Hey All Thought I would share some info about this amazing product. Few years I came upon this product at my mechanics shop. Called Threebond engine conditioner, this stuff is amazing. It's principal roll is to de-coke engines, it is used by Subaru to clean the boxer engine. I used it on cleaning carburetor parts, put some product in the bowl with all jets, returned next morning to find jets looking brand new, bowl was like when it first left the factory. I was blown away how clean everything was without any effort on my behalf. This is a great product
As a follow on of the above, forgot to mention that Threebond manufacture sealants that can be used on any part of your bike. They have a vast range of other products also. Can't speak too highly of them Check them out www.threebond.com.au
Phil..... how do u think this stuff would go sprayed on the outside of a set of carbs to clean them up?
Think it would be fine, would have to be throttle bodies only as I'm uncertain what this product would do to plastics and rubber??????Perhaps I might enquire about, will keep you posted.
Yea something to spray on for all the nooks and crannies ,especially with 4 bolted together, that totally cleans would be great ..... but yes the question is the plastic/rubber reaction thanx Phil
After a very quick trip to Bris Vegas, arrived home to find an email from Anthony from Threebond/Qld. Anthony responded very diligently on all questions that I raised. The engine conditioner was developed primarily to de-coke engines and clean throttle bodies. From 2004 plastic components ie. throttle sensor encased in plastic cradles are cleaned by the product. Earlier plastics would be trial and error. Like all throttle body cleaners, coming into contact with teflon coatings would in fact destroy said coatings. Anthony was uncertain what effect the product would have on early model carburetors such as those found on our motorcycles. My take on this product therefore has not changed, no plastics or rubber should be present whist spraying the product, it is designed to clean the metal components and no more. So plastics, rubber o/rings and diaphrams are pretty much out of the picture. Hope this clarifies what the product can and can't do. One last point raised, whilst cleaning carburetors, all linkages after being cleaned are also lubricated by the product. Hope this clarifies.
Very interesting Phil. When I return to the first world soon Ill do some trials as I have a spare set of carbs which are totally disassembled and 1 has a bent and rusted tight butterfly ..... Ill sacrifice it in the name of science and give it the once over with this product...... Ill also use it on some old o rings. Cleaned and lubricated in 1 go...... sounds good to me ...... that would also imply it would leave a coating on the external carb body as well for protection.
Quick Update from Threebond Received additional information from Anthony from Threebond overnight. His email is perhaps more relevant with information from the field. Motorcycle mechanics are using the product for cleaning powervalves. The conditioner is added whilst the engine is running and hot, the results are as good as removing and soaking the powervalves, therefore eliminating the R&R issue. This would be welcome news to those with powervalved engines. Also, some are using it on carburetors, again with the engine running and at operating temperature, results are very good. No problem with O/rings and plastics as the product contact is very short lived and hot. I'm sure this information may bring a to many a dial, specially mine as bikes we acquire generally have dirty carb issues. Will keep you posted on any further information as it comes to hand.
Visited Repco today...they had 1 can of the diesel version on hand and 100 cans of the petrol version, at the warehouse! So a can will be coming for me in a day or two .....
Ok finally found 5 minutes and a sunny day....... I put the carby out in the sun for awhile as I think "heat" is an important element in the procedure .... doing this on a stinking hot summers day would be much better. I attempted to spray "half" to show the difference. First attempt I sprayed it on (very foamy) and left it for 5 minutes..... I noticed it moving gunk immediately it hit the surface.....I then just brushed off the residue with hot water and a paint brush Second time I sprayed it on and left it for 10-15 mins ...then just shoved it under the hot water tap! I also dried it in and out with a hair dryer (again a hot summers day would be handy) Good thing I noticed was it left behind a slippy surface ...including on my fingers.....hopefully some long term protection for the outside surfaces. When I remove my working carbys Im going to totally drown them inside and out with the stuff a couple of times and and keep them "heated" during the process. First impressions are its miles ahead of any carby,brake,degreaser type of cleaner Ive used before. Ready to go...... Gunk on the move.....
looks like it did the job, I am not one to promote products as a rule, but threebond ticked all the boxes for me. Your photos tell the story, it does work. Imagine all your jets soaking overnight, looking brand new next day. Thanks for sharing it with us.
How do you think this might go cleaning the outside of engines? Does it remove any of the surface coatings or just the "gunk". Normally I just use a mixture of diesel / water / bleach but this can be a little harsh on the seals.
Hi Jim Threebond engine conditioner is used to decoke engines, used on Subaru boxer engines. More motorcycle mechanics are using it cleaning carbs and very handy on power valves. I haven't tried on exterior components, can't really say. Don't want to lead you down the wrong track.
Hi Phil, Yeah it might be a little harsh. Where it was in contact with the outside of that carbi in the photos above though, the alloy looks like it came up really well. I've been thinking about having my engine vapour blasted or wet blasted but that will require a complete disassembly rather than just splitting the cases to replace crank and crank seals like I am planning. If I can find a product that will provide a good finish without having to pay for the wetblasting, would be a good thing. Definitely going to use it on my power valves and carburettors though. Actually I'm really glad I found this thread because only a few days back I ordered new seals and circlips for the valves so I could pull them out and clean them up. Apparently with the NSR, the most common way to burn out a power valve servo motor is by having coked up valves.