Topic: That's why they press in the slow jets....

[TwoTired]

I know the exhaust has a little leakage around a weld or 2 that I can seal up.  Wasn't aware that the pin-hole leak would make that much or a diff. 

If your exhaust gasses have fuel in them, as they might during decel, the introduction of air into the exhaust can add enough oxygen to light off the exhaust mixture.  POP

Don't have a manometer but will pick one up if the local shop has one tomorrow prior to starting work on the girl. 

Make sure you get the addapters for the four intake runner plugs, too.

So far, I've only run her withour anything on the intake.  Was planning on putting stacks on and figured that made little difference.  That not the case? 

If the stacks have any filtration restriction, they add a bit "choke" as Terry said.  Theoreticaly, the stacks also should smooth out the intake flow and reduce turbulent flow.  (Isn't that why your putting them on?)  As the turbulence pressure points can move around within the carb bore with different velocities, it can change fine tune fuel flow.  So, fine tuning should be performed with the bike in road configuration.

With the bike supposedly running great when she was parked before I got her I didn't think the synch would be necessary. 

 Two things.  One persons "running great" and another persons, can be different.  Further, the carbs are mechanically slaved, but there can be mechanical wear or vibration drift with operation.  Did you take out the slides during the cleaning procedure?

Thanks for asking me the simple questions that I should have known to answer myself  

You can count on me for the simple questions. 

[yoomit]

ok, so i can't tell by the posts here, so i'm going to ask.
is it suppose to be hollow all the way thru the length if the 77-78 slow jet?  i'm assuming yes, because when i look thru one of them i can see a crack of light shining thru.  the other 3 are completely dark. 
i'm assuming this means they are way clogged.

i tried taking a piece of safety wire and twisting it around inside...but nothing is even loosening up in there.  am i grinding brass?!

i'm soaking them overnight, but i have a bad feeling that stuff is caked on in there.
that being the case, am i completely screwed?  it sounds like these slow jets aren't even available to buy anymore...not even from the dealership??!

anyone try boiling them in hot water...does it help to loosen up the clogging?  will it warp the brass?
need help!

- M

[theunrulychef]

Yoomit, if you have an air compressor, try soaking them in carb cleaner & blowing them out (careful not to blow any cleaner on your face  ).  Might help to loosen up the crud.

-Jay in Philly

PS - Boiling them shouldn't warp the brass.  You might mess them up if you used a torch on them though.

[yoomit]

ok, i've got 3 of the 4 jets cleaned out.  just so i'm sure i've got it right...the hole INSIDE the jet is much smaller in diamater than the openings on either end.  is that correct?  or are these things still clogged.  i seem to recall that there's an inner diaphragm of some sorts. 

not having known about this inner thing prior to my first time cleaning it, i wonder if i muffed it up by trying to jam a thicker safety wire thru it.  it was narrow enough to go thru either end's opening...but didn't realize at the time that the inside got narrower.  f*ck.
i just figured that what was stopping the wire from going all the way thru was more clogged gunk...now i realize it was the inner thingamabob.

question:  IF the 3 i have are sufficiently cleaned, you think the bike will idle and run well even tho the 4th one is still clogged?

last question:  are these jets absolutely unavailable anywhere.  best scenario would be to just get new ones, but i keep reading how rare they are to find.
thanks!
- M

[eldar]

VERY hard to find. You will need to search on it but a memeber here named buffo, installed screw in slows. He gently tapped the carbs and screwed some in.

[fang]

I just hopped on to this discussion, but here is a simple solution for your "drilled out" slow jets:
place a dab of solder on the jets and then re-drill them with some precision micro-drills.   Something like THIS or THIS.

When I was in Peru I didn't have many options as far as obtaining spare parts so we frequently had to evoke the god of 3rd-World auto repair.  Things are different down there and you do all kinds of things to keep old vehicles running, including bizarre carb swaps, and anything else you can imagine....

If you can get a micro drill set (and I think every guy should have two -- because the bits often break) it is an easy fix.  If you have access to an unmolested carb then it will be even easier to match up the correct size.

Best of luck!

Peace and grease
-fang

[kettlesd]

Holy Crap -  alot of responses on this thread!!!!!!

Of the subject of filling in the slowjets with solder and re-drilling them out - i really wouldn't recommend it for a few reasons. First of all if you if you look at one of the jets carefully you will see that it is not a straight tube. The restriciton narrows in the middle by a few thousands of an inch somewhat like a gentle hourglass shape (like a Bernouli tube to those in the aerodynamic world - to assist in velocity and atomization of the fuel). Secondly, i dont know about your drill press, but even on my brand spanking new press the spindle still has enough vibration to it that i would not bet money on a perfectly symmetrical .013" hole going straight down!!!

Get some jets off ebay or the boneyard. I'm sure you know the jets can be removed carrefully with a pair of slipjoint pliers (NOT vise-grips!!!!!!!! Using the slip-joints they will come out easily by rotating & pulling gently and u can have a better "feel" for the soft brass and not crush the tube).

The jets on my K8 were so gummed when i brought it home that i could not even blow compressed air through them. Soaked them over night in carb cleaner and then carefully worked them free with a guitar string. I know everyone abhors using wire to clean jets, but guitar strings come in thousands of an inch graduations. Use one that is a couple thou smaller diameter than the hole you are trying to clean. I used a 0.11" "B" string to help clean the 0.13" slowjet on mine. Spin the wire through the obstruction between your fingers like a drill and dont jerk it in and out and you will not distort the jet. Finish the job by blowing them out with compressed air.

[yoomit]

ok, so that answers one of my questions...it's definitely narrowers toward the middle of the jet. 
and it's likely the 3 i have are gunk-free. 

now to the last remaining jet...playing out the scenario that i won't be able to remove the gunk, nor find a replacement, how well will the bike run if i run 3 clean + 1 clogged?

[bryanj]

It wont run on the one clogged

[yoomit]

   well that sux.

[fang]

FYI, when you solder and fill a jet, you hand drill them.  micro drill bits sometimes come with a simple hand chuck.  I am aware thatthey taper, but if they are buggered up the "fill and drill" method is worth a try.  In the past I have done this with main jets with great success, but never any as small as our bike's slow jets.

Good luck!
peace and grease
-fang

[Terry in Australia]

  well that sux.

Well yeah, but there aren't too many things on your bike that you don't need, or they wouldn't be there............. 

[yoomit]

GUITAR STRING!!!!
thanks, kettlesd...it worked beautifully!!
sticking these bad boys back in this weekend...hoping for a long afternoon ride!
- M

[dusterdude]

FYI, when you solder and fill a jet, you hand drill them.  micro drill bits sometimes come with a simple hand chuck.  I am aware thatthey taper, but if they are buggered up the "fill and drill" method is worth a try.  In the past I have done this with main jets with great success, but never any as small as our bike's slow jets.

Good luck!
peace and grease
-fang

its called a pin vise.