Thou shalt not take shortcuts.....

[rugguy]

I post this as a cautionary tale to anyone who ever needs to tear down their carbs for any reason....do NOT take shortcuts!!! Buy the carb and bowl gaskets, the fuel and air rail o-ring kit and the intake o-rings BEFORE reassembling. It may be tempting to just "slap" her back together and ride on a pretty day but you stand the chance of having to do it all over again. Or, as we call it "wrenchin' instead of ridin'".

I had to clean my carbs after sitting in CO for a couple of months. It would not start and had fuel leaking from the overflows. Took them all apart, cleaned the hell out of them and "slapped" it back together. Started on the first try and ran beautifully. Only problem was fuel leaking, pouring is more like it, from the fuel rail "t"s.

Ordered the o-ring set from redeye (highly recommend) and tore it all back down. "Slapped" her back together and now have a skip caused by an intake leak. The intake "o"'s didn't like all that out and in.

Ordered the intake o-ring set from redeye and will have to tear her down yet again. The GOOD news is I can now tear her down in less than three beers (2.0 hours). The BAD news is it takes longer to reassemble because the *$#!@#! airbox is a royal PITA....and it's supposed to be in the 60's this weekend. Yup, "wrencin' instead of ridin'" again.

I KNEW better....I KNOW better....maybe I'll just desmog her while I have her guts out.......

Thou shalt not take shortcuts......unless you like to see the Facebook photos of all the places your buddies rode without you.

[97Valk_CT_Euless]

The good news is you don't have to pull the air box or carbs or even the tank to change the intake orings! Just loosen all the clamps between the carbs and intake runners on the side you're working on. Easy peasy.

[Bighead]

The GOOD news is I can now tear her down in less than three beers.

This may be part of the problem workin on it and sippin a cool one at the same time

[rugguy]

97Valk_CT_Euless: thanks....I never considered that. That will turn a 6 hour job into a 2 hour job.

Thanks again.....

[rugguy]

Nah Bighead, as I am sure you know, in the south it is illegal to do any mechanical work (or any work at all for that matter) without a cold one in your hand.

[Bighead]

  I always wait til I am through with the tools before cracking one

[rugguy]

My sockets won't even come out of the box without one....southern safety feature I guess.

[98valk]

I've pulled my carbs apart before didn't replace o-rings, etc hasn't leaked for over 20k miles.
did u pre-lube existing o-rings before putting them back together the first time? if not u probably torn the o-rings and why they leaked after. and I have had the bowls off about 50 times due to re-jetting. same bowl gasket no leaks, now at 40k miles.
all o-rings must be lubed with correct lube for that o-ring for a proper seal and to prevent damage during assembly.

[rugguy]

CA: I congratulate you on your good fortune with your o-ruins. I didn't break the carbs apart when I did the carb gaskets. However, I have read that fuel rail o-ring leaks are fairly common. After all the bike is 14 years old....that's a lot of ethanol wishing on them. Plus, my bike spent two months sitting in Colorado...dry air and bad gas.

When I pulled the old ones out they were definitely past their prime. When I saw the condition of the carb gaskets I should have know to redo the fuel/air rail gaskets too.

Just my experiences.....

[John Schmidt]

If it takes you 2 hrs. to change out those intake o-rings, you're spending too much time with the "cool one" and not enough time with the wrench.   Just loosen the hose clamp at the top of the intake runner after unbolting them....one side at a time, don't unbolt all of them. Grab the bottom of the runner and pull out and up, should pop right out of the rubber hose. Reinstalling is just the opposite; stick the top in place, push down and inward. I spray a bit of rubbing alcohol on the inside of the rubber hose and the top of the runner. Makes metal slide on rubber like snot on a doorknob, plus it evaporates quickly and leaves no residue. Don't bolt them down tight until all done, leave them slightly loose. Do as CA said re. some lube, helps hold the o-ring in place when reinstalling the runner.

[rugguy]

Roger that....happy as can be I don't have to pull it all down again. Thanks to all for the advice.

[Ricky-D]

I have read that fuel rail o-ring leaks are fairly common

Au contraire,

Very un-common actually.

Normally restricted to some instance of disturbing the "fuel rails" such as

installing an electric fuel shut-off and turning the parts, separating the parts,

or some such activity that disturbs the assembly.

Under normal circumstances, they will not leak.

***

[Pappy!]

Roger that....happy as can be I don't have to pull it all down again. Thanks to all for the advice.

Darn right! That'll leave time for more cool ones................

[JetDriver]

There's a couple of references to lubing the o-rings with "correct" lube.  What's "correct"?  Dielectric?

[98valk]

There's a couple of references to lubing the o-rings with "correct" lube.  What's "correct"?  Dielectric?

Dielectric grease, bulb grease-same thing, which is actually silicon grease works for these o-rings.
in industry there is actually tubes labeled o-ring grease/lube, its just silicon grease.
certain o-ring materials cannot use silicon grease.
remember dielectric grease does not transmit electricity, just like silicon outer casing of spark plug wires.

[JetDriver]

There's a couple of references to lubing the o-rings with "correct" lube.  What's "correct"?  Dielectric?

Dielectric grease, bulb grease-same thing, which is actually silicon grease works for these o-rings.
in industry there is actually tubes labeled o-ring grease/lube, its just silicon grease.
certain o-ring materials cannot use silicon grease.
remember dielectric grease does not transmit electricity, just like silicon outer casing of spark plug wires.

My understanding is that dielectric grease (silicone grease) actually replenishes the rubber?  I've started wiping it on the rubber seals around the tail light, or air cleaner box, etc., when I've got them apart.  After 24 hours or so they seem more "rubbery" and less dried out, or less brittle.

[Wewaman]

I just used regular wheel bearing grease to hold the o'rings in the intake runners,  worked just fine.   I hope it won't cause any issues after I get  her running..

 Wewa

[Attic Rat]

Guys they make a special glue to glue the intake o rings in. It is 3m product number 847 it comes in a 5oz tube. They also use the same glue to glue the float bowl gaskets in.

[rugguy]

Hey Attic...according to the 3M website, 847 has been discontinued and we can't find it anywhere in Atlanta.

[Attic Rat]

here is one on ebay

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3M-Scotch-Grip-847-Rubber-and-Gasket-Adhesive-5-oz-Tube-Brown-/251443948252?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a8b3a2adc

I usually order mine from Drill spot

http://www.drillspot.com/products/331760/3m_847_gasket_adhesive

I hope this helps you out and go to the drug store and purchase a couple of syringes. Don't use very much glue

you can also Google it and come up with several places to purchase it

[rugguy]

With apologies to that guy.....

I have a dream where carburetors are clean and floats are free to move as they please. I have a dream where jets are open and properly seated and judged not by the date on their VIN plate or the mileage on the ODO, but by the free and appropriate flow of fuel they deliver to the cylinders...without restrictions or encumbrances. I have a dream where fuel and air rails can live together in leak-free harmony. No more to leak valuable and volatile fuel on to a hot engine causing tension and strife to the people who ride above it. I have a dream where intake gaskets are pliable and uncracked allowing them to function properly, avoiding vacuum leaks. I have a dream that one day all these thing will come to pass in my lifetime.  

All it took was cleaning all the carbs, new bowl gaskets, new fuel/air rail "O" rings and new intake "O" rings. Just wish I had been smart enough to do it all the first time.

Skip FREE at last, Leak FREE at last...thank God almighty skip FREE at last!

Thanks to all that helped. 71 and sunny tomorrow. We'll be ridin' and not wrenchin....

[Dozer]

here is one on ebay

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3M-Scotch-Grip-847-Rubber-and-Gasket-Adhesive-5-oz-Tube-Brown-/251443948252?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a8b3a2adc

I usually order mine from Drill spot

http://www.drillspot.com/products/331760/3m_847_gasket_adhesive


FWIW, I have been using 3M 1300 or 1300L for years. Its commonly used in aviation. I used just a tad on my bowl gaskets last time I did my carbs...works well. Can be cleaned up with Acetone or MEK. Isopropyl alcohol works but not well.

http://www.officeworld.com/Worlds-Biggest-Selection/MMM02120019868/14Q1/?gclid=CN_vzJbE8rwCFVFo7Aod1EsAlw









I hope this helps you out and go to the drug store and purchase a couple of syringes. Don't use very much glue

you can also Google it and come up with several places to purchase it