HELP Pilot Air Screws Stuck!

[ResidentWarui]

I am rebuilding the junky carbs I bought on eBay because I know there is something wrong with the set that came on my bike...(All the pilot air screws are turned back only half a turn from the bottom, among other things...they are in bad shape.

Anyways I can't get the pilot air screws out on carbs three and four from the ebay set. They were all adjusted properly to start with...but the bike they came off of obviously hadn't been run in many years and I can't get the screws all the way out. I tried sparying them with the carb spray from every possible aproach, and I tried heating the carb body arround the screw but nothing worked and they are too stripped to be unscrewed the rest of the way. (Yes I was using the right sized screw driver, they just won't come out.)

So I guess my only options are to drill them out, or to use the bodies off of the messed up set of carbs...

What should I do?

TIA

[Tarbash 27]

i had this exact problem friday, a pair of vm26 carbs and one of the air screws was all the way in and stripped really bad. trying to use a screw driver did nothing. what i did was clamped the carbs in my vice. than took a pair of scissors and use the pointer side to make a groove in the screw. i was scratching and grinding the scissor back and forth in the brass piece to somewhat make a crease so i could put a screwdriver in it. so i pushed down really hard with a screw driver and it came out about 2 turns than got tighter and didn't want to budge. so i used an impact screwdriver. and i got it the rest of the way out. if you dont know what an impact screwdriver is, its a tool you hit down with a hammer and it has a flat head screwdriver end, and it will twist as you hit it. so its be ing pushed down hard and turned. sorry if its hard to understand they way i type.

[ResidentWarui]

I know what an impact screwdriver is...

Pretty sure that would be effective for getting the screw out but I have another problem now... The inside of one of the carbs is totally eaten away by corosion I will post another thread for this more general question.

[gremlin]

your going to be replacing the o-rings soak it over night in carb cleaner. then use a light pentrating oil, let it soak for a few days. then use some sea-foam let it soak a bit then try removing the screw.

what your trying to get rid of is the paint that thay put on the threds to keep the screw from moving. its more or less a thred locker.

if you can get the the screw to move at all. work it back and forth slowly. it will come but do not try to force it, in any shape or from.

[ResidentWarui]

These carbs are beyond salvation. If anyone knows where to get something new, or something used that's well tuned at a reasonable price please post... last guy wanted $300 :roll:

[Tarbash 27]

EBAY ALWAYS HAS CARBS . CHECK DAILY. YOU CAN PROBABLY GET A PRETTY GOOD SET FOR UNDER $100. BY THE WAY, WHAT KIND OF BIKE IS IT?

[DimitriT]

Had the same problem. The pilot screw was already stripped on the bike I purchased.

I put the carb in a softwood face bench vice and took out the Porter cordless. I selected a long tip with square edge and set the cordless on the "drill" high torque setting. I then applied downward force on the bit while very slowly applying torque. The screw backed out. Once I got the screw out I noticed that the top 2 or 3 threads in the hole where worn flat. I tried inserting one of the brass replacement screws but it fouled on the harder aluminum. Threw out that screw and took one of the original steel screws out of my "old parts" box. I then used this screw to carefully tap out the threads in the hole. After a few passes with the steel screw I was back in business.

Now I'm waiting for delivery of replacement pilot jet plugs and intake boot o-rings and we'll see how she fires up.

Some other gotchas I ran into during the rebuild: make sure your sliders go up and down in a nice smooth motion. I used a soft metal 6 inch ruler to raise them as a test and noticed two of mine where sticking just slightly. I removed the sliders and noticed a few bumps on the bottom edge. It looks like the sliders were dropped at some point or mishandled and the edges where roughed up causing them to stick. The solution was to take some 600 grit metal-oxide sand paper and carefully polish down the divets.

On my carbs the pilot jet plugs were shrunken and clearly needed replacement. The plugs are there because the idle circuit gets its fuel from an internal tube. But you still need to be able to replace the idle jet so the plug gives you access to it. If the plugs leak, fuel will be drawn up through the access hole causing you to run rich regardless of the pilot screw setting. The damn plugs are $3 each. If someone has a cheaper substitute, please post - any properly sized vacume plug should work.

[ResidentWarui]

Thanks for the replies Dimitri and Tarbash... It's a 78 550..last set of good carbs went to a fellow forum member who was happy to post in one of my threads rubbing it in. My sniping program failed.

I would work harder to get the screw out but the bodies have other problems... #2 is completely eaten away by corosion and the other three simply can't be cleaned with any chemicals I have access to...

I just want to find something I know will work, because with school I really don't have the time or energy for this right now.

I live in a dorm ...

[SqDancerLynn1]

I have always had good luck with a left hand drill bit

[chuckyb]

pilot screw removal

this trick has always worked 4 me, after heating it up a little with a propane torch, melt some candle wax into the screw and whala out it will come, works every time.

[RobGS850L]

Get ahold of Kent. He's a GSR member and I know he can get them things out for you in a jiffy. He lives in the Sac, area. Just do a member search under his name. If he gets mad at you for bugging him, don't say my name.

[Troutdog]

same problem,,,stuck pilot screw

I have a 1981 GS850G..Today I got my carb sync. I learned how to set the pilot screws,,so I pulled the carbs,,drilled the cap and I have the same problem,,There stuck I tried to turn all of them just once,,stopped before I stripped them and came to the old trusty GS resources.I got them soaking in marvels oil for now. If I have to replace the pilot screws does anyone know were to buy them. Thanks for your help,,Joey

[kent]

I have a screw extractor set that I bought from matco several years ago, that starts out at about 3/16 with left handed drills and easy outs that match the bits, a good soaking of WD-40 and a little bit of drilling usually yealds me good success, and BTW rob the 1-900 callbacks at 3:00 in the morning that should be starting soon are not from me

[RobGS850L]

8O
Hey I just called you. Call me in an hour I'm going to the store. Got a meltdown on the 1100. :x Friggin' R/R!
I now return this thread to it's original topic. :roll: