Best Carburetor Cleaners: Remove Dirt and Improve Engine Performance

This is one of the easiest buying guides for us. Keeping carburetors in shape is second nature for us. Over the years, we've restored, driven, modified, and done basically everything one could with carbureted vehicles. Therefore, we can draw from personal experience and research-backed expertise to build a list of suggestions for you. What you see below are all items we've used and strongly recommend to anyone getting involved with classic cars. 

We chose the WD-40 Specialist Fast-Acting Carb/Throttle Body & Parts Cleaner as our top pick for best carburetor cleaner because of the fast-acting formula that cuts down on carbon contaminants quickly so you can get back on the road.

 The CRC Carb & Choke Cleaner is another great alternative if you’re working on a budget.

Carburetor cleaners generally come in the form of a spray can. This delivery method is excellent for blasting out small, relatively loose deposits in the many hard-to-reach places inside a carburetor. Just be mindful of what you're doing when using these types of cleaners, as they will almost certainly be redirected from the carburetor directly into your eyes. 

Sometimes, a carburetor needs more than a simple cleaning. After months of sitting and years of neglect, all kinds of heavy deposits will form inside the carburetor. At this point, a long soak in something that can cut through the gunk is in order. That's where chemical dips come in. These systems often come with a basket inside the cleaner itself for you to drop parts into, and they vary in size. A single gallon is enough for the average enthusiast, but a larger 5-gallon bucket is far better for folks who frequently restore carburetors.   

The price you pay is highly dependent on the specifics of the carburetor cleaner you buy. Spray cans generally range from $5-$10 per bottle, with the brand having the most significant influence on pricing. Chemical dips land somewhere around $40-$50 for a single gallon, with 5-gallon buckets landing around $200-$300. 

You have questions. The Drive has answers.

It depends on the carburetor. You will want to research your exact setup to see if this process is feasible. However, it's almost always easier to simply remove it and clean it on an open benchtop. 

Generally speaking, you should clean your carburetor every time you change your oil. For most vehicles, that’s about every 3,000 miles. However, you may want to clean it more often if your car sits for long periods of time. If left alone, the contaminants sitting on the carburetor could potentially damage the metal and cause even more problems.  

Dirty carburetors are often the cause of rough idle, decreased horsepower, and any other symptoms relating to an engine that isn’t running as it should. There are a few key components that allow an engine to perform well. These include the correct air-fuel ratio, spark, and timing. Dirty carburetors affect the air-fuel ratio and can cause a number of issues to occur if left unchecked.

Motorcycles, lawn mowers, and even airplanes have carburetors. Many small engines have carburetors because it's easier to control the flow of fuel than it is with a fuel injection system.