This is an interesting topic. I've always thought the add to the gas
cleaners were sort of snake oil. After all gas it's self is a pretty
good dissolver, what could be in these cleaners that would do it better
but still not be so corrosive that it ate up all the gaskets. Anyone
really take a carb apart, look at, put it back together, run a can of
cleaner through, and then take it back apart and see what got cleaned?
That would really tell the tale.

I've always been in a quandry about carbs with float bowls too. I add
stabilizer to my boat gas and fill the tank as winterizing but it
mostly evaporates from the float bowls over the winter anyway.
Merc/chevy small block with a holley on it. I figure the stabilizer is
good for the gas in the tank but the carb problems are typically
because the gas evaporates and leaves crud on the inside of the jets.

On my generator, which we only use once in a rare while, I shut the
fuel valve at the tank and let the engine burn as much as it can from
the float bowl. I do periodically run the thing but I always shut it
down by turning off the fuel.

I've thought about adding a valve to the boat gas line right at the
carb so I could do the same thing to it.

basskisser wrote:
Roadrunner Newsgroup wrote:
Can anyone recommend a good carb cleaner fuel additive that works? I try to
run out all my fuel after use (with stabil in it) but I would like to know
if there is an additive that can remove the gum from the idle circuit and
float needle that eventually builds up. I have a 1972 50hp Johnson and I
have rebuilt the 2 carbs but it is starting to get a little gunked up again.
It's been 4 years since the rebuild. It is a freshwater Northern boat that
sits for the winter. One of the 2 float needles seems to stick and free up
now and then. Unfortunately it only gets used about 25 hours per year.

Thanks in advance,

Steve

If they are gunked up, I'd rebuild them again, then use preventative
measures to keep them that way, using Stabil and starting once in
awhile as Clams has said.