Cleaning carbs

I have never had to replace a float bowl O ring. Even when the float bowls were just held on with a spring clip. Were your float bowls leaking?

 

damn it boy why was is sitting up for 6 years?? hell just for the 3-4 months of winter i drain gas and add stabil to about half gallon and start bike once a month...........................................

 

No leakes but I don't want to take a chance it's 23 years old and was in storage over 20 years, for $30 it's not a bad investment. It runs fine but I want to remove the lo speed needle tabs and check float levels, clean the slides, jets etc.

 

awsome write up Tony

 

Thanks for the write up. Ill be doing this X3 when my "barn find" shipment arrives next week.

 

Some things do not get planned

The bike belongs to a friend of mine that was injured and the bike was not on the list of things to be concerned about until lately when he thought he may be able to ride again.:vtr2:

 

When you say it will leak, where does the gas leak from?

 

this is a little old ...but the gas leaks from the O rings that are on the plastic tubes in between the carbs.... Mine did it for about a minute then I let it sit while I was pissed off.. when I came back an hour later...no leaks...they swelled op and sealed..

 

Nice write up too... word of advice/experience DON"T beat on the carbs with a rubber mallet to get them to go on to the boots..you will break them.

 

Tubes

That has been my experience as well.......they will seal most times if just left to sit for a bit.:thumbsup:

 

ya definatley made that mistake before... oops, luckily i knew someone that had a parts bike and he sold me a new lower airfilter housing for cheap:thumbsup:

 

Good job, Toe cutter. Having done many sets of V4 carbs myself I have a few tips to add....

If you carefully heat the intake manifold boots with a heat gun 'til they're quite warm to touch, they become much more pliable and easy to work with. Also, silicone rubber lube is your friend...and that dull screwdriver you never use anymore makes a good shoehorn.

If you wanna rid yourself of those mixture screw tabs just heat briefly with a butane torch or soldering tool and they come right off, they're just loctited on. Don't melt the brass...they don't need to be THAT hot.

ALWAYS replace the float bowl gaskets if they've been in there more than a few years...epecially on V4's or 'angled' carbs The angle of the carbs means fuel sits directly over the mating surface. I've seen quite a few drip has out the bottem corner.

Regarding those fuel feed lines between the carbs...never use to have problems with them but the last few years I've seen a 'rash' of leakers. So...I've begun auto replacing the O-rings on my V4 cleans. It can be done without completely separating the carbs. If you unbolt the carbs from the air plenum and carefully 'pop' out the synch springs and forks, you can gain enough clearance to (careful now, that plastic is old and brittle) remove and reinstall the fuel feed lines without disturbing any other linkages or shafts.

Something I don't see mentioned often...but if you want your bike to start good, don't neglect the starter jets (usually fixed in the carb body) that feed fuel to the enrichener circuit. Make sure they're open.

While this has been an excellent 'how to' there's really alot more to this and the way carbs work than has been described. And those carbs weren't that dirty...they can be really, really nasty green and require much more extensive work than the ones pictured. Weird issues can and usually do come up that a 'do it yourselfer' will not be well prepared to deal with. You can do more damage than good and give yourself problems that didn't exist and will be hard for even an expert to find. So...if you think you're gettin' in too deep, please consider letting a trusted mechanic do the work for you.

 

instead of solevent, you can use white vinegar(not from grapes, you want the synthetic stuff) to soak the jets and tube. the acid in the vingear isnt strong enough to etch the brass but its just as effective and safer than carb clean. just remember to wash the parts before you put them back in the carb as it will eat the soft aluminum.

another chemical you can use to clean the bores and paths is regular break clean, its non corosive, doesnt leave a residue and if applied lightly it will not remove the speacial coatings on the carb.


things to note: old rubber dries out when heated with a heat gun, if the rubber is small enough just place in a pot of boiling water for a minute and you wont get cracks in the rubber seal. petrolium based lubes eat rubber and rubber products, true silicon gell can be used, but stay away from the greases. if you are not sure, just use a water based lube like the ones for in the bedroom.

and yes i know some have been using whatever for 20yrs and no problems, just add this to your know how and do as you always have.

 

Great thread, Toe Cutter & Co.

 

All good tips. Good tip with heat gun on boots. BUT better yet seeing they are that old and new ones are still available for around $10 each change them out. It will save you head aches down the road from minute sealing leaks. Plus it makes putting the carbs on a lot easier.

Honda Yamaha Suzuki Kawasaki Sea-Doo Can-Am Ski-Doo Motorcycle Parts ATV parts Scooter Parts personal watercraft parts Accessories

 

ANYONE who would rather trust carb work to a professional...........


<<<<<<<>>>>>>>

With over 30 years experience working on carbs from exotic sportscars, racecars to bikes, and having owned many VFRs/ Hawks ( and lots of other bikes mostly from the 80s and 90s) over the past 24 years, i feel i'm well qualified to offer carb cleaning and rebuild service to members here.

My service includes careful inspection, ultrasonic cleaning of jets, replacement of any parts found unservicable, blow-out with high pressure filtered air, setting float levels, remove mixture screw seals, precision assembly, bench tests to verify operation and visual synchronization. Jet kits can be installed also.

Much INexperienced carb cleaning needs to be done again....and again because it takes lots of experience to do the job right the first time.
It's likely that i have more carb experience than the slugs working at your local dealership and put more time and care into the operation.

I aim for less than 2 week turnaround time.


Put them in a box and ship. ( I'm willing to help you over the phone to remove and replace.)

If interested, PM me on this site or@ squirrelmanxxjerry@yahoo.com

or call 716 836-0154

 

That phone number is gonna be on every bathroom wall from here to Reg's! I'm just serious.

 

list of satisfied customers?

let me clarify my question here.... IF I am gonna spend money on shipping parts and having a service done, I am gonna do it only if I have heard anything from people that have used said service, no matter what it is. If you use squirreman good on you, he has been a staple here. let us know how his work is. Thats all I asked not busting anyones nuts about their workmanship....

 

Is it #8 on the list?

 

Interesting perspective but I don't agree with some of the assertions. The carb boots are exposed to heat and petroleum (mixture) on a regular basis just doing their job. I wouldn't favor any 'heavy' lube or grease for the job, but you're far less likely to damage them if they are pliable and a bit 'slippery'. I tend to think the main reasons for cracking and drying is exposure to sunlight.

I use both carb and brake cleaner in the course of my job...various brands. I've found brake cleaner to be a really noxious chemical, and very hard on plastic and soft parts, much more so than carb cleaner. Besides, it doesn't do nearly as good a job cleaning the kind of deposits left inside carbs as carb cleaner, and the cans don't have as much spray pressure. The only time I use brake cleaner is for cleaning brake rotors, pads and shoes.