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Carb Boots - how to fix the cracks?

Discussion in 'XJ Technical Chat' started by bpberk62, Feb 14, 2006.

  1. bpberk62

    bpberk62 Member

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    I have noticed that my boots have some cracks in them but don't seem to be leaking (I sprayed some carb cleaner on them while running and didn't hear any change). Any way I really don't want to change them but would like to seal the cracks with something. Has anyone got any ideas what would work? Something that would stick to the rubber.

    Thanks,
    Bob
     
  2. secaman

    secaman Member

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    Re: Another Carb Boot Question

    black silicone rtv

    thats what i used!
     
  3. dcmilkwagon

    dcmilkwagon Member

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    Re: Another Carb Boot Question

    I saw a posting somewhere that says you can use a spray-on rubber coating sold at Napa Auto Parts. It's called "PLASTI-DIP Multi-Purpose Rubber Coating". It's available in several colors, the part number for black is 765-2527. The posting that I saw it in claims that he even fixes small holes and tears in his carburator slide diaphrams. I picked up a can of it this last weekend, and as soon as it warms up a little bit I'll pull off my boots and give them a treatment with it. I'll let you all know how it goes.
     
  4. Robert

    Robert Active Member

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    Re: Another Carb Boot Question

    Permatex Black RTV should work fine. Just be sure to CLEAN the living dog snot out of the rubber and the cracks. After application, work it down into the cracks and then smooth some Saran Wrap (plastic cling wrap of any name is fine, no I don't work for Saran) over the boot and wrap it up. The Permatex will not stick to the plastic film and by wrapping the plastic around the boot, you will maintain the smooth appearance of the boot (not like the garish orange repair that was done on my bike, YIKES). Good luck.
     
  5. SnoSheriff

    SnoSheriff Site Owner Staff Member Administrator

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    editing thread title...
     
  6. Altus

    Altus Active Member

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    An even better option is to smear a coating of silicone over the tube, then force/slide a bicycle innertube over the thing. Trim the rubber to fit - you're good to go for years.
     
  7. Aschulhoff

    Aschulhoff Member

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    I just did this yesterday...bike starts much better today

    Noticed the cracks a while back, thought little of it...
    Also sprayed some cleaner on them, while it didn’t affect the bikes sound, I could see air bubbles forming over the cracks

    Black silicon and a paint brush did the trick very well, didn’t even take off the boots.

    No more air bubbles and the bike seems to start.
     
  8. secaman

    secaman Member

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    hmm i i shouldve told me about the saran before!

    now mine look all dirty an' ugly!
     
  9. Robert

    Robert Active Member

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    Atlus, the rubber inner tube is a capitol idea! Thanks for the tip, I'm rearing to try it on my next victim! Provided I don't just buy new manifolds to begin with.
     
  10. bpberk62

    bpberk62 Member

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    Wow, there seems to be a few really good ideas. I was thinking of some kind of silicon but wanted to find a way not to make them look like crap. The inner tube idea sounds great. Dummy me I just listened for a change in how it was running when I sprayed the cleaner, now that I looked for bubbles guess what. They be bubbling man.

    Thanks again,

    Bob
     
  11. secaman

    secaman Member

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    how do u look for bubbles?

    u do this while running right?
     
  12. bpberk62

    bpberk62 Member

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    Yup ... you have to get the air flowing thru them in order to check.
     
  13. secaman

    secaman Member

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    u spray water on'em or what?

    so it is true that xj's r hard to start eh?

    i thought for a while mine had a real problem!!

    and yes it is embarasing sometimes!!
     
  14. RyanfromOhio

    RyanfromOhio Member

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    Ive done a "quick fix" with Liquid Electrical tape. It was black, pliable and withstood some heat.

    I have since replace the carb boots and would advise the same. Other methods can and will fail over time. If you get the boots its good for another 20 years ;)
     
  15. Aschulhoff

    Aschulhoff Member

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    yeah mine has been a beast to start at times... but I’m not sure why... the silicon on the boots with out doubt made a huge diff! I have to agree if you have the 100$ it would be worth replacing them and not worrying about them for the next 15 - 20 years :p but i went ahead and pulled out an inner tube and gave that ago... unfortunately I couldn't get a tight fit after pulling it over the lip of the boot, and the silicone painted on actually looks ok so i think i might just leave this one alone...
     
  16. dcmilkwagon

    dcmilkwagon Member

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    Pulled my boots last weekend and got them all sprayed with the plasti-dip I picked up at napa. Works pretty good. I was really impressed. It just sprays on like paint. I ended up putting 3 coats on it, waiting 30 minutes between coats. Pics are in my gallery. Simple to do, neat, clean, and best of all they are as smooth a new ones. 8)
     
  17. jdrich48

    jdrich48 Member

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    Looks like pretty good stuff, keep us informed on how it holds up.
     
  18. bpberk62

    bpberk62 Member

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    Looks good...I haven't done anything to mine yet but that seems like it would be the easiest way to do it.. thanks for telling us where you found it because I thought they only sold the kind that you had to dip it in..like tool handles screwdrivers ect. Let us know how it works.




    Bob
     
  19. zapperredtank

    zapperredtank Member

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    good thread please could someone tell me what product i can buy in the UK to seal boots , just a name so i can search on net
    thanks UK mike
     
  20. woot

    woot Active Member

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    Lots of products mentioned - RTV, silicone, bike intertubes... spray on silicone...

    Try out your automotive or hardware stores... probably just going to have to go by feel on this one. :-/
     
  21. zapperredtank

    zapperredtank Member

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    thanks woot i'll get searching
     
  22. RyanfromOhio

    RyanfromOhio Member

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    I hope it holds up to the heat...

    The liquid electrical tape did to an extent... THen it would suck in a little air :(
     
  23. dcmilkwagon

    dcmilkwagon Member

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    I'll keep an eye on it for cracking, peeling, melting, etc. I haven't noticed any problems with it yet, of course I've only run the bike about 30 minutes since I reinstalled the boots. It was a brisk 35 degrees farenheit when I got it all reassembled. Just had to try it out, hands and face got too cold to play anymore than that. The next day we got clobbered by what I hope is the last snow of the season.

    Sure did sound and run a lot better. I didn't even care when my wife teased me about my face being frozen into a giant smile. :lol: She just doesn't get it. Once summer rolls around I think I can warm her up to the idea of getting her on her own ride. I guess I better get the GS 550 L fixed up so she can ride along side of me.
     
  24. jeff-ski

    jeff-ski Member

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    Let me know how the strategy of getting her on her own ride goes.

    Only if it's successful please... I think I've got the unsuccessful strategies down !

    At least she's supportive...I guess? Right?

    Thanx
    Jeff
     
  25. dcmilkwagon

    dcmilkwagon Member

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    I think maybe my better half is supportive because she used to ride when she was a kid. When we first got married about 7 years ago I was looking for a used bike then. But she was adament that a bike was not in my future, until the kids were out of the house. Then about six months ago she brought up the subject about finding a used bike to save gas comuting back and forth to work. :D After I purchased my Seca, I was toying with the idea of taking the sissybar off of it, when she said she wanted it on there so she could lean back on it when she rode with me. :idea: Aha says I. So I picked up the GS550L on e-bay, mainly because it was going so cheap, now she keeps asking me when her bike is going to be road worthy. 8) So I believe she talked herself into riding, or did she talk me into this whole thing. Women sure can be tricky. :lol:
     
  26. Robert

    Robert Active Member

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    You are indeed a blessed man, run with it and keep her happy!
     
  27. Sammowry

    Sammowry New Member

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    I'm going to try this trick for my old carb intakes.

    Silicone in the cracks, then put it in a vacuum seal bag, and vacuum seal it with a food vacuum machine.

    This is a trick a buddy told me about. He's working on a "rescue" of his own, but it's a Kawasaki 650.

    I don't think this is the same as cleaning parts in the wife's dishwasher, but I'm going to be careful about it!

    I'll post more when I try it!
    Sammowry
     
  28. Robert

    Robert Active Member

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    DO NOT use the wife's dishwasher to wash parts (I have lived to talk about it, and it was brand new too)! You will not ever hear the end of it!
     
  29. RyanfromOhio

    RyanfromOhio Member

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    I would advise cleaning them before using the silicone. Whats the big deal about a vaccum sealer?

    I have a vaccum sealer hear. I cant see how it would really suck the plastic to the odd shape of the boot. I mean it will conform to an extent, but I dont think it will that much!
     
  30. RangerG

    RangerG Member

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    I bit the bullet and replaced the boots on my '81 550 Seca last year. The boots are quite thick and it would take quite a crack to get all the way through.
     
  31. woolsac

    woolsac Member

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    On the Yamaha Parts&Service Interactive Guide on the Yamaha website, do they refer to the boots as "Joint, Air Cleaner 1"? Just inquiring. Not sure if I am going to buy new or try out one of these tricks.

    Also, do carbs need to be resync-ed after you replace/fix these boots?

    Thanks for the help.
    ~sac
     
  32. Nick

    Nick Member

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    That's the air cleaner side.
    The intake side is Joint, Carburetor 1 and Joint, Carburetor 2.

    In my opinion you may need to resync the carbs after changing them, depends on how bad they were and if the bike was tuned to them being bad.
     
  33. Altus

    Altus Active Member

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    As said before, Air Cleaner ones are behind the carbs, Intake ones are between carbs & head.

    If you had cracks or splits right through on either side (especially the intake side) -- then you'll probably need to re-synch and check the mixtures. The crack/split would cause an air leak, throwing the balance and possibly the mixture off a bit.

    If they're not leaking yet, then no - fixing the cracks shouldn't require a re-synch or mixture tuning.
     
  34. Knick

    Knick Member

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    Milkwagon,

    How is that Napa stuff holding out ?

    Today I was cleaning, and noticed some bubbles after i put armor all on the boots (very small cracks, and bubbles.. but might explain my slightly jittery slow idle). Thy were only the size of a pin head or so.. but there :(

    wanted to see how the suggestions listed were working out.

    PS: i checked prices on new boots.. 135 usd on bikebarn for a set, and looked like 30-33 usd each on bikebandit
    :(
     
  35. ohmega

    ohmega Member

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    This forum is priceless, really. I've been thinking of refurbushing my carb boots for some time,and even thought of Plasti-dip, of which I have a can that I used for other things (though it's a ghastly blue). My only worry about it was the high temperature the boots are subjected to. Now, I'm curious of the course of events for Milkwagon.

    I got some Permatex Ultra Copper High Temperature Silicone and was planning to use it for my boots. I also like the idea of putting an additional layer of bicicle inner tube over the sealant; very nice indeed.

    Everyone, thanks for the great tips!
     
  36. ohmega

    ohmega Member

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    I had a set of cracked boots and thought I'd try to repair them as described by you guys. Thanks for the idea.

    First I sanded the boots with the Dremel and sandpaper bit to prepare the surface for a better bond:
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    Then I pasted Permatex ultra-copper rtv gasket (I decided against Plasti-dip as I was a bit worried it would not withstand the high temperature in time) onto the surface with a spatula and let them dry. It remains to be seen if it makes a difference.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  37. Robert

    Robert Active Member

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    You can get a very smooth finish if you wrap the Permatex in plastic wrap after you've applied the RTV. It will peel right off when the RTV has cured, leaving a nice smooth finish. You are of course aware that Permatex sells the same RTV in black aren't you? Nice pictures and it looks like you preped well. I think you have a winner!
     
  38. ohmega

    ohmega Member

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    Robert, guess what. Lack of patience got the better of me. Basically I have found out that plastic wrap indeed gives a nice smooth finish on whatever was left on the spatula, after I had finished the boots.

    BTW, I wasn't aware that the black one is also high temperature resistant. I thought that each colour has different temperature properties. Yes, the colour I used is a bit odd but perhaps it'll add character next to my yellow spark plug wires with orange boots :oops:
    [​IMG]

    Oh well, the copper one was at hand... and I have another set of cracked boots which I may do the right way. :D
     
  39. dcmilkwagon

    dcmilkwagon Member

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    :cry: I don't know Knick, I think it's back to the drawing board on that fix. It held up for awhile, but once the heat of summer, plus the heat of the engine came up...well it looks like the Plasti-dip vanished. Don't know where it went, can't see where it might have melted and dripped off, just gone...Maybe sucked into the rubber? I guess I'll pull my carbs off and investigate a little more.
     
  40. ohmega

    ohmega Member

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    Aww, sorry to hear that dcmilkwagon. Have you used the spray-on type? Something to keep in mind about the spray-on type is that the resulting coats are very thin. Even when you put several of them. I'm not sure that's the problem, but it might. I have the Plasti-dip in a can and used it for other projects, and even that needs several coats to get a more robust surface.

    In contrast, the rtv gasket can be applied from in the desired thickness from the beginning. I hope you find get to the bottom of it and get your carb boots fixed for good. Best of luck!
     
  41. richard03

    richard03 Member

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    I applied the plasti dip on my brother's bike. It didn't work so well. First, it wouldn't go down into the cracks. Then, I put RTV into the cracks, and the plastidip wouldn't stick to that...

    Now, when my brother's bike runs, you can see the cracks vibrating open and closed.

    So, I would call that a failure!
     
  42. thedude

    thedude Member

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    whew...i almost bought some of that plasti dip for my enduro...i actually settled on what i had in hand... liquid electrical tape, i have rtv but was needing a seal on the block mating area and the liquid tape dries super fast...im really impatient :lol:
     
  43. 600ccmicrob1

    600ccmicrob1 Member

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    Any updates to if these methods hold up? Did you take the boots off or keep them on to apply the coating used?
    Thanks
     

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