carb questions??

[Guest]

Please help in identifying carb intake parts:

attached pic(hopefully it is clear enough and you can read the labels I inserted) is of my 1983 GS1100G right side view of carb and intake boot.
Questions:
Is the allen head plug for attaching a synchro tool to measure flow? One for each carb.
Is the rubber boot molded on to the metal flange as one piece? Appears to be cracking away a little.
Is there an O ring between the metal flange part and the intake part of the head?
Is there a way to seal with some type of gasket goop on what may be an air leak? I notice on cold mornings when I first start and run the bike an occasional puff of white smoke leaks out while idling and when I first take the bike down the road it will pop a little when I shut down on the throttle going down hill.
I assume these 2 philips head screws on each carb intake will be a bear to get off.
thoughts? thanks,
Steve

[tkent02]

All correct.
Might seal it temporarily with red RTV. Not really the right stuff but it will work for a while.
Replacement boots and orings are available.
An impact driver should get the screws out, maybe some PB Blaster first.
athey can be really stuck, hopefully not too bad.
Use anti-seize for next time, Allen head screws are good too.

[salty_monk]

Get some new o rings from www.cycleorings.com he's a member here.

Dan

[bwringer]

Um, seen this yet...?

http://bwringer.com/gs/intakeorings.html

Your part numbers will be slightly different, but everything works the same.

You cannot repair intake boots -- RTV deteriorates very quickly (like, 5-10 minutes) in the presence of vaporized gasoline. New intake boots and o-rings are the only solution. Skip a few lattes this month and get it over with -- they're about $20 each...

I'd also add that you WILL badly damage the engine by continuing to ride with intake leaks. In a nutshell, lean mixtures burn extremely hot, and the superheated exhaust gasses will damage the valves.

Guess how I know...

Spend a few bucks, fix it right, and ride happy for the next 20 years.

[Steve]

Please help in identifying carb intake parts:

attached pic(hopefully it is clear enough and you can read the labels I inserted) is of my 1983 GS1100G right side view of carb and intake boot.
Questions:
Is the allen head plug for attaching a synchro tool to measure flow? Yes. One for each carb.
Is the rubber boot molded on to the metal flange as one piece? Yes. Appears to be cracking away a little. Not good.
Is there an O ring between the metal flange part and the intake part of the head? Yes.
Is there a way to seal with some type of gasket goop on what may be an air leak? Yes, but not practical or long-lasting. I notice on cold mornings when I first start and run the bike an occasional puff of white smoke leaks out while idling and when I first take the bike down the road it will pop a little when I shut down on the throttle going down hill.
I assume these 2 philips head screws on each carb intake will be a bear to get off. Possibly.
thoughts? thanks,
Steve

As mentioned by posters above, new boots are still available. Not cheap, but will last for the next 20 years, just like the originals did.

Not sure about o-ring prices from Suzuki or Bike Bandit (or others), but you can get new o-rings and stainless Allen-head screws from Robert Barr (GSR forum member) at www.cycleorings.com.


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[tkent02]

RTV deteriorates very quickly (like, 5-10 minutes) in the presence of vaporized gasoline.

Bull. I've used it on car intake manifolds, no problems with it. Exhaust manifolds too, between the head and manifold.
Use the red stuff.
For a temporary repair to stop up vacuum leaks it should be fine.

[bwringer]

Bull. I've used it on car intake manifolds, no problems with it. Exhaust manifolds too, between the head and manifold.
Use the red stuff.
For a temporary repair to stop up vacuum leaks it should be fine.

But we're not talking about Buicks here...

Back when I was younger and poorer, I tried using red RTV to repair rubber intake boots on three different motorcycles. Each time, it failed as I described -- the RTV crumbled and failed quite rapidly when exposed to gasoline vapor and vibration. (And yes, it was fully cured.) In college, my ride to campus was less than ten minutes, and my carefully applied and cured RTV intake boot repair was undone within that time.

However, I have also successfully used RTV as you describe for various semi-temporary intake and exhaust repairs on cars. I think the difference is that the RTV can last quite a bit longer when surrounded and supported by metal, and if only a thin portion is exposed to gasoline vapor. When exposed to the stretching stresses in an intake boot, it suffers from greater exposure and doesn't have a chance.

If I were faced with a torn intake boot out in the wilds or something, I'd probably turn to JB Weld or a similar gasoline-tolerant epoxy. These cure rock-hard, of course, but they have been shown to be reasonably effective temporary repairs. Epoxy repairs will also make the boots too stiff to allow the carbs to be removed or reinserted easily -- you still have to replace the boots ASAP, but JB Weld would likely help you get home.

[lurch12_2000]

thanks for the feedback...I guess I have time to replace boots and o-rings over the winter. If it snows a lot I'll probably be snowmobiling though, and wishing I did them when spring comes.
So the boots (4x $20) are $80 and the o-rings are $5 for the set of 4? from bike bandit?

[Steve]

You will have to shop the various sources for the boots, but get your o-rings and new Allen-head screws for less than $10 by clicking on this link for Cycle O-rings.


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