Gummed up Carbs

[tokarz33]

So I picked up the new xs today and started working on it.

Carbs are all gummed up. Nothing moves. I started to dismantle them. As I attempted to remove one of the pins for the floaters, I broke the metal arm that holds the pin.

Should I continue to clean these or scratch the whole idea and buy a used set? What does a used set cost?

Andrew

[RUSH]

Ive heard of people who have jb welded them back on or soldering/brazing or aluminum welding. Last resort would be to buy a used carb body for your year and swap it out.

[MAXIMAN]

Tokarz33

Yeah I did same with Kong about two weeks ago. Great looking old bike. Great shape. CARBS GUMMED!

It's pretty common to break a float post when rebuilding carbs. Those float post look like pewter or sumpin'. Anyway I got epoxy called "Magnum Steel" It is totally gasoline prrof and works like play-doh. Just build up a new post over the broken one.

It adheres to steel. Then I drilled a new pin hole in the new post for the float pin. Worked great.

You'll probably have to sand the new post down once rebuilt so the float bowl will match back up to the carb correctly.

[fxrer]

I also broke a post several years ago, while trying to remove the float pin (I wish this forum had existed back then and I read how to avoid it - see below)
Like several others, I too used JB Weld to repair the broken post and it has held up fine for 5+ years. I took the carbs apart last season for cleaning, and the JB welded post was unaffected and still strong.

Trick is to match up the fissure lines exactly, make sure it is still perfectly vertical, clamp it solidly, and let the JB set for a day. Then you can sand, or dremel, the high spots on the post, so the repair doesn't interfere with the float bowl and needle operation.

But, the best thing is to avoid the problem altogether. There is a previous post in this forum (maintenance section) about the correct technique to remove the float pivot pin - ie, use side cutter pliers to carefully wedge the pin out of the post. Then, the posts don't break.

[tokarz33]

I was successfully able to remove the 3 other pins with my old man. Having two sets of hands helped out.

Its amazing how much goo there was and how nothing moves. Yesterday I had one of the carbs sit in a gallon of Berrymans for at least 15 hours over night. The good news is that most of the goo came off and I was able to move the floater and silder. Bad news is that I cooked the diaphram. It ate it right up.

I am thinking of replacing all the diaphram/sliders anyways to start fresh. The current ones have ripples. Not sure if it is suppose to be like that. I found a place that sells them for $64 a piece. Seems kinda high. Is that the right price?

Andrew

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Tokarz,

That's the right price, pretty good actually! Partsnmore sells them, not sure if that's where you found them? While you're at it, you'll want to order some new butterfly shaft seals cause you probably cooked/melted them as well. You are NOT supposed to soak the entire carb in cleaner. Reading the tech tips would have saved you this X$pensive repair!

You only soak the metal parts that you remove from the carb during disassembly, the float needle (if it's all metal vs. rubber tipped), the float, jets, float bowl bottom, etc.. There rest you attack with a tooth brush, some spray carb cleaner, some very fine wire and goggles, again, read the tech tips!!

Hopefully you've only soaked 1 carb so you won't have to suffer repairing the shaft seals on the other three? The diaphragms can have wrinkles in them but check for small pinhole tears! If you find any, you can repair them as well, again, found in the tech tips! NOT TAKING them off of the mounting bracket would have saved you lots of time in NOT having to re-presynch the carbs. Well, good luck with the rest of the cleanup!
T.C.

[tokarz33]

I guess you are the tough guy of the group....

Partsnmore has the diaphragms. The carbs were in pretty bad shape internally. Nothing would moved/slide. Prying with a large screw driver would not even work and is not the smartest thing to do.

I basically had no choice but to dip the carb. All jets and shafts,etc were stuck. After 15 hours of dipping, I was able to remove the slider and some jets but there are pieces I am unable to move still. So I will dip it some more.

My other 3 carbs I did not dip. Instead I heated the metal where the needle drops to. This worked without damaging the diaphragms or floats. My only problem now is....I cannot remove the jets/shafts/etc. So I am dipping again.

Right now I have one trashed out diaphragm and 3 that have ripples from age. Most likely I will replace all 4 anyways. And most likely 4 butterfly shaft things ruined.

As far as taking them off from the mounting bracket, I don't see what the big deal is. To properly clean them I would think that this is the best method. I will say it again....nothing moves. There is not enough room to place 4 carbs in one gallon of solution. Yeah, I guess if I had 5 gallons it would work. So what if you have to resynch them, that is not the end of the world.

I would rather take my time and rebuild these things correctly, instead of doing it twice because I was too lazy to throurghly clean them.

Andrew

[TopCatGr58]

Hey again Andrew,

I'm far from the "tough guy", a real softy actually!! I was just trying to save you the expense and trouble of tearing them down to the shaft seals. Yeah, the pilot jets can be a real pain. The main jets should be easier since they have a larger open slotted screw head. Some penetrating oil and a little heat like you tried might have gone a ways towards being able to remove the sliders and other stuck parts. You're right, cleaning them right is important, but that was mainly for the pilot passages, and they can usually be penetrated with carb spray and a thin flexible wire. Glad you have the know how and equipment to synchronize them, again was just stating techniques that others have used to save them some trouble. And was just pointing out the availability of very good repair/maintainance info that is in our tech tips....many folks come here and don't bother to peruse them, they just jump in with questions, many of which have been answered in the tech tips, as well as in the forum... searching is another wonderful tool. So.... didn't mean to come across as being "mean", just trying to be informative!
T.C.

[prometheus578]

Yeah, like Topcat said... Not everyone has the experience nor feels the need to shell out bucks for carb synch equipment. I use the digital one at work. (I have a set of mercury sticks out in the garage for synching carbs at home. Though I do live in fear of knocking it offa the wall and having to call the Fire Dept Hazo Team to come out and decontaminated my garage)

Hhmm.. might not be a bad idea... if I could get them to help me throw out some of the other crap I've got lying around!