GUNK to clean a carb?

I use white spirit, but only because it's there. An old toothbrush helps too.

You can use almost anything. Gunk, parrafin, petrol, even soap or detergent and water. As long as it is blown out, and dried before fitting, it makes little difference. It wont harm anything. Mike.

Best thing to clean carbs with is cheap cellulose thinners.

mrcheerful

If the carb was all aluminium alloy you could use virtually any solvent or detergent. My concern is that there are seals and diaphragms which are easily damaged by inappropriate solvents. The safest thing to use is white spirit or paraffin and perhaps the more dangerous would be thinners which can dissolve about anything! I'd rather not use petrol due to its high content of benzene. Even diesel would be safer.

I'd use petrol to actually clean it, then either pukka carb cleaner or cellulose thinners to remove the remaining 'varnish' stains.

Whateveryone else said... plus maybe also Carb spray/cleaner.

Oh, and a compressed air can.