Cleaning a flame arrestor.

[CaptainHatty]

So, after reading this forum I decided to take the flame arrestor off this year while I was fogging the engine for winter. One of the arguments in a post I found was regarding gumming up the flame arrestor with the fogging spray. Well, now I have the arrestor off I need to clean it of the mess I've made from the other times I've winterized without removing it. I'm weary of damaging the blades in the screen. Any suggestions for the best way to clean this thing up? Soak it in _____?

[ILikeRust]

There are various solvents that will work.

Some advocate using gasoline, but I don't - gasoline actually is toxic and highly flammable. No need to use something quite so dangerous to work with.

Trying to recall what I used, but I think I used a brush cleaner solvent from Lowe's. Yes, it's still volatile and flammable, but not as hazardous as gasoline.

[toddster]

I cleaned mine last winter when I was trying to figure out what turned out to be an un-related problem. I used what was at hand, which turned out to be a spray-can of carburetor cleaner. I put the arrestor on a piece of cardboard and sprayed it down. Flipped it over and repeated a couple of times. Got an amazing amount of gunk out of it. Hey, you can actually see daylight through it!

(Old enough to remember being taught to wash hands in gasoline in school shop class. Even in college freshman chemistry they had us washing with benzene or toluene! A couple of years later it switched to "suit-up and wear a gas mask!")

[Loki9]

Hot soapy water.

[hanleyclifford]

I soak mine in gasoline or kerosene and then blast it all out with an air compressor.

[marthur]

For non-toxic cleaning of greasy parts try a strong solution of pine-sol. I have used it on lots of outboard and motor parts.

[Ball Racing]

Brake cleaner or carb cleaner, either will just evaporate away leaving no residue.

[Al Schober]

I usually clean mine with carb cleaner then blow them out with compressed air. Another product I've been using lately is the Zep Industrial Purple Cleaner & DeGreaser - but be careful using this on aluminum as it attacks the metal.

[sastanley]

I am another brake clean/compressed air guy here!

Although the "brake clean" products these days aren't what they used to be.