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Is $250 fair for Carb Cleaning?

  • Thread starter Thread starter whodatpat
  • Start date Start date
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whodatpat

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I found a small MS shop that will work on anything. The mechanic tells me if I bring him the bike he will tear the carbs down, clean them and reinstall them (i assume synced) for $250 plus parts. But he dosent think I will need any parts. He says that they have to cleaned in some sort of Acid. Scarry! I am fairly mechanicaly savy, but have never taken any carb apart. The directions do not look too tough, but having to get 4 carbs right makes it a little more chalenging. Do it myself or pay the guy?
1980 GS850G
 
Just need to ask yourself - Would I rather spend my time (time is money) doing something I enjoy (family, etc.) or would I really enjoy tearing the carbs down and learning (along with breaking) everything I can about them because this bike means more to me than life itself (in which case you probably wouldn't be asking the question) ?? 8O

Fairness in a price charged for services rendered is a moving target - it's all relative to one's viewpoint. $250 isn't a bad price (I've seen quotes as high as $400) - IF, the work is done correctly and in a timely manner ... 8)
 
Ask him how much he would charge if you brought the carbs to him.
Of course he couldn't synch them, but they may be fine without it.

As far as the acid goes, I hope he just didn't know what he was talking about. Most likely some O-rings will have to be replaced
or you may end up with a very clean carb that still doesn't work well.

Peace
Mo
 
I've had some really bad experiences with mechanics.
Typical (not all) mechanics:
If your job is not big money for them, they won't get it done in less than a month and they'll do just enough to get it running somewhat decently. They won't take the time to check all the little details out.
For example: they won't replace that 50 cent o-ring that's OK now but is likely to go bad in the near future. They have a vested interest in that kind of behavior - They hope that o-ring WILL go bad in a year so that you'll have to come back to them.
In some cases they'll do a sloppy job on something simple that you could have done yourself (like majorly overfilling the oil so that you've got to drain and re-do it yourself anyway).
In other cases they're just plain careless and hope you won't notice the damage they've done (like stripping threads in a bolt hole and then relying on the other three bolts to hold that cover on). If you confront them on it, they say "Oh, you really don't need that anyway!!! I gave you a great rate on the labor so don't complain about this small thing!!! This job took 6 hours longer than it was supposed to and I ony charged you 2 hours overtime!!!". And so on.

Take the time to learn the carb. You'll probably need to revisit it again in the future anyway. Do you want to have to take it to the mechanic every time?
 
I paid $500 to have my carbs thoroughly cleaned and synchronized four years ago when I bought my GK. This amount included lots of little o-rings, gaskets, etc., and the four intake hoses and gaskets.

It was well worth it. Since then I've taken the GK to this mechanic, (an independent repair shop), once a year in late Fall. All he does is check for synchronization. Bike runs great.

Nick
 
clean the carbs yourself, they are not as hard as you think. there is really good info here on this site on how to do it, and you can even get the o rings for dirt cheap from a member of the forum, i take it you have the cv style carbs on your 80 gs. i had a bike shop clean my carbs for 250 and the bike worked real well for 2 weeks then died because crude recontamined the carbs. so i got mad and did them my self and got even madder that i spent 250 to have someone elses do them. it was easy and i think i did a better job then the shop. the "acid" he was talking about is probly just berrymen carb dip, the only thing to be scared of is the smell :-& .

ryan
 
I also have a GS 850, and I just put the carbs back on yesterday from cleaning the carbs. I spent a total of $30 for everything that I needed and I replaced all O-rings. This "acid" the mechanic is talking about you can buy a local auto parts store for $12.99 for a gallon bucket and it comes complete with dip tray and a special seal that will keep the odor in, so you will always have it when you want to clean something else.
There is a link on the site that goes over how to clean your specific carbs with great accuracy and i highly recomend you download it and print it out while doing the rebuild, it came in very helpful.
Somethings to keep in mind that is not on that sheet. GO to Lowes for the O-rings you need a bunch of them and they are cheap there, like 10 for 1.27. BUy a can of "Air duster" that you can get at an office supply store or Sam's Club, and an extra can of carb cleaner. After removing from "dip" Spray everything down and all holes with Carb Cleaner and then spray with "air duster" to dry out all holes. Makes sure you use a little bit of silicone spray or something to lube up the O-rings before forcing them back in the holes.
Something to consider is what will they charge you for "parts" if it comes to that? Some kits are $25-30 a piece and then you just added another $120 to that total.
Hope this helps, and good Luck. Everyone on this site is very helpful if you decide to tackle it on your own...
 
I paid $272 for a new battery and having my carbs cleaned this spring. (I brought the carbs in) The shop gave me all my old gaskets,jets,etc in four small individual ziplock bags.
 
Get the O rings from Robert.Barr@worldnet.att.net $12 inc postage for the correct sizes mailed to your door within 2-4 days No running around to 6 different hardware stores trying to find the correct sizes and the quanities you need
 
You should know about http://www.motorcyclecarbs.com/. I don't know if it's the best choice for you, but I think they say on the site that they'll do your carb work for $80 plus new parts. You should have a look.

Michael
 
mopolopo said:
You should know about http://www.motorcyclecarbs.com/. I don't know if it's the best choice for you, but I think they say on the site that they'll do your carb work for $80 plus new parts. You should have a look.
Click to expand...

It sounds like a very complete service, but my quick read indicates $100 PER CARB plus parts!
 
be very careful about buying o-rings at a Hardware store that caters
to home repairs. Most of the orings they sell are for plumbing
repairs and are not for gasoline applications.
Get them from Robert Barr, as Lynn suggests.
Also NAPA auto parts usuallly has a good selection they keep behind the counter

Peace
Mo
 
...be very careful about buying o-rings at a Hardware store that caters to home repairs...
Click to expand...

That shouldn't be a problem. I did a lot of investigating of o-rings to find them for my VM type carbs, including conversations with Bob Barr. Nitrile (also called 'buna-n') is one of the cheapest materials used for o-rings, and therefore, I suspect, the most common. Check the web sites of o-ring manufacturers; if they have a 'standard' o-ring material, it's nitrile. Nitrile is as good as or better than any other o-ring material, with respect to gasoline compatibility.

I got some o-rings from an inexpensive o-ring kit, material unspecified. To check them out, I measured one with a vernier caliper, then soaked it in gasoline for a couple of days. I then measured it again; dimensions had not changed, and there was no discernible softening, distortion, etc.

To see more of the information I gathered on o-rings for the VM carbs, see my post in the thread "VM26SS o-rings" in this forum (about a week ago; it's on page 2 right now).

Regarding doing your carbs yourself, I think time is one of the biggest factors to consider. My carbs have been apart for months now, partly because I'm a natural procrastinator :? :oops: , and partly because I truly have more to do than I have time to do it in. But I WILL get them back together... some day... :wink:
 
Just to give you an idea on time if your going to tackle it, my first carb(after removal from bike and harness) took 30 minutes to tear down paying close attention to everything and learning. 30 minutes to soak all loose parts, and the Diaphram and float cover, and another 30 minutes to do the body of the carb, and about 30 minutes to spray out holes with carb cleaner and "air duster" and put back togethor.
That's roughly 2 hours per carb, the first one tanks the longest and the fourth is the fastest, but an hour per carb for soaking minumum. Also be sure to take your time even on the last one or you may end up opening it back up when you notice the black stopper sitting on the table instead of in your carb. (it could happen!) :roll:
 
Are you wanting the carbs cleaned because the bike will not run???
 
Why I want my carbs cleaned.

Why I want my carbs cleaned.

Scotty,
Fuel is poring out the #2 carb. Petcock needs replacement too because it is crap, but it does work. But the carb float nedle is definently not behaving properly. Fuel is dirty and gritty fealing. Funny thing is the tank looks good. I would not take care of one without adressing all three to be sure. Carb - Petcock - Tank cleaning.

Thanks for everyones help. I plan to order good orings and learn by doing with this thing. If I really screw up, I can always take a pile of carberator parts to the guy and see how good he really is.
 
Re: Why I want my carbs cleaned.

Re: Why I want my carbs cleaned.

whodatpat said:
Scotty,
Fuel is poring out the #2 carb. Petcock needs replacement too because it is crap, but it does work. But the carb float nedle is definently not behaving properly. Fuel is dirty and gritty fealing. Funny thing is the tank looks good. I would not take care of one without adressing all three to be sure. Carb - Petcock - Tank cleaning.

Thanks for everyones help. I plan to order good orings and learn by doing with this thing. If I really screw up, I can always take a pile of carberator parts to the guy and see how good he really is.
Click to expand...

Thats a lot of beans for something that most folks have horror stories about. Most folks are not as fortunate as Diaz and myself whith reliable honest mechanics. I seen some folks go for a bundle and when things were not correct the shop said something else must have gone wrong. If you are willing to pay that amount for a good job why dont you first do as was suggested and take them off yourself. put a filter in line and buy a new petcock, Adjust the flost level and go from there. you are just putting yurself at the mercy of who knows who in hope that the trouble will go away
As you said, you can always take the carbs to a shop after you try what may be just a couple of minor changes on your part. Go for the simple fix first in most cases. Dont mess with the carbs that are not giving you trouble.
 
If you end up with a mess you can send the petcock and the carbs to me and I'll straighten them out for you, for free. All you would have to pay for is parts and return shipping.
 
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