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Trouble removing Float Assembly

  • Thread starter Thread starter HalcyonGT
  • Start date Start date
H

HalcyonGT

Guest
So going through the paces of cleaning some seriously filthy carbs and all is going well, save for an air screw that is horribly disfigured on the head...and am at a loss as to how to remove the float assembly pin.

I've got the carb cleaning guide sitting next to me and its making a point to "...punch on float assembly pin to remove..." :confused:

With like a nail and hammer? I've tried tapping on it to ease it out to no avail. Should I use a bit of WD-40 or Liquid Wrench on it as well?

I'm certain I'm gonna break something crucial the way I'm pounding on it and its still not giving or budging.
 
I support the stand post with a small socket & use a spring loaded automatic punch to push the pin loose. You DON'T want to break one of those stands! Ray.
 
So after taking some time off from this effort...I've returned only to become increasingly irritated. I've come to find myself wondering a couple of things:

1.) Why use a punch? Whats the difference between using a nail and a punch?

2.) Whats keeping this pin secured in the support so tightly? Will it still be viable when (hopefully) I pound it out the other side?
 
Note that the float pin has a head on one end that is a bit larger. Under that head, buried in the support post, is a little deformation of the pin that wedges it into place. It is only friction that is holding that pin in place. Needless to say, push on the smaller end of the pin to remove it.

Why use a punch rather than a nail? No good reason, except that if a nail slides sideways across the end of the pin, it might wedge into the support and cause further problems. Using a punch that has a flat end that is about the same size as the pin minimizes that chance.

.
 
Well, after some Liquid Wrench and just being consistent & careful with the nail...I finally got the float pin out.

Thx again all...time to put carb #1 in the Berryman's!
 
Great!

Great!

HalcyonGT said:
Well, after some Liquid Wrench and just being consistent & careful with the nail...I finally got the float pin out.

Thx again all...time to put carb #1 in the Berryman's!
Click to expand...

Glad you got it...you 'dodged a bullet' because those posts are pretty easy to break when the pins have been there for a long while. When you reassemble it, just barely tap them into place so that you have a little space to wedge in a tiny, flat head screwdriver (between the pin head and the post) in case you need to remove them again. Don't worry that they'll come loose....they won't!;)
 
Though the only friction fit is supposed to be at the end with the head, a couple of my pins had deformation at the little end. It was almost like some previous owner had peened them a little bit so the wouldn't come out easily. While I had them out, I gently filed the deformation on the small end of the pin and they work better.
 
Hey all, thanks for all the help and tips with the pin removal previously.

HOWEVER. I am at wits end with carb #4!

I have removed the pins from the 3 other carbs using the same technique...but this assembly is not budging at all. This concerns me for several reasons. Chief among them is not being able to get to the inlet valve and address any concerns with the float needle if they exist.

So here is what I'm thinking...can I dip the carb in its current state (disassembled but with float bowls intact) and hope that the dip will loosen the pin for later dislodging?

I've tried heating the pin and applying pressure to punch it out as well. *sigh*

Anyone?
 
I wouldnt..dont know exactly what the berrymans will do to the float meterial..it may eat your floats.
 
I believe it will eat it. Plastic. rubber...

And the needle seat's O-ring and gasket.
 
You can use sidecutters (wire cutters) (if they're nice and sharp) underneath the head of the pin. You're not trying to cut the pin, just to use the tapered edges of the cutters as wedges that will pull the pin perhaps a millimeter outward. The backside of the cutters will be pressing only on the pin tower, exactly where you want the force -- not transmitted down to the carb body which can break the tower.

Once it's out by a millimeter or so, you can continue the progress with the blade of a nice sharp screwdriver & twisting a bit to force outward on the edge of the pin head, just like with the cutters.
 
IMAG0190.jpg


So as you can see...the head is almost flush with the tower. I have a pair of sharp wire cutters...but they can get no purchase on the sides of the pin.
 
Free, at last

Free, at last

HalcyonGT....This has turned into a 6 month project for you but going about it slowly and carefully is definitely a good idea!:)

(I just got 4 float pins free on another extra set of carbs and it's always a relief.)
 
chuckycheese said:
HalcyonGT....This has turned into a 6 month project for you but going about it slowly and carefully is definitely a good idea!:)

(I just got 4 float pins free on another extra set of carbs and it's always a relief.)
Click to expand...

Well, I originally was gonna sell her off...but I decided to begin a cafe project. Its been fun tinkering and discovering this awesome machine. But some of the more critical components having sat untouched for almost 30yrs is beginning to test my patience!

Anyhow...as I write this I'm still pounding one end; while hoping to get a grip on the pinhead on the other side. I've got glorious plans for this bike. One jammed/stuck pin isn't going to stop those plans.
 
Great!!

Great!!

HalcyonGT said:
Well, I originally was gonna sell her off...but I decided to begin a cafe project. Its been fun tinkering and discovering this awesome machine. But some of the more critical components having sat untouched for almost 30yrs is beginning to test my patience!

Anyhow...as I write this I'm still pounding one end; while hoping to get a grip on the pinhead on the other side. I've got glorious plans for this bike. One jammed/stuck pin isn't going to stop those plans.
Click to expand...

I say, most definitely, good for you!! Just be careful with those pins...they will come out. One of the worst mistakes you can make is using a punch that threatens the side of the post; in that respect, you're much better off with a nail. Don't punch it over and over...get it centered on the pin and give it a firm (but not really hard) pop.

:)
 
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