1978 Gs 550e Carb Question

[OLJOCLARK]

Hello Again.from Alabamy.got A Question For All Yall Carb Pro's. Ihave Replaced The Petcock ,cleaned The Carbs ,and Moved My Floats To Make Sure The Valves Are Seating . Problem Is,, When I Prime The Carbs,it Fills Each One Up,,one At A Time And Dumps About A Half A Cup Of Fuel Out The Overflow Tubes.i'm Reading That I Need To Replace Needle Valve O Rings,so I Pulled The Carbs Again And I Haven't Found Any O Rings Under The Seats Yet! Can Any One Enlighten Me On This Before I Carry Them To The Local Suzuki Guy For An Expensive Lesson? Thanks Again,,,,oljo From Alabam8-[

[Nessism]

Don't think the float needle seat uses an o-ring, just a washer.

Did you take the carbs fully apart and clean the parts? If the bodys are crusty, dipping them in carb dip is manditory. If they are basically clean, you can get away with using spray cleaner.

After the parts are all clean you can start to look at each needle and seat to see if they are worn or damaged. Also, test the floats to make sure they float.

Put everything back together with new o-rings and bowl gaskets.

Set the floats per the manual. You can use a piece of tubing to blow on the fuel inlet port while moving the float up to verify that the float needle is seating when the float raises.

Whole project is not difficult, you just need to be detail oriented.

Check the link below for rebuild information in case you have not found this information.

http://www.thegsresources.com/files/vm_carb_rebuild.pdf

[OLJOCLARK]

Carbs 550e

So,,the The Needle Seats Metal To Metal?if They Are Seating Well And The Floats Are Good, And The Adjustment On Float Height Is Shutting Off Fuel, What Other Problem Could I Be Looking For.when I Cleaned The Carbs I Didn't Take Any Parts Out Of The Top Of The Carbs,just Cleaned And Blew Out With Air.i've Looked At The Floats Each Time I've Had Em Apart But Haven't Seen Any Problems ,no Fuel In Them. I Will Try Blowing Thru The Inlet Port Tomorrow .thanks For Your Response,,oljo Frm Alabam

[Suzuki_Don]

Nessism is right there is a fibre washer between the needle valve and the carb body. It should not be metal to metal.
Cheers
Don

[OLJOCLARK]

No Washers

Thanks ,,guys For The Input. I Haven't Found Any Washers In There Either. Do You Think The Suzuki Dealer Will Have These?

[Suzuki_Don]

You normally get the washers in the float valve kit which you could buy from a Suzuki dealer (this ket includes needle and seat and gasket). Purchase float bowl gaskets as well.

[Nessism]

Float needle and seat are crazy expensive if you get them from a dealer. Best bet is to just get the washer if that's all you need, or get a complete aftermarket kit if necessary.

Regarding the carbs in general, you need to at least pull out the pilot jet to make sure it's clean. Of course it's better to clean them proper like by taking them apart. Many, many people don't go far enough into the carbs and wind up doing the job several times until they get it right.

[OLJOCLARK]

a little more detail

ok, thanks for making me dig a little deeper in the well! this evening i got set up in my shop area,gas tank above the carbs,new hoses,longer!,cleaned the fuel mixture screws and ports,set thefloat adjustments dead even,,for a starting point checked my new petcock, it's operating smoothly.checked it by sucking on the vacume line while on the on position, and reserve,looks great.when i hooked back up to the carbs and primed,,after about 20 or so seconds ihad overflow for about 3 second on the carb closest to the choke lever. it would stop and start again after about 5 seconds and keep repeating this until i stopped it myself. then i came in and read your last reply about blowing on the input tube. when i did this,with all covers off and pressing on each float i found the carb that was leaking wasn't seating very good. so i pulled the seats out and inspected them with a magnifying glass and flashlight and found the leaking carb seat to be pitted and wore.ah!ha! now...all i can see in the other carbs is brass and they look good. do you think i might have lost the washers during my first cleaning? or can they just dissapear? what are they made of? and where can i get the aftermarket seats and stuff. this must be a very small washer! can it be honed like water faucets? i know a lot of questions, but i think i'm getting closer, thanks to yall!

[tkent02]

Thin little fiber washer, maybe 1/32" thick or less.
Goes where the valve screws into the carb itself.
If this is missing it might cause some leakage.

[OLJOCLARK]

about the washer,,,, do you mean the brown washer on the threads of the seat.if this is the washer we've been talking about they are still on it. i was takin it that there is supposed to be something between the needle valve and the seat,which the seat is brass. i'm kinda confused here! thanks...oljo

[Nessism]

If you go back and read my earlier post there is a link to a cleaning article with photos of the fiber washers.

Aftermarket needles and seats are available although you may have to purchase an entire rebuild kit. Don't even consider honing them.

[OLJOCLARK]

thanks again,,i'll go shopping tomorrow locally, see what i can find..oljo

[Nessism]

Nothing between the needle valve and the seat - metal to metal contact.

If you are interested, I have a couple of new aftermarket needles and seats - K&L brand. Never took them out of the package. These use a soft metal washer of some type so fiber washers are not necessary - only something soft enough to seal. Drop me a PM if you are interested in them.

[OLJOCLARK]

To Nexxism

Thanks For The Offer . I Finally Burn't Out Today Broke Down And Let The Local Mech Order New Oem Kits.i'm Gonna Let Him Set The Whole Thing Up. I'll Let You Know How It Turns Out.may Be A Few Weeks.i Saw Buttercups Blooming Today On The Roadside.spring's A Comin Soon.my Mech That I'm Dealing With Races Suzuki's So Maybe He'll Really Get Her Close. It'll Give Me A Little Time To Go Catch Some Crappie..maybe. Thanks Again For Your Help.oljo From Alabam