Starter jet was gunky

Hey guys, when I got my 86 VFR750F back in October it needed a carb cleaning and a new battery and some swapped out stuff from the locked up 750 to get it running.

Well, got into the carbs and cleaned them out as best I can, one carb was pretty gunky in the pilot jet and the starter jet particularly- the manual said not to take this jet out so I didn't- I did the best I could by blowing some compressed air through it and cleaned out the other jests the best I could. Later ran some Seafoam in the tank to help out.

Problem is it is still a hard starter and takes a while to get it started- especially in this colder weather. Is the starter jet a press-in jet that I can pull out and clean and press back in with no damage to the jet/carb? Or should I just run Seafoam in the tank with gas until it clears this problem up? The setup is pretty much stock except for a K&N filter- would that lean it out to where I would want to up jet size?

Any help is appreciated,

Ryan

 

No tips at all? Nobody out there has had this problem?

 

I would try the seafoam route, worked for me... took 2 tanks but got progressively better with each 100 miles.

 

Sir Duke- don't have an answer to your question, just wanted to let you know this site is becoming more and more a 6th gen and forward site. Also, the most active and knowledgable posters are in California. I'm not sure whether carbs are allowed in California anymore. I have rebuilt a couple of old carbs on '70's Hondas. You need to get a manual/diagram (my '96 manual shows all jets as removable, but I've never had them off to see if they are 'covered') and also scour the web for tips about your specific problem. My projects have always taken weeks. If you suspect the filter- have you tried turning it over with the filter off, on, and back to stock? Most articles I've read on carb rebuild say that boring out the jets to remove hard varnish is a losing proposition. Replacement is the best option. They are not expensive.
Keep up the good work!

 

Have you recently been switched over to Ethanol gasoline blends (E10)? Ethanol is fantastic for cleaning out whatever gunk has built up inside the fuel tank over the years of using regular gasoline. It also can affect brass (what the jets are constructed from).

I don't have any info on removing the jet to clean it, but Seafoam shouldn't hurt anything. It may just need time to burn through whatever is in it if you can't get the jet out.

Carbs are not illegal in California... you can't retrofit a carburetor onto EFI, or change factory installed emissions stuff though...

 

" NO jet should be considered clean unless you can put a thin wire through it." ( I do know this might border on the heretical in some places, but.......)

Use a thin steel wire to probe the LONG starterjet tubes after squirting them with carb cleaner, but don't even think about trying to pull them out.....compressed air can help. It can take 15 minutes working that wire to clear a unusually congested choke tube.


If the tubes are open you'll be able to pass a thin wire about 1 1/2" in from the top (bottom), and carb cleaner or fuel should slowly drain out after tube is filled.

You might consider pulling out the mixture screws and spraying the holes with carb cleaner......if you have compressed air, blast away.

Reset screws to 2 1/2 turns out.

 

Sometimes it takes a while to get a response. There are a couple of 2nd gen gurus on her though, that usually respond sooner or later. Crustyrider, Squirleman and Toe Cutter come to mind. You could always PM them.

Your fine running stock with a K&N...........

 

Ok, I didn't want to try and pull the starter jets until I heard from someone with some experience with these carbs.
I wasn't sure if these were like the press in pilot jets on the 77-78 CB750's where you can pull them and press them back in.

When I said I cleaned the other jets I did run them through with the K&L wire cleaner.
If I remember right I think I ran the wire through the best I could especially in the gunked carb.

I run away from any blended ethanol, afraid of what it might possibly do to any rubber bits in the way.

Thanks for the responses guys, if I have more troubles after a few more Seafoam treatments when the weather gets warmer I'll know what to zero in on.

Thanks,

Ryan

 

If you pull out the choke plungers you can spray carb cleaner down to the top of the choke pick up tubes......

 

Thanks, when the weather gets warmer if it hasn't improved on starting after a few more Seafoam treatments I'll probably have to pull the carbs and clean again and change the insulators while I am at it.