cranked needle valves, broke them, need to get them out.

[Guest]

So I was working on my carbs, cleaning them because the previous owner had neglected the bike. I was told to seat the needle to know how many turns to set it back to once I was done cleaning. The needle that I speek of is the one on my MIC carbs that you can get to once the factory plug is removed and you don't need to have taken the float bowl off to get to. Long story short I didn't know what I was doing went way past seat and for all intensive purpose twisted the pointy end of the needle in the seat and there it sits. So I would like to know if any one can suggest a way to remove them, yes more than one, two to be exact. I will get a picture up tomorrow with a chance.

[almarconi]

If the screw is removed and all that is left is the tip broken off in the carb body, a dental pick would probably work to push the broken piece out. If you can't extract it, I'd start looking for a replacement carb body.

[Seana23]

Hi babes.....

I think the advice is.... Seat it LIGHTLY not keep twisting til you cant twist no more!!!!

Oh well, we all make mistakes.
Id try poking it out, if that doesn't do it, maybe heating the carb body until it expands slightly (do make sure no fuel vapour remains in the carbs wont you)
The Ali should heat up faster than the steel tip thus allowing the tip to gently slip out into the floor....

Good luck.
Xxx

[twotimeGSr]

I used an angled awe/scratch tool from a cheap set from Lowes or home depot and mine came out fine. Also following is from a thread

Originally posted by Hoomgar:

Remove Broken Pilot Fuel Screw Tip From VM Carb Body /w Pics
I have a second set of vm26ss carbs that the PO had screwed all four pilot fuel screws up into the carb bodies so tight that they jammed and broke off inside the carb body plugging the pilot circuit shut. I have seen several threads in the tech section where people have this issue and want to know how to remove them. One thread just this week --> Click Here. Some have suggested drilling as well as other things. It has been stated to use caution because you can damage the hole in the carb body and render the carburetor useless. Well I have found a method that worked for me at least and I want to share it with everyone in hopes it can save us some money and aggravation when needed.

Here is the simple procedure step by step with pics:

First here is what you see when you remove your pilot fuel screws.
Some moron has butchered them! 8O :x


OK so you get over it, have a beer, relax, look at the tip jammed in the carb body:


Sharpen a good scratch awl to a nice sharp point:
(No this isn't to stab the PO with :twisted: )


Put the awl down through the slide opening as shown here:
(Be careful not to scratch the walls of the slide canal)
(Use very little force, get the awl right on the top of the tip)
(Use just a small bit of pressure and push straight, do not twist or wiggle)
(If it doesn't pop right out reposition and try again, it will pop out)
(Put your finger over the end as shown to catch it if you want)


Here is proof that this works and they pop right out using this method:


The obstruction is now cleared and you can clean and dip your carb body:


All that is left is to order new pilot fuel screws. They can be found here:

http://www.motorcyclecarbs.com/

They don't list them on the site but a quick email will return ordering info for them.

Hope that helps someone? It sure did help me.

Rock on!

[Steve]

I have a couple of questions here, because the original post has some conflicting information.

The needle that I speek of is the one on my MIC carbs that you can get to once the factory plug is removed and you don't need to have taken the float bowl off to get to.

The only carbs that came with "plugs" were the BS series carbs (also called "CV" carbs) and they started in 1980. You say your bike is a '79.

Also, the carbs with the plugs don't need to have the float bowls removed to access them. The earlier VM carbs don't either, so this is VERY confusing.

.

[That_Guy]

Thanks for all the advise, taking the the slides out didn't even occur to me. As for for the confusion with the carbs I have: my bike is a 79, but the previous owner replaced them so I don't know which ones he used......I will look.....but VM sounds and looks more like it I think. The thing is he kept the old ones and had them in a box he gave me with the bike. So I put them back on to day. I just cleaned them up and was careful with pilot screw this time, thing is one of the pilot screws in it was broken. Probably why he replaced them, he ssemed like a replace instead of fix type of guy, it works great now.

[twotimeGSr]

If you get a chance post a photo of the carbs on the engine.

[Steve]

As for for the confusion with the carbs I have: my bike is a 79, but the previous owner replaced them so I don't know which ones he used.

Easy to tell.

Is the top a domed rectangle with three small screws on it or a large flat circle that has four screws around the edge?

.

[That_Guy]

Domed rectangle with 3 screws.