I can't get the carb bowl drain screws out...

I've tried and tried and next I might have to hear them up but I only managed to remove on screw from the bowl drain...

Do I need to try more? I mean, I'm not planning to drain the carbs. Is it a necessary place to clean?

Thanks

 

you will need to remove the drain screws ,when you come to setting up the float level (wet set)
which bike though?

 

best way to get them out ,is to remove the float bowl, screw the bowl to a piece of 3"x2" wood ,put wood in a vice , then have at it with an impact driver

 

With heat!

 

Thanks guys, i was thinking that i can set the float dry, i have to try with heat indeed, i did secure the boal to a piece of wood but the screwdriver (in hammer mode) ripped the surface of the screw,,, these are really a pain... bike is xj 650 4ko 1982

Manu

 

Once you do get them out. XJ4Ever likely sells nice replacement screws with hex heads. Will make your life easier down the road.

 

xj4ever has everything indeed, but i am overseas and the delays are insane...

 

I bought the rebuild kit from Amazon which included new bowl drain screws made out of brass. I only used the bowl gaskets, drain screws and float valve & seats out of the rebuild kit. I cleaned all the original jets and used them. The jets from the kit were not marked and I didn't want to put in the wrong size jet and have problems. I will tell you to be very careful trying to back out the drain screws. In fact be careful with all of the screws on these bikes. Make sure you have a JIS#2 screwdriver as they are not Phillips screws. Every screw I removed I replaced with a hex head of the same size from my hardware store. All the screws on these bikes are like butter. I filled the head of the drain screws with kroil for 2 days letting it soak in I got 3 of the screws out but the 4th wouldn't come out. I found a replacement bowl on e-bay for that one.

 

Wow indeed im afraid of that and thought id just leave the screws screwed in…
But yea i removed all the jis type ones and they will be replaced with hex as well..

the drain screws are flat head though… i could also heat them up real hard… just wonder if its worth the cleaning effort

m

 

I just removed drain screws from 4 bowls. They were stuck good. They were the kind with a straight slot only, no JIS (cross head) option. They had soaked in Kroil for a while but still didn't budge.

So as @bensalf and @Minimutly suggested I attached them (one at a time) to a 2x4 and heated them with a MAPP gas torch. It didn't take very long to heat them up with the MAPP torch. Then they came loose easy peasy.

Pro tips:
- Once you heat and loosen the screw, dunk the entire board and bowl in a bucket of water. Trust me.
- The Kroil boiling off seemed to be a good indicator that they were hot enough.
- A smaller, more precise torch might be a better option.

 

Careful, a map torch might actually damage/distort the aluminum. Not sure but might.

 

Yes, definitely need to be careful with the MAPP. I'm sure it would melt the aluminum.

 

Yup heating seems to be the way to go. I have the same screws as you, i need to get these heated up asap !
Thanks for the confirmed tip

Manu

 

As I recall, my one owner bike had stuck drain screws on a couple carbs. In danger of stripping the head of the screw. Ended up using penetrating oil, let it sit for a week, used a hammer to lightly tap as I turned it out. They then broke free. Replaced them with hex head drain screws as mentioned above.

 

If they’re stripped:

1.soak in Kroil
2. Drill hole for easy-out
3. Heat with micro-torch
4. Extract while hot.
Only had ONE that never could be removed.