Berryman B 12 Chemtool

[Big Sky]

Anyone try this stuff? Fuel system cleaner.

My old pal has cancer and his wife called and asked me to help sell his bike, a 1998 Honda Shadow ACE. I knew some history - sparsely ridden (9,900 miles), probably not ridden at all in 2014. I had fears...

I trailered it home last night. It started and ran pretty well on full choke, but take the choke off and it didn't want to run at small, steady throttle openings - snap, crackle and pop, sputtering, almost dying. I feared: plugged pilot jet(s), carbs off, taken apart and cleaned - $$$. I thought I'd try a $5 fix before the $100s fix so at CarQuest the guy recommended this Berryman B 12 Chemtool. I dumped about a third of the can in and ran the bike awhile. It seems it began to idle smoothly, willingly and eventually the backfiring seemed to clear up. It actually now seems to be working as it should. And that seems too good to be true. I put the odds of a cleaner fix at about 100 to 1 but ...

Just wondering what anyone else knows about this stuff. Any experience? Of course, I am in no way affiliated with this product.

 

[roger dodger]

I know it's STRONG... don't spill on the paint or you might not keep the paint!

I rank Stabil as weak, Seafoam as mild, Ringfree as medium, and B-12 as strong for the OTC gas additives.

 

[RossKean]

Chances are that a carb/fuel system enema with the cleaner followed by a couple tanks of fresh fuel is all it needs. The residual gas in the tank was probably pretty grotty.

 

[Abercrombie FJR]

I have used it successfully in the past and always have a can on hand. It is my go to weapon if Seafoam won't clear the problem up.

 

[Steve in Phx]

I've used it many many times over the years. Works great. So does Seafoam.

I always keep some on the shelf.

 

[Big Sky]

Thanks for the replies. After work I started the bike again and it still exhibits the symptoms, though to a lesser degree. It seems once it is thoroughly warm - actually hot to where the fan came on - it runs close to normal. That it runs well with the choke on seems to indicates this is a fueling issue, though I may change plugs. I'm hoping some continued running and soaking will help. Unfortunately ice is everywhere so no chance to go runs several tanks of gas through it, which I would if I could. The gas in the tank didn't seem real smelly but I diluted it with some fresh. We'll keep after it as I don't want to try to sell a bike with a problem. I have time as I surely won't be able to move this until March at best, probably April.

 

[BigOgre]

The gas in the tank didn't seem real smelly but I diluted it with some fresh.

Maybe a little bit more work but would it serve better to drain out what's in there and fill with fresh? Dump what you take out into your everyday cage if you want then.

 

[Geezer]

The gas in the tank didn't seem real smelly but I diluted it with some fresh.

Maybe a little bit more work but would it serve better to drain out what's in there and fill with fresh? Dump what you take out into your everyday cage if you want then.

Yes. Drain the old gas, and if it is still in reasonable condition use it in a vehicle that has fuel injection. Fuel injected vehicles seem to be a lot more tolerant of old fuel than carbureted ones.

 

[dcarver]

send the old gas to me. my 460 cu inch ford cares not...

 

[HotRodZilla]

Running well on the choke and bad with the choke off is telling you the smaller needle is plugged. Don't waste time and money on plugs. Just take the carb apart and clean it.

 

[Pterodactyl]

Ride it up here Cole. We'll put on the lift and talk about how the ride fixed the problem.

 

[Big Sky]

Thanks, Ptero. Methinks I-15 will have ice and frost in the shaded canyon corners. Alas, it goes into the shop Tuesday for carbs-off sonic cleaning. A couple of other problems: crankcase is grossly overfilled, oil seems thin and smells of gasoline. This old girl has a fuel petcock which I'd guess was always left in the "on" position. Can't get a socket and ratchet on the drain plug (WTF Honda!?). Also, the chain was WAY over-tight so I'm hoping the sprockets and chain haven't been ruined. Despite the problems and $$$, I'd do it again in a heartbeat. It's a small thing relative to what the family is facing. By the way, Ptero, this bike belongs to Bob Koch who operates (operated) Koch Landscaping in your town. My old hunting pal. He's incredibly bummed that this year, for the first time ever, he drew a cow elk tag. We also share a common love of blues/roots music. He's in a very bad way, now in the hospital, twice-a-day(!) radiation and weekly chemo blasts. ****...

 

[RossKean]

Sounds like a sticky float valve has contributed to the running issue. Proper cleaning is the right way to start.