Oil or Vaseline on rubber boots

[Guest]

Hi there, I've been looking through posts for info about how to get my carbs back onto the intake boots of my '83 850g. I see some ideas about a film of oil, silicone or Vaseline to help things along. I have also heard that petroleum products can damage rubber. Should I be worried about putting petroleum based products on my boots?

[roeme]

No.

(There's a mix of air and gasoline going through these boots. Think about it.)

[Ian Donahue]

Yeah that's what I figured, thanks. I was getting some "advice" from people at work...

[Nessism]

Just three threads down from yours is another on this exact same topic...http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...l-a-bit-easier

And for the record you should not use anything on the boots. Suzuki didn't when the bike was new and you shouldn't either.

If your bike's rubber boots are hard then they are likely shrunk some as well, so putting slippery stuff on them can lead to the boots popping off and allowing air leaks.

[Steve]

The best thing to apply to your boots would be a little bit of effort and aim to land them in the nearest trash bin.

Then get new ones. Be ready for the cost, they are NOT cheap, but they ARE worth it.

.

[bsharpish]

The best thing to apply to your boots would be a little bit of effort and aim to land them in the nearest trash bin.

Then get new ones. Be ready for the cost, they are NOT cheap, but they ARE worth it.

.

With you 110% on this one - I thought mine were OK with just new O rings ..... then I had the spare cash to buy new airbox hoses and inlet hoses plus sealed the airbox lid properly

The results are worth EVERY single $ spent - cold start, idling, response ALL better with no more backfires

[850 Combat]

I bought one set for a GS1000 that just didn't seem to want to line up. There are two types on the bikes I have changed them on, and they don't look much different from each other. Be certain that you have the right ones in the right place, and that they are all right side up. I had some success by switching two that should have been identical, on that bike.

I've also used Armor All as a lubricant on them. Normally, they pop right in smartly. I've only had one bike where they didn't. Even on that one, they do now, after having been installed for a period.

[steve murdoch]

If new boots are not in the budget, a very thin smear of white lithium grease and a hair dryer to warm up the rubber has worked for me.

[Ian Donahue]

HI everyone thanks for the all the tips. I prolly should have mentioned that I was doing this in my garage, about 45 degrees Fahrenheit here in Rhode Island. 3 minutes with the hair dryer and they popped on. Anyhoo, still have a hanging idle, read 20+ posts on GSR forums, sounds like new intake boots are the easy (but expensive) way to eliminate a top-5 candidate. Tried just the o-rings, but you know what they say about "tried just..." $160 for the kit. Starting to worry about the budget. Hope this helps.

[Steve]

$160 for the kit. Starting to worry about the budget. Hope this helps.

$160??? You need to learn where to shop.

Check out Parts Outlaw. $28.32 each, for a total of $113.28.

Then, when you go to check out, look for the promo box, enter the word "BANG", your shipping will be $1.50, for a grand total of $114.78.

.

[roeme]

(...)Anyhoo, still have a hanging idle, read 20+ posts on GSR forums, sounds like new intake boots are the easy (but expensive) way to eliminate a top-5 candidate.(...)

Have you reconnected the vacuum line?

[Ian Donahue]

Roeme - I am currently running it from a hanging test tank, to remove the petcock as a factor and to make it easier to adjust the pilot screws. I have the vacuum line capped since it's not attached to the petcock. Is that the vacuum line you are referring to?

[Ian Donahue]

Steve - thanks for the tip for Parts Outlaw. I said "kit", I also need the screw and gasket (those don't come with the boot), and the clamps. For parts only, Parts Outlaw would have saved me about $6. The shipping is a nice tip though, I'll try that next time.