carb heaters
02-24-2009, 08:03 PM
#1
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SuperBike
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Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,033
carb heaters
Well im assembling my cooling system now. In case you didnt know your engine coolant runs through both your carburetors.
Im assuming this is to prevent carb icing. I plan on not running the hot coolant into the carbs in the summertime to help performance.
I plan on hooking the system back up when the temp drops again.
Anyone see any problems with that?
Im assuming this is to prevent carb icing. I plan on not running the hot coolant into the carbs in the summertime to help performance.
I plan on hooking the system back up when the temp drops again.
Anyone see any problems with that?
02-24-2009, 08:09 PM
#3
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Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Lake View Terrace, CA
Posts: 5,942
Well im assembling my cooling system now. In case you didnt know your engine coolant runs through both your carburetors.
Im assuming this is to prevent carb icing. I plan on not running the hot coolant into the carbs in the summertime to help performance.
I plan on hooking the system back up when the temp drops again.
Anyone see any problems with that?
Im assuming this is to prevent carb icing. I plan on not running the hot coolant into the carbs in the summertime to help performance.
I plan on hooking the system back up when the temp drops again.
Anyone see any problems with that?
What I found out after more research is that the thermostat is set up so that when it is "closed" the coolant flows through the carbs, there by warming them up a bit to better atomize the fuel. When the thermostat "opens" the coolant flow is blocked to the carbs.
So you will find that the bike runs better with the lines hooked up.
02-24-2009, 08:45 PM
#5
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Location: NYC
Posts: 5,033
I blocked mine years ago & ride the bike when it 8 degrees F with no difference in starting or running. I dont think the thermostat can stop hot coolant from getting to the carbs altogether & the VTR runs hot in anything but that 8 degrees. You will never miss them not being used....
02-25-2009, 03:38 AM
#7
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Squid
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 23
I took the coolant lines off my carbs. Made no difference to me. The coolant doesnt even flow Through the carbs.. It simply butts up against the carb neck.. To me, its an emissions thing. Get rid of em! Less chance of a water leak down the road!
02-25-2009, 11:31 AM
#8
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Location: Lake View Terrace, CA
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I blocked mine years ago & ride the bike when it 8 degrees F with no difference in starting or running. I dont think the thermostat can stop hot coolant from getting to the carbs altogether & the VTR runs hot in anything but that 8 degrees. You will never miss them not being used....
As for the VTR running hot, well you might want to check your cooling system. In the past 11yrs. I've run my SH in temps from the high 20's (it is CA you know.....lol) to well over 100 and never have the temp gauge climb above the half way mark.
02-25-2009, 11:51 AM
#9
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I think this would be a good time for us to open our factory service manuals and turn to chapter 6. If you look at the diagram of the cooling system, you will see that the coolant flows from the thermostat to the rear carb then to the front carb before returning to the system at the water pump.
Now the other line to look for is connected to the bottom of the thermostat. What this line does is bypass the carbs when the thermostat opens (no need to block any flow, sorry if I was unclear in my other post, it's just easier to say blocked than to explain the whole system) and dumps the coolant that was going to the carbs straight to the water pump.
The system works very well and in my experence you will do nothing but loose power if you remove it.
YMMV
03-02-2009, 06:03 AM
#10
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Squid
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 23
Once again I will have to disagree.. The coolant does Not Flow "Through" the carbs. If you pull the coolant lines off you will see the line simply has a " y " in it letting the fluid flow in one side of the "y" and out the other side. The last side of the "y" simply butts against the carb neck. I guess in some sence it does warm the neck up, but I find this minimal since again it does not flow " through " the carbs..
Check out any Performance carb/intake system.. You will notice they do everything possible to make the fuel and air intake as Cool as possible..
Check out any Performance carb/intake system.. You will notice they do everything possible to make the fuel and air intake as Cool as possible..
Last edited by crackrbaby; 03-02-2009 at 06:07 AM.
03-02-2009, 06:40 AM
#11
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Superstock
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 358
nother vote for no coolant to the carbs. also something you can do is on the bells of the carb use a dremel and a carbide bit to create texture all over the inside of the carb. this will atomize the fuel and keep it from puddling.
03-02-2009, 07:34 AM
#12
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SuperBike
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: moncton nb canada
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funny to see the header of this thread as i have a similar issue.
the govenor on my snowblower freezes. i need a housing of some sort around the muffler and the carb to keep some heat in there.
the govenor on my snowblower freezes. i need a housing of some sort around the muffler and the carb to keep some heat in there.
03-02-2009, 10:13 AM
#13
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MotoGP
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: NYC
Posts: 5,033
So I can once again confirm that in 8 degrees F there is no difference in start up or warm up. I also would love to hear the story of anyone who has extensive riding experience in these temps who a) disagrees b) has gotten on the gas hard enough at that temp to really figure out HP differences. Go do your field research & get back to me. I have done it all winter for the last 20 years (8 on a superhawk) GOOD LUCK!!
03-02-2009, 03:55 PM
#14
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SuperBike
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Fort Wayne, IN
Posts: 1,858
+1
I've had mine removed for about 8 years now. No problems with cold starting/running or anything of the sort. Of course, the big twins are warm blooded, but it was like that before too.
I just took one of the hoses and spanned the path of the carb circuit. Instead of going pump-hose-carb-hose-carb-hose-thermostat is now just goes pump-hose-thermostat.
I understand that the thermostat is supposed to shut off the coolant flow (yes, it flows through the carbs when cold) once the temp starts to rise. My issue was: what would happen if this system allowed a little coolant to bleed through? A typical thermostat is not supposed to completely shut off the flow, so a perfect seal is not part of the intrinsic design. The VTR's thermostat is basically two normal parts in one, so I thought it was totally possible that hot coolant could be circulating during the summer. Maybe is can't happen and I'm completely wrong, but I did it anyway just because I could. Now I feel better about the whole thing.
I've had mine removed for about 8 years now. No problems with cold starting/running or anything of the sort. Of course, the big twins are warm blooded, but it was like that before too.
I just took one of the hoses and spanned the path of the carb circuit. Instead of going pump-hose-carb-hose-carb-hose-thermostat is now just goes pump-hose-thermostat.
I understand that the thermostat is supposed to shut off the coolant flow (yes, it flows through the carbs when cold) once the temp starts to rise. My issue was: what would happen if this system allowed a little coolant to bleed through? A typical thermostat is not supposed to completely shut off the flow, so a perfect seal is not part of the intrinsic design. The VTR's thermostat is basically two normal parts in one, so I thought it was totally possible that hot coolant could be circulating during the summer. Maybe is can't happen and I'm completely wrong, but I did it anyway just because I could. Now I feel better about the whole thing.
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