More Carb Cleaning questions

[EHLawyer]

I assume that I need to clean all parts that aren't rubber or plastic.......like the sides of the diaphragm assembly, the body of the carb that it came out of, etc..........Lots of varnish there........

[TopCatGr58]

Hey EHLawyer,

Yes, you can take a toothbrush and use it to slosh some of the carb cleaner from a dip tank around in it and clean it that way, so you aren't soaking the whole body and risking damaging the rubber butterfly shaft seals. Then after you've seen it come clean, you can use some canned carb spray cleaner to flush away the harsher soaking solution. Using the spray cleaner you can squirt it into all of the orifices so you can verify that the passages are flowing. DON'T FORGET the safety goggles!
T.C.

[EHLawyer]

Top Cat:

Always nice to have someone willing to help when you're in the middle of the job. I may have bigger problems, though: Removed the unbelievably rusted screw plug on 2 of the carburetors, but no pilot jets to be found within! Lots of crud, but no jets. Is that fatal? Odd that there wouldn;t be one in either place...........Also, don't seem to be able to remove main nozzle.......assume that I can spray carb cleaner right through it.............Help!

[John]

The pilot screws will be deeply recessed in the bores. Look closely. The main nozzles push up from the bottom, but you must remove the main jet first. The main jet threads into the nozzle. I recommend not using a metal tool, as it may deform the soft threads in the nozzle where the main jets thread in. Use a piece of wood or plastic to drive the nozzle out. It may be stuck in there. When it is out, check all of the small holes on the side of the nozzle. They will probably be plugged up. The top covers, and diaphrams must be removed also, to get the nozzle out.

[EHLawyer]

Can I try to "float" the jets out with WD-40 or something similar?

[TopCatGr58]

The pilot jets are screwed in. Now if you have unscrewed them, and you know they are loose, but they won't come up out of the hole, you can use Spray Carb Cleaner, put the hose in the top hole on the front of the carb....The PILOT SCREW holes, and you may be able to blow them up out of the recessed hole....yeah that gumming stuff can really hold on to them!! You could also try a small paper clip, bending the tip slightly and sticking it down into the top of the jet, and a little angle tip may help you catch the inside edge of the jet and allow you to pull it out. OR JUST TURN IT UPSIDE DOWN, and bang it on a piece of wood to jar it out!!! Keep at it!
T.C.

[EHLawyer]

Yeah, after I typed that last stupid question........I figured out that the jets were screwed in......have unscrewed as much as I can, now I'll have to try to snake them out.....hard to believe that I can ever clean these carbs good enough! One of the float assemblies is really gunked up, barely moving.....once I get the pin out, can the entire float assembly be soaked in carb cleaner? Thanks for answering all stupid questions...........

[TopCatGr58]

Hey EHLawyer,

Like they say, the only stupid question is the one NOT ASKED!

Take at look at this thread to see a little before and after of the bank of carbs I worked on last week!
basket case 79SF

Yes, the floats are ALL BRASS, and can be fully soaked. IT's a good way to see if they are truly floating! When you take them off, shake them next to your ear to "see" if you can hear anything shaking inside of them....if so, then you may have a pinhole. I did in one of mine, put it in boiling water and found some air bubbles coming out of one! Replaced it with a spare I had! Take your soaking basket, and turn it upside down with the floats inside, that way the weight of the basket will fully submerge the floats so that ALL SURFACES will be exposed to the soak!

DID YOU READ THE TECH TIPS ON CARBS? Great tip on pulling the pins using a pair or wire cutters to GENTLY pry the pins out. I sprayed some PB Blaster on them first to help loosen them up! Take it slow and careful and hopefully you won't break a float post or bung up a pilot jet screw head slot!!
T.C.

[EHLawyer]

I have read all the tips, and will approach the pin removal carefully. I can only hope these carbs look as good as your "after" set.....Actually, the floats look similar, with that almost black plastic look on top.......the jet screws on mine look much worse than yours..all rusted......had to do a lot of work just to find the slots.........But got 3 of the jets out, and only had to stop because of wife's complaints.....(for a change)............Assume that I can't possibly soak the non-rubber or plastic components long enough in carb cleaner. One last question for the night: Took the screw off the main jet, but didn't see a washer.........is it a rubber washer? If so, looks like it may be compressed pretty good by the main nozzle..........Thanks again for all help. Whatever the result, its been fun trying so far..........

[TopCatGr58]

The metal brass washer sits down in the hole just enough so that the main jet sits atop the pipe, the washer is rather thick, 1.5mm or so! It may be very gummed up, I had to use a small flat blade screwdriver inside the hole to pry it up. THEN you can see the main nozzle, the slot and pin that it slides over down in the tower. I used the flat head of a small nail to tap the nozzle out with, small enough head to NOT hit the pin in the tower, and being flat it didn't make contact with the threads, they were quite gummed up down in the tower. You can soak the parts overnight if you want, and with a toothbrush, you should be able to get them quite clean!! Good luck with SWMBO!!
T.C.