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Carburetur parts question...Sorry if it's a repeat!

  • Thread starter Thread starter bloodfeier
  • Start date Start date
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bloodfeier

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Long time browser, first time poster! Sorry if this is a repeat question...

The Story:

I am the proud owner of a '82 GS850GLZ. Last fall, near the end of the season, started having revving issues...it's happened before, had the carb cleaned and synced, etc...that fixed it. This time, I waited until the weather cleared up a few weeks ago and towed the bike to a mechanic to have a rebuild done. The mechanic is a reliable guy and I've never had an issue, but he's having issues getting the rebuild done, says that he needs some part.

Her referred to this part as a set of "slide needle seat" to fix the issues he's having with the engine not revving. I can't find a reference to "slide needle" anything in the carb rebuild guides on BikeCliff's website. Is there another name for this part?

Checking my shop manuals, I see 3 things labeled as needles of some sort: The Jet Needle, the Needle Jet, and the Needle Valve

I'm assuming he means needle valve seat? If so, where can I go to get replacements? If Not, what's he actually talking about?
 
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Could talk to your mechanic again and then get a photo?
I would assume he is referring to a needle valve seat as well but i don't see why he would need a set. Odd that they were all bad.
If the carbs were cleaned and synched in the fall what were the symptoms this spring that made you think it needed a carb rebuild?
 
Perhaps he means the jet, needle? Here's a picture showing the corrosion on the ID from a set I had on interestingly enough, the exact same bike: '82 GS850GLZ.

I was fortunate to have the ability to cut one in half at work (using wire EDM) and was surprised to see how corroded the ID was... the cavitation & pitting allowed fuel to "cross-talk" between the holes (jets) even when the slide needle was supposed to be cutting them off...

I chased that issue for quite a while before I found the problem. Ordered a new OEM set and problem gone.

Not saying this is your issue, but something to think about.


D0810-0083.jpg
 
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That's the needle jet pictured above and if yours are dirty then they should be cleanable. I've never had one that was so bad that it couldn't be cleaned.
 
Mine were beyond cleaning, they were badly corroded and simply wouldn't/couldn't do their job...

I agree however, have never seen that on any of my bikes before...
 
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steve murdoch said:
Could talk to your mechanic again and then get a photo?
I would assume he is referring to a needle valve seat as well but i don't see why he would need a set. Odd that they were all bad.
If the carbs were cleaned and synched in the fall what were the symptoms this spring that made you think it needed a carb rebuild?
Click to expand...

I was experiencing an extreme lack of power/ability to rev under load (When transmission was engaged), and some odd stuttering in rev when revving when clutch was disengaged as well...It had been awhile since I'd worked over the carbs, other than some really basic tweaking. I decided to just go ahead and have this guy do an rebuild of the carbs. The kits used to come with these "slide needle seats" but didn't this time, and after the rebuild, the issue with the revving was still happening, and that's the only thing he can think of that's not been done, at this point!
 
Kits have a bad reputation. If they are not from the carburetor manufacturer, perhaps that is your problem.
 
The reason that any sort of extreme corrosion or clogging could be an issue is because the petcock has been broken for several years now, since before I bought the bike 6 years ago, so I usually try to run the bike empty, or siphon it out of the tank between Summers, but it does run and trickle has all riding season, and last winter I didn't get it drained at all, so fuel has been feeding slowly into the carburetor all winter, since October at least.

I feel terrible about forgetting to empty it out, but...Things happen...I am having that petcock issue taken care of as well this time.
 
Update to the thread! Went down to the shop again this weekend to talk to the guy about the parts he was needing. It was part 40 in the exploded view diagram, or
part:

JET, NEEDLE (X-5) Part# 09494-00263
Which was apparently marked out out of stock, but misread as whatever the code is for no longer available by their parts ordering people the other day...but it was in stock the day I went in, so I may be back in business soon (As far as riding goes).
 
bloodfeier said:
The reason that any sort of extreme corrosion or clogging could be an issue is because the petcock has been broken for several years now, since before I bought the bike 6 years ago, so I usually try to run the bike empty, or siphon it out of the tank between Summers, but it does run and trickle has all riding season, and last winter I didn't get it drained at all, so fuel has been feeding slowly into the carburetor all winter, since October at least.

I feel terrible about forgetting to empty it out, but...Things happen...I am having that petcock issue taken care of as well this time.
Click to expand...

This might be creating more issues than just in the carbs. Leaking petcocks can cause fuel to get into the engine case as well, diluting and breaking down the oil. You might imagine how that might affect lubrication. Don't forget that the clutch will also see some of that oil.

Time to swap out the petcock and be done with that pesky problem for the next 15 years.
 
I may have some 5-5 needle jets. Let me check tonight and I'll get back with you. Those parts haven't been available for quite some time now. Used is pretty much all you can get.
 
bloodfeier said:
Update to the thread! Went down to the shop again this weekend to talk to the guy about the parts he was needing. It was part 40 in the exploded view diagram, or
part:

JET, NEEDLE (X-5) Part# 09494-00263
Which was apparently marked out out of stock, but misread as whatever the code is for no longer available by their parts ordering people the other day...but it was in stock the day I went in, so I may be back in business soon (As far as riding goes).
Click to expand...

Perhaps they look like the ones in posts 3 & 4... :-\\\
 
hikermikem said:
Perhaps they look like the ones in posts 3 & 4... :-\\\
Click to expand...


I suspect that they do! But when I went in to find out the specifics of the parts that were needed (What with the whole "slide needle" confusion), the part they showed was #40 in the attached picture! It was not available when they searched originally, but it's in stock now both in my favorite parts sites, and on their supplier site, so it looks like I'm back in business shortly.

Parts Diagram.jpg
 
Yep, just checked again and they seem to be available from all of the online locations. Good to know. At $18 a piece, they are a bit pricey.
 
So...On to the new phase!

We've moved beyond carb issues apparently...

The symptoms previously experienced while riding were:

sort of a quick stuttering in power/engine operation
later became intermittent loss of power
bike wasn't revving as well/smoothly

Initially, when those symptoms first appeared, they were intermittent, almost like a hiccup in the power production, but got worse, and eventually become continuous.

The shop that I had working on the carb completed the Carb rebuild/sync/etc., that I had asked for as the initial step in the work I was going to have them do in getting the bike back on the road. Unfortunately the main and easiest to witness symptom, the lack of revving with throttle, even when not in gear (Hence, under load), has persisted. The shop manager has said that, without a real shop manual he wasn't comfortable going any further in diagnosis and repair, due to the likely cost of finding the issue, when compared to the value of the bike.

As a consequence, he will be returning my bike to me, but only billing for parts he purchased up to this point.

Any suggestions about next steps?
 
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