Red Loctite on fuel mixture screws.

[Chris Bock]

I've a rack of Mikuni's from a GS1000G. Did a complete tear down/carb dip/blow out/reassemble. Was not able to remove the fuel mixture screws before or after the dip. I could see that they were completely covered with Red Loctite.
I've used carb cleaner, bolt blaster, other penetrating oils, a "Dental Pick", and a heat gun.
Was able to get the visible Loctite out with the pick.
Tried alternating carb cleaner and penetrating oil, with the heat gun hitting the screw well in between.
Filed a flathead driver to fit the slots off the screws.
Not a single budge.
I'm about to drill the screws and use an EZ-Out, but thought I'd post this first.
I've searched through the forums, but didn't find anything that resembles this situation.
Thanks

[Chris Bock]

Feel like an ass now. Was able to remove the fuel mixture screws on the Mikuni bs34ss's tonight.
Left them with bolt blaster in the mixture Wells overnight.
Heated up the aluminum screw well, and was able to start turning them in (clockwise) bit by bit. When they were all seated, sprayed some carb cleaner in the wells, and let them sit for an hour. Blew them out, and filled them with penetrating oil.
From there, I just started backing the fuel mixture screws out until they would get stuck. Screwed them in, more penetrating oil, heat gun, then back out further.
Once the screws would back in and out, to a certain point, I used an electric impact driver (slow, with constant downward pressure) to clear the screws through the final threads.
So, patience and persistence, carb cleaner, PB blaster, and a heat gun are the answer

[dorkburger]

No need to feel like an ass. You took your time and got it done without damaging anything. You likely saved yourself loads of aggravation and money by taking it slow.

[rphillips]

Great to hear, Feels good don't it? Many, probably most, would have not been so patient, got aggravated & buggered something up. Congrats, well done.

[Nessism]

Great job! This should be a sticky! I wish more people would just stop when the screws won't come out with reasonable force. That would save tons of carbs from the graveyard.

[TeamDar]

To remove red Loctite it is best to heat the area to 400-500 degrees F. A don’t know if a heat gun would get the area that hot. Usually a torch works well. If you just heat it until you get a puff of smoke from the screw you are usually good. Aluminum melts at 1200 degrees F. so you can do this without hurting the carburetor. Dar

[robertbarr]

Makes me wonder what kind of sick saboteur would put red loctite on mixture screws...

[Chris Bock]

Good temps to know for any future projects!

[phydeauxmutt]

Might not have been Loc-Tite. Glyptol is used as a 'sealer' for some electronic components to show whether they have been tampered with. Red Glyptol looks a lot like Loc-Tite.

[Chris Bock]

Good to know. I extracted the plugs and removed the fuel mixture screws from a crusty old parts bike (same year/model) and they came out lickety split! No red anti-tamper or Loctite. I think this was just a parting gift from the PO.

[Chris Bock]

Thanks, all, for the replies and support. Working out problems on bikes is half of the fun for me (the other half is riding them, of course).
Keep it shiny side up, y'all!

[bwringer]

Makes me wonder what kind of sick saboteur would put red loctite on mixture screws...

Might not have been Loc-Tite. Glyptol is used as a 'sealer' for some electronic components to show whether they have been tampered with. Red Glyptol looks a lot like Loc-Tite.

We can only hope it was something other than red Loctite, but then again we've all seen much dumber stuff perpetrated by POs. When my GS850 came to me, quite a few fasteners were slathered in a mysterious hardened gray glop.

To remove red Loctite it is best to heat the area to 400-500 degrees F. A don’t know if a heat gun would get the area that hot. Usually a torch works well. If you just heat it until you get a puff of smoke from the screw you are usually good. Aluminum melts at 1200 degrees F. so you can do this without hurting the carburetor. Dar

Carbs are made from a zinc alloy, not aluminum. Much lower melting point, so far more care is needed if you're using fire.

I've used a soldering gun to concentrate heat on stuck screws, or screws glued in place with mystery glop. Heat guns are useful for heating the whole thing to get a stuck slide out, but you need more concentrated heat for fasteners and adjustment screws.

[KEITH KRAUSE]

Thanks for sharing your fix.
There seems to be no limit to what some PO's do. Why would anyone apply sealant to these screws?

[Nessism]

Carbs are made from a zinc alloy, not aluminum. Much lower melting point, so far more care is needed if you're using fire.

VM carbs are indeed zinc. BS CV carbs are aluminum though. Huge difference in weight - several pounds.

[Nessism]

Thanks for sharing your fix.
There seems to be no limit to what some PO's do. Why would anyone apply sealant to these screws?

Suzuki, or maybe Mikuni, applied paint over the top of the pilot screws on VM carbs. Commonly visible on the air scews. It doesn't lock the screws in place, but it certainly makes removing them more difficult than otherwise would be the case.