omidius
Registered User
Posts: 7
(5/7/03 9:34 am)
Cleaning Carbs - General FAQ?
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Hey guys, well I've finally found a shop that carries plugs and an air element for my bike, both of which I have in my hand at the moment.
A little background: The first beautiful day of Spring, amazingly I got the bike running after 3 months of no start. Rode it around for 3 hrs (in the neighborhood) and put it in the drive. Ate dinner, came back out to start it and nothing, wouldn't fire. BAH. Hasn't fired since and the beautiful days of Spring are now turning into Summer and I need to get it started!!!
But before I put on the plugs and air element, I'd like to have a hand at cleaning my carbs, which also could be a likely cause. Is there a general FAQ or list of things to do when cleaning carbs? Should I completely disassemble it? What solvent should I use? etc... Anyone with experience please help, it'll get my bike running... (and since my car is down as well, it'll get me a mode of transport!)
Thanks!
repipi
Registered User
Posts: 17
(5/7/03 10:53 am)
Re: Cleaning Carbs - General FAQ?
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when i cleaned mine i disasembleld the all thing ( well bottom and upper part) i bought carb cleaner at my canadian tire (u dont have these in usa )
CAREFULL !!! the carb cleaner i used killed all of my gaskets, diaphragm etc etc !!!! remove all rubber before shooting anything
it costed my 200-250 to replaces those parts at the dealer !! (damn dealer) !!
anyway carbs look like new now. and i sould receive the rubbers today or tomorow !! hope mine starts also !!
Renaud
thanks for the manual omid !( by the way !)
Robot225
Registered User
Posts: 16
(5/7/03 12:25 pm)
Re: Cleaning Carbs - General FAQ?
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It's true that carb cleaner can eat up your rubber parts. so it would be a good idea to try to keep as much cleaner off o-rings/diaphragm etc as much as possible but getting some on them is inevitable. Assuming you get it running then the gas will wash away any cleaner.
When I clean mine I usually remove the bowl and remove the main jet and pilot jet (under the rubber plug) and spreay cleaner through them. Also I spray through the holes they came out of and the two jets in the air intake. When you take the top apart just be careful and remember how all the washers and stuff was in there before (can be confusingeven with a manual sometimes).
As far as cleaners I really like some stuff called "Engine tuner" that you get from Mercury or OMC/Johnson outboard motor shops. It foams and really gets stuff clean. It's possible that this stuff would clean the carbs out even without taking them apart (drain the gas out of the bowls and spray the stuff into the fuel line and over-flow line, let it sit for an hour or so and give it a start.) If you have really nasty clogs, B-12 has a lot harder stream/pressure, but it's more harsh and you want to keep as much of this off o-rings as possible.
Cody
omidius
Registered User
Posts: 10
(5/7/03 5:46 pm)
Re: Cleaning Carbs - General FAQ?
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Hey what about if the screws on bottom of each carb is seized? I cant seem to unscrew them and have almost stripped one already...
Red01SuziB12S
Hall Monitor
Posts: 1927
(5/7/03 7:29 pm)
unscrewed
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If you are talking about the 4 screws on the bottom of each carb (the ones holding the float bowl on), it's not uncommon for those to be a PIA, even on a new bike. You might try using an impact screwdiver (the kind you hit w/hammer). It'll mean the carbs will likely have to come off the bike - if they aren't already - to give you enough room to use these tools. Replace the phillips screws with stainless steel allen head screws instead and the next time they won't be as difficult to unscrew.
Paul W
WWBOC #684
Camano Is. WA, USA
omidius
Registered User
Posts: 11
(5/8/03 12:22 am)
Re: unscrewed
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good tips, yea they are the ones that hold the float bowl cover on at the bottom of the carb. I did remove the whole thing, and half assed an attempt to remove them to clean. Unfortunately I've pretty much stripped one for sure and a couple are also almost done. I'll be trying my hand at that impact screwdriver trick or drilling it out if need be.
Also another question, at the top of the carb when you open it up, there are these grey bowls (called the diaphram in the manual) made of rubbery material that when the plenum opens, they pop up. Well one of them on the second carb has a tiny little puncture and also does not seat properly in the rim. Is this detrimental? Should I repair the puncture (with a rubber adhesive) or replace it.
Red01SuziB12S
Hall Monitor
Posts: 1929
(5/8/03 9:05 am)
Carb Diaphragm
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The diaphragms lift the slides by engine vacuum to prevent them from opening too fast and bogging the motor out. The puncture would be detrimental to the slide's operation since it would be a vacuum leak. You could seal the hole, but I would do this as a temporary fix while waiting for a new one. The seal could impair the flexibilty and smooth operation of the diaphragm, so a new one would be the best fix.
Paul W
WWBOC #684
Camano Is. WA, USA
Topic: Carb Cleaning FAQ (Read 12077 times)