mchawkmaster

Planning on removing my carbs and cleaning the jets (by removing the float bowl and boiling the jets in yamaha carb cleaner) this weekend. Is it a "have to" to sync the carbs every time they have been removed? Can all the gaskets be reused?

Tweety

No, not "have to"... But trust me, you want to...

8541Hawk

+1 and also yes the gaskets can be reused 99% of the time.

nykuryu

your gonna boil carb cleaner? as a certified hazmat rep i actually have a legal responsibility to tell you you probably shouldnt do that. the flash point for this liquid is very low, and the vapor coming off the liquid + open flame or heat source is a very bad idea. hopefully im over reacting and your not REALLY gonna boil this. your best bet is to take a q-tip or find an ultra sonic cleaner.

zmaniv

VTRsurfer

+1

When one of my pilot jets was plugged (couldn't see daylight through it), I soaked it in Berryman's Chemtool (carb spray) for about 1/2 hour, then sprayed more Chemtool through the orifice and blew it out with compressed air. That did the trick. Then spray carb cleaner into all passageways and blow out with compressed air. And wear eye protection. Carb spray in the eyes stings like hell.

You have to remove the jets to do this. Use the correct size screwdriver and don't over tighten when reinstalling. And just do one carb at a time, since the jets are different sizes. But don't separate the carbs from each other, no need to do that.

7moore7

I've heard of boiling it in lemon juice though:

How to Clean a Motorcycle Carburetor, the RIGHT way. » Evan Fell Motorcycle Works

This guy talks about the lemon juice about 3/13 down the page

Tweety

Lemon juice is acidic... It's basically the same as a lot of chemicals that does the same... But most likely less agressive too, good for the environoment and the user, but might not be as effective...

nykuryu

just soaking in chemtool did it for me. that **** is crazy strong

mchawkmaster

Maybe heat up would be a better word choice but fire and carb cleaner are still being used in the same sentence. Read this in another thread from a member (motojoe). I assume that most people on here are reputable sources and it seems it can't be too bad if proper precautions are taken. Maybe lemon juice is a better way to go

I do appreciate your concern though

nykuryu

well think about it this way, would you heat up gasoline?

7moore7

I haven't had carbs bad enough to try it, but it did pique my curiosity. In the article the guy does elaborate on washing the lemon juice off right away because of the acidic nature, as well as drying all the parts off with a compressor...

Maybe mchawkmaster could try it...?

lazn

Yamaha carb dip (what I assume he is talking about) is not like normal carb cleaner, it is designed to be mixed with water.. https://www.yamaha-motor.com/outdoor...22/detail.aspx

I would assume heating that stuff up would be far less dangerous than any of the petroleum based ones.

as here: http://www.sohc4.net/index.php/archives/232

mchawkmaster

Sounds a little better but it still says combustible on the bottle.. And yes, that is the stuff that I have

7moore7

hahaha

a) There are no requirements to be on here other than an e-mail address and some restrictions on being civil. I'm not saying the advice on this particular subject is bad b/c I don't know...

b) You have two members with somewhat conflicting advice anyway, so if you still follow your statement, you're at a standstill...

Tweety

Well... Powers of deduction and reasoning is a good thing to have... Let's put them too use...

If it stains brass, it's partially acidic, and if it's combustible but not petroleum based, and mixable with water, it's partially alcohol based...

That means that slowly and carefully bringing it close to a boil, is perfectly safe except for the fumes... However, the flashpoint isn't that far beyond the boiling point, so it takes knowing what you are doing unless you wan't to loose your eyebrows... Well ventilated, using protective gear, is a no-brainer... And no, I'm not responsible if you look funny afterwards...

divingindaytona

I would check the MSDS of the product prior to use, that is boiling or heating

MSDS Solutions - Free material safety data sheets from 3E Company

mchawkmaster

Since I can't find my bottle of carb cleaner, like my eye brows, and not having cancer.. Lemon juice will be my poison of choice.

After doing some other research the LJ seems to be a proven-ish method. However it will eat aluminum if left too long. Can try to do some before and after pics if interested, I can figure out how on my iPod, and if dirty carb jets are the reason my hawk is runnin like crap in the first place.. It'll be a fun rainy day activity either way. Maybe

7moore7

I am definitely interested in some before and after pics- this method intrigues me, I just haven't had a reason to use it yet

mchawkmaster

Allllright.. Well got the carbs off and and out removed float bowls and jets.. All of the jets were turned all the way in. Normal? Both cylinders are running 45s on the low jets with the front main at 180 and the rear main at 185. The bike does have a two bros high mount system. Any thoughts?

I do have some before and after pics and will post them soon hopefully. They looked fairly clean to me :/

The foam gasket things in the airbox are nasty gooey and falling apart. Do I need to replace these before they are sucked into the carbs or are they important?

8541Hawk

Do you mean the pilot screws were turned all the way in? If so, no that is not normal.

The foam things are called sub filters. Yes they are important and yes you should replace them.

nykuryu

i have a two bros slip on with #48 slow jets. what do you mean by the jets were turned all the way in? do you mean the idle air mixture screws? they probably shouldnt be all the way in. i dont know the spec off the top of my head but my SRAD was 2 1/4 out from bottom.

mchawkmaster

The slow and main jets were turned in tight. Wasn't sure if that was normal or not.

8451 - I did not mess with the pilot screw as I don't have the tool or a dremel to slot it.. Any other way to get it out or check the turns?

Nykuryu - I didn't mess with the idle mix screw (at least I don't think) because I don't know where it is lol.

All I removed and cleaned with lemon juice were the slow and main jets

nykuryu

8451 and i are talking about the same thing. just two different names. what you see is a plug that covers the screw and you need to drill threw it to get to the mixture screw. the jets within the carb need to be tight lol. if they are loose then you have a problem.

7moore7

The slow and main jets should be turned all the way in- they don't adjust (well, actually, they do but the way you adjust them is replace them with smaller or larger jets).

nykuryu

the larger brass plug right by the float bowl is what hides the mixture screw. get threw that and you can adjust the idle fuel mixtures.

mchawkmaster

So the D shaped tool that people pay $150 for is just to get the cover off the screw?

nykuryu

i think i remember hearing about said tool. everyone i know just drills it out, carefully.

Tweety

Uh... No... No, damned drilling... That is NOT a cover... That is the screw... If you drill that you have really big trouble...

You make a slot in it with a dremel or similar, and then you can turn it... That's the right way of doing it...

koth442

+1 on Tweety. That is NOT a cover. I already made that mistake :P.
I was also able to turn the screw with a pair of needle nose pliers. It ate the head of the screw up a little bit but the screw is still usable.