Ebay Carb Rebuild Kits?

[avc8130]

Anyone have any luck (good or bad) with carb rebuild kits from Ebay?

My box of parts 550 needs the carbs re-assembled and $35 for the kit seems too good to be true.

ac

[tz375]

You said it

Most brass parts in a rebuild kit are not usable and that includes jets and needles. Gaskets are OK though. Always buy genuine Mikuni jets - I'd starting to sound like their PR person

Clean all the carb parts and passages thoroughly and see what needs to be replaced.

[avc8130]

You said it

Most brass parts in a rebuild kit are not usable and that includes jets and needles. Gaskets are OK though. Always buy genuine Mikuni jets - I'd starting to sound like their PR person

Clean all the carb parts and passages thoroughly and see what needs to be replaced.

Is there a good source for the Mikuni jets?

Know a place that sells a decent rebuild kit?

ac

[jabcb]

Is there a good source for the Mikuni jets?

http://jetsrus.com
http://www.motorcyclecarbs.com/index.cfm
You may find good deals on eBay.

[pearljam724]

You can find the individual jets on ebay often at a cheaper price. You have to know the type and size you need. Referring to the Jets R US website above you can decipher that. Stay away from those kits. They are junk. The needle valves included are worthless and will cause you headaches if you don't know how to tweek the float tongues in relation to their inability to stop fuel properly at the correct float heights. Buy Genuine Suzuki or Mikuni parts. 9 times out of 10, the only thing that needs replaced inside of carbs is sometimes the gaskets. But, those usually last a very long time too. Unless, your jets are butchered to pieces and hard to remove and install. They too, will last forever with a proper clean. People often waste money on those kits, in reality the parts in those kits are often not needed. The best remedy for carbs, is a proper clean and adjustments. Check that the floats have no microscopic cracks allowing gas to enter. You can test them by sinking them in very warm water. If you see bubbles coming from the lobes. I'd suggest replacing them. Those are expensive. Sometimes repairable. You can save money, buying the individual parts that you only need and they'll be quality. You can bypass quality on some parts. Carbs isn't one of them.

[pearljam724]

Something, I forgot to get back to you about Richard. Sometime ago, you were helping me decide on 750 and 550 floats being the same or not. Even though, they had different part numbers. You thought they were, but wasn't 100 percent positive. Sure, enough. They're exactly the same size, dimensions, etc. Worked like a charm.

[avc8130]

You can find the individual jets on ebay often at a cheaper price. You have to know the type and size you need. Referring to the Jets R US website above you can decipher that. Stay away from those kits. They are junk. The needle valves included are worthless and will cause you headaches if you don't know how to tweek the float tongues in relation to their inability to stop fuel properly at the correct float heights. Buy Genuine Suzuki or Mikuni parts. 9 times out of 10, the only thing that needs replaced inside of carbs is sometimes the gaskets. But, those usually last a very long time too. Unless, your jets are butchered to pieces and hard to remove and install. They too, will last forever with a proper clean. People often waste money on those kits, in reality the parts in those kits are often not needed. The best remedy for carbs, is a proper clean and adjustments. Check that the floats have no microscopic cracks allowing gas to enter. You can test them by sinking them in very warm water. If you see bubbles coming from the lobes. I'd suggest replacing them. Those are expensive. Sometimes repairable. You can save money, buying the individual parts that you only need and they'll be quality. You can bypass quality on some parts. Carbs isn't one of them.

Thanks for the advice.

I got the carbs in a box, I guess I'll go through them and clean and see exactly what I need and then order accordingly from a well-respected source.

Any advice for removing a stuck pilot? I can see the previous owner stripped the head off.

ac

[pearljam724]

You can find the individual jets on ebay often at a cheaper price. You have to know the type and size you need. Referring to the Jets R US website above you can decipher that. Stay away from those kits. They are junk. The needle valves included are worthless and will cause you headaches if you don't know how to tweek the float tongues in relation to their inability to stop fuel properly at the correct float heights. Buy Genuine Suzuki or Mikuni parts. 9 times out of 10, the only thing that needs replaced inside of carbs is sometimes the gaskets. But, those usually last a very long time too. Unless, your jets are butchered to pieces and hard to remove and install. They too, will last forever with a proper clean. People often waste money on those kits, in reality the parts in those kits are often not needed. The best remedy for carbs, is a proper clean and adjustments. Check that the floats have no microscopic cracks allowing gas to enter. You can test them by sinking them in very warm water. If you see bubbles coming from the lobes. I'd suggest replacing them. Those are expensive. Sometimes repairable. You can save money, buying the individual parts that you only need and they'll be quality. You can bypass quality on some parts. Carbs isn't one of them.

Thanks for the advice.

I got the carbs in a box, I guess I'll go through them and clean and see exactly what I need and then order accordingly from a well-respected source.

Any advice for removing a stuck pilot? I can see the previous owner stripped the head off.

ac

Lol ! That a good question. I emphasize sometimes. If you spray some lubricant in there, they can sometimes be backed out with the perfect size extractor bit. But, if they are too tight as a result of some jack ass tightening them too much. Even an extractor bit, will spin as a result of soft brass. Sometimes, you can drill them out and rethread with the proper tap and die bit. That too takes fine precision drilling or you will screw the bowl up. You usually only get once chance to get it right. If it were me. And the extractor bit doesn't work, I'd start looking for another bowl. Use proper size screwdrivers, torque the jets a bare minimum. To avoid headaches, searching and paying for a more expensive part. No big deal if one bowl is not repairable. They pop up once in a while on Ebay for 20 to 30 bucks. If you have to go that route. Insist on buying one with no jets installed.

[yeadon_m]

Plus one on all that's said.

You might try using 'left hand drills'. Worked for me!
Mike

[Alan H]

Try the carb in the hot oven trick. Aluminium expands faster than brass and might loosen with a splash of easing oil.
Not too hot obviously!!

[tz375]

Carbs are a zinc based alloy IIRC and I have no idea what the relative expansion rates are, but heat may be enough to crack that jet free.

[avc8130]

The stuck jet isn't in the bowl...it's in the carb body.

Maybe I used the wrong term with "pilot"? It's the little jet next to the main.

Oven? Any temp suggestion? I was thinking about trying a soldering iron to direct heat.

The head is GONE on the jet in the "remove" direction.

ac

[pearljam724]

The stuck jet isn't in the bowl...it's in the carb body.

Maybe I used the wrong term with "pilot"? It's the little jet next to the main.

Oven? Any temp suggestion? I was thinking about trying a soldering iron to direct heat.

The head is GONE on the jet in the "remove" direction.

ac

Sorry, for a minute I thought you were referring to a 750. Late model 750 jets are in the bowls.

[yeadon_m]

I do think in this case that carefully drilling a small clearance hole through the jet (use a spare pilot so you can be sure not to go too deep and damage the body) then use a slightly larger, left hand drill, turned very slowly and with high torque, will snick it out. You can get such useful bits on ebay.
That's what I did with one of these VM carbs anyway. Then, ensure the new jet is installed with a perfectly fitting driver and gently seated.
Good luck!
Mike

[avc8130]

The stuck jet isn't in the bowl...it's in the carb body.

Maybe I used the wrong term with "pilot"? It's the little jet next to the main.

Oven? Any temp suggestion? I was thinking about trying a soldering iron to direct heat.

The head is GONE on the jet in the "remove" direction.

ac

Sorry, for a minute I thought you were referring to a 750. Late model 750 jets are in the bowls.

Ah, that makes more sense.

If things don't go well, I'll need a new carb.

ac