Lookout carbs, we're coming in!...(hoping for some help too!)

[Chuckster]

Anybody got any tips on cleaning the CV boot and slide? Looks pretty delicate and I'd hate to mess it up! :shock:

[Suzuki_Don]

Anybody got any tips on cleaning the CV boot and slide? Looks pretty delicate and I'd hate to mess it up! :shock:

82SHAFTY told you how to do this in a previous reply. Carb dip on a rag. Wash off with soapy water immediately after.

[bwringer]

AAAAGHH!


PLEASE don't get standard carb cleaner anywhere NEAR the diaphragms, floats, rubber fuel tees, or anything plastic or rubber that you care about. Stop it! Stop it RIGHT NOW! Put the spray can down and back away slowly... :shock:


To gently clean these chemically delicate bits, simply use Sea Foam. In "pourable" form, it's Sea Foam. In spray can form, it's called Deep Creep, but it's pretty much the same stuff. These are safe on plastic and rubber, but carb cleaner is not.

[Suzuki_Don]

OOPS. My bad. I meant the slide not the diaphragm.

[Chuckster]

AAAAGHH!


PLEASE don't get standard carb cleaner anywhere NEAR the diaphragms, floats, rubber fuel tees, or anything plastic or rubber that you care about. Stop it! Stop it RIGHT NOW! Put the spray can down and back away slowly... :shock:


To gently clean these chemically delicate bits, simply use Sea Foam. In "pourable" form, it's Sea Foam. In spray can form, it's called Deep Creep, but it's pretty much the same stuff. These are safe on plastic and rubber, but carb cleaner is not.

Thanks for the tip on the Deep Creep! I'll pick some up tomorrow. I've only soaked the #1 carb body in Berrymans as of now, so I haven't done anything to any other parts yet. I appreciate it. :-D

I left the #1 carb body soaking for two days and rinsed it tonight with soap and warm water; then, as I was blowing it out with my air compressor, a big chunk of mud/gunk came out of one of the side holes. Somebody must of been dirt riding with this thing or something. So I put it back in to soak for another day. Taking my time trying to do them right.

[Chuckster]

OOPS. My bad. I meant the slide not the diaphragm.

No biggie Don. I appreciate your willingness to help. :-D

[Suzuki_Don]

No biggie Don. I appreciate your willingness to help. :-D

Thanks Chuckster. Very forgiving of you. BTW keep the thread going as my carbs are off the 550 as I am doing the rings, barrels and cyl head repairs at the moment. Before the carbs go back on I will need to do the full deal as you are doing. I have the "O" rings from Robert Barr, the intake rings, am waiting on new intake boots from Z1. So I will be following your thread closely when I get to that stage. Although my carbs are VMs there will be lots of similarities.

Cheers Don

[psyguy]

that's one clean looking bike for just $400
would cost me 4 times more here, if i could find one at all :shock:

[Suzuki_Don]

that's one clean looking bike for just $400
would cost me 4 times more here, if i could find one at all :shock:

Double that over here.+

[Chuckster]

Thanks Chuckster. Very forgiving of you. BTW keep the thread going as my carbs are off the 550 as I am doing the rings, barrels and cyl head repairs at the moment. Before the carbs go back on I will need to do the full deal as you are doing. I have the "O" rings from Robert Barr, the intake rings, am waiting on new intake boots from Z1. So I will be following your thread closely when I get to that stage. Although my carbs are VMs there will be lots of similarities.

Cheers Don

Will do Don. Keep us posted as to your progress! I've got to do my intake rings as well. :-D

[Chuckster]

that's one clean looking bike for just $400
would cost me 4 times more here, if i could find one at all :shock:

Thanks but it wasn't exactly that clean when I got it. I've put on new tires, pipes, sprockets, chain, seat, shocks, regulator/rectifier/stator, and handbars/grips to name a few things. But it did run pretty good when I got it. I rode it about 200 miles before I started working on it. I've probably got about $850 in it now and I'm about done (at least with buying parts and such). :-D

[Chuckster]

I found a carb rebuild thread in which Steve posted a very good response and picture (see below) regarding setting float bowl height.

I need to know the following:

1) What do I use to measure the height and where do I get one?

2) If I need to make an adjustment, what do I "bend" :shock: (for lack of a better term)?

3) What do the numbers below mean for mine regarding float height and what type of measurement is this?



The specs for my bike are:

GS550 (80-82) the specs are for the CV's

idle r/min 1100-+/-100r/min
carb mik bs32ss (4 seprate carbs)
id no 47160 (us) 47170 (can)
bore size 32 (1.26)
float height 22.4.+/-1.0 (0.88 +/-0.04)
fuel level 5.0+/-0.5 (0.20 +/-0.04)
main jet #92.5
main air jet 1.6
jet needle (4bel2 us model) (5f42-3rd notch canadian adjusable needle)
needle jet x-6
pilot jet #40
throttle valve #135
by pass (0.9, 0.7, 0.7 us model) (1.0,0.8,0.8 canadian)
pilot outlet 0.7
valve seat 2.0
starter jet #35
pilot screw 3.5 turns back (mixture screw)
pilot air jet (us model #150) (#120 canadian)

[XL-erate]

I posted this to another thread but it may help you in your endeavors:

There are several air bleeds in the throat of the carb, one near center and 2 or 3 in the inlet/filter area. I soak the carb in carb cleaner when possible, then use carb spray cleaner and a small wire, like a piece of guitar string [B or E string] or similar. The wire is used to swab out those tiny air bleeds, and to clean the jets.

Best to polish the end of wire smooth, almost rounded so you don't gouge casting or jets. Both the aluminum and the jets are much harder than many think so a light cleaning with the wire only removes shellac buildup, and even that can take some work to get out. Wire and spray cleaner working together, then a final spray though all orifices, then hit it hard with high pressure compresed air. Carb will be good as new, far better than just a soak or spray and rebuild.

Those air bleeds in combination with metering jets control fuel mixture when you crack the throttle, with the vacuum causing fuel to flow at proper rate at proper time. Blocked orifice means too much air, lean condition and bog. Sometimes a too high float level can do the opposite, causing carb to dump fuel and bog.

If you also get a backfire through carb that indicates an intake leak between carb base and cylinder. Spraying some carb cleaner or WD40 around that area with engine running will reveal intake leaks, as engine will speed up when you spray.

[Suzuki_Don]

I found a carb rebuild thread in which Steve posted a very good response and picture (see below) regarding setting float bowl height.

I need to know the following:

1) What do I use to measure the height and where do I get one?

2) If I need to make an adjustment, what do I "bend" :shock: (for lack of a better term)?

3) What do the numbers below mean for mine regarding float height and what type of measurement is this?



The specs for my bike are:

GS550 (80-82) the specs are for the CV's

idle r/min 1100-+/-100r/min
carb mik bs32ss (4 seprate carbs)
id no 47160 (us) 47170 (can)
bore size 32 (1.26)
float height 22.4.+/-1.0 (0.88 +/-0.04)
fuel level 5.0+/-0.5 (0.20 +/-0.04)
main jet #92.5
main air jet 1.6
jet needle (4bel2 us model) (5f42-3rd notch canadian adjusable needle)
needle jet x-6
pilot jet #40
throttle valve #135
by pass (0.9, 0.7, 0.7 us model) (1.0,0.8,0.8 canadian)
pilot outlet 0.7
valve seat 2.0
starter jet #35
pilot screw 3.5 turns back (mixture screw)
pilot air jet (us model #150) (#120 canadian)

1) What do I use to measure the height and where do I get one? You can buy a float measuring gauge, but most of us use a vernier caliper. They can be picked up cheap from hardware stores. About $10.

2) If I need to make an adjustment, what do I "bend" :shock: (for lack of a better term)? The metal tang that sits over the top of the float needle is the part that needs to be bent to adjust the float height. See Pic.



3) What do the numbers below mean for mine regarding float height and what type of measurement is this? This means 22.4 mm, plus or minus 1mm as the float measurement with the carb upside down on the bench. The figures in brackets are in inches. Measure from top of float, not top of float hinge to recess where you took the float bowl gasket away from. If gasket is still in place subtract another mm from the measurement.

Hope this helps and you can understand it OK.

[bwringer]

Can you tell I have a nifty new program for annotating images?