Should I bother cleaning slow jets or just buy new?

[Tropic traveler]

Finally pulled the carb bank today & disassembled. Not too bad looking inside but 3 of the 6 slow jets appear completely clogged. Main jets are looking good but a thorough cleaning is underway.
I see that a set of slows are pretty cheap from Chaparral so I'm leaning that way. Don't want to do this job again. Did it back at 78,000 miles & now again {my fault for leaving it sit} at 115,000.
Also have new carb to intake boots as the old ones are a bit crusty.
If I go with new slows should I stick with stock or kick it up to a 38?

[Michvalk]

If it were me, I'd go with #38's, and new

[Pappy!]

Definiitely go with the larger jets. They do not clog as quickly for one !!!
You can run your adjustment down a little bit as well to compensate.
I did this in the Magna with great results and also did it in Lesa's Vstar 1100 with great results.
You should have heard the boys over in the VStar forums telling me that it would be pig rich if I did it to that bike.
Still running production in the Valk but if I have to go in there again I will definitely be changing them to the larger jets.

[Patrick]

I think the choice is yours. I don't have a problem cleaning jets or using the 35s. Many like the 38s, many prefer the 35s.

[IamGCW]

Go with new. 

Gil

[9Ball]

new, unless you want to do this again real soon.

[signart]

Go with the 38's, you can thank me later. #1 reason for me: No choke needed in warm weather.
#2 reason: Faster warm up in colder weather & in gear sooner.

[John Schmidt]

Eddie, I'd go with the 38's for the reasons stated re. choke, clogging, etc.  I've had them in my bike for about five years, maybe longer, haven't really noticed a major change in mileage either. Just seem to work better but you do need to back off on the pilot jet setting a bit. A good mechanic friend told me about using a torch to clean old jets, sorta like the self-cleaning oven approach. By the time I went through all that, I'd have the new jets installed and carbs halfway back in the bike.

[whitestroke]

If you have pipes go with the 38's , if stock exhaust keep the 35's.
I think if you could clean them well enough (check with magnifine glass) and make sure there smooth, then you could bypass buying new. I bought new aftermarket and the've been fine for 2 years so far.

[mmurffy03]

I agree with signart the no choke in summer and faster warmup in colder works for me in new jersey weather if your in this far invest a few more bucks for all around running condition ease

[98pacecar]

Never,,, bought a new jet,,, in my life ...    ???

Except,,, when I had,,, ta change sizes..     

They clean up, just,,,, fine... 

[signart]

Like John said, back off on the pilots. On my '98 no change in mileage on mine, actually it's better if anything, as mine ran like do-do with the clogged 35's. Now it rolls into the throttle smoother and takes off smoother. My '98 does have piggies cut and baffles drilled, I may have been a tad lean. But my '97 (now gone) was bone stock pipes, same advantages (it's true, '97's are faster).

[Chiefy]

Haven't attempted cleaning them.  I've read numerous times here where someone cleaned, but it back together, then took it apart to replace.

Yeah-yeah.  It'd never happen to some of you. 

[Ricky-D]

There is no harm in changing to #38 jets.

The motor will run a little more richly, but not that it will be noticed.

You cannot compensate by adjusting the pilot screw since that only affects the idle circuit at idle. Off idle it (pilot screw) has no effect.

Your plugs may be affected some, but not much.

It has no affect to the enrichment system.

***

[John Schmidt]

Re. idle circuit, only partially true. It stays "in" well past what might be called an idle rpm. I don't recall exactly without doing some searching, but I believe they don't completely fall out until in the upper 2k range. I did find the #38's actually helped get rid of a mid-range hesitation, I would give it a twist to pass and it was always there...then suddenly catch and haul butt. If I were above 3k rpm, the hesitation didn't exist. The only thing that was changed were the slow jets and I suddenly realized the hesitation was gone.

[YoungPUP]

I cleaned my stock #35's after an overnite soak in some seafoam and then cleaned them out with a single strand of copper wire pulled out of a piece of scrap wire that I had laying out.   No problewms and that was 3 years ago.

[NCGhostrider]

A little trick I have been using at my store on engine driven welders is using a ultrasonic cleaner, like the one Harbor Freight sells.  It heats, and has a timer on it.  It does take several runs to get some of the carbs clean, but I just use water and dish soap.  It is amazing what comes out of them.   Best of all, no chemicals.  Just a little air to dry them and insure that the ports are clear. 

No failures yet!!    Ethanol gas is hard on us down here for some reason.  And some of the locals don't understand that if you don't run the engines, you need to put some sort of fuel stabilizer in the tank.

Craig
NcGhostrider
99 I/S

[Brian]

I replaced mine at the last o-ring and carb rebuild due to this crappy ethanol gas even using Startron. I must say that going through the carbs replacing slow jets and cleaning all the pilot screw ports and replacing O-rings there too, I now have a much smoother idle. I decided to stay with the 35's. Your call on the size but I highly recommend pulling those pilot needles. If your slows were clogged I bet your pilots are too.

I am now using the middle grade 100% gas when I have the opportunity. A few BP and Shell stations here have this real gas.

Good luck.