Removing sticky diaphragms

[Skinner]

I removed the carbs from my 650GL and have started disassembling them. I removed the top caps and the diaphragm rubber is stuck to the carb body. It's pulled away in spots, but is stuck pretty good elsewhere. I don't want to damage them so I'm treading very lightly here. The tubes are also stuck. One won't move at all and the other 3 only move up about half an inch. I sprayed PB Blaster all around to try and loosen everything up. The rubber is still very flexible and there are no visible tears or cracks.

Any tips or suggestion as to how I should proceed?

Thanks!
K

[srg]

Ehhh, PB Blaster destroys rubber.

I'd say get a very small screwdriver and slowly peal the diaphram up. If you rip it, it's not the end of the world. There are companies that can fix it for you if you can't get new ones.

[tom203]

Yeah, cease and desist with the PB ! The carb body has groove, so you should carefully pick at outer edge of diaphragm and work your way around to free it from groove. Clean in soapy water, hold them up to light and check for pinholes. By "tubes", you mean the vacuum pistons,right? the sticking will probably clear up after the carb dip

[Skinner]

Okay, I didn't realize PB Blaster would harm the rubber. Anyhow, I carefully worked my way around the lip of each diaphragm with a razor blade. Each one was stuck in 3 or 4 spots, each about 1/8" long. I just carefully worked the razor blade back and forth and eventually they came out. As did the tubes. After reading about the PB Blaster warning I immediately brought them inside and washed them in soapy water.

These carbs are nasty. There was still 21 year old gas in the bowls! I'll post pictures later but man, they are dirty.

Thanks for the heads up on the PB!

Cheers!
K