Need help with Gilmour foam gun

J

john1r

New member
Hi. I purchase a Gilmour 75QGFMR and can't quite figure out which setting to use. I apologize if I'm not supposed to link to another forum, but they have a good picture of the ratio setting piece (A closer look at the Gilmour Foam Gun.... - Car Care Forums: Meguiar's Online), it's about the 5th picture down.



I can't tell from the instructions which end of the adjuster I'm looking at in relation to the picture you see above. In other words, is the knob that's on the left in the picture above, really the left side? And is the smooth metal piece that comes up out of the adjuster (on the right in the picture above) really the right side (as compared to the inx. manual)? When actually holding the gun in the proper position to foam the car, the picture above would really be reversed.



In addition, the link above mentions that the knob on the left turns, possibly to allow for further adjustment. Anyone know exactly what that does?



I'm looking for the notch for a 4:1 ratio.



Thanks!
 
john1r- I can't really help with regard to which setting is which ratio as I've simply never concerned myself with it. Bet that sounds odd! Here's how I use it:



I take a gallon container and mix up a gallon of concentrate at a mix of ~6 ounces shampoo/remainder water. I fill the foamgun with that and usually use the three strongest settings on the mixing bar. Strongest for really filthy stuff (infrequently used); next-to-strongest for most purposes; weaker settings for surfaces that aren't too dirty and/or with fresh, dirt-shedding LSps.



The piece that sticks up (on your left side when using) is on the *weaker* end; the knurled screw-in retaining piece (on your right side when using) is on the stronger end.
 
john1r- Did my response make sufficient sense? I was thinking later that I coulda expressed myself better :think:



If you unscrew the knurled endpiece on the mixing bar, you can easily pull it out of the housing- grip the end with the smooth thing sticking up and just pull, you're only overcoming what is, IIRC, a small ball bearing that presses against the bar. With the bar out of the housing, take a look at it and you'll see how the holes in it vary from tiny to pretty large, corresponding to the various dilution strengths. You'll also see how small all the holes are; pays to clean them out now and then so they don't clog up.



To put it back in, just shove it in opposite of how you pulled it out, overcoming the resistance from that ball bearing (or whatever it is). Don't worry, you won't break it. I pull mine apart often and I've never had any problems, so I really mean that "don't worry" bit ;)



Oh, BTW, that knurled endpiece tends to come unscrewed and fall out. No biggie, things work fine without it, but to prevent that you might want to loktite it (I use a tiny dab of loktite blue).
 
Thanks again Accumulator. Yes, it did make sense. Thank you though for further clarifying about the settings knob etc. And actually, looking back at your #'s, I am now confused. When I saw you said 6 oz I figured that was close to the 8 oz I used in my Gilmour. However, I used 8 oz optimum car wash and 24 ounces of water (a 3:1 ratio, which is what I was told to use by Optimum). My Gilmour is 1 Quart, so 32 total ounces (or 1/4 gallon).



But you said that you use 6 oz of car wash + 122 ounces of water (128 total ounces which equals 1 gallon). Am I reading what you wrote correctly? If so, that's a vastly different ratio than what I was told.



Also, on a related note, how do you mix the optimum car wash (which I found to be VERY thick) with the water? Does it eventually dissolve if left for a bit? Do I just swirl it by hand, shake it, etc..?



Thanks again!
 
john1r said:
And actually, looking back at your #'s, I am now confused. When I saw you said 6 oz I figured that was close to the 8 oz I used in my Gilmour. However, I used 8 oz optimum car wash and 24 ounces of water (a 3:1 ratio, which is what I was told to use by Optimum). My Gilmour is 1 Quart, so 32 total ounces (or 1/4 gallon).



But you said that you use 6 oz of car wash + 122 ounces of water (128 total ounces which equals 1 gallon). Am I reading what you wrote correctly? If so, that's a vastly different ratio than what I was told...
Click to expand...



Thoughts: Maybe Optimum is different from the Griot's that I use (nah...wouldn't be *that* different). OR maybe you want a much "thicker foamy coating" mix whereas I like a thinner one for the way I wash.



I guess you'll just have to experiment. But there's no way I've used 6oz shampoo/24oz water in my foamguns!



If I were standing there in person, with you looking at me skeptically, then I'd probably say to double my recommendation and play with the various mixing settings. If you added more than that I'd be shaking my head and/or wondering just how different our wash methods might be (not that there's anything wrong with that).



I actually used a much *weaker* mix for a long time!



I don't mind using a strong shampoo mix on my FK1000P, but I think the mix Optimum suggested is stronger than I'd ever use. I go through shampoo fast enough as it is (a gallon of mix goes fast the way I wash, I'll use more than that when washing a big vehicle).



To be honest, I've found that it's really just not all that critical how you mix up the shampoo. Is it strong enough to get things clean without stripping the LSP really fast? Then all is well. And the actual method of washing is very significant when it comes to how potent a mix you need.



Also, on a related note, how do you mix the optimum car wash (which I found to be VERY thick) with the water? Does it eventually dissolve if left for a bit? Do I just swirl it by hand, shake it, etc..?
Click to expand...



Heh heh, well...the thickness isn't as much of an issue when you dilute it as much as I do ;) But yeah, there are better/worse ways to do it.



I put maybe a quart of water in the gallon jug, add the shampoo, add water until it starts foaming up so much that I need to stop adding that water. I let it sit until the suds go down and maybe give it a few gentle shakes if I think it's needed. Then after the suds die down again I add the rest of the water. Noting that I've never used the Optimum, I've never had any problems with the diluted mix separating or anything like that.



I bet you'll find that working with a gallon jug is a whole lot easier than it was with the foamgun's container.
 
Thanks again for the information. I'll definitely use less next time, and try filling the bottle as you've suggested. Trial and error I suppose...
 
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