Stuck pilot screws

[steve523]

Hi,
This is the first of what may besevral posts by me (read "Why?? You ask why?? in GS Owners).

Here's the deal- all 4 carbs have seized air adjuster screws. They sit opposite a gutted no restriction (no mid range power) exhaust. The original 112.5 main jets have been swapped with 124's the air jets are 170's. I can't seem to find out how needle and needle jets can be identified. And to top it all off the bike now lives at about 5000 feet instead of sea level. All of this leaves me without any references. I am trying to find a reasonable baseline to tune from- jet sizes vs. the new condtions. I have several months before I will be ready to run. For test purposes the tired old exhaust will get fitted with super trapp restrictor plates to get some back pressure, or maybe some steel wool? I am looking for mid range power because of the way I ride. Any info that would help me get to a good strting point for tuning would be appreciated. Also I have ideas to get the screws out, but if anybody has "been there, done that" your feedback would be very helpful.

[bjrehill]

Hi Steve,

It would be a big help if we knew what year and model you are talking about as this is the only way we can advise you.

Thanks

[gremlin]

I have ideas to get the screws out, but if anybody has "been there, done that" your feedback would be very helpful

oh what fun. will thay turn in words a bit. you will need to soak them in something to brake the paint thay use to seal them in with.

a good cab cleaner should do the work. take all the time you need dont get in a hurry. do not force them. once thay are a little free work them back and forth slowly. acetone will work too just put a few drops in every 30 min or so. get some o-rings, thay may be in bad shape after.

if you cant get the air adjuster screws out by soaking them then strip the carb all the way down. then dunk them in carb dip. this will eat almost every thing, including the o-rings for the air adjuster screws. but hopefuly the sealent thay used on the screws.

its a pta "pain in the a##" to get them out the first time. just wate till you get your first gumed up fuel mix screw. takes days of soaking and gentle turning to get one out with out braking the point off.

[SqDancerLynn1]

Yes if suzuki had only made the slot a little deeper I have had good luck drilling them, BUT use a left hand drill bit, when the bit grabs it will unscrew instead of jaming the needle into the carb body. If you have carb kits with new needles you are all set. Otherwise you could epoxie some type of allen screw into the drilled hole for adjustment

[Jethro]

Oh, I have been there, done that. More than once...

First things first, get some PB Blaster. It's 100 times better than WD40 or Liquid Wrench. Soak the threads above the screws. Maybe try and use a pipe cleaner to clean out the threads with the PB Blaster. I usually take the carbs apart completely, might as well clean and rebuild them at this point.

The first method I employ is using a dremel tool with a tiny round grinding ball bit. The grinding ball is less than 1mm around. Grind the screwdriver slot larger (carefull of the threads), then try to back them out. Hopefully this works.

If not, then buy an easy out tap. Probably the smallest you can find. Drill the recommended hole as deep as you are comfortable with. Make it as centered as you can. The screws are brass, so they actually grip the easy out tap pretty good. Unfortunately, the softness of the screws can be a problem as well, and you'll know instantly if it isn't going to work. If it slips, try to apply a little more downward pressure and try again. If it slips again- stop. You are gonna have to resort to the last straw.

I have only had to do this once, but if no other methods work, drill the hole you made for the easy out tap progressivly bigger, until the hole is almost as big as the threads. Then I use a small steel pick to try and pry away the remaining brass around the threads. You will no doubt do some damage to the threads, just try and keep it to a minimum. Keep trying to spin the screw with the pick, or the easy out, and with some luck you will get it out. This took me an entire night to do, and I did some damage to the threads. Luckly there was enough thread to hold a new screw.

Keep in mind these screws are not cheap. Good luck.