Carb cleaning, lazy but fast and furious.-)

[octane]

OK
Fast carb cleaning. Lazy mans way.
It will most certainly not cure problems associated with really dirty carbs
but maybe the odd 'vacuum piston sticking'/'a bit of sticky build up in carbs' problem
...maybe call it the 'I haven't been riding for a while so I'll do a flush and cleaning' procedure.
(When I took the pictures a while ago, getting the bike ready for summer,
I actually thought I had an original idea, but then I realized that Randakk
describes a procedure along some of the same lines.
Never mind, here comes the pics).


Release the air filter / body.

Empty the float bowls(*)
...no; be real lazy; run the engine dry.-)

..release intakes and
'squat' intakes to the side (cover intake holes on engine):



this will enable you to squeeze the carbs down
so you have enough room over the carbs to carefully lift off the vacuum chambers.
...and to carefully remove pistons.
...keep track of witch pistons/chambers belongs in what carb!!!

..take a spray can of carb-cleaner and fill float chambers/carbs
((*) read the instructions. Some have to be mixed with fuel. Some will damage rubber parts if left too long/undeluded)




While the cleaner does what it's supposed to do
you have time to clean the vacuum chambers and pistons



I use a strong bathroom(!) cleaner. Very effective!


..and some thin soft tinfoil
Mind you: "thin"..."soft".
You don't want to scratch and sand away material...just clean.
A polish could be enough if the parts are in good shape.


removed the needle, cleaned the piston and the hollow thingy
in witch the piston slides



and

the piston 'tube'


...rinse everything in carb cleaner
Note: some types of carb cleaner will damage the
protective lacquer on the vacuum chamber tops.
...check that pistons moves abso.flipping.lutely freely and smooooooooooothly
...put everything back together
(check your manifold O-rings while you're at it)
...kill switch OFF, run the starter for a few seconds
to move the cleaner 'round carbs....let it soak for a while
...kill switch/fuel tap ON
...start engine
...lots'a smoke .-)

[Whiskerfish]

Lars

Another great pictorial!! And I see you playing with more aluminum foil !!

[spaniard]

dude! If that is the LAZY way I am a prince.

LAZY way revisited:

Go down to the local auto parts store (stop for a burger and fries on the way)
Park the bike in the parking lot and turn off the fuel supply but let the engine run dry. (after all Octane recommends it right?)
Remove the air filter cover and filter. (not the bottom part that is too much work)
Go inside and buy a can of carb cleaner
Walk outside and spray some in the plenum.
turn fuel on and keep cranking allowing more of that carb junk... errr.. miracle stuff work its way in.
Start the engine and EMPTY that can (after all the more the better!!)
Now remove the piece of lettuce from your burger that fell in the plenum
Reinstall everything, go home and put the bike on ebay with (recently professionaly rebuilt carbrs)

thanks for the post Octane, you are always a ton of help

[octane]

Thanks guys!

The real lazy way:

Do nothing. Put the bike on ebay with (recently professionaly rebuilt carbrs)






ho ha

[octane]

Go down to the local auto parts store (stop for a burger and fries on the way)
Park the bike in the parking lot and turn off the fuel supply but let the engine run dry. (after all Octane recommends it right?)
Remove the air filter cover and filter. (not the bottom part that is too much work)
Go inside and buy a can of carb cleaner
Walk outside and spray some in the plenum.
turn fuel on and keep cranking allowing more of that carb junk... errr.. miracle stuff work its way in.
Start the engine and EMPTY that can (after all the more the better!!)

..the only slight problem with that method is
that very very little or practically none of the 'Miracle Mechanic in a Bottle' stuff
will actually get into the parts of the carbs where the fuel (and all the ugly stuff) is.

It will only soak the 'venturi'

..plenum --->right through the 'venturi'--->into engine





a tiny tiny bit may enter through the bypass ports
(3 small holes left side)




and maybe into the fuel jet outlets
(but then again, they're 'raised')



and the minute you crank/run the engine
the vacuum from the egine will see to it,
that the stuff will go directly into the engine (cylinders)




Sorry for being such a bore.





...but you've had a burger.-)

[spaniard]

[octane]

I think I will have to say this again:

The 'cleaning' method as I've described above
will certainly not cure problems associated with really dirty carbs .


Take a look at this:
especially the secondary main nozzle on the left:



..no amount of cleaner, be it spray carb-cleaner, Yamaha carb cleaner, Seafoam or whatever
will remove that stuff unless you take the carb apart
and do a proper cleaning/rebuild.


...and that's from the NGW-project bike, that strangely
did start quite easy and the engine went quite OK

[spaniard]

THAT is gross

[Whiskerfish]

Yea and they run like that all the time!! Then folks complain about performance issues and you ask them when the last time these 30 year old carbs were overhauled and they say "well I sprayed some gunk in there back in the spring. That is all I have ever had to do in the last six years I owned it". All yu can do is shrug your shoulders and walk away. one of my nerve endings gets twitched about this subject.

[heraldhamster]

wow... gunkee. and the bike ran. that's amazing.
guess what I'm doing this winter?

[GLforever]

Ugh.... Mechanic In A Bottle...
A quick fix, yet its really no fix at all... It's like all the heater cores and radiatiors I had to change when I ran the old garage... Bars Leaks.... Guaranteed to stop a leaky cooling system... Yet it'll stop flow too...

A bit of fuel sta-bill, and proper winterizing, always work wonders...
It's amazing what preventative maintainence can do.

Hey octane, I gotta hand it to ya, though, I dig your quick clean ya posted, definitly will be doing mine that way when they need it in the future!

[Ron]

A good way I have found , It's not a quick way but fairly easy . I read this somewere but can not remember where , maybe someone else knows . I purchased a pail of Ford engine shampoo , removed the carbs off of bike . Removed intakes to reduce the overall size . Poured the shampoo into a plastic pail big enough to emerse the set of carbs , houseing and all . The reason for pail exchange is the shampoo comes in a steel pail with one small spout for pouring , can't get the carbs in . I let it sit a day or two flipping the carbs inbetween to insure no air was traped . Removed them and rinsed in several pails of water and garden hose . I then removed the bowls and tops placeing part in plastic bags for safe keeping , then spent some time blowing it clean with air . Be careful of the floats . Some bowl gaskets might be needed and the bowl drain screw gaskets . I did this with a set of carbs off a 76 that sat for around 8 years , put them back on and run the the bike . The more I ran it the better it ran , it wouldn't even start before . The only drawback is the shampoo costs around $80 but I poured the shampoo back in the original pail leaving any crud in the bottom of the plastic pail . The shampoo can be used again .
Ron

[octane]

A good way I have found , It's not a quick way but fairly easy . I read this somewere but can not remember where , maybe someone else knows . I purchased a pail of Ford engine shampoo , removed the carbs off of bike . Removed intakes to reduce the overall size . Poured the shampoo into a plastic pail big enough to emerse the set of carbs , houseing and all . The reason for pail exchange is the shampoo comes in a steel pail with one small spout for pouring , can't get the carbs in . I let it sit a day or two flipping the carbs inbetween to insure no air was traped . Removed them and rinsed in several pails of water and garden hose . I then removed the bowls and tops placeing part in plastic bags for safe keeping , then spent some time blowing it clean with air . Be careful of the floats . Some bowl gaskets might be needed and the bowl drain screw gaskets . I did this with a set of carbs off a 76 that sat for around 8 years , put them back on and run the the bike . The more I ran it the better it ran , it wouldn't even start before . The only drawback is the shampoo costs around $80 but I poured the shampoo back in the original pail leaving any crud in the bottom of the plastic pail . The shampoo can be used again .
Ron

Allow me to politely but strongly disagree on using this method.

Octane

[RebelRouser]

A good way I have found , It's not a quick way but fairly easy . I read this somewere but can not remember where , maybe someone else knows . I purchased a pail of Ford engine shampoo , removed the carbs off of bike . Removed intakes to reduce the overall size . Poured the shampoo into a plastic pail big enough to emerse the set of carbs , houseing and all . The reason for pail exchange is the shampoo comes in a steel pail with one small spout for pouring , can't get the carbs in . I let it sit a day or two flipping the carbs inbetween to insure no air was traped . Removed them and rinsed in several pails of water and garden hose . I then removed the bowls and tops placeing part in plastic bags for safe keeping , then spent some time blowing it clean with air . Be careful of the floats . Some bowl gaskets might be needed and the bowl drain screw gaskets . I did this with a set of carbs off a 76 that sat for around 8 years , put them back on and run the the bike . The more I ran it the better it ran , it wouldn't even start before . The only drawback is the shampoo costs around $80 but I poured the shampoo back in the original pail leaving any crud in the bottom of the plastic pail . The shampoo can be used again .
Ron

Allow me to politely but strongly disagree on using this method.

Octane

Why??? Just Curious About Your Thoughts And Reason For The Disagreement....

[Kghost]

sorry I'm with octane on that one..

But it made me laugh so alls good.