"To prove non of this crap works I removed a really gum-up lawnmower carb and I poured the carb cleaner full strength in the cruded-up bowl and guess what it did not do a dam thing you would think it would have desolved some of the crud but it did not."

Well that is painting with a pretty broad brush and you don't even have the nerve to print the name of the stuff that proves none of it works.

Walt Conner

"Well that is painting with a pretty broad brush and you don't even have the nerve to print the name of the stuff that proves none of it works."

Thats what I was thinking when I read this thread also.
I use a small amount of seafoam in every jug of fuel I buy and I truly believe it keeps the carbs, rings free of carbon and the engine as a whole a bit more healty. Of course I never let my equipment get to the point that I am faced with sludge and corrosion. If that carb has hard corrosion nothing will break it down.
Most products are designed for use on a regular basis.

What product is it you are bashing?

Neal

I poured a bottle of STP fuel injector cleaner in my 91 Buick with 100K miles on it. It had about 10 gals of fuel in the tank. After two or three days of using the car, something seemed different. The acceleration was better, and it idled smoother. At first, I had forgotton about adding the cleaner to the fuel. Then it dawned on me it probably was the injector cleaner that fixed something, making it run better.
I then did the same thing with my 2004 Sienna van with 25,000 miles on it. This time I was looking for a change, but did not see it. It just continued to run great as usual. In the case of the Sienna, it probably did not need the injector cleaner, so it made no difference. But it sure helped the engine on my older Buick. Just my observations. Charles Ranheim

Someone once told me straight anti-freeze left outside in a bottle will freeze but not mixed with water. May be the same situation...Go figure...

This is probably what dom was eluding to, but these products are designed to work while mixed with the gasoline and while the engine is running/over a period of time. Carb/Fuel Inj. cleaners are not designed to work like "Liquid Plumber".

Once one goes to the trouble of removing the carb, it should be obvious to clean it in the traditional manner, which would further the point of the product not being designed to work in the manner "tested" in this thread.

I'm a 'fix in a can' guy. If it didn't work, I wouldn't keep doing it. What about all the cleaners/additives in fuel today? Aren't they 'fix in a can' too, or is it okay as long as it comes in the fuel, but bad if you add more of the same stuff yourself? My latest 'fix in a can' that I'm using in all 4-cycles (vehicles too) is one ounce of new STA-BIL Marine for Ethanol plus four ounces of Marvel Mystery Oil for every ten gallons of fuel. Everything just keeps running sweet.

The product is Champion Premium Injector cleaner, My point you would think that at full strengh is would desolve or something I used penetrating oil and the gum was 50% desolved. My point Don't waste your money .

i buy SEAFOAM by the case try it for yourself and you'll
become a believer!!!

Too little too late is the more likely scenario here. Pour in cleaners are a maintenance item you would have to do regularly. Waiting till the carb is completely cobbed up is too late for anything to do much good. Clean that puppy up good manually and then use the cleaner regularly and you would likely see much better results. Fuel filters, and buying fuel from a quality source also helps. Preventative maintenance cannot be substitued in a can when it is too late for sure. IMHO

For the Canadians here, there IS such a thing as Fix in a Bottle: Canadian Tire Small Engine Tuneup. Festive green colour stocked beside the fuel stabilizer. My aunt has a 20 yr old craftsman rider with a single cylinder 12hp Briggs. Uncle passed away and the neglect began. This past spring, the fuel tank had year old fuel in it that had been topped off with year old+ fuel that was being stored in a fuel container with no cap. mmmmm mmmmm good. This chit smelled absolutely awful coming out the exhaust. The engine would only run WOT, midrange was surge city and forget about idle.

Was ready to take the carb off and schlep it over to the small engine shop for clean and rebuild, but before I did, I spotted a bottle of this stuff and remember a friend mentioning how well it worked. $5, why not?

Bought fresh fuel and dosed it with the tuneup. Fired up the tractor and while running WOT, poured a good dose of it undiluted down the throat of the carb until the engine stalled out. Let sit for 15 minutes. Repeated 4x. The immeditate result was that I got midrange back, with a surgy idle. After 4 uses with the dosed fuel, smooth idle was back and the machine hasn't skipped a beat this summer.

Auntie has learned about the importance of fuel, stabilizer and checking and topping off the oil. Now that the machine doesn't intimidate her, she actually enjoys using it. Not bad for a 75 year old lady.

Anyway, this stuff works and works well. I now add it at the recommended amount to the witch's brew that I use for my OPE.

This stuff works.