It has a galvanized finish I’d hate to ruin that, if it rusted I’d be in the same boat again. I ended up getting a skunk call right around dinner time from a landowner that had skunks under his sale barn and his bull sale is tomorrow so he was in a panic. He wanted me to set some traps tonight me I’d trap them after the sale but it was his call. LOL

Anyways after I got home I put the air tube in a plastic ice cream container and covered it with straight gas I will drive that container around all day tomorrow and see if that splashes the crud off. That’s if the container does not melt tonight.

Some times not always depending on the material of each, I have found a real good freeze up in a good freezer tends to make materials separate easier, some pop off others crack and you can remove them easier.

Your not out nothing if you pop them in a freezer for a couple days and see what happens, at least you will not destroy the metal the stuff is stuck on !

Sat overnight in gas helped a whole lot the flat parts wipe clean easy I will give it another day in the pail in no hurry to smell like gas.

Looks like you're winning but wouldn't a blue pail work better than yellow?

Tried that the raccoons kept knocking it over!

I'd say that's pretty good progress. Does the screen look at good on the inside too...or didn't it make it through the screen at all?

Screens clear now another day in the pail I’ll blow the loose stuff off it will be good to go.

I'm guessing the outer foam is suppose to be dipped in oil, then your suppose to wring out the excess oil, before installing (oil bath type). Could be there was a chemical in the oil used last time ate the foam up. Try a regular oil, not synthetic, with the new filter. More than likely the back firing soak that filter with gas, and caused it to dissolve.
I had a mouse get into an airbox on a wheeler once, and the mouse urine did the same thing, except just on the top of the filter where it could stand while urinating on it.

Augh.. Rally it was getting back at you for working over all his bigger cousins that mouse was.
sticky float valve or needle abrasion leaking gas and dissolving

When the plug went bad I could smell gas when it was cranking over so that might of pushed enough out the exhaust onto the filter.

#2 gas has higher content of toluene( I think) and this just nukes foam
or one of the esters C=C bonds so the Chlorine used in making foam soaks it up, and poof

Throw that in the trash and buy a new one

My time is worth more than what the replacement costs

Guess if you don't have a to do list backed up for weeks then keep messing with it. If that is the case get a small propane torch and burn that crap off, then soak it in something

I’m not watching it soak for 2 days! LOL

2 days in the gas bath and blew it out with air it came out like new.