Topic: Float pins heavily gummed, soak with floats in?

[b1jackson]

Hey folks,

Severely gummed up carbs on my 750f.  So bad that even after spraying with cleaner, soaking with penetrating fluid, etc. the float is still stiff to pivot on the pin.  Gummy like tar!

Only one of the 4 were able to be removed.  They almost look corroded in place with algae and tar.

I want to soak the bottom end in carb cleaner.  Kind of like dangle the "feet" in so to speak to see if a longer term soak with the floats still attached will loosen things up.

I've seen the threads on wooded blocks for support and spring loaded center punches but I think these are well beyond that.  I don't want to snap a post.

Will it hurt to soak the plastic floats in cleaner?

[seanbarney41]

answer may vary depending on what brand cleaner...I can tell you they will be ok in Gunk brand for quite some time, I think I have soaked these in Berrymans also but not sure and no idea how long.

Try some heat...with a heat gun or drop 'em in a bucket of hot water and dish soap.

[Johnie]

http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,162303.msg1865144.html#msg1865144

[b1jackson]

Thanks Johnnie.  The search I tried was hitting on everything but!

[greenjeans]

+2 for PB Blaster and HEAT.  Repeat.

[el pachuco]

paint stripper dissolves that tar in seconds. I haven't used it on plastic carb components but I have used it on the rubber components ( O-rings and floats) and it did not harm either of them.

[ekpent]

 Heat along with the other suggested products is your best friend to soften it to get things apart. Varnish does not like lacquer thinner either when applied with a small brush. I like to use it for a pre-soak for brass jets if extremely dirty before going in the can of carb dunk.

[b1jackson]

Just an update to wrap the thread up I decided not to do a carb cleaner bath but did a warm simple green one instead.  Even after doing this and getting the carbs spiffy the pins were still stuck.  Bought a cheap pen torch the other day and with a little PB blaster with the heat and the spring loaded awl (forgot I even bought one!) they came out.  One was a little trickier still but it worked.  Thanks for the help!

[b1jackson]

Forgot there was an issue with a drain bolt in one of the carb bowls.  All of them are hellishly stuck.  On one, the top twisted off the drain screw.

Since it is easy to remove the carb bowls by just undoing the spring clip, is it Ok to just JB weld over the snapped screw? Yes....a slight jerry rig but I'm not sure I want to risk drilling then trying to easy-out a snapped off drain bolt.  I'd only hopefully be in the carb bowls when putting that bike away for the season so could easily just take the entire bowl off and drain.

[seanbarney41]

that will be fine...shouldn't be too hard for someone here to dig ya up an extra float bowl or 2

[el pachuco]

heat what is left of the snapped off drain plug and it will come right out with an eazy out. It's stuck with the same goo that had your float pins stuck.