Author Topic: Carbs - is it just me !!!  (Read 982 times)

Offline paulbaker1954

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Carbs - is it just me !!!
« on: May 24, 2019, 02:21:45 PM »
God I am sick of messing about with my carbs. In the 3 years I have had this bike I reckon I have  had them off so many times I cant remember but each time I learn more.............

Latest is took them off for a head gasket change. Whilst off checked the fuel float levels etc etc on the bench a few times over 2 days. Right levels no overflow all looking good. I should have known better !!!

Put them back on bike and No 2 is overflowing despite prior bench testing, so bloody carbs off again to try and sort it.

Still not sure what is cause but I have a suspicion that the springy thing ( I had to open out the slot slightly for a previous fir of some aftermarket main jets so they are a bit loose fitting now)  slipped around and was stopping the float rising but I also have a feeling the float valve is not reliably closing so ordered new one from DSS.

Then to add insult to injury the springy thing snapped in two (new one ordered from Gerben) and as a final insult another thread stripped for the float bowl stripped ( I have already had 2 others helicoiled) as the screws have been in and out so many times!!!!

I have now ordered a helicoil kit and going to do it myself this time as my machine shop charges £25 for each helicoil

I am I alone in my ever growing hatred of 500 carbs and their reliability.

Rant over and back to garage !!!!

If you think there's light at the end of the tunnel it's usually another train !!

2016 Yamaha MT09 Tracer
1971 Honda CB500 Four K0

Offline Trigger

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Re: Carbs - is it just me !!!
« Reply #1 on: May 24, 2019, 02:51:49 PM »
£25 a time ! I am too cheap at a fiver  ::) The smaller the helicoil, the harder it is to work with and watch out for cheap and Chinese ones as, you will end up looking for a new carb body  ;)

Offline royhall

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Re: Carbs - is it just me !!!
« Reply #2 on: May 24, 2019, 03:06:11 PM »
£25 a time ! I am too cheap at a fiver  ::) The smaller the helicoil, the harder it is to work with and watch out for cheap and Chinese ones as, you will end up looking for a new carb body  ;)
Why is just about everything you buy thats Chinese utter garbage. With the possible exception of electronics goods. Why do we even bother dealing with these people. Rant over for now, will probably resume in a few moments.
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Offline paulbaker1954

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Re: Carbs - is it just me !!!
« Reply #3 on: May 24, 2019, 03:07:08 PM »
£25 a time ! I am too cheap at a fiver  ::) The smaller the helicoil, the harder it is to work with and watch out for cheap and Chinese ones as, you will end up looking for a new carb body  ;)


Thanks for the advice, I sourced a V-Coil kit that got good reviews and luckily I have an old carb body I can "practice" on !!!
If you think there's light at the end of the tunnel it's usually another train !!

2016 Yamaha MT09 Tracer
1971 Honda CB500 Four K0

Offline Moorey

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Re: Carbs - is it just me !!!
« Reply #4 on: May 28, 2019, 09:56:03 PM »
£25 a time ! I am too cheap at a fiver  ::) The smaller the helicoil, the harder it is to work with and watch out for cheap and Chinese ones as, you will end up looking for a new carb body  ;)
Why is just about everything you buy thats Chinese utter garbage. With the possible exception of electronics goods. Why do we even bother dealing with these people. Rant over for now, will probably resume in a few moments.

You are so wrong with that one Roy . I was working at Cummings Turbo's and in their lab was a load of stripped Turbo's which I asked them about and they said they were Chinese copies to which I said no doubt they will be shite. But the response was no they are bang on spec both mechanically and material wise and a fraction of the cost. So they can do it if they want.

Offline matthewmosse

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Re: Carbs - is it just me !!!
« Reply #5 on: May 28, 2019, 10:35:04 PM »
Quality from China is totally variable and largely based on price. Stihl chainsaws  are made there, at least the ms170  and similar small ones. A friend of mine knew Draper tools founder back when they started outsourcing to China. One type of  power tool was commissioned, a specification agreed and a maximum fail rate of 90% agreed, delivery duly arrived, every item perfect, thought they had aced the good luck then final crate constuting the final 10%, every 1 was a fail. They are perfectly capable of making stuff as well as anyone else, but you get what you pay for - well unless a middle man is selling on the cheapest stuff and making a markup by selling at same price as quality stuff. Can be pot luck on that though.
Got a 500/4 with rust and a sidecar and loadsa bits. nice and original and been round the clock

Offline Trigger

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Re: Carbs - is it just me !!!
« Reply #6 on: May 28, 2019, 11:05:22 PM »
I buy some small CC pistons from China at £7.00 a kit that, are from Riken manufacturing plant in Taiwan. These same pistons are put in Honda packets at a RRP of £42  ;)

Offline Green1

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Re: Carbs - is it just me !!!
« Reply #7 on: May 28, 2019, 11:58:49 PM »
I buy airless spray gun parts from China from the same factory that supplies the Genuine parts.
A genuine piston packing kit cost around £55 the same one with Chinese on the pack £7
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Offline royhall

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Re: Carbs - is it just me !!!
« Reply #8 on: May 29, 2019, 07:17:15 AM »
£25 a time ! I am too cheap at a fiver  ::) The smaller the helicoil, the harder it is to work with and watch out for cheap and Chinese ones as, you will end up looking for a new carb body  ;)
Why is just about everything you buy thats Chinese utter garbage. With the possible exception of electronics goods. Why do we even bother dealing with these people. Rant over for now, will probably resume in a few moments.

You are so wrong with that one Roy . I was working at Cummings Turbo's and in their lab was a load of stripped Turbo's which I asked them about and they said they were Chinese copies to which I said no doubt they will be shite. But the response was no they are bang on spec both mechanically and material wise and a fraction of the cost. So they can do it if they want.
No way am I wrong. I work in the heating and plumbing industry where nearly everything is from China these days. Believe me when I say this, you cant even pay to get quality even the expensive stuff would have been rejected 20 years ago. The Chinese can do it when they are forced to ie. Honda (or any large corporation) quality control watching everything they do. Likewise someone was probably overseeing the manufacture of the turbos. Where has good old British Standards gone. BS stands for something completely different these days.
Current bikes:
TriBsa CCM 350 Twin
Honda CB350F in Candy Bacchus Olive
Honda CB750F2 in Candy Apple Red
Triumph Trident 660 in Black/White
Triumph T100C
Suzuki GS1000HC
Honda CB450K0 Black Bomber
Honda CB750K5 in Planet Blue Metallic (Current Project)

Offline Moorey

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Re: Carbs - is it just me !!!
« Reply #9 on: May 29, 2019, 10:00:04 AM »
The Turbo's were rip off copies of Cummins Turbo's hence the great concern of the quality of the copies. Nobody from the West controlling that quality.

Offline matthewmosse

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Re: Carbs - is it just me !!!
« Reply #10 on: May 30, 2019, 07:47:54 PM »
Ditto carbs for Stihl or other small 2 stokes, quality cannot be faulted. Have run on Honda, Stihl and in branded small engines and 5 years on in some cases still no issues on mine of customers strimmers etc. Basically they have now lasted as long as the original Stihl or Honds items. I know what you mean in the plumbing industry though, screwfix and the likes hammer prices though the floor and the result is a load of leaking stop taps etc that give nothing but trouble - I think the fail rate has got to be  30 to 50% over 5 years. Electrical stuff seems better, engine related pretty good mostly but rubber very mixed bag, some great tyres, engine inlets and various bits of car trim, like waiters for the gearshifts on series landrovers - tear within weeks. It's very much a mixed bag with some whole ranges of stuff being great, others awful
Got a 500/4 with rust and a sidecar and loadsa bits. nice and original and been round the clock

Offline mike the bike

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Re: Carbs - is it just me !!!
« Reply #11 on: May 31, 2019, 11:36:22 PM »
You've really got to research where things come from these days.  My 10" crosscut saw packed up - the gear had stripped.   Cheap Chinese shit and parts are unobtainable.   I was looking into Erbauer from Screwfix.   Made in China,  no parts available.  Ended up with Evolution, made in Sheffield.
Where's that 10mm socket got to?

 

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