Separatring Carbeurators for Cleaning?

[SteveZX9er]

I'm making good progress on my winter project '97 ZX9r. I've gotten the bent shift fork replaced, I'm waiting on some shims to finish my valve adjustments, now I want to clean the carbs so I can get them synch'ed when it's all back together.

My problem: I'm having a bitch of a time getting the four carbs separated. They're held together with a bar and two (what appears to be brass) screws on each carb. These screws will not budge. I even took an impact wrench to one of them and all that did was bend my (cheap) #2 phillips head bit.

I would soak them as a set, but I'm worried about the plastic fuel line fittings that are between the carbs deteriorating in the chemical stripper I have.

So I'm open to suggestions as to how I should approach this problem.

Thanks!
Stevve

[csmutty]

Impact driver
http://www.wayfair.com/Lisle-3-8-Too...FYRl7AodOzLZTg

Or vice grips.

[Cerberus]

I'm making good progress on my winter project '97 ZX9r. I've gotten the bent shift fork replaced, I'm waiting on some shims to finish my valve adjustments, now I want to clean the carbs so I can get them synch'ed when it's all back together.

My problem: I'm having a bitch of a time getting the four carbs separated. They're held together with a bar and two (what appears to be brass) screws on each carb. These screws will not budge. I even took an impact wrench to one of them and all that did was bend my (cheap) #2 phillips head bit.

I would soak them as a set, but I'm worried about the plastic fuel line fittings that are between the carbs deteriorating in the chemical stripper I have.

So I'm open to suggestions as to how I should approach this problem.

Thanks!
Stevve

you should never need to separate them from each other.
just drop the bowls, pull needles and seats and slides (as applicable)

[Stromper]

They are both right. You should not be doing flimsy phillips heads without the impact driver

Gummout is cool but you can do it all with a spray can and air. Watch for o rings on like air jets etc. If they are mikunis then sudco is your friend

[keeena]

They might have a thread locker, so heat will help but make sure there is no gas in the carb. You're probably going to have the same problem w/ some of the bowl screws too.

Did you try alternating forward and reverse on the impact driver/gun? That can help loosen it up. And are you using an impact driver gun or a manual driver like what csmutty posted? If a gun, try giving the screw some good hits with a regular screwdriver and hammer before trying to loosen.

Carb screws are often JIS bits, not USA Phillips. USA Phillips is useable, but you run a little more risk to stripping since they are a little different.

[aldend123]

Not sure if this belongs in its own topic, so tell me to get bent if you feel that way.

My carbs need some cleaning, which I plan to do this spring. I'm pretty inexperienced with carbs, and it'll be my first cleaning. Throttle response is good, very little popping if any, gas mileage seems decent for its age, no surging or lagging, but its a pain in the ass to start. Requires quite a bit of cranking, full choke. ALWAYS full choke on a cold start, even in 90F. And sometimes dies off after getting it started cold. Warm starts are easy as can be. What I've read tells me I'm running lean, probably clogged jets. Eh?

So, I need to get the carbs off the bike and pop them open. Clean anything that moves, or has fluid passing through it. And I'd assume NOT touch any of the adjustment screws, as they seem like they might be set just right?

[Paul_E_D]

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You only need to clean the pilot and main jets unless the is some unusually bad gumming. Remove bowls, remove jets, soak jets, blow them out. Rinse bowls and replace
Don't touch anything else.

[MikeyZ]

Do not even bother seperating all of the carbs- just pull every piece of rubber in the carb body and spray them down with cleaner. Use cotton tip ear cleaner things to clean all around. And blast it with compressed air- especially every jet and opening.

[SteveZX9er]

I can certainly dismantle and clean the carbs without separating them. I just need to know if the plastic fittings that distribute the gasoline between the carbs can withstand the strong cleaning solvent I have. I'm thinking they're polypropylene and should be all right, anyone had experience with that?

[csmutty]

What cleaning agent?

[SteveZX9er]

What cleaning agent?

It's actually stripping solvent with chlorinated solvents in it. Will not damage metal parts but will do a number on certain types of rubber/plastic. If I knew the plastic in the fittings I'd know if the solvent would work. I would bet the fittings are a polyolefin, which should be fine, but I'd like to be sure.

[Rossco]

I'd just use pine sol.

[MikeyZ]

Yes do NOT use carb cleaner/ cleaner on the rubber/ plastic pieces.

[butcher bergs]

Some very poor advice going on in here, IMO.

First, unless the thing has been sitting for 25 years with fuel in it, don't separate the carbs as it's completely unnecessary.

Second, remove all items within the bowl area as well as the slides and designate which parts came from which specific carb. That means the jets, needles (which will be part of the slide assy), float needles, float seats and all parts associated with the choke

Third, a great and effective cleaner for the hard parts comes in the form of non-chlorinated brake cleaner.

Hose all passages with cleaner, let it soak for a few then go in with a small nylon brush to scrub any deposits away followed by blowing each passage with compressed air supplied by a compressor. Go back in and hose everything down again just in case some deposits remain and repeat the application of compressed air.

Once you start to reassemble, it's a good idea to set float height then balance the carbs once they are installed on the machine.

[stoinkythepig]

I'm making good progress on my winter project '97 ZX9r. I've gotten the bent shift fork replaced, I'm waiting on some shims to finish my valve adjustments,

I have a shim kit for that bike. Would have been happy to swap shims with ya.