QUESTIONS QUESTIONS QUESTIONSThe Carbs were pretty much what what a friend who used to work at a mower shop used to call a "BOX JOB."
Been a while since I did a post and a now Just a little further along. Pre-assembly and re-assembly of the carbs is probably the best way to figure out what to do and how to do it as far as tuning, once it comes time to start it up. I have them pretty much together, and I know they will come back apart from the yoke at least one more time to connect the bowl vent connection hoses between them.
still figuring out the little bits-pan screws and spring were easy..
I got to studying the exploded view schematics and it appears there are some retainers that clip to the main jet and hold it up from the bottom of the carb and I have nothing like it, so I guess the things that I described as looking like 'Coors beer can', and 'homemadish' are probably exactly that.
All four carbs have all been given a similar treatment for cleaning up the jets, slides, and float bowls. The most clogged and least important of the holes were in the bowl drain screws. Considering the amount of film in the bowls left by evaporated gas, there's somewhat obvious reasons why they were plugged up. That all mostly cleaned up with a soak in solvent and toothbrush. I used carb cleaner on the tougher spots in the corners of the float bowl- figured get them as clean as possible and as close to new instead of dirty.
The rest of the fuel and air passages have been confirmed as cleared with an apropriate sized wires, a blast of carb cleaner and compressed air.
I found O-rings that fit most of the stuff that was loose, and wanted to come out. A couple of the float valves seemed pretty darn tight so I figured they were sealed up and left them as they were. There was one that fell out and fit tighter with new rubber on it. All the main jets got new O-rings and were pressed in tight.
The Carbs really were in a box, and the linkage was all in pieces so it was kind of a puzzle to put it back together. There are a few pieces missing ,but considering the amount of time the thing spent disassembled it's not too bad and better than 90% there.
The slides all work, but at first seemed to stop about halfway open when they should be all but closed. I adjusted the linkages a bit and the two carbs that have the parts came a little closer to closed. The 'starboard side' pair is missing the adjustment screws and the small linkage that holds them together, and the slides continue to stay about half open when they should be closed. Hopefully when it is complete they will all close as they should.
these two slides are in the ballpark when closed
Starboard pair missing adjustment screws on linkage
The choke butterflys all link up and seem to do what they should, but I'm sure I'll be having some questions about fine tuning the stops on their linkages.
I hope I assumed correctly that the spring goes from the cable pivot to the little dowel that sits between the two middle carbs.(?)
Of the missing parts are:
1) at least one of the spring/ plunger that holds the ball ends of the linkage together.
One short of this
2) one float valve retainer and screw that holds it (4x10 if I remember correctly). Searched through a few junk keihn/mikuni carbs but find nothing like it inside their float bowls. This thing might be easy to make. but I'll put the feelers out for the real deal. It kind of looks like a piece of a bicycle chain link and holds the
3)Most important missing is the adjustment screws that bring the slides up and down, that hold the spring/plunger assemblies in place.
Not sure what the schematic calls it but, I have one so I know what it looks like. It is two adjustment screws held together by a thin link.
adjustment pieces missing from linkage
It is now installed on one pair
Of what appears to be extra pieces are:
1) a small ball end on a threaded screw. I figure this may have come from a different project. I see all the things remotely like it on the schematic, they are there and this is extra.
looks like a ball for a very small trailor hitch
2) There are two larger bolts (about 12mm or so) with some special purpose that may also have come from a different project. One has an end on it about the size of the allignment dowel between the two middle carbs. The other has an end sticking out of it like a nail head. No clue as to what these are or where they go. They both have the same coarse thread size and one has a nut on it and look to be English threads. Any clues if they belong with the carbs? Or where they go if not part of the carbs?
(pictured as 2,3 above)
I am kind of curious about a small spring loaded tab that sits on the motor side of the yoke that holds the four carbs together. It has a 90 degree bend and sits near the outside carburetor on the side opposite of the large adjustment screw (also motor side) for the stop on the shaft that pivots with the throttle cable linkage. I can't really describe it much better than that because it's no longer right in front of me.
This little tab seems to have no purpose I can see yet, but maybe once it all starts comming together it will make more sense, but for now it just looks like something in the way.
I will have a bunch more carb questions the more I figure out and will use the FAQs, but if there are people who know the carbs in and out, the questions I have for now are are:
Any clue what are these extra pieces I have or if they definitely don't belong?,
What is this little spring loaded tab on the yoke I describe, and how and what does it articulate with?
What do the original retainers that clip on the main jet look like, are they easily lost/destroyed/removed/left out, what is their function, are these beer can things going to serve the same funcion suitably, and or should I try to find or fabricate something more like the real thing which I do not have, and have not yet seen one?