bluemissile
Pro
just finished cleaning carbs found the pilots had some junk in them. i pulled the rack and cleaned at the bench. not as bad a job as i thought it might be, the hardest part was getting the fuel lines off they seemed to be really stuck to the hose barbs.
Metallicat
TY 4 Stroke God
What did you use to clean out the pilots? I'm going to remove / inspect / clean mine this year.
Good for you, taking the initiative and doing it yourself. I do this yearly as a precaution now since I first did it and it wasn't that bad. I have shared this picture before and will again here, you can really see the difference after cleaning.
Click thumbnails for larger images
For record, I use an aerosol can of carb cleaner and compressed air to clean the jets and other carb orifices.
Click thumbnails for larger images
For record, I use an aerosol can of carb cleaner and compressed air to clean the jets and other carb orifices.
Groomerdriver
TY 4 Stroke Master
I need to get my workbench that clean first!!! LOL!!
You should see the actual work bench. I have so many small engine projects sprawled across it, I built this little 2x3 workbench on the other side of the shed for small stuff like this that I can keep clean.
Metallicat
TY 4 Stroke God
I pulled my pilot jets today and they were restricted with gum / varnish build-up. I have them soaking in carb cleaner now. I didn't pull my carbs off of the sled to get the jets out. Instead I just pulled the carbs away from the rubber intake boots with all of the hoses and cables still connected, and then tilted them upwards so I could remove the float bottoms. I noticed that the rubber seal on one of my float bottoms is deteriorating. The rubber is turning hard and starting to flatten out. I think it will be ok for now, but will likely have to replace it next year.
I also had to replace my battery. My original battery is dead and won't hold a charge after 2 yrs of use. I suspect it didn't like the car charger I put on it last winter. This year I have an Optimate III charger to tend the battery in the off season.
I also had to replace my battery. My original battery is dead and won't hold a charge after 2 yrs of use. I suspect it didn't like the car charger I put on it last winter. This year I have an Optimate III charger to tend the battery in the off season.
TrailxRider
Expert
Metallicat said:
when you did your carbs this way and you take the floats off do any parts fall out?...was thinking about trying this but worried I'd lose something down into the engine bay.
Metallicat
TY 4 Stroke God
TrailxRider said:
Nothing will fall out of your carbs if you take the bottom float bowl off. You just have to be careful not to drop one of the 4 screws that hold them to the carbs. Once the float bowl is off all it takes is a standard screw driver to remove the pilot jets.
bluemissile
Pro
no need to remove floats, just take out the pilots, they are the small ones next to the main the maine fits in a recess in the bowl with a o ring making the bowl resistant to come off. just work it off nothing bad is happening. the soaking idea works if you have the time. on my chaparral i cleaned the carbs because of algae i soaked the parts in seafoam amazing how well that stuff works when you can see it in action. i chose to pull my carbs because the sled would not idle right and near the end of last year was sometimes difficult to start and keep running it only got worse over the summer.
Metallicat said:
This is how I do mine as well only I place paper towel in the carb intakes as soon as the rack comes off to make double sure if I drop a screw it does not fall into the carb intake.
Metallicat
TY 4 Stroke God
I am sure glad I cleaned my pilot jets. My sled idles much smoother now. It was idling a bit rough last last winter and I thought it just needed a carb sync.
Metallicat
TY 4 Stroke God
bluemissile said:
Yeah, I meant to say I removed the float bowl bottoms to get to the pilots, not the floats themselves.
NJNYTRO
Expert
unfortunately I need to do this every year on my nytro but it is easier every year- just sucks- no matter what you use to " summeriize " this new fuel wreaks havic on the jets. This year putting inline filter in. Mine won't even idle until I clean.
Metallicat
TY 4 Stroke God
I wish the screws on the bottom of the floats used something more robust than a phillips head. Allen screws would be nice. I had a couple that were corroded and feared the soft aluminum screws were going to strip out. Luckily there is enough room for a small set of vice grips to grasp the screw head. I could not have removed a few of them with a screw driver alone. One more reason to upgrade to efi.
You can get 4MM .7 pitch 10mm long stainless steel socket screws for your carbs end of problem the socket is built for a 3mm allen wrench. If you guys want to end the gas gumming problem at the end of the season fill your sled to the brim with Av gas. Just go buy it at your nearest airport. The reason it works is because Av gas still has lead in it and nothing grows with lead in it.
From wikipedia
Tetra-ethyl lead, abbreviated TEL, is an organometallic compound with the formula (CH3CH2)4Pb. Once a common antiknock additive in gasoline (petrol), TEL usage was largely discontinued because of the toxicity of lead and its deleterious effect on catalytic converters. It is still used as an additive in aviation fuel for piston engine-powered aircraft.
From wikipedia
Tetra-ethyl lead, abbreviated TEL, is an organometallic compound with the formula (CH3CH2)4Pb. Once a common antiknock additive in gasoline (petrol), TEL usage was largely discontinued because of the toxicity of lead and its deleterious effect on catalytic converters. It is still used as an additive in aviation fuel for piston engine-powered aircraft.
