cleaning the carbs

With the carb body separated from the bike, I was able to get started at getting rid of the varnish coating the insides, which at one point in time roughly five years ago, was fuel sitting in the float bodies. The carb body consists of 4 carbs, each with it's own float body. Here's a video from youtube that explains how carbs work: click here, and please get ready to put up with the intro in exchange for a very good explanation on how the carbs work. This video is about airplane carbs, and the setup on my bike is obviously different, but the basic function is the same. If you watched the video, you'll understand how it is so important to clean out the jets! Each carb in my bike contains 3 jets: the idle jet, the slow jet, and the main jet. Each will be necessary for proper fuel flow at different rpm's. The main problem areas were the jets, the float bowls, & the valve chambers (not described in the video). The float bodies were pretty full of crud, but the jets, being small brass fittings with very small holes, demanded thorough, detailed work.

I figured it'd be smart to do one carb at a time, so I wouldn't mix up one carb's parts with another's, as I was told on some models, each carb has slightly different size jet holes & valve springs. Also keep in mind, this is the first thing I'll have EVER take apart that runs on fuel. I'm literally working with zero experience, but 100% enthusiasm to learn how to do it right the first time! For every hour of work, I've probably researched for 3 or 4 hours.

Here's the first carb about 10 seconds after opening it up for the first time. YUCK, fuel varnish. Those black parts are brass.

Here's the first carb float body after spending 3 to 4 hours of scrubbing & soaking parts! Looks almost like you could EAT off of it! I wouldn't though.


The flip-side of the float body has the valve bodies. Each was easily taken apart and cleaned out.

Each of the carbs took around 3 or 4 hours work. Where'd I find all that time, you wonder? I'd wait till the kids were asleep on nights that Amanda was away from the house working. I'd take a baby monitor outside with me so I could hear if one of the kids had any trouble staying asleep. When Amanda would get home from work I was in the garage so I'd hear her, clean up shop and go inside with her. This was already a slow process, but the ONLY thing that really put a week-long halt to my work was a stripped screw on one of the float body covers. I couldn't get the last float body lid off because of this. Of course, this stripped screw was, as they all are, in a VERY difficult-to-reach spot. I had to use a skinny-shaft screwdriver, but the head on that was too thin to fill the screw head all the way, and it was already striped anyway. Here's a pic of the screw in question:


(It's the one in the red circle)

I had to go get a screw extractor set, and some P.B. Blaster (like WD-40 on steroids), and after a couple nights of trying with the screw extractor, the P.B. Blaster had finally done its job of soaking in there, and >pop-twist<, the screw came out! I have proof:


I claim victory over all stripped screws of the world! Bring your worst, I'll take them all out! ...literally!

Here's an explanation to why the neighbors probably had chills from the laughter they heard coming form my garage at 9:30pm:

This picture is of the float right after opening it up, BEFORE any cleaning.

I'd successfully disassembled 3 float bodies and every one of them was very dirty inside. This last float body, the only one I had any difficulty opening up, was the least dirty. Just have to love the irony! When I lifted the lid open, I just laughed. Loudly! Maybe it was the carb cleaner chemicals that were getting to me, maybe it's just my nature to more often laugh at myself, instead of getting red-faced and throwing tools around (although I do sometimes)...

So I finally got all four carbs & jets and valves cleaned up, and it all seems to work properly now. By the way, about the problem-screw... The way the screw extractor set works is two reverse-turning drill bits (i used a hand-held screwdriver, not a power drill). One bit drills a clean hole into the screw head, and the other had reverse-driving grippers which grab on to the new hole in the screw head. The custom is to throw this screw away and replace it with a new one. I could have done this, it would have been as simple as going to the hardware shop and spending some spare change. Instead, I clamped the screw in my workbench, got my jigsaw, and cut a groove across the top of what was left of the screw's head. I took the screw, and used a flat-head screwdriver to re-use the screw in a different hole of the float body lid (one which was much mroe easily accessible by a screwdriver for next time! Next up on the list, is I need to test the carb body for leaks (I will wait for some warmer weather to do this), then take care of reinstalling them and get the bike running! ...after some other problems on the bike are solved, of course.