Pilot Screw Removal - absolutely necessary?

[tkent02]

Larry,

All of the carb rebuild documents on the site refer to them as pilot screws, but I guess that the proper term would be pilot "air" screws.

These are the ones you have to pull out a factory metal plug from on top of in order to even get at them.

This as opposed to the pilot "jet" in the fuel bowl which of course flows fuel.

No, on the CV carburetors they are mixture or sometmes pilot screws. The older VM carburetors have both pilot fuel screws and pilot air screws. They are completely different in function.

[WingMan71]

Thanks everyone for your replies and experience.

This has actually turned into a very educational thread.

I WILL do it right and remove the pilot screws!

***

[gplouff]

Stripped Pilot Screws

This has been a very informative thread. I wish I'd read it before I got started this morning. Now I have three pilot screws with virtually no head left. One of them managed to come out easily, but the other three, not so much. I was smart enough to use compressed air to blow out shavings from drilling the plugs, and I used penetrating fluid to loosen them up, but I didn't consider heat until I read this tread. Now I need some other more invasive procedure. Some kind of EZ-out or a machine shop or something. A screwdriver's not going to cut it anymore. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
81 GS1100E - BS34SS,
needs everything