Carb cleaning 101

[caesius]

I *love* my new bike, and not just riding it; tinkering with and exploring it!

I know very little about bike mechanics in general but I've decided to give my carbs a clean (seemed like a good start). I've read a few guides on the internet and I've got a service manual for my bike.

Any pointers/caveats before I begin?

N.B. This is a project bike, not my main form of transport - doesn't matter how long this takes.

[ManDownUnder]

I've never done work on a bike carb, but previous maintenance experience on similar equipment (mod valve on a jet engine, some pissy little carbs from chainsaws and the like)

rule #1... you need a squeeky clean clean clean place to work on those things.

No dust, no filings no dirt no-thing. CLEAN

Get yourself a can of contact cleaner for blasting shit out of anything. and get yourself some partitioned plates to put bits onto, or lots of wee plastic ziplock bags and a perm marker to tag them for later reconstrucive surgery.

[Wasp]

garage is fine

$15 for a can of carb cleaner - use it to spray all the crap out of them once open

[tipper]

then take it to the MAN to put it back together

[pervert]

Don't use contact cleaner, it leaves a white powder/residue behind.

A workbench with newspaper down or whatever on it to stop dust will do fine for a surface.

Take photos/write notes so you know how to put it all back together.

A can of good quality carb cleaner with a spray tube is needed to get into tight places.

Remove all jets and clean extensively, little strands of copper wire can be good for poking into the jets to loosen any blocked particles.

Hold the jets up to a light and make sure you can see right through all holes when done.

If you want to go overboard, get a proper carb cleaning liquid (not in a can), and soak the carb in it overnight.

An air compressor can also be very handy (and almost essential).

Good luck.

[caesius]

then take it to the MAN to put it back together

No way. This is my bike

[Denniso]

Why are you cleaning the carbs , is there a problem , if so are you sure the carbs are the prob. Cleaning is easy , finding a fault can be a prick of a job. Thats what the pros are for . Good luck.

[caesius]

Fuel starts coming out of two overflow pipes every now and then, mech reckons it's the needle getting stuck cos they're dirty.

[sizzlingbadger]

It could be dirt but more likely the needle valve will be worn, you can get carb kits that contain all the new bits you need to service a carb. It may also be the float height (or a leaky float that doesn't float anymore). Make sure you have an in-line filter between the tank and the carb, they stop all the shite from the tank getting through.

[Coyote]

I imagine your Diamond Back doesn't have a carb

What bike have you got?

[caesius]

It should have.

No this is my KR-1S that I keep *meaning* to sell. I'm starting to rip the carbs out tonight. Where's the best place to pick up one of these kits? The carbs are the brand that starts with "K", Keiher or something?

[caesius]

Right, I've got them out of the bike and one dismantled but it looks sparkling clean. The needle looks fine also. AFAIK dirty carbs could be the only thing tripping my fuel overflow.

[caesius]

My carbs are back in and I've got the bike running. The LH exhaust billows out mountains of white smoke! (this is a two-stroke) and the RH exhust splutters and gives the occasional cough of white smoke. Sweet to ride you think (no one will be held responsible) ?

[Ixion]

Bet your plugs will be fouled if you pull them.

[imdying]

Sweet to ride you think (no one will be held responsible) ?

Back in the day I remember some of the boys rode their strokers when they were running like shit... pistons exited the exhaust pipes in the form of red hot sparks