Carb Air Screws broken off

[rockman]

I started putting a rebuild kit through my carbies last night. It would run with a bit of throttle but idling was erratic at best. What I found was is that some po had overtightened the air screws, jammed the tips in the hole and broken the tips off in 3 of the 4 carbies. The tips are still in the holes.

So any suggestions as to how to get the tips out. They go through to a tiny hole in the carby throat. I tried pushing a thin wire through this to push the tips out but that didnt work. Open to suggestions..

I can get hold of a set of XJ900 carbs, which look like they would fit. Anybody fitted these?

Phil

[Shacknasty]

I have used a bolt with an acorn nut screwed on to it. The bolt with the nut fully seated should be just tall enough to fit in the carb throat. By unscrewing the nut the needle will be forced upwards. Good luck.

[lee_dutcher]

ppl had luck with with a thumtack and so kind of lever to force that thumtack down into the hole.... or even a mechanic pick (90 degree) can work to. just got to find somthin to wedge in there to use as a fulcrum

[jeffro1954]

Here's a thread that shows a photo of one type of removal tool that worked to remove the tip.

http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread.php?t=31670&highlight=carb+needle

[fredintoon]

So any suggestions as to how to get the tips out. They go through to a tiny hole in the carby throat. I tried pushing a thin wire through this to push the tips out but that didnt work. Open to suggestions.. Phil

Hi Phil,
as a last resort before buying those XJ900 carbs, drill the bastards out.
Use a drill press, block up the carb body dead square and centre the drill bit real careful.
An 0.039" (1mm) drill bit is perfect. My drill chuck won't grip a drill that small so I used a 1/16". Works OK, just don't screw the needle out as far.

[XSive_speed]

You can also try dropping the carb in the freezer for a few hours. With a little luck, the metal will contract and you can then push out the carb screw tips.

[natemoen]

There is almost no reason why the needles should have to be drilled out, since the new method of pressing them put from the inside has been thought of. I highly doubt there would be a needle stuck so bad that it wouldn't come out with that.

[fredintoon]

There is almost no reason why the needles should have to be drilled out, since the new method of pressing them put from the inside has been thought of. I highly doubt there would be a needle stuck so bad that it wouldn't come out with that.

Hi Nate,
every time I suggest drilling the needle stubs out I first say "If all else fails" or "If nothing else works." or "As a last resort."
Because sometimes sh*t happens.

[natemoen]

That is true sh*t happens and there are those moments.

[rockman]

Tried the pusher bolt method, tried cooling them, tried warming them up, tried prising them, tried everthing else I could think of. No go. So I drilled them out. ~1/16 drill. I'll fit them to the bike on the weekend and see if I've done good, or not..
Phil

[bikerphil]

I've drilled those tips out in the past and wasn't that careful doing it. Long story short, I had to clip down the springs on the idle mixture screws so the screws would go down a bit further to compensate for the larger hole. The carbs work fine, they are just a bit more finicky to tune like this. Good luck.