GL1200 Carb Rehab

[sphen]

I'm starting a thread to document/discuss/question the rebuild of my 86 1200 carburettors.

I tore them down over the weekend and made a first pass at cleaning. Current plan is to grab randakks kit and guide and go from there.

All the hoses are toast and need to be replaced - before i do: are there any threads or info here on what is/isn't necessary (ie can it be 'uncorked'...some hoses/sensors/valves removed or bypassed)? Mine is the 49 state model.

I see in the photos that the kit comes with some screws. just guessing, they look like bowl and/or diaphragm cover screws? I also need to replace a few other screws that were rusted and cammed out...just checking what comes with the kit so i know what else i need.

Photos to come...

[sphen]

Float bowls as delivered. One cylinder in particular bore the brunt of the moisture:

37B18631-DB13-484B-8B6F-4232F41032EA.jpeg (244.62 KiB) Viewed 439 times

B51F5B86-4A14-48EE-A750-D62B7C965BA9.jpeg (259.82 KiB) Viewed 439 times

After some cleanup:

0863E6C9-B934-4CD9-BC10-409E8CCEFECA.jpeg (257.35 KiB) Viewed 439 times

[rcmatt007]

I reconnected all the hoses, so cannot help you with that. The 1200 carbs are much easier than the earlier wings to clean.

[ericheath]

I agree, they’re one of he easier ones to build and clean. You probably did this, but tossing it in for others who may read this down the road a bit, don’t forget to remove the black plastic cap and the starter jet to clean as well. The linkages are a little hokey, but they go after a few attempts.

Pic stolen off the web.

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I think they will roll out of the brass as you slowly loosen the black plastic cap.

[sphen]

I did remove and clean those. Still don't have 'em quite right on reinstall. theres a tab at the top where the linkage connects - if i tighten the nut all the way, the pivot binds, but if i loosen it enough for the spring to do its thing, the tab rotates freely.

another thing - the PO apparently removed the plugs on the pilots, so i can easily clean those. te manual warns against over tightening (while counting the number of turns), but how do you tell when it's seated but not too tight? at a certain point the spring tension gets noticeable but there's still some rotation left..?

[rcmatt007]

stop when first bottoms

[sphen]

against the spring? hard to tell by feel (my own inexperience)

[robin1731]

against the spring? hard to tell by feel (my own inexperience)

Not really. Yes you can feel the spring pressure but you also tell when the screw bottoms out.

.

[rcmatt007]

I kind of liken it to when I have to use a tongue depressor to get a child to open their mouth.... just enough pressure to get them to open, but not so much that I jab the back of their throat once they do

[gltriker]

"sphen » Thu Mar 19, 2020 10:16 am

another thing - the PO apparently removed the plugs on the pilots, so i can easily clean those. te manual warns against over tightening (while counting the number of turns), but how do you tell when it's seated but not too tight? at a certain point the spring tension gets noticeable but there's still some rotation left..? "


I might suggest you leave the compression spring off the pilot screw and practice turning it in until it lightly contacts the seat. Utilize a small screwdriver that you can turn with your fingertips.
Get a feel for how the contact feels.
Note where the screwdriver slot is positioned when the pilot screw is turned in to lightly contact the seat.
Count the number of turns, out from the seat, until the pilot screw threads fully disengage the carburetor body threads. Details...Details...Details.
Then, when you put the pilot screw and the compression spring back together, there is tactile 'information' you've gained from the practice session.

Practice. Practice. Become one with the pilot screw.

I guestimate I had adjusted the carburetor high, low, and engine idle speed screws on several thousand chain saw carburetors in the 7 years I worked on them professionally in the 1970's. Maybe more. (The dealership sold ~300 new saws, alone in the the first year of the 1973 OPEC Oil Embargo. Every one of them came across my work bench, too. )
That's why I still feel very comfortable adjusting carburetors.

The GL1000 carburetor is a nice carburetor to work with.

But, I have 0 experience with the 1100 and 1200.

Done.

[Track T 2411]

Excellent suggestion, Cliff!

[sphen]

Many thanks, friend!

[sphen]

Digging thru a can of parts from the PO, and what do I find but these:

F5E16648-8326-49AD-81E9-CA2BEE28CD33.jpeg (98.9 KiB) Viewed 274 times

[sphen]

The Honda manual is anything but detailed on reassembly of this beast - anyone know of a walkthrough on getting the linkages just right? throttle, choke, etc?

And, concerning those gasket kits in the prior post, do they have a shelf life? The bowl gaskets seem stiff and dry, but the o-rings normal. Maybe thats the way bowl gaskets are?