emergency. info to order new pilot screw for VM carbs?

[AOD]

lets hope its not plugged and/or i can get the tip out of there...else i'm screwed.

[AOD]

well...just as i guessed, the tip is broke off into the carb body.

i'm well more then screwed...nothing will get it to budge out. i can stick a straightened paper clip down the back side and move around the tip a bit, but nothing i stick in small hole inside the throttle body works. i tried brush brissles, a staple, pushpin, straightened spring...nothing

i hate carbs.

[KEITH KRAUSE]

That's a bummer. Which # carb is it, as they mount on the bike? Maybe someone here has an extra. I'd post a topic for it. Remember what I said about the pilot circuit having 2 holes. Do you have a salvage yard nearby?

[AOD]

there's a salvage yard somewhere in Wisconsin a few hours from here. :x

so what's the worst that can happen if i leave the tip broke off in there? it will run lean at idle? what if i idle at 2500 RPM - wouldnt it be running off the needle by then?

i have a set of carbs on my 78 GS550 that i was going to sell. they were cleaned by me last year, and run rich, but they run. i didn't replace any o-rings when i serviced them, but they seemed to work okay. if worse comes to worse, i can remove those carbs this weekend, since i planned to get the bike then anyway, and try them in place if the current carbs if the stuck pilot screw doesnt work.

i think i've got three options, because i'm doubting i can find ONE carb to replace the #2 or #3 carb. option 1, see if using a small drill bit to drill out the backside of the stuck pilot screw helps free it. or option 2, use it as is. option 3, use my other carbs.

what would you do?

~Adam

[KEITH KRAUSE]

Don't try to drill out the tip, it will ruin the hole and the bike will run MUCH worse. If you use the carbs off the other bike, it sounds like you will have more jetting problems and then not be able to sell the other bike as easily or you'll have to sell for less. I would try to find another carb body or a set. The bad carb will effect the idle and speeds up to about 60 and you'll have a lean condition and warm-ups will be rougher. What # carb was it? Try asking someone here for a spare for cheap.

[AOD]

its the #2 or #3 carb...in the middle. i think its #2, because #3 would have the throttle cable components above it.

the other 550 wont require much rejetting work. that bike originally had the 4-1 exhaust on it, which i switched out and put on the new bike. it also has pod filters already, and since it ran really rich i'm guessing the guys that had it before me, like many other things on the bike, messed around with it. i rather have a rich running bike then a lean bike any day.

what i really need is a dentists pick...maybe that will help me get the tip out.

argh.

~Adam

[AOD]

i'll stop at Walgreens on my way home, they have one type of dentist/tooth pick, with a stainless steel tip, online. i found a few on Yahoo shopping, but i'd have to wait 3-4 days to get that.

i need some sandpaper too, since i've scuffed up the inside of the carb bore a bit from trying to push out the stuck tip.

~Adam

[AOD]

walgreens is my last hope...i wasn't able to find any carb bodies at salvage yards i called around to.

i found a 'good' set of carbs for $75 though...which i almost want to buy just to have. two other places wanted $125 and $225 for carbs.

should i invest?

~Adam

[AOD]

i broke the dentists pick trying to get it out...so its going back to walgreens and i emailed jojo - who offered me a part of a spare set of 78/79 GS550 carbs he has for parts. i'm awaiting his price and shipping info...

my other option is the $75 set i found.

~Adam

[KEITH KRAUSE]

In identifying the # carb, the throttle assembly has nothing to do with it. You cannot swap a #2 for a #3, or vice-versa. The #2 carb has a nipple for a vent tube that vents the floatbowls. The #3 carb has an identical looking nipple but it's for the petcock vacuum line. You say the damaged carb is one of the 'middle' ones. When the carbs are on the bike, the carb #'s are 1,2,3,4 left to right. If JoJo can help you, make sure you get the SAME # carb and it has the 2 pilot circuit holes in the carb throat. If you get all the parts you need, you will have to completely break down the bank of carbs to replace the damaged carb body. This is more work than changing the needle settings. You may need an impact driver to loosen the phillips screws that hold the carbs to the bracket. The chokes will need re-setting to make them equal, etc. If you are willing to try to learn to do this yourself, that's great. But if you think you would like some help, let me remind you. As long as the carbs/parts are in good mechanical condition,(no stripped screws that would interfere with taking things apart) You can send them to me and I will fix you up. All it will cost you is the shipping. I know these carbs well and it is not a problem. It would give me a chance to help out a fellow GSer. KK.

[AOD]

thanks Keith, i've never done the choke adjustment before, and it was the only thing that struck me as the part i've not 'ventured' into.

removing the carb bodies doens't look too bad. i have to remove the throttle shaft like before, pull the one slide out, remove the back screws holding the carbs to the plate and disconnect the fittings in between.

it looked like the choke assembly was on a shaft of its own...hopefully that is about the same as removing the other parts. i will investigate it shortly, i guess i'm gonna start taking them apart again so i can have it ready when the new carb gets to me.

jojo was sending it out this morning.

~Adam

[KEITH KRAUSE]

I sure hope you are getting the exact same # carb. As for the choke adjusting, it is not something you will see in a book. Just make sure all 4 start to lift up at close to the same time. Sometimes you have to loosen the phillips screws and play with them a bit. Do not over tighten them. Be carefull handling the plastic piece with the spring on the left side of the choke bar/shaft, it can be brittle.And on the far right side of the choke bar/shaft, there is a small thin washer you don't want to lose. Also be very carefull with loosening the 8 recessed phillips on the carb bracket. They can be tight and real easy to strip. Use a GOOD fitting screwdriver or impact is what I use. Don't try to take the carbs out 1 at a time. Remove all 8 screws and the bracket, then seperate the carbs. You should use some blue loc-tite on the 8 screws when you re-install. Keeping everything in order as you remove it will help you putting things back. Re-sinc the carbs manually the best you can. Let me know if you get stuck on anything.

[AOD]

hmmn...i figured i'd just have to take off the #1 and the #2 (broken one) carb to do the swap. i didn't want to have to seperate ALL the carbs...since #3 and #4 are fine.

i just went and rechecked the carb i needed...jojo sent me a picture of the carbs he was going to part to send me, and he had the one in needed. i trust he'll send the right one.

i've kinda devised a plan for the bike at the current situation. i'm going to my apartment (not where i'm at right now, staying with my girlfriend) this weekend and i'm going to try to stop at the Suzuki dealer where my 78 GS550 is being stored at since they fixed a seal on it. I'm going to hopefully get it started and driven back to my apartment, then take the carbs off it. this will hoepfully let me get the 79 bike running, and be able to set check and set the timing on the Dyna S. then i can at least maybe ride the bike while i wait for the new carb to come.

i dont worry about the old carbs running lean or anything...since they ran extremely rich on the old bike, even with pod air filters and 4-1 exhaust.

~Adam

[KEITH KRAUSE]

If you can remove just the #1 and #2 carbs, that will be fine. Whenever I have done carb work, I usually just take all 4 apart. The carbs will not just pull straight out, they will be somewhat held by the fuel connectors. They are rubber coated and and you don't want to bend or be rough with them trying to pull the carbs apart. As long as the 2 sets of carbs are the same,you could also set up the needle jetting,etc, on the '78 carbs the same way you did the damaged '79 carbs and put them on the '79 bike permanently. Then fix the other set and put them back on the '78. The '78 may run better too, instead of so rich?

[AOD]

when i cleaned up the 78 carbs last summer, it was my first time ever doing it so i had someone walk me through it at S&S. alls i did was clean stuff, i didn't replace any o-rings or anything...which makes me leary to put them on the 79 bike permanently because i've put like $20 in o-rings ALONE into the broken carbs.

i'm more or less wanting to put the carbs on there temporarily because i'm sick of not riding...its bugging me too much. the 78 bike would just sit at my apartment 75 miles away and do nothing anyway, so why not steal its carbs for a bit?

as for the rich condition...i think its because i messed with the pilot screws on them a while back. i believe i fattened them up a bit when i cleaned them...dont ask why. heh.

i'll just tighten the pilot screws on it about a 1/2 turn, and see if i can get the 79 running again. i've been super anxious to see if the Dyan S works...and how it works.

Jojo sent out my carb replacement from the Netherlands today...

~Adam