carb rebuild kits are crap...hope i save someone!

[Anonymous]

just went to put my carbs back together using my $100's worth of rebuild kits on my gs850... what a rip!

HERES WHY:

1.bowl gasket doesn't fit very well.. rubs the arms for the floats and almost binds.

2.the "c" clip to hold the needle in is the wrong size. (and it includes two wrong sizes!)

3.the needle is a tad bit longer than stock. like putting a extra shim on.

4.the needle valves seat has no groove for the needle valve clip so you cant use it.

5.forget taking the o-ring of the new needle valve seat, cause it's not the same as stock.

6.the needle valve plunger is "loose" and "sloppy". very cheap

7.none of the kits include the fuel line insert o-rings.. thank goodness Robert Barr sales a o-ring kit!!

and that's as far as i got before getting frustrated and coming in..

hope this helps someone who's debating on buying one (or four!).

Hall

[Anonymous]

carb kit

Hall,

It sounds to me like you got the wrong kits there, bud. Is there any chance of that happening? I would be talking to somebody about exchange or refund before I use any of the parts.

[Anonymous]

I've seen this problem before with some, not all, pattern carb kits. I don't use 'em.

Some bits can be made cheap I guess, some can't.

[Anonymous]

its the right one..

It is the right kit. i'm almost certain. i've got 4 of them here. all have the same labels and part numbers that match the vendors items. i wish they where the wrong ones.. then i could get a new set

[chuckycheese]

jet kits

I had the same problem when I rebuilt my carbs which contained cheap kits. The pilots and main jets were the wrong sizes and appeared to be inferior to OEM jets. By the way, Hall, what brand did you have?? :roll:

[Anonymous]

k&l??

I think it is K&L (kits at home).It is the one you see in the dennis kirk catalog or at your local bike shop. It's in a blue hanging pack...

[Anonymous]

I just finished rebuilding my carbs with a set of K&L kits, because that's all the Suzuki dealer would sell me. I mic'd everything (because of all the horror stories I've read about kits) and everything was EXACT to the original. I too was disappointed in the fact that they didn't supply the vent and fuel intake line o-rings, and or supply a blow-up spec sheet like the hundreds of automotive carbs I've rebuilt do. I already had a o-ring bin, so that wasn't a problem, but if they hadn't blown one up of the same type of carb here on GS resources -- I'd have been in a pickle. I tend to think you got the wrong kits too.

[Anonymous]

anybody else??

Roger, Did you have the groove on your k&l kit for the clip that holds the needle valve in? Is it possible maybe I don't have to have that configuration?

anybody else not using a clip for the needle valve?

about the other stuff:

i think the bowl seal just is kinda cheap, it seems to work.
i ended up using the stock needle and c clamp (stock looked better too)
i'll use the new needle valve and seat if i can figure out if it's ok to use them without a clip

thanks in advance to all!

[SqDancerLynn1]

I purchased needle&seat for 80GS850 oem it did not have the grouve for the needle clip so i assune it is ok not to use it

[Anonymous]

needle clips

I have a 1980 gs 550 and bought K&l kits from Dennis Kirk. I also couldnt use the neddle clips on the new assembly. But they work fine for me without them. Every thing else in the kit fit ok also, so i am also thinking you got the wrong kits.

[Anonymous]

The clips -- no I didn't need them. I took one of the needle jets apart to see if I had adjustable needle jets, but this model didn't have that part and I couldn't figure out why they were supplied. But every other piece was exact down to the orfice size in each jet.