Carburetors are such a PITA!!!!

[xsivelybad]

Ok guys got my fork problem straightened out (pun intended) I think! I am moving on to cleaning the carbs. I have a few questions though as I have read the tech tips which seem a bit confusing to me. I am going to strip the carbs all the way down and soak them(including the jet rubber) but I am really confused about tuning the floats on reassembly can anyone help me? Also I need to know where I can get more of the rubber pieces for the pilot jets incase they are gone or broken etc... thanks you guys for all your help!!
Greg

[81xsproject]

A couple helpful hints for you (unfortunatley not on your topic);

Consider adding your year and model into your signiture. It makes it easier for people to help you if they know exactly what bike you have. Plus, you don't have to respecify for every new thread.

Also, you will get better responses if you put your technical questions in the XS11/XJ11 Discussion forum. For one, the members lounge just doesn't get as much traffic as the other.

As far as the technical info, the Clymer manual says to set the tops (bottoms mounted right side up) 25.7 +/- 1mm from surface of the bowl without the gasket. I am not sure about what rubbers you are asking for, but check partsnmore.com, bikebandit.com, crc2onlinecatalog.com, denniskirk.com, or yamaha.


<<<Moderators note - thread has been moved as suggested>> Ken Talbot

[fxrer]

Do NOT soak any rubber pieces in carb cleaner. Remove diaphragms, float needle seats, gaskets, etc. Place carb bodies in cleaner so that butterfly seals are not immersed, otherwise they will get eaten.

Don't ask how I know this.

[prometheus578]

Just an opinion

Don't mean to ruffle any feathers, but...
Now, mind you, this is just my opinion...
I do at least one set o' carbs a week. (have three sets on my bench right now) The other mech does all the fuel injected crap, and I take all the bikes from the 70's and 80's, etc. Some of these are just running roughly or missing on a cylinder, others have been sitting for ten years or more.
I have worked on some horrendously gummed up carbs... and have never yet had to tear one down to the last screw and O-ring and soak them in carb cleaner! (Once, three years ago, I DID soak a set of float bowls, as I didn't have a piece of wire thin enough, nor strong enough, to clean out the well that feeds the enrichener circuit)
The vast majority of carbs on this site just need a can of spray carb cleaner and several blasts of compressed air to get them right again.
Most people just have a little sediment in their bowls, or maybe a slight build-up of varnish, but that's about it. An exception would be... like the Special that I got yesterday: Was under flood water for two weeks and then sat in a field for 5 years.
Just my opinion, nothing more, but I think that the recommended, mandatory carb soak is more labor than is required.
I'm sure some other mechanics will write and disagree, stating that my carbs might not be truly. inwardly clean. To this, I can only answer that none of my carb work has ever had to come back to be redone.
Oh... I don't "triple clean", either. Do it right, and do it once.

Hhmm... maybe this should have been a separate thread?
(Sorry for the rant, but I thought it important)

[jacksf]

Re: Just an opinion

Originally posted by prometheus578
Snip for brevity

The vast majority of carbs on this site just need a can of spray carb cleaner and several blasts of compressed air to get them right again.
Most people just have a little sediment in their bowls, or maybe a slight build-up of varnish, but that's about it.

I don't know you personally but I think I love you

Pulling carbs next week. I always have a tendency to do more than is needed to get things running, you know; if the tire is low I change the oil and filter, wash and polish the bike and then put air in the tire

Of course my problem is also I don't have enough experience to know if the carbs are clean or not, guess just look for some varnish, clean the various ports, and follow the tech tips here on XS/XJ.

[John]

Seafoam seems to be a popular fuel system cleaner, as is Berryman's B-12 in the pourable can. Adding the proper amount to every tankful, or every other tank should maintain cleanliness of the carbs.

[GNEPIG]

.. Hey Greg, its pretty much like Pro said a good can of carb cleaner[ the stuff that burns your eyes and skin] and compressed air is all you need.. this will go way faster and easier if you dont take the carbs all the way apart in a million little pieces
.. if i recall all you need to clean are the idle circuits on the two middle carbs, the two out side ones ran fine, ran good enough to keep the motor running at idle any way
.. if you use the dip you will be looking for another set of carbs on ebay next week

hugs and kisses back to you Kurt

[skids]

Re: Just an opinion

I agree with you 100%.

Originally posted by prometheus578
Don't mean to ruffle any feathers, but...
(snip)
Just my opinion, nothing more, but I think that the recommended, mandatory carb soak is more labor than is required.
(snip) Do it right, and do it once.

[pggg]

Prom, you're doing far too much work to clean those carbs. Here's how I clean mine.
1. Hop on bike.
2. W.O.T in 1st to 8500 revs.
3. W.O.T. in 2nd to 8500 revs.
4. W.O.T in 3rd to 8000 revs.
5. W.O.T in 4th to 8000 revs.
6. W.O.T in 5th to 8000 revs for 5 minutes.

Carbs are now clean as a whistle.

[prometheus578]

What a relief!

I expected to come back here to see everybody slammin' me.
How I do love to stir up aggressive controversy. Promotes discussion and the free exchange of new ideas, which can only be beneficial in the long run. I learn a lot this way.
Like Seafoam: What a load of crap, thought I. "Tune up in a can" stuff. Blah, blah, blah.
But... can't condemn without a trial.
So...
New Triumphs come shipped with fuel in the carbs, which I have to drain. They either won't start, run on only one or two cylinders, or run lean and start blueing the pipes before they even leave my lift.
First thing I do now after I uncrate them is to pump a 50/50 mixture of Seafoam into the carbs, hook up a jumper and crank or run them for a few seconds to get the Seafoam into the carb passages. By the time I finish preppin' the bike, the stuff has worked it's magic. Engine fires right up, all cylinders, etc.
Does this mean it's the best stuff out there? Can't say... but it seems to work for me.
Even I, the Great and Powerful Oz, am still learning new tricks.

[xs650mike]

Re: Just an opinion

Originally posted by prometheus578
Don't mean to ruffle any feathers, but...
The vast majority of carbs on this site just need a can of spray carb cleaner and several blasts of compressed air to get them right again.
Oh... I don't "triple clean", either. Do it right, and do it once.

You have saved me a whole lot of trouble, I'm just about to tear into a set of carbs for my 650H. My friend told me just what you're saying but I've been reading all these posts on this and the 650 sites telling tales of "boiling out" carbs and triple cleaning so I've been dreading this little job.

BTW gang, for very thin strong wire go to the music store and buy individual plain steel guitar strings, they come in diameters ranging from .008" to .022" for about a buck each. (I used a .013" to clean the spooge hole on my MC.) One string will make many cleaning wires. Clamp 'em in a vise and dress the ends with a jeweler's file (available at craft & hobby shops) after cutting so you don't tear up the soft metal of the carbs and jets, strings are made of tempered steel.

[Ken Talbot]

Re: Just an opinion

Originally posted by prometheus578
Oh... I don't "triple clean", either. Do it right, and do it once.

Right on, Prometheus, that's the crux of the matter. It's not that going in three times is actually cleaning everything three times. Rather, it is just taking three (or more) sessions to get around to cleaning all of the bits that should have been cleaned in the first session.

[GNEPIG]

.. guitar strings are cool .. but try the little springs that come on the inside of your old oil seals ..these springs come in different sizes ..old fork seal springs might be good for running through main jets, old shift shaft seal springs good for the pilots, once you have a look around you'll get the picture
.. just cut the loop and straighten out about 1/2" of one end and poke it through the jet and pull through about an inch or two then pull it back off, this should straighten out the part of the spring that you have used ..this resistance will clean the goo out your jets
..be careful doing this to much or using springs to big or to heavy this may make the holes a little bigger.. although these springs are not made of as good of stuff as guitar strings are made of, because of this they will be easer on your brass jets/less likely to wallow out the holes- sorry Mike

[xs650mike]

I'll bear that in mind next time I'm rebuilding forks, thanks. It'll be awhile though since all my forks are functioning superbly at this point except my 400's which are kind of slushy. Don't think I'm gonna rebuild the forks on that old beater though!

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Prom,

I'll be the devil's advocate! I was away this weekend to a conference in Chicago, didn't feel like paying $12.95 a DAY for Internet access, so I took a short vacation from Xsiveness!!

I'll agree with you with regards to bikes that are being ridden, that just removing the jets and spritzing with cleaner is adequate. HOWEVER, for folks who get ahold of basket cases where the bike and carbs have sat for years with fuel still in them turning to GUM and Varnish, that a good soaking is probably warranted....saving the multiple trips back into the carbs due to incomplete cleaning!

Trying NOT to be too controversial!!
T.C.