Starting up carb’d monster after 5 years

[dlearl476]

carbs are easy  

True, but sometimes the time/space/money continuum just works out to where it's better to have someone else deal with it.
Plus, a big advantage to using the shop  I used is that they use a dyno/CO sniffer whereas the only method I have available to me is the old "full throttle/kill switch/pull the plugs by the side if the road" bit.

[Howie]

True, but sometimes the time/space/money continuum just works out to where it's better to have someone else deal with it.
Plus, a big advantage to using the shop  I used is that they use a dyno/CO sniffer whereas the only method I have available to me is the old "full throttle/kill switch/pull the plugs by the side if the road" bit.

It took me most of my adult life to learn that

[ducpainter]

It took me most of my adult life to learn that

My dad taught me that a hundred years ago...

cheap is expensive and expensive is cheap.

Damn I miss him.

[joshuajcrouch]

Just hit a wall...  Ready to pull the carb off but cannot get the throttle cables off.  I thought I would remove the cable bracket that attaches to the carb to give me some slack.  The first screw came off very easily (the one missing in the picture below), and the second one stripped!

Any advice for getting off the stripped screw?  Is there an easier way to remove the throttle cable.  Help...

...and a picture

[joshuajcrouch]

Never mind... I go the carbs off.  I loosened the nuts that held the throttle cables to the throttle bracket and was able to get them off.  Really not looking forward to putting those throttle cables back on.  Yikes.

I decided to take my carbs to a local shop to have them serviced.  This bike has been a big project and I think its important to pick your battles.

Thanks for all your input.  I will post a video in a few weeks when I get Humpty put back together.

Joshua

[joshuajcrouch]

Great news... she runs!

I ended up taking off the carbs to have a professional do all the work.  There is a place in town called Cycle Parts that seems to have a great reputation.  There is a guy that works there that was a Ducati tech for 8 years.  He cleaned out the carbs and checked everything out.  His only recommendation was new needles.  $150 and 4 days later I got the carbs back.

I put everything back together today and it seems to run fine.  My only concern is that there seems to be a lot of fuel dripping out of the overflow.  It goes away when I give it throttle but as as soon as I let it idle it seems to drip again.  I tried moving my temp fuel tank to be lower than my fuel pump but it didn't seem to make much of a difference.

Here is a video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsrOS4_3X_A

Is this normal?

[betarace]

Stuck float?

[joshuajcrouch]

Stuck float?

Dang I hope not.  I just had these stupid carbs serviced and really don't want to have to tear it apart again.

[Howie]

Stuck float?

Or float height adjusted wrong, either way the shop who did the work should take care of it for you.

[JoeB]

A trick we use with old dellorto's on Laverdas & guzzis is to take the carbs off, which means removing the throttle slide and unbolting the carb from the manifold.

then remove the float bowl and drop the carbs in a 5 gallon drum which is half full of methylbenzine.

leave it overnight, then remove the carbs, blow out with compressed air, and inspect.

any shellac deposits remaining, the carbs come apart, and get soaked for another 24hrs, then they get a new carb kit put in them on reassembly.

nine times out of ten the carb only needs a soaking overnight.

You have to be careful with methylbenzine though, if you leave it too long the rubber components can swell, and if you disturb them then you will damage the orings etc.

the best thing is to be mindful of the needle & seat, and the pilot jets. give them a good blow with compressed air and if they are clean, you should be OK.

Unleaded fuel kills diaphragms so chances are they will be hard as hell and could even be perforated. If you soak them in methyl, the elasticity comes back.  however, I always recommend rebuilding carbs if you are suspect about the state of them.

If they haven't been kitted or serviced since new, then your best bet is to put a kit in them for peace of mind.

mthyl has a RON of approx 160, so it is not harmful to your engine, but it will foul plugs if you run it straight, and it does increase combustion temps a fair bit.

[joshuajcrouch]

I just called Cycle Parts.  They said that they checked the float heights so they don't think that is the issue.

They want me to try tapping the outside of the bowl with a screw driver to see if it helps.  They also said I could try swapping the drain screws in case they are not sealing properly.  Hmmm...

I will give both these ideas a try tonight and see if anything changes.

[zooom]

I just called Cycle Parts.  They said that they checked the float heights so they don't think that is the issue.

They want me to try tapping the outside of the bowl with a screw driver to see if it helps.  They also said I could try swapping the drain screws in case they are not sealing properly.  Hmmm...

SORRY, but I read this as " My work is never wrong or a problem, so it much be something not oriented with what I did. Go and try this and potentially make the beast with two backs things up so I can charge you again some more"...

maybe I am off base here with this...

[joshuajcrouch]

SORRY, but I read this as " My work is never wrong or a problem, so it much be something not oriented with what I did. Go and try this and potentially make the beast with two backs things up so I can charge you again some more"...

maybe I am off base here with this...

I hope that this isn't their tactic.  I really cannot see how they can position themselves to charge me more for anything.  If these two ideas they have don't work, you better bet they are going to take another look at the carbs.

He mentioned that the varnish at the bottom of the bowls causes some light pitting, and didn't know if that could effect the vacuum.  That is why he wants me to try swapping the drain screws.  Seems a little odd to me.

[zooom]

I ended up taking off the carbs to have a professional do all the work.  There is a place in town called Cycle Parts that seems to have a great reputation.  There is a guy that works there that was a Ducati tech for 8 years. He cleaned out the carbs and checked everything out. His only recommendation was new needles.  $150 and 4 days later I got the carbs back.

if he in fact did the highlighted and underlined portion....and he set and balanced everything, then the supposed vaccuum pitting problem would have revealed itself at that time would it not?....I am not a carb expert...I am just asking in the basis of some practical line of thinking

[Howie]

What is vacuum pitting?