HELP!!

I am new to motorcycles and working on them. I had to replace the boots on both sides of the carbs, and now I can't get the carbs back in. It seems like I am going to ruin the parts I just installed. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

 

use some silicone grease, NOT SEALER, they are a real pain to reinstall in the first place. silicone spray works good too.

 

First off, Welcome!

Second, it's easier for the gurus to know the year, model, and mileage so they can help you more effectively. Now would be a good time to add it to your sig.

Thirdly, Reinstalling the carbs is probably the trickiest thing I've had to do on my xj550... I've found that you have to pop the boots partially into the airbox to give yourself more clearance. then insert the carbs into the boots to the engine as far as you can. you then need to take the side cover off the airbox and remove your filter. you should be able to reach your hand into the airbox and "push" the boots individually onto each carb.

It is definitely not as easy as it sounds. It will be a wrestling match. You will get angry. You will more than likely cut or scrape your hand in the airbox. You will probably swear a lot so make sure your mom/little sister/daughter is not within earshot.

The good news is we have all r&r'ed our carbs many times before, are happy to help you, and want to see you succeed getting your xj back on the road. Everyone has their own little tricks for reinstalling carbs so give other users a chance to chime in with their time-tested tactics.

 

+1 Ha Ha! Every word is true. Not much help but don't attempt this in very cold weather! The rubbers are less flexible and your knuckles hurt more when you skin them.

 

Thanks for the info. You guys weren't kidding. I wrestled with that thing for a long time, but the job is done.

 

glad to hear it's done!