Carb boots....easy to swap out?

[DJinNH]

On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd say my mechanical skills are about a 3. Should I attempt to swap out my carb boots or let a REAL mechanic do it?

So far, I've swapped out the front end; headlamp, tins for speedometer/tach and cables for same, on/off switch with starter button, rear shocks, clutch lever and cable.

Since I seemed to have been able to do those right....we'll see if parts fall off on my first ride.....I was thinking about diving in on the carb boots.

I will certainly be letting a mechanic do my carb rebuild kits. Maybe I should just let him do the carb boots then.

I've been told that it should be easy enough for me to swap out the brake pads with new ones. Man...it will really stink if I end up having no brakes on that first ride!!!

Any thoughts?

Don

[John]

If you are capable enough to do what has already been done, then the boots will be easy. Remove the carbs, and then with a 5mm allen wrench, remove the boots. That's it.
If you are just going to swap out the brake pads, then there is no reason for the brakes to fail. You're not opening the system or anything. Just make sure you compress the caliper piston before puttin the new pads on, or the caliper will not fit over the rotor.

[psycoreefer]

I say go for it, the carb boots shouldn't be to hard if you don't intend to take the carbs themselves apart. I've had my carbs off twice now and I'm getting pretty good at it.

I'll tell you how I do it: Remove the seat and tank, and the lower part of air cleaner asembly. Next loosen all the clamps that hold the boots to the carbs on both the air box side and on the engine side, and slide the clamps back on the boots as far away from the carbs as you can. Then take the three screws that hold the air cleaner to the frame out, one on top and one on each side. After that you should be able to wiggle the carbs loose and slide the air box back far enough to let the carbs come out. When the carbs are loose and maybe half way out I reach in and remove the throttle cable, and whatever vacume/breather hoses you might have. It also helps if you take the crank breather hose loose off the air box so the carbs don't hang up on it when you pull them out. when your putting it back together don't forget to put the throttle cable back on before you put the carbs all the way back in, its a pain to get it hooked after they are in place.

[prometheus578]

"New Boots and Panties."

(Always liked Ian Dury)


I think you're competent enough to do the work yourself.
Figure about three hours labor at what, maybe $85 per hour?
You can have the carbs off in 15 minutes.
Unscrew 8 screws and you'll have the boots in your hand.
As for doing the carbs... as a first-timer... might as well get a pot of coffee brewin'.
Having troubles... hey, then take it to the mechanic.
Not to rub it in, but...
WildKat does her own carbs.
CarolynS just did hers, too. (Uhmm.. she's plannin' to pull the head off, too)

I think you can handle it.
When done, ride it to the shop and he'll probably charge you a half an hour to synch them for you.


(Hey, you two... I was still typing!)

[DJinNH]

You guys are great! Thanks for the help and quick response.

Don

[Flatlander]

"I will certainly be letting a mechanic do my carb rebuild kits. Maybe I should just let him do the carb boots then."

U kan duu it.

If you don't feel comfortable doing the rebuild. At least you won't be paying to disassemble and reassemble. That's the fun part.
You'll find that out soon enough.

[egsols]

If you don't have any first hand knowledge of a good mechanic in the area that still knows carbs you're better off doing it yourself. There seems to be less and less mechanics out there that can still work on carbs and set them up right.

If you plan on keeping the bike for any period of time the effort you invest in doing your own carbs will pay off in the long run. I think I can be supported by the other members on the forum when I say don't expect to only have to take the carbs off the bike once. They are intended to be removed on a regular basis!

[dbeardslee]

Flat - If you can turn a screw-driver and read the fiche, you can rebuild those carbs. Just don't take them off the tree (you don't need to anyway to clean 'em good). It's not like rebuilding automobile carburetors where you pull the top off and springs go flying everywhere. It's more like rebuilding a lawn-mower carb. Take your time, don't force things, and if you have any questions check the tech tips or put 'em in a post. There's nothing like taking one of these old beasts and putting it back together. When you stand back and look at it afterward you'll get a much different feeling if you did the work yourself, than if you paid it done. Not to mention, it's good to know your way around your bike, 'cause you never know what you might have to fix when your out in the middle of nowhere.

The one thing you will need after they're back on is a synch gauge of one kind or another. You get vacuum gauges real cheap (I think Northern Tool has them for about $6 apiece), and damping the lines is easy. Synching isn't done by magic either. It's incredible simple.

[XSEL]

If you did all the other stuff, the carb boots should be no problem. The biggest pain was getting the air box out. You might as well clean the carbs yourself also. That way you have a better understanding as to how they work. If they haven't sat for awhile, should not be too hard to clean them. The set I just did sat for 6 yrs with all the gas dried up, they were a pain!

[fredintoon]

custom grind the screwdrivers

Hi Don,
this has been said before on this site but it bears repeating.
When pulling all the jets out of the carbs be careful of wrecking their screwdriver slots. The jets are made from really soft brass and the slots can get wrecked real easy. What I did was buy a set of real cheap screwdrivers and grind the ends so there's one that's an EXACT fit in each of the jets. A too-small blade will wreck them for sure.

[John]

If all of the gas is drained, and the fumes have dissipated, you can heat the area around the jets with a propane torch. It will not get hot enough to melt anything.

[TADracer]

One thing I have noticed throughout life is that most things that seem too complicated to take apart and reassemble are not that complicated once you are into it. Most things only go back together one way. So I say go for it.

One other thing to add when working with carbs, they are fragile....aluminum and brass. Once you have them apart, dont reassemble them so tight you cant get it apart next time. Brass jets, fuel valve seats, etc. only need to be snug. Take care removing the float needle so you dont break one of the ears on the float mount. When reinstalling the float, just push the pins in with your finger. Once the bowl is installed the pin is captive so next time you disassemble, removing the pins will be easy.

[DJinNH]

Well, I dove in on it yesterday. Funny how it's not all that hard to get everything out to replace them. It was putting everything back that had me frustrated.

My apology to any of you in New England and maybe the Eastern parts of Canada who may have heard me swearing.

Lining up all four carbs, then again with the airbox boots.

That airbox was actually the biggest pain in the ...........

Thanks for the tips guys. Oh, I didn't bother with trying to rebuild the carbs. I may later...I know, I will have to remove the airbox again...but I was on limited time and plenty sore with my leg injuries.

Don

[DJinNH]

Explaining the "limited time" thing.

I keep my bikes at my friend's house over in Maine since he has a large shed. It take me about 45 minutes to drive there from my home.

I don't want to leave any parts laying around for his wife and kids to have to deal with so when I start a project, I like to complete it that day and roll the bike back into his shed.

He owns a sweet looking XS1100SH, candy red.

Don