carb/fuel valve ?

[braol]

I have an 85 550E and the fuel valve won't shut off completely. Will that cause the carbs to overfill? I'm guessing I have a problem with the needle seats. I am going to take the carbs apart and make sure everything is clean and working properly. These will be the first motorcycle carbs I have messed with so if anyone has any tips or knows about any problems that are common on these, it would help me out.

[Jethro]

If your carbs are overflowing, you have a problem with both the fuel tap not turning off, and your needle valves not working properly. Take the tank off and see if the tap itself leaks. It's a good idea to hook up a vaccum hose to the vaccum fitting and suck on it a few times to see if the fuel tap shuts back off each time. You should make sure you fix the tap, not just the float needles. If gas gets in the crankcase, you can toast your engine real quick.

Then clean the float needle valves, check the needles for scoring or corrosion, replace the o-rings and you are good to go. You can install a fresh, long fuel line and suck on the carb rack while turning it upside down to see if the needles are sealing at all.

[jsuani]

carb help...

I just removed my carbs and cleaned them. The information that I used that was the most helpful for the carb rebuilt pages on the gsresources garage webpage. Due to my time limitations it took me three days to do it properly. I removed and cleaned the first day. I let it soak overnight when it was warm outside. I used purple power for the soaking of the base. A walmart product. I only sprayed it on and then washed it off with a water hose. I then wiped it out with some shop towels and q-tips. And after doing so I concentrated on the small parts. I used a motorcycle parts spray that I soaked in a small spray paint cap. I ensure that all the holes were clear and I could see thru them. Holes on the jets of course. Small safety wire or dental picks are good to use also. Make sure not to scratch up anything to much. Second day: I removed all old gas and junk. I then inspected very carefully and adjusted as I put it all back together by the book. I used new parts to replace any messed up parts that needed it. Third day: All put back together I put it back on the bike and hooked everything up properly and vuala. All running good and stuff. Take your time and bag and label everything properly. It is not hard. Remeber to use the proper tools and take your time. Have fun, Duane.

[jsuani]

More info...

Oh, get the clymers manual to help if you need more info. It is very helpful. Just think someone else once didn't know what to do to remove one and pull it apart. I am sure that your local mechanic started out that way. You have folks here that will help you out. So don't do this by yourself and things will be fine. Peace Duane.

[braol]

Thanks, I have a clymers manual. I took them apart and the o-rings for the needle seat are bad. It's kinda nasty inside, the guy I bought it from said the carbs had been gone through a few weeks prior. I bought it at the end of July.
Where can I buy a kit? Suzuki? Or do I have to buy the parts indivdually?

[jsuani]

Doing it right...

If they were gone through he didnt do a good job in the tank or he either just sprayed them from the front side with carb. cleaner and let the carbs suck it down. I am glad that you found the problem and are ready to fix it the right way. I found my parts at the dealer but I got the inside hook-up with my friend. I have to tell you to check pricing at the dealer compared to dennis kirk. If you have the time to wait for the parts then go for dennis. You can do a web search for dennis kirk and it will come up. I just got some other parts from him and had no problem with shipping or anything. If you need tires I know that they do not charge you for bulk shipped items. If you find them elsewhere let me know the place for the good parts. Peace Duane.

[Jethro]

You should acid dip the carbs and all the guts, after completely tearing them down. You may be able clean and salvage the jets, but will probably need new float bowl gaskets and certainly all the o-rings. You can get the o-rings from Robert Barr at www.cycleorings.com.