Carburetor Conundrum

[Guest]

I have marked this picture with three red circles. The one on the left lost a small plug with a pin hole in it I was lucky enough to find it. However I am not sure if I put it back in it will stay, anyone else ever come across this. Any ideas what I could use to keep it in? I was also curious about the circle on the far right that has a brass insert, this is the only carb that has it and this seems odd.

[chuck hahn]

it just sits snuggly in the bottom. To put it back in, you need to grip the tube gently with pliers and twist / pull and the tube will come out. Reinsert it and tap it to the bottom with something like coat hanger wire that will fit down the tube,

The tube will go back in and you gently tap it to seat it again. I have even gently squeezed the end of the tube once getting the plug back in to sort of "recrimp" it in there tight again. Its just the pick up tube for the choke circuit, The tiny hole basically is a catch for floaties. Supposed to trap chunks rather than have them sucked up. Second one looks like the vacuum to the petcocks port. It will be blocked so the engine vacuum sucks on the line.

[Nessism]

I'd crimp the tube ever so slightly to hold the restrictor plug in place.

As for the open passage, it's for venting the float bowl. If you look close each carb should have some similar passage, typically connecting two carbs together into one vent tube.

[HaggisHombre]

Thanks I was lucky to find the small plug. I have been cleaning my carbs getting ready to rebuild. Does anyone have a preference on where to purchase gaskets? Also I did not remove the choke plungers they seem to work and I did not want to disturb them. Is this a mistake can they cause major problems?

[Steve]

Thanks I was lucky to find the small plug. I have been cleaning my carbs getting ready to rebuild. Does anyone have a preference on where to purchase gaskets? Also I did not remove the choke plungers they seem to work and I did not want to disturb them. Is this a mistake can they cause major problems?

If you have been cleaning the carbs PROPERLY, the "choke" plungers would already be out, so you can dip the carb bodies.

That is, ... unless you like doing the job more than one time.

Your profile says you have been around for a couple of years,
certainly plenty of time that you should have noticed the general theme by now:
THERE ARE NO SHORTCUTS.

.

[tkent02]

Choke plungers come out easily enough. There's an O ring down there, but they usually are OK. Take it out and look.

The hole in the tip of the choke pick up is like a mini jet, along with the holes in the side of the pickup tube it controls fuel flow while the choke is on. On the different bikes, even with the same carbs they may have different tips, or different years of the same bike. Not real critical, it only does anything when the choke is on. If one cylinder is slightly leaner or richer during start it's no big deal. I have even smashed the end of the tube almost flat to simulate a missing plug with a tiny hole, the bike started OK.

Get your gaskets at Z1 if you need them.

[HaggisHombre]

Guilty as charged, I was trying to take the shortcut. I will remove the choke plungers, dismantle the carbs and dip.

[Steve]

The hole in the tip of the choke pick up is like a mini jet, along with the holes in the side of the pickup tube it controls fuel flow while the choke is on.

Not so sure how it is on the VM carbs, but on the BS carbs that I usually work on, there might be a tiny hole on the end of the tube or it might be a tiny hole in the passage in the float bowl.

You need to have at least one of them. I think it's OK to have both, but if both of them are wide open, that one cylinder is going to get PLENTY of fuel while on "choke".


Oh, just to be sure, ... don't dip the plungers. It will mess up the flat o-ring on the end.

.

[tkent02]

Not so sure how it is on the VM carbs, but on the BS carbs that I usually work on, there might be a tiny hole on the end of the tube or it might be a tiny hole in the passage in the float bowl.

You need to have at least one of them. I think it's OK to have both, but if both of them are wide open, that one cylinder is going to get PLENTY of fuel while on "choke".


Oh, just to be sure, ... don't dip the plungers. It will mess up the flat o-ring on the end.

.

Sure, but even if one cylinder is too rich to fire, it will start running when the choke is turned off. A well tuned GS is so easy to start it just doesn't matter. I think they all have the resriction in the bottom of the well, don't they? It sure does clog up a lot down there.