Float Damage/Choke Plunger Damage

Howdy folks, been a while since I posted due to school coming back in session and diligent work on the XJ. I have a new problem concerning my floats and choke plunger. For reference I have a 1985 XJ700 Maxim X. Long story short my dad decided to take a swing at playing mechanic and it didn't end well. While he was knocking out the float pins he managed to smack the float on carb #1 pretty good.

There's some slight bending, a crack/dent in the float body and it seems to be pulling away from its bracket. My question was if I needed to purchase a new float or would something like nail polish removed be enough to seal it off? I am also not sure whether or not the floats are simply hollow or filled with some type of foam. I would hate to test the buoyancy while accidentally ruining them as well. This is the first problem.

My second problem is that, to release the choke plungers (that were stuck in the carb body), my dad decided to use a rather large prybar. The bent the head but they were still operable. After the fact he attempted to straighten the head but ended up breaking the head clean off. My thought is to drill and tap a 2-56 hole and replace the head with a small screw/washer. I would simply buy a new one however since the plunger belonged to carb #2, to replace the plunger would mean to break the rack, which I'm not sure I am ready to do just yet. Any thoughts/opinions/criticisms on my planned methods are welcome.

Thanks again,
Medici

 

26$ float
http://www.ebay.com/itm/K-S-CARB-FL...ash=item20f215a7d1:g:qOYAAOxyLm9TAkax&vxp=mtr

 

Hi. First post
I did the same thing with one of my choke plunger (same carbs). Bent head and tried to straighten it - snapped off. I actually fixed it as you described - drilled a 2,5mm hole and re-threaded it to 3mm. Used a phillips headed screw and locktite it.

Do not hesitate of breaking the rack. It's straight forward (well the rack bolts can be a bit hard to loose) . Back off the sync screws and take care of the small springs that belong to these. Mounting it back together is also straight forward. But again - when you already do this, you will see/experience that you might change the O-rings to the fuel supply, and perhaps clean the passages better and so on (and you end up with a bit more work - but with more reliable carbs)

 

^ break the rack!

Know that your father loves you and he is teaching you the art of finesse.

 

At this point in time I can't really set aside the time I need to break the rack. I promise that I won't make any posts regarding cleaning carbs (yes, I have visited the church of clean). I do plan on doing a full breakdown but at this point I need it back together so I can work on other things.

Thanks,
Medici

 

The floats aren't hollow. It'll still float. Touch the cracks with a soldering iron to close the foam back up.

Work not done now will be work done later, and just cause you frustration in the meantime.

 

Your bike, your rules.
My 2 cents: If you didn't break the rack your sermon at Church was abbreviated and things with the 30 + year old carbs are certainly not right. These inadequacies will need to be addressed again.
Rack is off, it is winter; other than brakes (or personal/ family issues) can't think of what other things would take precedent.

 

Let me hint a little.
This weekend I'm making a 300 mile round trip to visit friends. While I'm there I will be replacing throttle shaft seals on a set of carbs that I rebuilt about two years ago.
Guess what I didn't replace the first time (at owner's request).

 

It's funny you mention it, my master cylinder, caliper, and brake lines need some love. I figure I can do a quick fix for now and check and make sure I'm in good shape before beginning my first full prayer to the church of clean, seeing as how this bike has been sitting for 13 years and hasn't been run since (making sure I actually have compression and other main components don't need attention). I don't want to invest in lost time if the bike is going to be far too much for me to handle, there isn't much I won't do, but you never know what these guys did to these bikes. Thanks for all of the feedback, I always appreciate seeing it.

As always,
Medici

 

it is better to spend money on checking to see if the motor is viable before doing other things.

compression test motor, check valve shims to make sure they are in spec. rebuild carbs get motor running.
then spend money on brake system rebuilding no need to make the bike stop if you can not get it to roll.

unless it is a in for a penny in for a pound type of getting it running

there are many things you can do that only cost labor, cleaning and lubing the ignition switch , going through the controlers and checking and cleaning the electricals in them (directionals high beam, horn button run switch.

ohming out the ignition system, ohming out the charging system

inspecting wheel bearings head stock bearings and greasing them grease is cheap.
lubing throttle grip and all the cables spray lube a few more bucks

 

You hit the nail on the head. I paid next to nothing for this bike, it is in visibly good shape, minus some denting in the tank (most of which have been pulled), and a desperate need for new tires. I will proceed as planned but my only concern, for the sole purpose that I've never dealt with a bike with an intercooler, is what should be done to the cooling system and/or what problems are common among these bikes after sitting for some time?

Medici

 

i would think the hoses may rot thermostat may stick , flush radiator. check cap for good seal, and hope it was stored with anti freeze

 

Intercooler? No turbo on the X, it just has a regular radiator. Treat it as you would the cooling system on a car (but be sure to use the correct coolant).

 

Ref plunger - I dealt with a broken one in this way. I used a nice stainless steel allen-type pan-head screw loctited in place. bought the tap for
a pound or two off ebay (quality not crucial for brass). I 'think' I drilled 2.5mm and tapped M3..

J

 

You're correct, sorry for the typo. As far as other things to do go, I plan on replacing all old hoses but the bike itself is in relatively good shape. The gentleman I purchased it from kept it up to a point but after sitting for some time there will be some obvious replacements needed. Needless to say xj4ever has become my new homepage.

Cheers,
Medici