Your carburetor is FINE!! Carb cleaning 101..

[Dirtcrasher]

In case you wanted to know....

Ive had like 3 people leave me there toys lately for bad gas problems or they think they need a new carburetor - I'm no expert, feel free to add to this but I just wanted to share my experiences. Just keep your fuel clean, run an inline filter and don't leave gas in there over the winter and you will avoid most problems. Clean your trike and the carbs outside before you start removing it.I use a well lighted table away from everyone and everything - a white rag to lay everything out in order is helpful along with a manual.

Rebuild kits are generally just orings, jets sometimes, gaskets and a new air/fuel screw. These screws if overtightened do get bent at there tip and bad gas eats the brass - either one will stop them from working correctly. There are no other magic parts in a rebuild kit.

Make sure you completely remove EVERY single jet (they are all just threaded in - no cheap screwdrivers on the brass!!), needle valve, air screw etc and clean them each by themselves in gas and then carb cleaner. Then you leave the carb body immersed in gas before you go at it with the carb cleaner. If your mother yells at you for cleaning with gas, forget the gas part. Put the plastic extension on there and completely soak and squirt through every single passage etc - the carb should be naked of all moving parts and pieces. Carb cleaner in your eye really really really hurts so I'm just warning you. Compressed air is very helpful but a good can or 2 or carb cleaner blasted through also works and evaporates quickly. I use a qtip in the larges passages but even 1 strand of cotton left in any air or fuel passage will screw it up. The constant spraying of cleaner eats the most gunk. No wires or drill bits as they scratch the jets holes and this can upset the air/fuel balance - these holes are thousandths of an inch in diameter. You don't want to see one spot of anything in any inside portion of that carburetor.

When removing air or fuel screws first slowly and lightly thread them all the way until they bottom out - counting the number of turns and the original "o - clock" position they were at. Then you can back them out and clean up in there and just reinstall them and back them out to there original setting. Look in your manual just to compare that setting - 1.5 turns out actually found at 5 turns out could be part of your problem. If it does not respond correctly try the stock setting but remember that even the air box lid removed or a dirty air filter affects this setting.

Behind some screws you may find a washer, oring, spring, spacer etc etc, but just pay attention and look in there before you toss it in the bowl of gas and you see a washer fall out - at which time you panic wondering where it belongs in the carb. Jets don't get a "turns out" setting - they just thread in and tighten against the carb body or another piece of a jet or spacer etc. Jets are just hunks of brass with a bunch of holes in them - not anything like plutonium or an atom bomb.

For the most part I have never seen a worn out carb, I have seen stripped or damaged carbs but most all carbs can be saved and have no problems other than dirt, missing or damaged orings and or improper setting. Anyone buying carbs on EBAY to remedy there "broken carb" probably just needs a little TLC.

Good luck

[ste-pel]

Good read.
We have a little jr 50 that my little sis rides around and it was't running right, so my dad took it in to get looked at. $80 later it still ran like crap. Today I took the carb off it and took it right apart and cleaned everything. I put it back together and put back on the bike and made sure everthing was sung so that there was a good seal between the carb and cylender. Started it up, did some fine ajustments and it ran just like the day we bought it, then I put the lid back on the air box and it stalled out. Another reajustment and it ran perfect.

[H.M.F.I.C.]

I agree with you. As someone who works on quite a few on the side I have seen alot of poeple willing to spend money on what they don't need and not wanting to spend it on what they do need. Sure, put a new carb on it but don't dare touch the points, it's only been sitting three years. Anyway, I will add one thing, some carbs do wear out. Older 50, 70, 90, and 110's carbs don't have replaceble seats and if they sit long enough with water or old gas in them it will corrode the seat badly enough that the needle will not seat on it. Other than that you shouldn't ever have to replace a carb.

[smokinp]

good read,very good information

[Xowner]

i cant respond dude to the boobs in this thread!

[Dirtcrasher]

I agree with you. As someone who works on quite a few on the side I have seen alot of poeple willing to spend money on what they don't need and not wanting to spend it on what they do need. Sure, put a new carb on it but don't dare touch the points, it's only been sitting three years. Anyway, I will add one thing, some carbs do wear out. Older 50, 70, 90, and 110's carbs don't have replaceble seats and if they sit long enough with water or old gas in them it will corrode the seat badly enough that the needle will not seat on it. Other than that you shouldn't ever have to replace a carb.

I actually found an old ATC90 that had ants living in the carb when I pulled the throttle valve out, and yes this time it needed a new carb!!

[haywiremechanic]

It is possible to polish the non-removable inlet valve seat in these little carbs with valve grinding compound and a small pointed wooden stick.

Most pressed-in "non-removable" idle jets can be removed with a pair of vise-grip pliers and some careful twisting and pulling. Just drive it back in after you clean it.

Always remove the needle valve seat even if it looks perfect and clean the crud out from behind it, or that crud will eventually come loose and cause more trouble.

[briano]

I just had a carb off of a chinese 110 motor that was so gummed up that carb cleaner wouldn't touch it. I soaked it in sea foam, then blew it out with air, then carb cleaner, with no luck. I went and bought one of the one gallon dip cans of carb cleaner with the parts basket in it, 3 hours in there then rinse with water it is like new inside and out. I removed everything from the carb that could be removed and put it all in the basket and dipped it all.

[Ironbnder]

I have an air nozzle that I replaced the screw in tip with an old fassion BIC pen body. Pull the ink and tip out, pop the back off, put a couple of wraps around the end with electrical tape and it screws right in the end of the nozzle. It gives you that extra reach to get up in the bodys and the small tip gives that extra pressure and precision to blow up into the small holes. It is a must have when I do carbs.

[camoweasel]

Dirtcrasher,

In your opinon, would it be safe to say ethenol is causing or at least accelerating the problems you see with the carberators coming into your shop?? Even though the user manuals did mention ethenol being safe to use at less then 10% back in the day, I still think today's modern fuels are the root cause of all the driveability issues we read about on forums like this.

[Dirtcrasher]

Ethanol is certainly causing issues; And guys with multiple gas powered machines are finding it impossible to keep up. Fuel stabilizer doesn't seem to help anymore?

It seems that if I don't keep using up the fuel, I have stumbling issues all carb/ carb cleaning related.

No worries, 93 octane will be approaching the cost of race gas in the near future

[tri again]

I guess they did say some ethanol was ok but
hard to understand how they could know what 25 years of it would do
to plastic and aluminum.

It;s about as comforting as buying some of that 'new' 50 year caulking compound.
How do they know?

We can still find non ethanol gas and I try to keep my tanks full of that stuff.

I guess marinas, like boat gas docks have it too.

[matt86200x]

Very nice detailed write up Dirtcrasher

[leevarnado]

also if the carb cleaner doesnt work,boiling the carb will diff get the gum out.

[tanks350x]

If you all don't want ethanol gas, go to your local speedway, and get some racing fuel. Yes, it's $9 a gallon but, it's well worth it... 112 octane minimally. I get it for Dirt Crasher whenever he needs it...