Remember me? Im the dude who you all helped through my grandfather knocking over my carb parts a few months ago? Well, this time, the fault is all mine. I got them rebuilt, and cleaned, and put back on the bike. Whoops!!! I forgot the throttle cable is much easier with carbs OFF, and went to remove again. I made the genius move of prying on the edge of the cast aluminum carb body to lift them off again, and SNAP!!!! snapped the whole side off like a ritz cracker. lesson learned, cast aluminum cant take abuse!!

heres the question:
I dont want to separate the 4 carbs and replace one, because i dont need anymore setbacks due to my lack of skills. I want to buy a whole 4 carb set that works, that I can bolt on and roll out. Is this possible? who do you recommend? What should i watch out for when buying used carbs?

and last but not least, is there any easier way to get those damn rubber insulators on and off the cylinder head (while attached to the carbs of course) easier? I had a hell of a time getting them on and off each time. the screws were loose as possible. As always, your time is GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!

 

Ouch. That's going to leave a mark.
I get not wanting to split the carbs. But the bad news is if you buy an entire set, the 1st thing you want to do is split them apart to properly clean them. If you don't, I fear you will be troubleshooting issues from the get go.

As to the boots, they get stiff with age. The easy answer is to buy new ones. But as long there they aren't cracked or leaking, you can continue to use what you have.
Some people use a small amount of lithium grease on them. I have personally used a hair dryer on them. The heat softens them up enough so a pry bar usually isn't needed.

 

Have you tried heating the boots with a hair drier or a heat gun?

 

I did not try anything to soften them up. thats brilliant though, and seems obvious enough that Im kicking myself for not thinking of it. Lubing them up was gonna be my next move. Damn. so if Im gonna have to separate and clean regardless, I should save the money an get one off a non-running bike huh? All other parts on mine are good.

 

If money is tight, that is what I would do. If you have some spare $$, buying a set to have on hand is a good idea.

 

Anyone you guys recommend to order these bad boys from?

 

I would take a look on ebay 1st. You can usually pick one up there.

 

Any luck on the fix yet? Just curious.

 

I'm somewhat familiar with the carburetors on the F3's. I purchase a spare set off ebay so that I could rebuild in advance and then do a swap. It makes for less down time than other methods.

As for what to look for when looking for a set. I look for ones that don't look like anyone has worked on them before. Look for all factory screws still in place, particularly on the diaphragm cover as well as the float bowls. Changes in screws for those items indicates that maybe someone put a jet kit in it. Like new needles, jets and what not. Look to see that the idle air screw is not mangled up.

Note the screws on float bowls the same and condition of idle air mixture screw. (one that looks like a D ).