How To: Clean your carbs
#52
11-29-2010, 11:09 AM
Great write up.
I am in the process of reviving the F4 and ran into a few snags. The bike had not been started for the last 2 years.
The bike would not start - so after much reading here is what I have done so far, I cleaned up the fuel tank, replaced the fuel pump, filter, air box, spark plugs.
Now, I can get the bike to start up but fuel keeps coming out of the air tube.
After some searching, it is apparently a problem with a stuck float of a jet.
I decided to open up the carb and followed the instructions here:
1. Remove fuel tank
2. Remove air box
3. With a long screw driver, loosen the 4 screws holding the carb in place.
4. Remove the choke cable.
5. Remove throttle cable.
6. Remove all the air hose(s)
Am i missing anything?
I am unable to pull up the carb. Any tips/tricks are highly appreciated.
TIA
I am in the process of reviving the F4 and ran into a few snags. The bike had not been started for the last 2 years.
The bike would not start - so after much reading here is what I have done so far, I cleaned up the fuel tank, replaced the fuel pump, filter, air box, spark plugs.
Now, I can get the bike to start up but fuel keeps coming out of the air tube.
After some searching, it is apparently a problem with a stuck float of a jet.
I decided to open up the carb and followed the instructions here:
1. Remove fuel tank
2. Remove air box
3. With a long screw driver, loosen the 4 screws holding the carb in place.
4. Remove the choke cable.
5. Remove throttle cable.
6. Remove all the air hose(s)
Am i missing anything?
I am unable to pull up the carb. Any tips/tricks are highly appreciated.
TIA
#53
12-01-2010, 12:50 AM
Update:
I was able to pull up the carbs today! The trick was to spray some WD40 and let it soak for about 5 hours. The other trick was to stand across the bike and wiggle the carbs with patience (good 15 mins).
Just finished cleaning all the crap that was blocking the jets.
Will start the bike in the morning.
Good night.
I was able to pull up the carbs today! The trick was to spray some WD40 and let it soak for about 5 hours. The other trick was to stand across the bike and wiggle the carbs with patience (good 15 mins).
Just finished cleaning all the crap that was blocking the jets.
Will start the bike in the morning.
Good night.
#55
12-08-2010, 08:00 PM
#56
12-08-2010, 08:01 PM
#58
01-16-2011, 07:31 PM
Okay, I'm almost done doing this job on my bike. Unfortunately I haven't riden the bike in several years. It went from little use, and then started acting up and received no use. It sat, and sat some more.
So this year I rolled it into the basement to force me to work on it, and I finally did. Last weekend I pulled the bodywork, gas tank, air box, and started disconnecting the mess of hoses. Going methodically and labelling stuff as I went along. Yesterday I finished pulling the hoses (why is there coolant in the carbs? Do people ride in Antartica?), throttle cables, removed the fuel pump/filter, and the carb bank. You will spill gas and coolant when doing this, be prepared. I had cardboard on the ground, but it still stunk like hell for hours. Actually pulling the carbs is a b!tch and I carefully pried them off with a crowbar leveraged off one of the chassis crossbars.
I was looking for the legenedary super solvent, the one in the can with the little dipping cage, but nobody had it. I bought some degreaser at a hardware store that they thought would do the trick. I took off the bowl and pulled the jets on one of the carbs yesterday. I put some degreaser and warm water in a coffee can to soak the float bowl, and the same solution in a small prescription container for the jets. There's been some discussion on the lack of discussion on cleaning the jets in the original post. If you get to this point, you have to clean the jets. There are 3 pieces that need to be cleaned. There are two slotted brass jets that you can remove from the bottom of the carb hosing. Then the there is the upper part of the main jet assembly that needs to be removed from the housing, 8mm hex. You'll see why when you pull it out, all the tiny holes that the fuel gets drawn through. I let this sit overnight and went back at it today. The bowl was pretty clean, even the factory red and greaen markings came off. The jets were still a mess. I took another small prescription container and filled it with areosol carb cleaner and let the jets soak a bit. I then went back to the carb, removed and cleaned the needle and seat, the orifices in the body, and checked, cleaned and reinstalled the diaghram/slide/needle. My needles were a little grungy too. Since these carbs are not straight through (top to bottom) and have an angle to them, you can't see and clean straight through. I cleaned the best I could and I used a bright tactical light to shine in the bottom and look for the reflected light from the top. I used that light to check a lot of stuff up close to look down narrow holes. I repeated this for the rest of the carbs, soaking the bowls in the degreaser and the jets in the carb cleaner. Since the bowls didn't get the same soak time, they needed a little more scrubbing than the first one.
After everything was all clean I started putting stuff back on the bike. I need to pick up a filter and drain the old gas out of the tank and put some fresh gas in and see what she'll do. I'll have to wait till spring to dail in the idle/throttle and go for a ride.
Once this one is done and out of the way, then I'll roll the Harley in the basement and take a crack at that leaky rocker box.
So this year I rolled it into the basement to force me to work on it, and I finally did. Last weekend I pulled the bodywork, gas tank, air box, and started disconnecting the mess of hoses. Going methodically and labelling stuff as I went along. Yesterday I finished pulling the hoses (why is there coolant in the carbs? Do people ride in Antartica?), throttle cables, removed the fuel pump/filter, and the carb bank. You will spill gas and coolant when doing this, be prepared. I had cardboard on the ground, but it still stunk like hell for hours. Actually pulling the carbs is a b!tch and I carefully pried them off with a crowbar leveraged off one of the chassis crossbars.
I was looking for the legenedary super solvent, the one in the can with the little dipping cage, but nobody had it. I bought some degreaser at a hardware store that they thought would do the trick. I took off the bowl and pulled the jets on one of the carbs yesterday. I put some degreaser and warm water in a coffee can to soak the float bowl, and the same solution in a small prescription container for the jets. There's been some discussion on the lack of discussion on cleaning the jets in the original post. If you get to this point, you have to clean the jets. There are 3 pieces that need to be cleaned. There are two slotted brass jets that you can remove from the bottom of the carb hosing. Then the there is the upper part of the main jet assembly that needs to be removed from the housing, 8mm hex. You'll see why when you pull it out, all the tiny holes that the fuel gets drawn through. I let this sit overnight and went back at it today. The bowl was pretty clean, even the factory red and greaen markings came off. The jets were still a mess. I took another small prescription container and filled it with areosol carb cleaner and let the jets soak a bit. I then went back to the carb, removed and cleaned the needle and seat, the orifices in the body, and checked, cleaned and reinstalled the diaghram/slide/needle. My needles were a little grungy too. Since these carbs are not straight through (top to bottom) and have an angle to them, you can't see and clean straight through. I cleaned the best I could and I used a bright tactical light to shine in the bottom and look for the reflected light from the top. I used that light to check a lot of stuff up close to look down narrow holes. I repeated this for the rest of the carbs, soaking the bowls in the degreaser and the jets in the carb cleaner. Since the bowls didn't get the same soak time, they needed a little more scrubbing than the first one.
After everything was all clean I started putting stuff back on the bike. I need to pick up a filter and drain the old gas out of the tank and put some fresh gas in and see what she'll do. I'll have to wait till spring to dail in the idle/throttle and go for a ride.
Once this one is done and out of the way, then I'll roll the Harley in the basement and take a crack at that leaky rocker box.
#59
01-22-2011, 03:26 PM
Well just finished putting it all back together (less bodywork) and the sumb!tch won't start. I drained the tank first and put in fresh gas (with stabil) and a new fuel filter.
she'll crank and she'll run on ether (pulled off one of the ram air horns to spray at the air filter). This tells me I have the air and spark, but not the fuel. I tried to see if there was any gas in the fuel filter but couldn't tell with the rubber hanger on it. It probably didn't help that it was about 15 degrees out at the time, but I did have the bike in the basement (55 - 60) and just rolled it out through the garage and put in the gas and gave it a go.
I put it back in the garage for now and will have to see if any gas is getting down into the filter or not, and then into the carbs. At first I was thinking maybe I didn't put enough gas in the tank, but there is not reserve or on the petcock, so anything in it should make its way out, right? Are both "On" positions on the petcock the same?
At least it was good to hear it run for the few seconds at a time that it did on the ether.
she'll crank and she'll run on ether (pulled off one of the ram air horns to spray at the air filter). This tells me I have the air and spark, but not the fuel. I tried to see if there was any gas in the fuel filter but couldn't tell with the rubber hanger on it. It probably didn't help that it was about 15 degrees out at the time, but I did have the bike in the basement (55 - 60) and just rolled it out through the garage and put in the gas and gave it a go.
I put it back in the garage for now and will have to see if any gas is getting down into the filter or not, and then into the carbs. At first I was thinking maybe I didn't put enough gas in the tank, but there is not reserve or on the petcock, so anything in it should make its way out, right? Are both "On" positions on the petcock the same?
At least it was good to hear it run for the few seconds at a time that it did on the ether.
#60
03-04-2011, 01:43 AM
i started taking out my carbs today.
just bought a new bike.
problem: bike putters around 2k rpms while accelerating. above 2k it is fine.
I ran sea foam through it but it didn't seem to do anything
it had been sitting for a year, the previous owner said it needed spark plugs, that's why it's doing this.
From what I have read my problem is more of a carb problem but i don't know for sure.
I bought new spark plugs, and decided to pull and clean the carbs while i put the new plugs in.
Im stuck trying to pull the carb off of the engine after loosening the four clamps holding it in.
I was wondering also about the petcock.
are both "on" positions the same?
just bought a new bike.
problem: bike putters around 2k rpms while accelerating. above 2k it is fine.
I ran sea foam through it but it didn't seem to do anything
it had been sitting for a year, the previous owner said it needed spark plugs, that's why it's doing this.
From what I have read my problem is more of a carb problem but i don't know for sure.
I bought new spark plugs, and decided to pull and clean the carbs while i put the new plugs in.
Im stuck trying to pull the carb off of the engine after loosening the four clamps holding it in.
I was wondering also about the petcock.
are both "on" positions the same?