Topic: having trouble accessing needle clips

[riffman12]

I'm going nuts trying to get to my needles and clips. I have the carbs like this at the moment:



But when I try and slip the "disk" part off the top of the carb, the arm is in the way. Like this:



I followed this video:

and he seems to get them to squeeze past the arms. Mine is nowhere close.

Does anyone have any tips to getting these things out?

[ekpent]

If you can't get the clearance then you may have to take out the 8 screws holding the bracket and slide the carbs out of the bracket to get the clearance to get the slides out. Only take a minute to do that. Be careful not to bend the needle clip inside the carb slide, your one picture is showing that shaft torqued over pretty far.

[Medyo Bastos]

If you can't get the clearance then you may have to take out the 8 screws holding the bracket and slide the carbs out of the bracket to get the clearance to get the slides out. Only take a minute to do that. Be careful not to bend the needle clip inside the carb slide, your one picture is showing that shaft torqued over pretty far.

Uh huh


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[riffman12]

Ok got all the slides out. Now the two little internal screws are not budging. Just ordered a JIS screwdriver and left the screws soakng in liquid wrench so hopefully that helps.

Any other tips for getting those little guys out?

[Medyo Bastos]

you have to put a little a55 into them too 

[markreimer]

I was in your exact situation a few months ago. I dunno how the heck that guy pulled his out, but I had to undo the 8 screws that hold the carbs to the rack. No other way worked. Then I was faced with those pesky tiny screws you're fighting now. I push hard into the head to avoid slipping and they eventually let go.


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[ekpent]

 Yes those 2 screws can be troublesome the first time they are removed and the metal is not the best quality. A very firm grip with one hand, good hard force and a very good fitting screwdriver are a must. Be sure to check that throttle rod that was bent over in your picture that you did not bend the plate inside the slide that it attaches to. If the rod feels sloppy compared to the rest then that plate will need to be tweaked back to normal.
  Just out of curiosity are you looking to change the needle clip position or putting in an aftermarket needle and kit.

[Garage_guy_chris]

I have had to very very carefully drill the heads off those screws to free that lifter bracket. Also be careful you dont twist the lifter rods too much as it opens the U shape of the brackets and makes the carbs go funky and loose and not want to keep a sync.

BTW when your done you really should be syncing those carbs!

[greenjeans]

JLS tipped drivers are a must.   PB Blaster and a heat gun (repeated) will help a great deal.

[millla03]

Once you get the 2 little screws out of each slide, socket head allen screws are a nice upgrade option to replace them with. Makes future removal/reassembly easier.

[riffman12]

  Just out of curiosity are you looking to change the needle clip position or putting in an aftermarket needle and kit.

Just moving the needle clip

I did do a bit of twisting on one of the rods. Hopefully I didn't bend the bracket 

[ekpent]

  Just out of curiosity are you looking to change the needle clip position or putting in an aftermarket needle and kit.

Just moving the needle clip

I did do a bit of twisting on one of the rods. Hopefully I didn't bend the bracket 

Those rod brackets can and do get bent easily lots of times by guys using a screwdriver instead of heat to try and break free a varnish seized slide. Not that big of a deal though,just measure a known good one or compare side by side if no measuring device and bend it back down to match. If the rod is floppy then the bracket is tweaked.

[riffman12]

ok I got all the screws loose. Is this the bracket we're talking about bending? They all look and feel about the same:




BUUUUT in my stupidity trying to get the slides out of the carbs, it looks like I bent one of the actual rods:



Is this something I can bend back? Or do I need to find another carb 

[markreimer]

Can't see why you couldn't bend that back. Make sure its straight so nothing binds


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[ekpent]

 Yeah I was afraid you may have had an issue when I saw your first set of pics at the top of your thread. The first pics are the brackets and that bent rod is not a good thing. If you cannot get it nice and straight with marring it since it travels in a rubber seal see if you can buy one from our carb parts dealer here on the forum or post in the wanted.

[riffman12]

Ok cool thanks

Next question: now that I've taken everything apart more than I had intended. Should I just bite the bullet and buy new gasket sets for the carbs?

Any good sources? 4into1 has then for $20 per carb for all honda parts. Do I even need genuine honda gaskets? All my jets and needles are fine

[ekpent]

  Some people will roll their eyes but I have never replaced a stock bowl gasket on many 1976 or older 750's. I do not even remove them , soak them in the dunk etc. They are very stout. Only ones I have had to replace were aftermarket ones. The gaskets in the fuel connectors may be a good batch to change especially if there are signs of leakage. I always load my carbs with gas before mounting off a slave tank to check for leaks etc before going on the bike.