Topic: I foolishly took my choke adjusting lever off my carb and can't get it back on

[jeremyillingworth]

I was taking my 1972 carbs apart for ultrasonic cleaning and wanted to take them as far apart as possible to do the best job possible, so I took the choke arm and related components off. After cleaning I tried to get the nut back on the arm end, it would not go, it just wants to cross thread. I realize now that it was likely staked in place and I shouldn't have taken it off.

Has anyone else done this before? How did you get it back on?

[Deltarider]

What bike? What carbs? What made you think they needed ultrasonic cleaning?

[jeremyillingworth]

Sorry, 1972 Honda CB750, stock carbs.

I cleaned them because it was sitting for several years and the slides were stuck with the bowls full of unpleasantness.

[BenelliSEI]

You are correct. Is the shaft buggered or the nut? Maybe a new nut?

[jeremyillingworth]

I think the nut is good.

I think the shaft was mushroomed out (intentionally) and the nut compressed it a bit on the way off and now can't get back on.

I was thinking about filing the end of the shaft down a bit but I thought I would check here in case somebody else had this problem in the past. Or maybe somebody needed to make a #1 carb out of a #3 carb in the past.

[CycleRanger]

Yes that shaft is peened to hold the nut. You'll have to clean up the end to get the nut back on.

[newday777]

"I was thinking about filing the end of the shaft down a bit"

Use a fine triangle file or a thread file to clean up the threads

[pjlogue]

I took mine apart on my '76 750.  Yes, it's a #$%* getting the nuts back on!  Take a fine file and file the end of the threaded shaft at ~30 degrees from parallel to the shaft to remove some of the mushroomed out end of the threaded shaft.  this will allow you to start the nut back on.  once you get the nuts on put a drop of locktite on each.

-P.