when you are your own dreaded previous owner

[Paul LeClair]

I have owned my RGS Executive for quite a while, rebuilt the motor, swapped and rebuilt different sets of carbs including a set of Mikuni RS flat slides, then a few years ago I went back to a set of Dellorto's. I know I am the one that built the carb rack presently on the bike.

Now that the Guzzi is done, i am getting the three Laverda triples ready for the spring, starting with the RGS. Put the RGS on the lift table and pulled the carbs. Amazing how filthy nasty dirty they are, and the float is stuck on one carb.

I started to strip the carbs to run bare carb bodies though the ultrasonic and found that one of the allan head fasteners holding the carb body to the frame that holds the three carbs together has an allan key end broken off in it...... Has to have been me. I have no memory of it. Bloody ham handed amateur that built up the carbs last...

tried to drill the broken stub end out of the screw, seems to be harder than my drill bits. Gave up and stuck the carb body in the ultrasonic still attached to the rack. Look like I am going to have to weld a small bolt to the screw head to get it out.

 

[iis_iis]

See post on rearset aluminium repair Paul, high temp on aluminium has caveat attached... well you know what that means, a grin here.... you may tack the broken hardened screw body, with a very fine TIG electrode on low current.... even then...shudder... is there not a park eroder person near you?? j

 

[Exmoor beast]

If it CSK Allen bolt you could use a centre punch to rotate it out, works well.

 

[Paul Marx]

I had the same problem.
Drilled the screw heads off and used slotted heads on rebuild.
Small Allen heads are a recipe for a mess as soon as corrosion and grime set in.

Paul

 

[CLEMTOG]

warm the carb body with a hot air gun, then chisel the litte blighter a few degrees, stop, allow to cool, add penetrant, Laco rust buster is very good for steel to alloy seizures, a few more taps and it will have come out with your fingers, and no welding staines/damage on the plate.

Bloody hell it seems a decade ago that we had dinner at the RAC club London, Alan, Nick, ??

CLEM

 

[a14rgs]

warm the carb body with a hot air gun, then chisel the litte blighter a few degrees, stop, allow to cool, add penetrant, Laco rust buster is very good for steel to alloy seizures, a few more taps and it will have come out with your fingers, and no welding staines/damage on the plate.

Bloody hell it seems a decade ago that we had dinner at the RAC club London, Alan, Nick, ??

CLEM

Probably is ten years or so Clem - bloody good night that was

 

[Ventodue]

Pesky bloody things, those, Paul. Just look at them and the sockets seem to deform right in front of your eyes ...

 

[Paul LeClair]

got the plugged allan head fastener out, cut a notch in it with a Dremel blade and spun it out. Need to order three carb rebuild kits, clean up all the brass bits through the ultrasonic cleaner, order three new rubber carb connectors, etc.. Have now had a really good look at the RGS on the lift, "while I am at it" there are other things to correct, primary chain tensioner lock nut backed out and the adjuster is leaking, corrosion here and there like on the shifter and brake rods and Executive bag mounting bits, although as I used stainless steel rod and mostly stainless steel fasteners last time I went through the bike so should be a fairly simple clean up. Some aging related things, when I built the braided clutch and brake hoses I used a clear shrink wrap that is now turning brown and looks quite unattractive, I am going to start by cutting and peeling all the shrink wrap off then decide from there what to do. I need to bleed fresh brake fluid through anyway, I may just take all the lines off and start fresh.

I ran all three carb bodies through the ultrasonic tank again, they have now spent two hours in and out of the tank and there is still crap coming out of them even after also being blown out by 150 psi air. Amazing how bad modern day fuel is if left to sit in the carbs for any period of time....

 

[Sir Sidney Ruffdiamond]

Paul not that it will make this feel any better but I regularly look at the chocolate head on the same bolt on my Jota - it will need approaching at some point ! But everything is running fine

 

[CLEMTOG]

when you install those new CSK screws
Paul, stainless I hope, give them a thorough degrease, with meths, and the female threads, cleaned with a plug tap, and then lubricate with copper slip prior to instalation, you knew that anyway, so why didnt you do it the first time around you DPO.
CLEM

 

[Alzero]

I thought using copper anti-seize on aluminum promoted corrosion. Tossing a copper penny into the bilge of an aluminum boat will make a hole.

 

[Tippie]

I have used copper grease on screws into aluminium for decades without them eating each other away. Boats are a different thing to a motorbike, they have massive problems with electrolysis.

 

[Paul Marx]

I don't use anything and all's well.

Paul

 

[1200ts]

For drilling out the broken screw, a cheap concrete drill will have no problem with hardened steel as the tip is carbide. Your experience with the dirty carbs is why no bike of mine is allowed to be put in the garage unless the carbs have been drained. The carbs on my RGS have not been rebuilt in 20 years do to this. I take the float bowls off and open the chokes and wait an hour for the fuel to be gone.

 

[Paul LeClair]

For drilling out the broken screw, a cheap concrete drill will have no problem with hardened steel as the tip is carbide. Your experience with the dirty carbs is why no bike of mine is allowed to be put in the garage unless the carbs have been drained. The carbs on my RGS have not been rebuilt in 20 years do to this. I take the float bowels off and open the chokes and wait an hour for the fuel to be gone.

I did get the screw out using a Dremel, but will keep the suggestion of a concrete drill bit in mind for my next extraction challenge.

would be interesting to see what the interior of the carbs on your RGS look like after 20 years of following that drainage regime. The other suggestion I have heard is to fill the carbs and lines with Automatic Transmission Fluid, supposedly also keeps the rubber bits supple. Obviously have to carefully drain the ATF out of the carbs before use in the spring.

I just ordered carb rebuild kits, rubber carb connectors manifolds, and various other bits from Wolfgang by email this evening. I don't know if the fuel pump diaphragms/plungers come with the carb rebuild kits, so ordered those as extras if they don't come with the kits, the ones that came out of these carbs are petrified solid even though they likely can't be more than about 6 or 7 years old. The rubber carb connectors were perished and leaking and falling apart.

 

[Paul Marx]

I take the float bowels off and open the chokes and wait an hour for the fuel to be gone.

Taking the bowels off is usually after breakfast for me. I'm quite regular in that department.

Paul

 

[1200ts]

Good catch there, OK it should be float bowl.

And I forgot to mention, once the fuel is gone, and if the bike will be sitting all winter, I squirt some WD40 up the main jet, idle jet, choke pick up tube and the float valve. If it will only be sitting for a few months, I don't use the WD40.

I don't know about Canadian fuel, but the stuff they sell her in California will really do bad things to your carbs if left in them for more than a few months. It absorbs water as it has some alcohol in it.

 

[helicopterjim]

I don't know about Canadian fuel, but the stuff they sell her in California will really do bad things to your carbs if left in them for more than a few months. It absorbs water as it has some alcohol in it.

If you know where to shop there are ethanol free fuels and it is pretty normal to add fuel stabilizer which should keep the fuel from doing anything other than being "fuel".

I prefer AvGas. It has fuel stabilizer built in and is ethanol free. I have had bikes sit for several years with AvGas and never an issue.

Jim

 

[Vince]

I always buy non-ethanol fuel that's really easy to get everywhere in Oz. But I left my Pantah sitting for 3 or 4 months a while ago. The rear vertical carb was fine, the front inclined one was absolutely chocka with that white powder. I am talking golf ball-sized lump in the float bowl. The carbs are now clean, thanks to Marty's ultrasonic, it's such a pain and won't happen again.

 

[helicopterjim]