What on Earth did I screw up by taking off Carb Hats?

I wanted to take a peek at the inside of my carbs, because I intend to pull them and go through them soon. I thought I had a stuck float before due to a gas smell in the oil. That has seemed to go away after running a little sea foam, and the oil level now seems to be creeping down, not up.

Anyway, I figured the number 1 carb was most likely to be the worst so I took off the hat and looked inside, including pulling out the needle or whatever it's called, and the spring. Good news is, at least everything I could see was clean as a whistle. I also took off the number four hat, and looked at that one, the other two were too hard to get to while on the bike.

Then, I put them back on and started it up. All kinds of hesitation and missing at low revs. If I really rev it, it picks up and goes, but otherwise it almost won't move from a stop. Those diaphragm things on top are a little tricky to get in there just right, do you think that's the problem? Maybe one slipped as I put the hats back on? I don't know, but I know I'll be pulling them back off again tomorrow.

I rode it a little ways out of town to see if it would fix itself. Then, I got the bright idea that maybe I'd routed the fuel line wrong and there was a kink. It looked a little pinched so I wiggled it around. SNAP, broke one side of my in-line fuel filter off. So now my fuel line can't reach the petcock. Whoops. Had to pull the vacuum line(so fuel wasn't just flowing out onto everything) and try to make it home on the fuel in the bowls. Didn't quite make it, lol, ended up pushing it quite a ways up hill (Cornell Rd on the west side of Portland) and then coasting down the far side to get back. Sheesh.

 

You probably didn't get one or both diaphragms seated correctly. You need to be very careful with orientation, and be sure not to pinch or cut one in the process. A smear of silicone grease often helps to keep the edge of the diaphragm seated in its groove.

 

Look at your diaphragm and there should be a little bump in the edge that lines up in the groove in the carb body. +1 on using silicone grease to hold them in place while installing the hats.

MN

 

Thanks, fitz, yeah that wouldn't surprise me. On my carbs there's a little notch so you can tell at least how they are supposed to go. Doesn't mean I actually got them right, though:/

The diaphragms seemed pretty soft, like floppy, does this mean they are shot? I don't know what new ones are like...

 

Oh, haha MN, I was talking about the bump/groove thing while you were posting

 

No, you want them soft. The problem is when they become hard, and/or shrink.

Dave

 

Thanks again, phone acting weird, not sure what that extra post was about.

 

Yeah, that was it. Actually it's so much dumber than that, I don't even want to go into it. Let's just say it was "immediately obvious to the most casual observer," as my engineering professer used to say, that I had done something wrong when I put them back together, when I pulled the hats back off. (slaps forehead) At least I didn't destroy the diaphragms, runs fine now.

And I have a shiny new 90 degree angled fuel filter and fuel line for my trouble. (had to get a new fuel line just to drive the bike to where I could get a filter, if you follow, old line wouldn't reach all the way)

 

sometimes i forget the springs too

 

That pisses me off when I forget the springs. Get them all together and look down "oh ya springs" take them apart blah blah.

 

Man if you have never screwed up then you have never done anything. It happens.

 

True that.

 

Smear a little Waterproof Synthetic Grease (not much at all) in the Diaphragm Rubber Locating Channel.
The Grease will act as an adhesive and retain the Lip of the Diaphragm in the Channel while you reinstall the Spring and Cover.

Be sure the Locating TAB, on the edge of the Rubber, is secure in the recess where it belongs.