What will clean built up carbon/crud out of a silencer?

[Dammit!]

I'm cleaning out and repacking an old Answer 250R silencer. It had zero packing left in it but it wasn't short on thick crusty carbon/2-stroke goo that's for sure. The part that's giving me trouble is the screen tube. I shot some carb and brake cleaner on it (that's all I had) and it no effect at all. I ended up using a wire wheel and even that had a tough time. I can use that to remove all of it from the outside of the screen but I want to remove the build up from the inside of it as well.

Any idea what I can spray in there that will dissolve this stuff? Only thing I can think of is oven cleaner. :wondering

[Mrs.Mosh]

Go get a bottle of Sea foam, or a 1 gallon can of carb solvent at Napa.The kind used for soaking carbs,not the spray..


Or Mopar, and GM makes a can of Spray top engine cleaner.Got to go to the dealership to buy them.
Rob has used that stuff.
Spray it on and it bubbles up,then scrub with a wire brush.Works good.
We have run into the plugged silencer tubes a few times and that is what we do with them.

[Dammit!]

I don't think carb solvent will work. The stuff is hard as a rock. Looks like it was run this way for a LONG time. Not familiar with sea foam or the Mopar stuff though.

You think oven cleaner would work? That's some pretty potent stuff. Anybody know if it will eat aluminum?

[Daddio]

FIRE! Get a propane torch if you don't already have one and put a little fire to it. then a wire brush should make it good again. If it is aluminum take care not to get it too hot but if it is steel, no problems.

[tecat-z]

Sandblast the inner core. It'll remove all of the rock hard carbon on the outside and in the perforated holes. This method does not work on oem type mufflers since they cannot be desmantled.

[Daddio]

Actually I just checked and aluminum melts at around 1200 degrees. That is pretty freaking hot. I would definitely go with fire.

[Dammit!]

I don't have a sandblaster but the propane method may work. I'll give it a shot.

[Dirtcrasher]

I'll second the vote on sandblasting....

But, if you can't - then I'd use propane which can never melt aluminum. Isn't the core steel anyhow??

[code200k]

engine degreaser?

[thefox]

I use oven cleaner when decarbonizing moped exhausts. I seal off one end; pour the cleaner in till the exhaust is mostly full then seal the other end. Then shake it up and let it sit for a while. It won't get everything but it helps a lot.

[gravelyman]

castrol super clean it is just like purple power. i soaked a head pipe in some of that stuff overnight and it cleaned every bit of carbon buildup out of it

[fabiodriven]

Diesel fuel. It's the same as good engine degreaser.

[leevarnado]

stick it in some gas,and let it soak over night.gas is the best cleaner around.

[Tri-Z Pilot]

I've always used the burn out method it works quite well. Get one of the wands you put on a propane tank if you dont have access to oxy-acetelene

[WIkid500]

Ms. Mosh said it get some sea foam and let it soak. Even better her advise on the GM top engine cleaner. The stuff comes in an aerosol can and WILL destroy carbon.

[oscarmayer]

stick it in some gas,and let it soak over night.gas is the best cleaner around.

just don't fart around it eh? :P

[Red Rider]

I saw on Mythbusters where they busted the myth that you can use a stick of dynamite to remove all the dried up concrete from the inside of a cement mixer truck. You probably don't want to try that method, but it's damn funny just thinking about it. :lol: