Carb cleaning/servicing

[Visitor Q]

As it seems my carbs are gunged up and giving me grief, and the usual fuel additive 'solution' has failed, I think I'm in for a fun day stripping them down (or attempting it and getting lots of petrol in my eyes).

Anyway, what do I need? Obviously the usual spanners and such, but what to clean it with? What do I need to replace? What do I need to check?

Haynes is useful and all, but it seems to want you to replace everything and blow stuff out with compressed air etc etc etc. Whats the real way to do things?

This is for a '96 inline 4 600 by the way. Oh, and I only have one day to do it in (commuting fun).
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China traffic/travel bike vid - When I make a sweeping statement, please add the word 'statistically' in to the sentence before you bitch...
From September 2014 to January/February 2015 I will not be using any English, nor reading any. As such, I won't be on here. PM at will, but I won't be checking/posting unless in emergencies. Certainly not for the first couple of months. Please berate me savagely if I break that rule...

[Visitor Q]

Oh, and what gaskets do I want to be replacing?

I can't seem to find gasket kits, so could do with knowing which ones as I'll be ordering them piece-meal from Honda, and that's never cheap
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China traffic/travel bike vid - When I make a sweeping statement, please add the word 'statistically' in to the sentence before you bitch...
From September 2014 to January/February 2015 I will not be using any English, nor reading any. As such, I won't be on here. PM at will, but I won't be checking/posting unless in emergencies. Certainly not for the first couple of months. Please berate me savagely if I break that rule...

[Chriss]

Take the carbs off the bike, and strip them down. Make a note of what goes where, they're surprisingly complicated!

Then get carb cleaner and clean everything once it's stripped.

No gaskets that I can think of.

Edit: Been corrected.
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TheShaggyDA: I've got 3 or 4 pairs that predate my wife, so at least 11.5 years old.

[ms51ves3]

[Visitor Q]

I might just take the camera out there and take pictures occasionally.

Is there anything cheaper to use to clean? I recall coke being highly touted.

Is there anything I need to be careful to avoid fucking about with, eg needles etc? I don't want to clean the crap out, but leave it running rich etc and have to go back in.
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China traffic/travel bike vid - When I make a sweeping statement, please add the word 'statistically' in to the sentence before you bitch...
From September 2014 to January/February 2015 I will not be using any English, nor reading any. As such, I won't be on here. PM at will, but I won't be checking/posting unless in emergencies. Certainly not for the first couple of months. Please berate me savagely if I break that rule...

[D O G]

I did this task on my carbs for the SRAD. You are correct that the gaskets will not be cheap - and there are other small o rings kicking about in there.

I used carb cleaner on mine, used just over one big tin for all four. It is not that difficult, just time consuming - I reckon it's at least 45min per carb including stripdown. Then add in the time for the removal and refit.

I was recommended to buy some micro drill bits to run through the jets and get rid of the crud in there too.

So yes, not too bad a job, especially if I can do it with zero problems.

Now, after that, for the important part of the post.

When I did it, it made no difference whatsoever to the bike. Certainly the running problem which I hoped it would cure was unchanged. That was diagnosed when I finally admitted defeat and took it to a garage. Nothing to do with the cleanliness of the carbs.

But the REALLY important part is that Sickpup has stated that he has never needed to clean a set of carbs on a bike which is regularly used in his entire career.

IIRC he went on to state that you only need to clean your carbs if the bike has been standing for a long period of time, and that the cleaning of carbs in an attempt to fix a running problem is pointless, and the result of a lack of correct diagnosis.

I don't recall a time when Sickpup has been wrong about these sort of things, so I would have a rethink if I were you.

If it is still running poorly, I would suggest you pay a mechanic to have a look at it and diagnose the issue. Should only be an hour or so's labour - which you will probably spend on the gaskets and cleaners, plus your time.

I understand that you want to fix this stuff yourself, but sometimes it is better (and cheaper in the long run) to turn to the pros if you don't know what your fixing.

Like when I buggered up the rebuild of my caliper!

[Visitor Q]

[Bofh5]

thank f*ck you posted this
i was thinking the same thing and about to go diving in head first which as a use the bike to commute had me breaking out in a cold sweat !
thats great info from sickpup and i too will go buy a bottle of redex and dump it down the trumpets
anyone know how long to leave redex in there for ? will it do any damage if left for too long etc ?
thanks
sorry for hijacking your thread bonny
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(L)users...Disk space is to good for them.

Bikes: Honda 50 / CB125-TDC / 93 CBR600 F2 (Stolen & Trashed) / 2001 SP-1 (Sold) / 95 CBR600 F3

[bladerunner]

Don't bother with redex..it wont do sweet FA for you it's for older cars that used to sometimes suffer sludge build up. On a bike ALWAYS strip them get the jets out and blast it with carb cleaner and an airline if you can. The deposits you'll get in the float bowls and jets will not be budged by redex at all.

The only time I'd say a good time to try these one shot wonders is injector cleaner if you have an injected bike thats been left for 3 years or more....carbs just get in there and do it by hand!!
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Current bikes...cbr929, KDX200's, Rd125lc mk2, RGV250's

[Visitor Q]

Aye, I agree it's not all that spanky. However it seems to, at the least, be changing the fuel octane a bit or something, so it's less irritatingly wank then yesterday (after the previous redex had been diluted out by extra fuel). Which to me seems to really indicate the carbs.

As for the whole 'constantly used bike never having them', that may be true, but mine has been left standing for several months at a time (without draining the bowls ) since I've owned it. Plus it got knocked off it's stand recently and seemed to run better, which could mean stuff was dislodged

What can you use instead of air compressors? Air dusters? I've tried one before for the air filter and wasn't all that impressed (despite ravings on here).

And again, O-rings/gaskets etc? Just I need to order them before work if I want them for Weds (to fit them).
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China traffic/travel bike vid - When I make a sweeping statement, please add the word 'statistically' in to the sentence before you bitch...
From September 2014 to January/February 2015 I will not be using any English, nor reading any. As such, I won't be on here. PM at will, but I won't be checking/posting unless in emergencies. Certainly not for the first couple of months. Please berate me savagely if I break that rule...

[Vin]

[temeluchus]

[Visitor Q]

[bladerunner]

Well well well..what a load of advice your getting here!!! If the float valves don't leak...don't change them and as for gaskets you hardly ever NEED to change them so long as they don't break up taking the float bowls off..and on the CBR's they usually play ball ok. Carb and brake fluid are totally different fluids. Brake cleaner will not budge carb build up anywhere near as well as carb cleaner. Even in my ultrasound cleaner it wont touch it. As for the compressor question it's just easier to blow through air ways etc to give them a good blast of air but you can always blow through them yourself to check that they are not blocked. Just remember to keep all the jets needles and emulsion tubes from each carb grouped together so they can go back in the same carb body
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Current bikes...cbr929, KDX200's, Rd125lc mk2, RGV250's

[temeluchus]

they are a fiver at wemoto Dont waste your money paying honda for their markup for the same needles.

FLOAT needle not jet needle.

Float needle controls the fuel going into the float bowl. As i had to repeatedly scream in your other thead, this is likely the cause of your problem as they are easily damaged by dirt. Ignore the garbage people were talking about settings and jetting-this is purely a dirt/wear issue.

Leaving the worn ones in is a false economy-its the kind of thing that will leave you stranded on the side of the motorway with a dead bike.

[temeluchus]

few pics to make things clearer-not your exact model but should be pretty much the same:

https://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c163/earlwb/Scooter%20Carb/Carb_Float_bowl_Jets.jpg

https://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c163/earlwb/Scooter%20Carb/Carb_Float_Bowl_Parts.jpg

https://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c163/earlwb/Scooter%20Carb/CarbFloatParts.jpg

Float inlet valve is also called the float needle and a few other names depending on manufacturer.

[Visitor Q]

[bladerunner]

Just as a matter of interest can I ask what bike that carb in the pic is off? Good example but just seems rather small?
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Current bikes...cbr929, KDX200's, Rd125lc mk2, RGV250's

[temeluchus]

They are quick.

Id say leave the bike alone for now and order the 4 needles. If they are original they WILL be worn by now-its a matter of when they fail not if. They are service items not permanent parts.

Id say that you should replace these before you think about anything else.

so four float needles and a can of carb cleaner (so around 25 quid in total) is worth it, especially as you say you use the bike to commute? Why skimp if you rely on the bike.

[bladerunner]

before you go out buying 4 new float valves was number 3 carb over flowing? i.e. leaking fuel out of the breather pipe? if not it's not the problem
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Current bikes...cbr929, KDX200's, Rd125lc mk2, RGV250's

[Visitor Q]

[Visitor Q]

[bladerunner]

usually enough to leave a fair puddle under the bike of say 6 inches plus depending on how bad it was leaking...but a fair amount when idle. if your tap has a prime position put it on that and see what happens in 10 mins or so!!
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Current bikes...cbr929, KDX200's, Rd125lc mk2, RGV250's

[temeluchus]

On your CBR you will most likely not get a big puddle even if it has gone because youll have a vacuum fuel tap that shuts off the fuel when the engine isnt running, plus a fuel pump in the way. As bladreunner states, if you leave your tap on prime, youll most likely get fuel coming out of the overflow and a puddle. which will be coming from the carb with a goosed float needle. I wouldnt advise this as you could end up hydro locking the cylinder and bending a conrod when you try and start the bike.

I've had the same problem on quite a few of my bikes. It all comes down to age and wear. Any old bike (ie over a few years old) will accumulate crap in the fuel tank, be it dust, rust, dirt etc. This will eventually find its way into the carbs and cause trouble. Redex actually can cause trouble as it shifts crap from your tank into....... your carburettor float bowls. I bet you will have quite a layer of crud in the bottom of the float bowls when you take them off.

If you are so desperate to save twenty quid then try just draining the float bowl of the offending carburettor. Maybe that will shift the crap holding the valve open. But then it may not.

[Mr Hammers]