Zagg's Project: '78 GS750E

[Datsa Noydb]

Personally, I think that for all the fussing around that you are doing with all those various chemicals, you could have gone to your local auto parts store or Wal-Mart and gotten a can of Berryman's and had the job done correctly. For the record, GUNK brand carb dip does a fine job, as well as Yamaha's concentrated dip.

Think about how you had stuff cake on the outside surfaces of your carbs. You had to mechanically brush them off. Now consider that it's the INSIDE passages that are really critical, not the outside surfaces. Did you scrub them clean, as well?

Other than that, it appears that you are doing a decent job.

[loud et]

Vinegar will definately eat the aluminum on various parts. Once I filled my tank with the high strength vinegar for derusting, it both ate the petcock and the 2 locking nubs on the fuel cap. It also ate the inside of the fuel cap lock and I couldn't get the cap off.
A bit too strong for 24 hour soaking when aluminum is involved.
The pine sol soak seems to have worked for you. I think the cold was certainly a negative factor. Others here I believe put the carbs in a big pot and put them on the stove burner(camping stove/hot plate) and get it nice and hot. That seems to do really well.
Also definately get the old hammer style impact driver. Some screws simply cannot be removed without one. Wack wack, success.

[Zagg]

Personally, I think that for all the fussing around that you are doing with all those various chemicals, you could have gone to your local auto parts store or Wal-Mart and gotten a can of Berryman's and had the job done correctly. For the record, GUNK brand carb dip does a fine job, as well as Yamaha's concentrated dip.

Think about how you had stuff cake on the outside surfaces of your carbs. You had to mechanically brush them off. Now consider that it's the INSIDE passages that are really critical, not the outside surfaces. Did you scrub them clean, as well?

Other than that, it appears that you are doing a decent job.

Yeah, I know. It turned out to be a pain in the ass and not worth it, but my local Walmart didn't have the Berryman's according to the website and the Advance and Autozone stuff was pricy. My mistake and I certainly won't make it again. On the plus side, the lacquer thinner is working well so far and the vinegar works well on the brass.

[Zagg]

Vinegar will definately eat the aluminum on various parts. Once I filled my tank with the high strength vinegar for derusting, it both ate the petcock and the 2 locking nubs on the fuel cap. It also ate the inside of the fuel cap lock and I couldn't get the cap off.
A bit too strong for 24 hour soaking when aluminum is involved.
The pine sol soak seems to have worked for you. I think the cold was certainly a negative factor. Others here I believe put the carbs in a big pot and put them on the stove burner(camping stove/hot plate) and get it nice and hot. That seems to do really well.
Also definately get the old hammer style impact driver. Some screws simply cannot be removed without one. Wack wack, success.

This is off the shelf vinegar and it seems to need a minimum of 24 hours to have any effect, but yeah, I won't be soaking the carb bodies in it anymore. I was working on the stator cover again tonight and got all but 2 screws off...

[Zagg]

Had a hell of a time with those stator cover screws! I used the Dewalt on the hammer drill setting (yeah I know, not the same) I leaned on the drill and gently applied pressure. I was able to break all but 2. Looks like thread lock on the ends of the screws....


This one didn't like the phillips head so I cut a slit with the dremel, applied heat, and voila!



This one has turned out to be the stubborn one. I am losing the battle currently....


The last one is the very bottom screw and I haven't really messed with it yet. I believe I am going to get a proper impact driver before I go back to these last two.

I did however get the intake boots to come loose!



Clean em up, pop in the new o-rings and we should be good to go! Thanks for taggin' along!

[Zagg]

I am going to try leaning the bike to the right side and work the penetrating oil down in there for a couple days and see if that makes a difference.

[cowboyup3371]

You can pick up an impact driver for cheap at Harbor freight but then go to Sears and get their bits.

Personally, I only half believe the "in-store" stock status notices at any of the major retailers web sites and will go physically look instead. However, that can of Berryman's that you spend $25 on at Advance or Auto Zone will typically have a basket in it to help dip the carbs and doesn't need to be discarded after the first run. You can save it for future use.

[loud et]

Needle nose vise grips or vise grips will also cracks those screws loose sometimes too. Then you can proceed with a screwdriver.
If you knew /had the tools to cut a slot in the screw head then it seems like you are pretty handy at wrenchin.
Get these screws out so we can see some bike building!
Watching post.
Thanks

[huntb]

x2 on the vise grips for those last two screws

[Zagg]

You can pick up an impact driver for cheap at Harbor freight but then go to Sears and get their bits.

Personally, I only half believe the "in-store" stock status notices at any of the major retailers web sites and will go physically look instead. However, that can of Berryman's that you spend $25 on at Advance or Auto Zone will typically have a basket in it to help dip the carbs and doesn't need to be discarded after the first run. You can save it for future use.

Yeah, and ya know the Walmart isn't that far away either... Sometimes my shrewd nature and my downtime spent watching cheapskates on youtube gets the best of me... Oh well, lesson learned. I think there is a part of me that always believes there is a "better way"? I am always looking for a way to one up big business too. You win some, you lose some.

Yeah, I was trying to steal a Dewalt reman impact driver on ebay, but I keep getting outbid. There's a guy selling dozens of them. 1_great_shop

[Zagg]

Needle nose vise grips or vise grips will also cracks those screws loose sometimes too. Then you can proceed with a screwdriver.
If you knew /had the tools to cut a slot in the screw head then it seems like you are pretty handy at wrenchin.
Get these screws out so we can see some bike building!
Watching post.
Thanks

Thanks for the advice on the vise grips... I will try them after I completely mangle the internal part of the head. Looks like I may be heading to HF to pick up an impact driver. I am anxious to keep movin' on this thing. I have been working on a 94 IDI diesel for a few years so I have some experience with the rusty, frozen bolts but that extra 10+ years of age has added an extra pain in the ass I wasn't expecting! Oh well, for all my bitchin' I still love it. Thanks again.

[Zagg]

x2 on the vise grips for those last two screws

Thank you sir!

[Nessism]

The pilot fuel screw tip looks to be broken off in your photo. You better check the carb body to see if it's broken off in the body.

The foam seals are gone from the air filter frame and presumably the airbox end caps. Using high density urethane foam on the air filter frame works well, and a softer open cell foam on the airbox end caps is a popular solution.

Agree with the others that a can of carb dip is greatly preferable to those kitchen chemicals you are using. Hope you are not soaking the rubber parts and trust you are replacing all the carb O-rings during the rebuild.

[Zagg]

Some stocking stuffers...

[Zagg]

The pilot fuel screw tip looks to be broken off in your photo. You better check the carb body to see if it's broken off in the body.

The foam seals are gone from the air filter frame and presumably the airbox end caps. Using high density urethane foam on the air filter frame works well, and a softer open cell foam on the airbox end caps is a popular solution.

Agree with the others that a can of carb dip is greatly preferable to those kitchen chemicals you are using. Hope you are not soaking the rubber parts and trust you are replacing all the carb O-rings during the rebuild.

Yeah, I am disappointed with the results. I didn't notice any breaks, but I will inspect closely. Thanks for that.

I read the airbox thread on BikeCliff's site that mentioned using weatherstripping to seal the caps... Is there any way to fix the or effectively seal the tear in the "snorkel" ? (I posted a pic of the tear in the boot)

Also, I am unclear on where you are suggesting I add the high density urethane foam... Could you be more detailed on that one? Thanks!