Carb cleaning (I know this must have come up lots, sorry)

[400bandit]

Hello all, me and my Dad have recently bought a XS650 as a little project. Its had a engine rebuild (receipts for £750!) just over 200 miles ago and then has been sat for 2 years. As it is it won't run (pretty understandable) and so today I took the carbs off, took both float bowls and and my god it's not pretty!. Theres a lot of muck in there and I imagen the jets are also blocked. What would be the best way to clean them? I was wondering wether I should completely strip them and submerse then in some sort of cleaning agent?

Any help would be greatly received, Joe (I will do a write of the project once done for everyone too)
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Current Bikes 650 Honda Bros, VTR1000 Firestorm // Past Bikes: Sachs Madass 50/110cc - Bandit 400 - FZR750
(+ a XS650 in lots of pieces in my garage and other places...)

[sagiliam]

buy some carb cleaner, spray it into carb when engine is running. Will have instructions on can. Dont know how effective it is bt seemed to do something for mine. Plus its quite cheap
liam

[peterfisher]

Hi There,

No real need to spend any money-only a bit of time and patience.

Get access to a Manual for the bike-Fuel System-Carburettor Section.

Take Carbs apart.

Clean all parts thouroughly-most solvents will do the job-remembering to rinse all traces off afterwards.

Use Compressed Air to blow through Jets( a small piece of Wire will do the same thing, but be carefull when using this method).

Re-assemble Carb, checking Float Height as you go.

Put back on the bike-fire up-adjust idle-adjust balance-Road Test and Report.

No Money spent and you got to learn a bit more about the Bike.

Hope this Helps
Regards
Peter

[400bandit]

Yeah thats the sort of thing I was looking to do. Are there any particular solvents that you would recommend?
Thanks, Joe
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Current Bikes 650 Honda Bros, VTR1000 Firestorm // Past Bikes: Sachs Madass 50/110cc - Bandit 400 - FZR750
(+ a XS650 in lots of pieces in my garage and other places...)

[sagiliam]

i bet you will end up spending money cos you'll probly cock someting up

[400bandit]

Err yeah, em cheers
Joe
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Current Bikes 650 Honda Bros, VTR1000 Firestorm // Past Bikes: Sachs Madass 50/110cc - Bandit 400 - FZR750
(+ a XS650 in lots of pieces in my garage and other places...)

[Jebus]

If you can avoid it don't take the carbs apart, they complex little things. dont use wire to clean jets, only use air wire will enlarge the hole and mess up the fueling, a simple tyre pump will do. Use carb clean as thats desgined to shift the gums and other rubbish that is in the carb after they been standing.

This is what i did to my DT to get it fired up, first sprayed a load of carb clean into the air filter, and then a load down the intake, mid you dont spray to much mine built up and i had a little puddle of carb clean in that i soaked up with a rag, just incase i buggered the engine, still left plenty in. i took off the fuel hose and sprayed a load direct into the carb and then fired a load up the fuel pipe its self and refitted that, then i sprayed a load into the tank, not sure if this really did anything but petrol been in for a month or 2 and this was just an idea that i felt might work. after all this i turned on the tap, let carb fill up gave the thing a shake and then kicked it............................BRING BRING BRING A DING then i killed it because it was in garage next to my mums horse and i just kicked it to turn it over a few times before i wheeled it out, outside got on it kicked it started then died a few times a quick blast of clean into air filter and the thing fired up and kept running, first few times after that i started it it need a quick blast of cleaner but now its fine starts up once i can get it kicked right i suck at kick starting.

[finpos]

If you already have the float bowls off, just wash them out with petrol. You should be able to see the jets - get a pressurised container of lighter fuel and use that to blow them through. If you absolutely must poke something into them, use something like a bit of fishing line, don't use anything metal.

finpos.

[ZRX61]

[Phoenix]

Coke and Dr pepper work on mildly blocked jets, really blocked ones need blowing with compressed air. Just re-itterating the point of not using metal to clean the jets, they're brass and the hole will distort very easily.

[APNess]

[sagiliam]

[400bandit]

I would try carb cleaner but they are really bad, like full of gunk and a strong brown coating all around. I really want to properly clean them before trying to start it again. Thanks for all the info though, Joe
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Current Bikes 650 Honda Bros, VTR1000 Firestorm // Past Bikes: Sachs Madass 50/110cc - Bandit 400 - FZR750
(+ a XS650 in lots of pieces in my garage and other places...)

[mr.z]

Only ever used carb cleaner myself, its not overly expensive, it will cut right through that crud in the float bowls.

You can get compressed air in a tin from maplins for example, but its pricey..

One thing, dont adjust any setings unless you need to, unless you think they have been altered then leave em (idle mix screw for example) cleaning the crud out throughly should be enough check the main needle and foat needle especially, check the o-rings/gaskets too while its appart

As allways use grease on the screw threds, these allways seem to be monkey metal at the best of times, replace them with alan head ones if you can!
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>RidingSkills<->Tech Tips<->MyBikes<

[Jebus]

If they are very very very crappy, then taking them off spaying LOADS and LOADS of carb cleaner, after all thats what they make carb cleaner for use some compressed air to blow it off, a hand pump or little battery powered one could do, and maybe a gentle scrub with a soft toothbrush or similar. Repeat that a few times and that should sort them out i would guess.
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2nd time around CBT: 8/9/11
125 Varadero

[sunbear]

Go get a keyboard cleaner for blowing through the jets. Its just a tin of compressed air with a really thin nozzle. Cheap enough too . Probably get one from Staples / PC World etc..
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Bikes had : BMW F650, suzuki tr50, gt125, SV400, GSXR600 SRAD. Honda CBR900RRP, CBR600FX, CBR1000F, VT600, Transalp 600, mtx125, nsr125r, CB500T, Yamaha fy50, tzr125, tdr125, XV535, Diversion 600, Fazer 600, TDM850 MK1 & MK2, Majesty 400, XV 1100. Cagiva mito evolution, Aprilia rs125, Piaggio x9 125. DNA 125 . Suzuki Bandit 600, GZ125 Marauder, RF600 , RF900RS2, Kawasaki ZZR400, ZX6R Ninja, ZZR600 . Ducati 750 Sport . Triumph Tiger 955i. CURRENT : 2004 Kawasaki Z750 and LOVIN IT !