me, I mostly clean automotive carbs with mine and run them through about 3 cycles, scraping and wire brushing between cycles mostly for cosmetic purposes, I put the small parts in a glass relish jar filled with the solution, you have to clean and scrub between cycles to clean the most grimy carb to perfection, parts seem prone to corrosion after cleaning, I toss around the small parts from the relish jar in a coffee can with WD40 or similar, give the the outside of the carb a coating after, I have not tried ultrasonic specific solution and wonder if it has an anti corrosion additive

I always wondered about pepsident?

[IHC-DK]

https://www.wilhelmsen.com/product-catalogue/products/marine-chemicals/cleaning-chemicals/cleaning-and-maintenance/unitor-usc-12-x-1-ltr/0

I have used this in my former job as service engineer on ships where we overhauled aux engines while sailing. Most wessels ran on heavy fuel so fuel pumps and everything went in there.

[Scott!]

If you use something with water (Simple green, dish soap, etc) make sure you rinse it off with carb cleaner as soon as take it out or it will rust almost immediately.

[JamesW]

I prefer Acetone for carbs as it is a solvent and will dissolve the sticky old honey/tar like gas leftovers that causes problem.

Water and dish soap will work, but is a detergent and doesn't work the same as a solvent. It works but not as well and a detergent is relying on the warm temperatures to move the sticky stuff.... However, it is cheap and mostly likely you have some on hand and depending on your carb condition may work just fine.

Almost anything in an ultrasonic cleaner will work better than a simple wash. One advantage being the ultrasonic cleaner does get into the teany weeny small ports.

Done well you will get a shinny new looking carb with all the ports clear.

[Sresites]

This brought back memories, I think. Used to use this to clean teletype parts in a large ultrasonic cleaner back in the 70’s.