Cleaning the carbs 1: Difference between revisions

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Take the compressed cleaner and, using the straw, squirt fluid into every hole. You should have cleaner going into or coming out of each and every hole, though not all at the same time, and in the same volume as the other carb bodies. And it should be coming out clear (this one started greenish).

You should also consider cleaning up the fuel needle seats. The fuel needle fits into the big hole shown here. The tip fits into the small hole at the bottom and forms a seal. You want to clean the edge of that hole, so there isn't any crud that can cut the tip or hold it up (so it won't seal). Either of these will cause fuel to leak past.

[[image:P1000048-1024.JPG|150px]]

To do this, cut a Q-Tip in half in the middle of the stick and put it in a dremel. Put a little dab of [http://www.competitionchemicals.com/simichrome/ simichrome] metal polish on the end and let it run at full speed for about a minute. Use the other end of the Q-Tip and carb cleaner to clean up the left-over gunk.

When it comes time to reassemble, the jets just screw back in, but you need to set the float height. Each set of carbs has a different recommended height (listed in the service manual for the given bike). If the floats hang too low, your bike can (and most likely will) run lean, and if they sit too high, you'll likely be fighting a rich running bike. The picture shows a special tool for measuring float height, but a 6" ruler, or even a basic set of calipers, can be used to measure the height. To measure, you want the floats to ''just'' be touching the fuel needle, which has a spring on it - you don't want to compress that. Most carbs can just be set upside down and the spring will hold the floats where they need to be; some carbs you'll need to tilt at an angle while doing the measuring. To adjust up or down, you just bend the small metal tang that rests on the fuel needle:

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 Take the compressed cleaner and, using the straw, squirt fluid into every hole. You should have cleaner going into or coming out of each and every hole, though not all at the same time, and in the same volume as the other carb bodies. And it should be coming out clear (this one started greenish).
+You should also consider cleaning up the fuel needle seats. The fuel needle fits into the big hole shown here. The tip fits into the small hole at the bottom and forms a seal. You want to clean the edge of that hole, so there isn't any crud that can cut the tip or hold it up (so it won't seal). Either of these will cause fuel to leak past.
+[[image:P1000048-1024.JPG|150px]]
+To do this, cut a Q-Tip in half in the middle of the stick and put it in a dremel. Put a little dab of [http://www.competitionchemicals.com/simichrome/ simichrome] metal polish on the end and let it run at full speed for about a minute. Use the other end of the Q-Tip and carb cleaner to clean up the left-over gunk.
 When it comes time to reassemble, the jets just screw back in, but you need to set the float height. Each set of carbs has a different recommended height (listed in the service manual for the given bike). If the floats hang too low, your bike can (and most likely will) run lean, and if they sit too high, you'll likely be fighting a rich running bike. The picture shows a special tool for measuring float height, but a 6" ruler, or even a basic set of calipers, can be used to measure the height. To measure, you want the floats to ''just'' be touching the fuel needle, which has a spring on it - you don't want to compress that. Most carbs can just be set upside down and the spring will hold the floats where they need to be; some carbs you'll need to tilt at an angle while doing the measuring. To adjust up or down, you just bend the small metal tang that rests on the fuel needle: