Carb questions. 79' xs 1100 special

[skyhead]

So I just tore into the carbs tonight on my 1100. I was getting a bad leak when the bike sat and just recently, fuel was leaking back into the airbox and dripping off the bottom of a couple of the carbs. It did it while I was riding so parked it and tore the carbs off to rebuild. I was just going to soak them and clean everything.

Every Idle-mixture screw tip is broken off and stuck. I found a thread on how to remove the broken tip, but do I also need to buy new idle screws? I didnt plan to buy rebuild kits but its looking like I may have to.

I also ran across a few threads mentioning how important float adjustment is. This sounds a bit over my head, do I need to take the carbs into my local shop and have the floats adjusted?

I just got this bike a few days ago and I'm not sure how well it was maintained.

[skyhead]

one more question...

The header pips is a 4 into one design. It is obvious the bike has been bottomed out and the very bottom pipe is pinched pretty thin. Is this a serious issue? The bike seemed to run fine. But I have also never rode a tip top running xs 1100.

[DGXSER]

I was just going to soak them and clean everything.

Do not soak the butterfly seals in cleaner, it will ruin them and they are an extreme PITA to remove and replace!! All metal/brass is fine to soak though.

Every Idle-mixture screw tip is broken off and stuck. I found a thread on how to remove the broken tip, but do I also need to buy new idle screws? I didnt plan to buy rebuild kits but its looking like I may have to.

Based upon your description of the fuel leaking, you need new float valves and seats. I would also get new mixture screws to go with them. Also, there is a method of freezing the carb to get the tip out as well.

I also ran across a few threads mentioning how important float adjustment is. This sounds a bit over my head, do I need to take the carbs into my local shop and have the floats adjusted?

It is not difficult. Simply take an old credit card and cut opposing corners out to the depth of the limits of the float height making a go-no go gage (got this tip from a fellow member, very good tip). If the height needs adjusting, simply bend the tab that operates the valve a bit to make the adjustment.

The header pips is a 4 into one design. It is obvious the bike has been bottomed out and the very bottom pipe is pinched pretty thin. Is this a serious issue? The bike seemed to run fine. But I have also never rode a tip top running xs 1100.

I'd see how the cylinder on that pipe runs and adjust from there.

HTH

[skyhead]

Do not soak the butterfly seals in cleaner, it will ruin them and they are an extreme PITA to remove and replace!! All metal/brass is fine to soak though.

goodness! Just went outside and took the remaining 2 carbs out of the solution.. Hope the other two are okay. they soaked for about 30 minutes a piece.


This is the rebuild kit I was looking at... $70 for 4 kits, does it seem to have everything I will need to fix the leakage problem, and a good fresh overhaul?



You will have to get in more detail with me on the credit card technique. I have a hard time picturing things unless I see a step by step picture guide or very detailed instruction lol!!

[DiverRay]

If the kit is from Georgefix on ebay, and he said it's for a '79 Special, it's the correct kit. The jets will be for a stock bike, and yours should be one size larger, or a 140 main jet. If you send him a note, he will set up a correct kit IF you think you need it. Most of the time, all you really need is the needle and seat, bowel gasket, and mixture screws.
For the credit card, just think about cutting it into an "L" shape. The long leg of the "L" is 1.1", and the short leg is 3/8". The bottom of the long leg should only be about 1/16" wide, but that is ONLY at the very bottom. it can have the 1/16" with a notch 1/16" wide, and then the rest of the leg, about 1/4" wide up from there. It is like putting a notch into a board to go around a corner. Hope That Helps....HTH.....

[foreda]

Carb Seals

If you need butterly seals, you can get them from Mikes XS. It is a PITA, but it's not really hard to do.

[fredintoon]

If you need butterfly seals, you can get them from Mikes XS. It is a PITA, but it's not really hard to do.

Hi Skyhead & welcome,
before I read the list's advisement against soaking carbs with the butterfly seals in place I'd already soaked mine for a 2 hour bath and gotten away with it. With only a 1/2-hour soak yours are most likely still OK.
If you do decide to replace your butterfly seals you will also need to get replacement butterfly retaining screws.
The screws have their tails peened over to stop them vibrating out and getting sucked into the engine so you will need to carefully drill or Dremel the tails off the old screws to get them out and to really carefully peen over the new screws on assembly.
BTW, the XS650 carb butterflys & screws from MikesXS are identical to the XS11 ones (as are many of his XS650 parts) but don't say you need them for any bike other than an XS650. The catalog plainly states that his parts are only for XS650s. I think it's a liability issue.

[skyhead]

I'm still having trouble trying to picture the float guage. I have made a make shift diagram on paint. Tell me if this looks correct?

And after I get that made. What measurement do I use? Where should the floats be set at?

[skyhead]

bumpety bump bump bump

[xs11bobber]

I interpret it more like this...

It is like putting a notch into a board to go around a corner.

Look at that... Building 2 houses, an addition, and having my own drywall business for a year came in handy.

[DGXSER]

I took an old credit card, or hotel room key I forgot to turn back in and cut notches in the opposite corners to so that the one side was the maximum height per specs and the other was the minimum height per specs. A go-no go gage. Either Geezer or Skids gave me the suggestion and it worked perfectly.

[Lloydo]

One thing to watch is the float tabs, they can become "dimpled" by the float pins. Even with new pins, they can hang up in those dimples, causing a fuel overflow. Just a very light sanding to smooth them out.