• Required reading for all forum users!!!

    Welcome!
    Register to access the full functionality of the GSResources forum. Until you register and activate your account you will not have full forum access, nor will you be able to post or reply to messages.

    A note to new registrants...
    All new forum registrations must be activated via email before you have full access to the forum.

    A Special Note about Email accounts!
    DO NOT SIGN UP USING hotmail, outlook, gmx, sbcglobal, att, bellsouth or email.com. They delete our forum signup emails.

    A note to old forum members...
    I receive numerous requests from people who can no longer log in because their accounts were deleted. As mentioned in the forum FAQ, user accounts are deleted if you haven't logged in for the past 6 months. If you can't log in, then create a new forum account. If you don't get an error message, then check your email account for an activation message. If you get a message stating that the email address is already in use, then your account still exists so follow the instructions in the forum FAQ for resetting your password.

    Have you forgotten your password or have a new email address? Then read the forum FAQ for details on how to reset it.

    Any email requests for "can't log in anymore" problems or "lost my password" problems will be deleted. Read the forum FAQ and follow the instructions there - that's what we have one for...

  • Returning Visitors

    If you are a returning visitor who never received your confirmation email, then odds are your email provider is blockinig emails from our server. The only thing that can be done to get around this is you will have to try creating another forum account using an email address from another domain.

    If you are a returning visitor to the forum and can't log in using your old forum name and password but used to be able to then chances are your account is deleted. Purges of the databases are done regularly. You will have to create a new forum account and you should be all set.

Carb cleaning and o-rings

  • Thread starter Thread starter amontyg
  • Start date Start date
A

amontyg

Guest
So i just got done with disassembling, dipping and reassembling my carbs. I bought the o ring kit i found on this forum and reassembled it using the new rings. When i put the carbs back on the bike it ran for a while, though not well, and then quit and could not be started again. After troubleshooting for a while I pulled the carbs off again and opened them up to have a look around and found that they were all gummed up again with what i am guessing is left over dip somewhere in the carbs. so anyway i am now cleaning them again a little more thoroughly. Any specifics to cleaning these things that i should know? also, some of the new o rings had quite a bit of the carb "gunk" built up around them. Is this something I should worry about?
 
Dip, clean with the spray can of carb cleaner and the little red tube, get the spray to go through all the passages and come out the other end. Blow air through if you have a compressor, otherwise do more spraying. The trick is to know all the passages are clear before it goes back together.

Is your tank clean, or contributing to the gunk?
 
tkent02 said:
Is your tank clean, or contributing to the gunk?
Click to expand...

That's a good point Tkent has made about checking your tank - I went through the same process once before, only to find my fuel tank was full of rust & particulate matter. It pluged up my nice clean carbs in short order. Had to re-dip & clean again. Use LOTS of spray carb cleaner, it's relatively cheap & way easier than taking them apart again!!

Put a fuel filter in-line & check to see if it's getting plugged - you might be surprised as to how much gunk didn't make it to the carb.

good luck
 
I had to clean mine about three times. Blasted lots of carb cleaner through them and LOTS of air. I also put in a new pet-cock (that has a built in filter but larger intake tube) and an in-line filter. So don't feel bad; it takes some time and you really learn how to disassemble and reassemble those carbs!

Rick
79 GS750L
 
When you dipped the carbs, how long were they in the dip?

On the can, Berryman's directions indicate that you should dip for 15-30 minutes. Personally, I have much better success leaving them in for 15-30 hours. That's right, just like the vitamins, one a day. Yeah, it keeps you off the bike for a week, by the time you get them off the bike, dipped, put back together and back on the bike, but that will be the last time you need to do it, if you ride and maintain the bike regularly.

.
 
Time factor (not wanting my bike down that long) kept me from the 24 hour dip. I dipped for about 2 hours and went through a can and a half of carb cleaner after a thorough water rise. Tonight is the real test. I didn't get the carbs back on the bike until about midnight last night, so just a 3 or 4 mile run to fill the gas tank. It ran like a champ, so hopefully I did a good enough job. If I noticed anything, there seemed to be MORE noise from my pods, a louder growl (which some of us like and some don't). I'm hoping this is a good sign.

Oh, a tech tip, in the rebuild series he makes the tool from a bit of wire and a matchstick. As a musician, i can tell you the core of a broken guitar string is PERFECT for this application.
 
Time in the dip depends a LOT on how dirty the carbs are. Apparently yours were not too bad, but in the case of unknown carbs, likely a recent acquisition, I like to go the full day each and only do it once.

doctorgonzo said:
Oh, a tech tip, in the rebuild series he makes the tool from a bit of wire and a matchstick. As a musician, i can tell you the core of a broken guitar string is PERFECT for this application.
Click to expand...
Another good tool is one strand of a 12- or 14-gauge multistrand wire. The copper will not scratch the brass jets, your guitar string might, so be careful with it.

.
 
Thanks guys the tank is clean so i think i am going to try the 24 hour method this time and see if i can get it the passages a little more clear. also i didn't realize that the berrymans could be rinsed off with water. i was under the impression that you had to spray the entire thing down with carb cleaner after. That will teach me to read the instructions on the can. Do i need to worry about the residue of berrymans that sat on the o rings inside the carb?
 
I use spray brake clean a lot of times for final cleaning, no residue The CV cannot be too clean, any air leak is bad. You need to go thru the complete system, starting with the intake boots, working back to the airbox
 
amontyg said:
Thanks guys the tank is clean so i think i am going to try the 24 hour method this time and see if i can get it the passages a little more clear. also i didn't realize that the berrymans could be rinsed off with water. i was under the impression that you had to spray the entire thing down with carb cleaner after. That will teach me to read the instructions on the can. Do i need to worry about the residue of berrymans that sat on the o rings inside the carb?
Click to expand...

The berrymans residue may not be the best for your o rings. Berrymans will soften rubber and plastic if exposed long enough.

When I clean a set of carbs, I will soak for an hour or so and then I use a small old toothbrush to brush the crud off. If it doesn't clean, I soak longer. After getting them looking good, a thorough water hose wash followed by the airgun. Then I usually double check the small passages with the toothpick and wire combination. Finally a blast of carb spray and reassemble. Sounds like you have them pretty clean now, some members use seafoam every few tanks to keep clean. How fast are you getting to put them back on bike? I am under 10 minutes now.
 
And always remember ... when working with these chemicals, always use your safety glasses.

Some of the passages are interconnected. Spraying into one will come right back at you through another.

.
 
Steve said:
And always remember ... when working with these chemicals, always use your safety glasses.

Some of the passages are interconnected. Spraying into one will come right back at you through another.

.
Click to expand...

This stuff HURTS in the eyes, not as bad as battery acid but about like brake fluid, way worse than Gasoline.
Glasses are good.
 
tkent02 said:
This stuff HURTS in the eyes, not as bad as battery acid but about like brake fluid, way worse than Gasoline.
Glasses are good.
Click to expand...
Seriously, been there done that, didnt even get a lousy Tshirt. I honestly thought my eyeball was going to MELT. And did I learn my lesson? Nope. Few days ago i was priming my master cylinder...caught some pressurized brake fluid in the eye. Honestly, on a scale from 1-10, 10 being the most painfull... Carb cleaner...10. Brake fluid...7 Carb cleaner lasted WAY longer...Brake fluid, soon as my eyes teared up good, stopped burning, but i had to flush them a while to get the residue out...On the plus side, I think it may have reformed my eyeball..my vision is actually a little better than it was before without correction...LMAO
 
TheCafeKid said:
..my vision is actually a little better than it was before without correction...LMAO
Click to expand...

I'll have to try that, cheaper than new spectacles... But seriously, try battery acid, the pain is tenfold and lasts for minutes after you get your eyeball under the faucet.
 
tkent02 said:
But seriously, try battery acid, ...
Click to expand...
No, thank you. Been there, done that. Back in 1982 I had a battery blow up in my face as I was checking to see if the cable was tight. Scarred my corneas and could not wear my contact lenses for about 5 years. New advances in contact lens materials then allowed me to get new ones. I look better, er, I see better now.

.
 
Do yourself a favor and either rinse out the tank with carb cleaner or install an inline fuel filter at least temporarily. I cleaned my carbs 4 times before I finally figured out that stuff in the tank was the problem. Looking thru the filler cap the tank looked great. Also, drain the tank if the fuel is more than a few months old even if stable was used in it. Todays gas just does not hold up well. Good luck.
 
waterman said:
The berrymans residue may not be the best for your o rings. Berrymans will soften rubber and plastic if exposed long enough.

When I clean a set of carbs, I will soak for an hour or so and then I use a small old toothbrush to brush the crud off. If it doesn't clean, I soak longer. After getting them looking good, a thorough water hose wash followed by the airgun. Then I usually double check the small passages with the toothpick and wire combination. Finally a blast of carb spray and reassemble. Sounds like you have them pretty clean now, some members use seafoam every few tanks to keep clean. How fast are you getting to put them back on bike? I am under 10 minutes now.
Click to expand...

I also use this technique: Carb dip soak > water rinse (like the can says)> blow off with air > spray carb cleaner to make sure the passages are all clear.

I'm not a fan of soaking for 24 hours unless the carbs really need it. There are rubber seals on the ends of the shaft holding the butterfly on CV carbs and it's best to not expose them to the dip any longer than necessary.
 
Steve said:
No, thank you. Been there, done that. Back in 1982 I had a battery blow up in my face as I was checking to see if the cable was tight. Scarred my corneas and could not wear my contact lenses for about 5 years. New advances in contact lens materials then allowed me to get new ones. I look better, er, I see better now.

.
Click to expand...


I was about to say...you look better thru a warbled contact lens :P Kidding buddy...only kidding...
 
I am one of the big proponents of using Seafoam in the tank. The gas we get these days is not the same quality as in years gone by and if left to sit for even a week or two it can go "off". I've noticed this especially of the fuel from independent gas stations.

The Seafoam is a great system cleaner and also is a fuel stabilizer. I put in a couple of caps full with every full tank. It won't stop or dissolve chunks of rust from the tank so an in line filter is also an extremely good idea. If the tank is suspect, I would be cleaning and sealing it too. Nothing worse than being miles from home with one or more plugged carbs.

To avoid problems in the next season proper winter storage is important and there are differing views on how to treat your fuel system. I think the best way is to drain the carbs and disconnect the fuel tank but I have also been know to put a half can of Seafoam in the tank and run the bike a time or two over the layup. Both seem to work and the bikes run fine next time. Whatever you do don't leave the tank and carbs filled with untreated gas. It will go off and crap will form. You'll be back in to cleaning again.

Give Seafoam a try.

cheers,
spyug.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top