Thread-lock on Carburetor screws?

[XIIth Man]

This might get lengthy... Trying to predict what questions may pop up and answer them as I go.

I've had my '02 for about a year now. Previous owner ran a bike shop at one time. Went out on a test ride a couple of miles out of town, and it seemed to have run out of gas. Owner ended up replacing fuel pump and filter with an aftermarket pump. 2nd test ride, no problems. PO was forthcoming regarding the front forks leaking air.

Once I got it home, I went through it using the tech tips here. Oil / filter had been changed, air filter was new, etc. No apparent significant issues. Plan is to commute about 100 miles to work round trip. Made it about a week, and had a couple of problems where it seemed to be either fuel starved or flooded. At one point, had to ride about 1/2 a mile fully choked just to get it to go after I left it sit for about 30 minutes. This caused me to believe it was flooded, but that didn't make sense because I had to have it fully choked. Pulled the plugs. Nothing particularly fouled, but replaced them anyway. A couple of weeks later, it left me stranded on the side of the road 10 miles from home. Again, seemed like a fuel issue, but still no start. Took almost two hours to get a trailer to me to haul it back home. Tried to start before we loaded it up, and still no joy. At that point, I left it parked waiting on the time and money to start looking at it.

With fuel pump / filter / spark plugs being new, I pulled the carbs to rebuild them. Pulling wasn't THAT big of a deal, but I'm sure putting them back in WILL be. Carbs were drained, and have sat for about a week. Plan is to go back with stainless hardware, new O-rings, vacuum and fuel lines.

Now, to the point: When removing the carburetor stay plates (Part #'s: 13183A & B) there was enough thread locking compound on some of the mounting screws that it required two hands on the screwdriver and a separate person to hold the rack! I broke the tips on two cheap screwdriver bits and one of my best Klein screwdrivers. There are still two screws in the upper plate that will NOT budge! At this point, the heads are starting to strip out.

Here's what I've tried so far: Soaked in solvent over 24 hours / acetone / carb cleaner dripped (sprayed) at a point where it looked like it would penetrate / Tapping (lightly) / Upgraded (hardened) Bosch screwdriver bits / Needle-nose vise grip pliers / Heating with a BBQ lighter. Haven't yet tried a propane torch, and not sure I want to... Nothing has been able to break these. Not sure if it's important, but from left to right with the carbs oriented properly, it is screw #4 and #8 that are the problem. Last resort would be either a propane torch or cutting the plate for disassembly and replacing it. Anyone have any suggestions? I don't want to ship them off for repair and make it someone else's problem.

TIA!

XII

[triton28]

If I encounter a tough bracket mounting screw I try to get it to move a tiny bit in the direction of tighter. This has the effect of "Breaking" the bond so to speak between the threads and the casting and generally the screw will then begrudgingly unwind.
If I can't get the screw to unwind easily then I get out the hammer activated impact driver and the largest new Philips bit I can fit into the head of the screw. This will almost always work for me to break the bond.
If it still won't come out and the cross slots are ruined then drilling off the top of the screw head is the last resort. Should this be the case I strongly recommend a machine shop approach for drilling off the screw head and drilling out the remnants of the screw; accuracy of drilling being the main concern here.
As a final idea remember that thread locker will release easier if the casting/material and fastener it is used on are hot to the touch. Sometimes a mini butane torch can come in handy to heat up those small parts/areas. Try heating only the screw head until it is hot. Wait a minute or so and reheat until hot again. Do this until the casting/material the screw is mounted into is as hot as well. Then you can be sure the thread locker is warmed up to the point at which it will release easily. In your case the surrounding material is easily heated with a small mini butane torch so it should be easier to heat the locking compound.
Sorry I can't offer any more than this but good luck,
Dave

[Chris Cochran]

It's a definite bummer when such a simple thing as removing a screw screws up the whole show. You've got your mind looking ahead to what to do later in the process and suddenly..... a screeching halt due to WHAT!!!???

Luckily, my stuck screws did finally pop loose after I stuck a small flat rubber band over the business end of the screwdriver and pressed that into the screwhead. It provided enough traction to make it work.

Yours sounds more difficult. Good luck to you.

[XIIth Man]

Thanks for the tips. I'll try that this weekend and post my results.

[GrandpaDenny]

Tip #1 - buy JIS screwdrivers (or tips, like I did). They have tighter tolerances than Phillips and are less likely to strip. The screws on these bikes are all JIS, not Phillips.

Tip #2 - keep asking questions here :)

Take a look at the bottom of your fuel tank, just above the swingarm, where the fuel comes out of the tank. There is a metal elbow coming out of the tank that connects to a rubber hose. Having the suspension too soft or wahoooing too hard can cause the swingarm to thwack this elbow, flattening it and restricting fuel flow.

What did you replace the fuel pump with? I recently tried one of the eBay ones, and it wasn't nearly as good as the OEM one after I cleaned the points.

Taking half a mile to warm up is not unusual. Guess you're not old enough to remember cars and trucks with manual chokes

Idling fine and stumbling with the throttle 1/4 or more open (when warmed up) indicates leanness, as does popping and snarling from the exhaust upon deceleration. Usually a vacuum or air leak. I'm going through that with Gertrude right now as a matter of fact. Made a redneck smoke machine and found a couple of air leaks - one from the airbox boots I'd JUST replaced. Got to get them juuuuust right. Silicone spray and a string made it MUCH easier.

[XIIth Man]

SUCCESS!!

Showed my carbs to my father in law who is a retired auto mechanic. Recommended going down to the local NAPA where he's known guys for decades. I went in asking for a JIS driver as recommended here. They didn't know what that was, BUT - a couple of them ride bikes, and they were able to use an impact driver / rubber mallet to beat things into submission. So, my project for the weekend is to finish the build and get them back on the bike. Wish me luck!

And - Grandpa, thanks. I'll check the fuel elbow as I put things back in place. Not gonna give too much away, but yep, I'm old enough to remember manual chokes...(and setting points)

XII

[XIIth Man]

Another note to Grandpa. The previous owner replaced the fuel pump, so I'm not sure what he put in. I'll see if I can find that during the carb remount.

XII