Remove Broken Pilot Fuel Screw Tip From VM Carb Body /w Pics

[Hoomgar]

I have a second set of vm26ss carbs that the PO had screwed all four pilot fuel screws up into the carb bodies so tight that they jammed and broke off inside the carb body plugging the pilot circuit shut. I have seen several threads in the tech section where people have this issue and want to know how to remove them. One thread just this week --> Click Here. Some have suggested drilling as well as other things. It has been stated to use caution because you can damage the hole in the carb body and render the carburetor useless. Well I have found a method that worked for me at least and I want to share it with everyone in hopes it can save us some money and aggravation when needed.

Here is the simple procedure step by step with pics:

First here is what you see when you remove your pilot fuel screws.
Some moron has butchered them! 8O :x

OK so you get over it, have a beer, relax, look at the tip jammed in the carb body:

Sharpen a good scratch awl to a nice sharp point:
(No this isn't to stab the PO with :twisted: )

Put the awl down through the slide opening as shown here:
(Be careful not to scratch the walls of the slide canal)
(Use very little force, get the awl right on the top of the tip)
(Use just a small bit of pressure and push straight, do not twist or wiggle)
(If it doesn't pop right out reposition and try again, it will pop out)
(Put your finger over the end as shown to catch it if you want)

Here is proof that this works and they pop right out using this method:

The obstruction is now cleared and you can clean and dip your carb body:

All that is left is to order new pilot fuel screws. They can be found here:
http://www.motorcyclecarbs.com/
They don't list them on the site but a quick email will return ordering info for them.

Hope that helps someone? It sure did help me.

Rock on!

 

[Guest]

AWESOME!! I tried going in from the side with a safety pin cut in half and some hemostats, but could not get enough force to do anything. I'll give it a try!! Thanks, Hoomgar!!

 

[Hoomgar]

This tip is pending verification from the carb master. There is a chance I may be mistaken about the advice given above. Please hold off on doing anything Bruce or anyone else until I get more details. I will update or delete this accordingly then.



-edit- -=| Tip is good to go. Screws were damaged by the PO |=-

 

[Guest]

I saw the other post.... I will wait, but I think mine were broken off. The left-over screws were different lengths and badly bent... like someone forced them. I can shoot a pic of them later, after work.

Have a great day, everyone!!

 

[Hoomgar]

I saw the other post.... I will wait, but I think mine were broken off. The left-over screws were different lengths and badly bent... like someone forced them. I can shoot a pic of them later, after work.

Have a great day, everyone!!

That is exactly how mine are too Bruce. Even the little tips are all different lengths from mine. But caution is good. We'll wait for Keith on this one. I can put them back in if it comes to that.

 

[robinjo]

If this works on my carbs then I soooo owe you!

 

[Billy Ricks]

Mark's method should work fine. Just be sure to use very light pressure so you don't damage the nozzle. If you can actually feel the tip extending beyond the surface of the carb try something blunt to push the tip. Once it's nudged it should come out.

 

[rek]

sweeeeet! i'll even forgive sniping me on that air box a week or so ago. thanks. i have one cyl (#2) that only runs on the pipe not at idle so some thing is in there i'll pull today and verify, i also have some monofilament line
if it is simething softre but since the carbs spent lots of time in the dip i don't think anythiing soft would still be there.

 

[sebring38]

Excellent, Hoomgar!
thanks for the tip.

 

[Hoomgar]

sweeeeet! i'll even forgive sniping me on that air box a week or so ago. thanks.

sorry dood. But without knowing you were going to bid on it there is no way to know. A forum member pointed that out to me, I posted I was going to queue it up in auctionstealer. You must not have seen the post. here I was thinking someone stole it from me. It was you

It's all good, I got another one. Pretty good deal. If you frequent the off topic forum at all you will see that a lot of us will often post in there when we are trying for something on eBay so that this type of thing doesn't happen. Helps keep the cost down for us all. I am just glad to find out that since it was grabbed from me at least it went to another GS forum member

Rock on!

 

[Hoomgar]

Well after posting some better pics of my mixture screws Keith has agreed that they are indeed broken mixture screws so we know now for sure that this method works well for that situation. Just be careful when you do it. It did not damage my carb bodies at all.

You can see the other pics and Keith's response in this tech thread:
http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/viewtopic.php?p=369795&highlight=#369795

 

[kartin]

Just got my broken fuel screw tip out with the "pointy tool down the slide opening" method. The tool did slip off the screw tip a few times before it finally dislodged so I have a bit of a "crater" around the hole now - maybe the tool had too much of a point to it - but hopefully the actual hole is OK deeper down.

 

[Hoomgar]

Just got my broken fuel screw tip out with the "pointy tool down the slide opening" method. The tool did slip off the screw tip a few times before it finally dislodged so I have a bit of a "crater" around the hole now - maybe the tool had too much of a point to it - but hopefully the actual hole is OK deeper down.

I hope you didn't bugger the body. The trick is to have it good and sharp so that the point borrows into the soft brass point. If your eyes can't see that small setup too well (like mine can't anymore) I guess one could use a magnifying glass to get the right alignment if you don't have an good pair of glasses. Alignment it the key. You definitely don't want to use any force until your sure you have it centered and embedded in the broken tip. Maybe I should have explained that better in the original post? I sure hope my "help tip" didn't end up causing you to damage your carb body

This tip helped me save an entire rack of carbs. Billy Ricks entry on page one seems to apply to what you did. If it is sticking out (like mine were) you could possibly get enough force against it with a wider blunt instrument sent in from one of the air flow openings. My fear with that is that the soft brass tip would get mushroomed enough to make it lodge in there really good. Then you would be left to drill <shudder> :|

If you ScotchBrite over the area really good where you put the divots maybe it will be OK. I'm going to feel terrible if you ruined your carb body.

 

[kartin]

Maybe "crater" was a bit alarmist - certainly when I look through from the screw hole side, the opening looks same size as the others (only 1 of the 4 was broken off). There must be some seating taper on the screw side of that hole and I'd be very surprised if I did any damage to that...

Hey, it's certainly better now that with the tip wedged in there and it was my own choice to do it so I'm certainly not in the slightest laying any blame on anyone but me!

Cheers...

 

[kartin]

Here's the email reply I got from motorcyclecarbs folks regarding purchasing new pilot fuels screws (this for 79 GS1000):

To get the pilot screw you will have to order the kits
http://www.motorcyclecarbs.com/CARBURETOR_REPAIR_KIT_SUZUKI__P5188.cfm

 

[jimcor]

Here's the email reply I got from motorcyclecarbs folks regarding purchasing new pilot fuels screws (this for 79 GS1000):

To get the pilot screw you will have to order the kits.

Try this link instead:
www.motorcyclecarbs.com/CARBURETOR_REPAIR_KIT_SUZUKI__P5188.cfm

 

[1100lt]

what if the screws were hit by a drill bit and took out the top. I can't adjust the screws do to po drilled the caps out and messed up the top of the screw. Any ideas. Thanks Dan

 

[Hoomgar]

what if the screws were hit by a drill bit and took out the top. I can't adjust the screws do to po drilled the caps out and messed up the top of the screw. Any ideas. Thanks Dan

Dan, if there is enough metal left try cutting a slot in it with a Dremel tool. If that is a no go you can try an easy out *cringe* but be very careful.

If the hole is centered well enough you can also step drill it out by going one size larger in steps until the plug is thin enough to crush and pull out. If you go the last route you have to be careful to not go any deeper than the threads. Look at another screw to see how far to set the stop on your drill bit. Electrical tape works great for the stop. If you go too deep you will be down into the hole where the taper end goes, thats bad.

If you can get it out of there without damaging the body you will be OK. I know I would have to problem trying it myself but I am always cautious about telling others to try things like this just because... :|

Those screws are very soft brass and you can get it out without damaging the carb body if you take your time with it. Hope it works out for you my friend.

 

[midnightcafe]

thank god I found this post! real lifesaver, can't wait to try it on the broken fuel screw

 

[midnightcafe]

I found the easiest way was to tape off the front of the carb body to avoid damage if the tool slid.

First I kneaded the brass tip by rolling a screwdriver over it to push it down the hole.


I couldn't get my hands on a punch or any fancy tipped tool, so I sharpened the tip of a metal knitting needle instead. Lined up the needle with the hole, tapped it three times with a hammer and it slid RIGHT out!