Carburator adjustment tool

Can some one tell me how to make a carb adjustment tool. Unless I mis-understood I think I saw where some one had made one from parts they bought off the shelf.

 

are you talking about the YICS tool?

 

will it work on my xj650h (1980)? It's not a YICS.

 

Are you trying to build a carb-synchronizing tool?.

 

"Eurica" Thats the one. How can I make one of those?

 

Eureka take a look at the 4th post.

 

like this
they work best if the water doesn't freeze

 

The Manometer is the one I was refering to.
Thanks for the help.

 

I wouldn't make one with water or oil unless you have a lot of room and make it 10' tall, otherwise you will end up with the liquid getting sucked into the carbs.

 

Yeah it sounds like a good idea but sometimes it is better to go with the REAL thing.
You can use guages or a liguid filled manometer.

Making your own is fine if you want to play games.

I use mercury manometers (that requires a certain amount of responsibility for the environment and safety)

Sometimes good old tried and true is the best, at least for me.

 

ArizonaSteve - you can get around that problem by making what is essentially a bottle bong. The vacuum hose is never in the liquid, however, the balancing hoses between the bottles are. This means that the liquid moves from one bottle to another based on the vacuum levels. When the liquid stops moving you're balanced. This type of system works the best for two carb setups... you can do both at once and it is very accuate.

The real deal is going to be smaller, more accurate, and require less fiddling to get it working properly... and it is a one time purchase that you can use on any of your future bikes (unless you get a SEI 750... )

I'm considering building a four bottle setup - mostly for the fun of it...

 

I'd like to see this bottle setup your referring to Woot. Post a pic or two would you?

 

Liquid won't get sucked into the carb as they are connected after the carbs.

You are unlikely to have it happen anyway unless you are not paying attention. If it moves too fast then the kill switch is your friend.

Even if it does, any oil will vaporise with the fuel on combustion with the only side affect as a bit of smoke out the pipes.

We've all put a teaspoon of oil down there before to do a wet compression test, the amount of oil in the oil manometer is not much different.

As for water, well, some would say that can be good for your engine. Some people put water down the throat of carbs at full throttle specifically for the purpose of removing carbon buildup. Not sure if I would be keen on trying this process myself, but it is a fairly well known practice around "old school mechanics"

There is no way 100 to 200 cc's of fluid is going to hurt your engine. Just makes your workspace uninhabitable for half an hour. :lol:

 

Foggin a bit might help with the mosquitos!!!

I hear they're big as cats down south!?

Carry small children away!?

 

Sure - I posted it here before, but since then the 250 FAQ has grown to
include a nice version I'll point there instead.

Remember they have a 2 carb setup, we have 4.

http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Is_there_a ... nc_tool%3F

 

The Motion Pro manometer in the picture is about $80 bucks from Dennis Kirk. I have one and it works great. They also carry the Motion Pro "Economy" version; about half the price. Think about this a second...
Carb synchronization is something that should be done at a MINIMUM each riding season. I've seen some folks advise doing it on a monthly basis. With the right equipment it takes just a few minutes. Carb synchronization is CRITICAL to the performance and well-being of a multi-carb bike. Sure, you could make a home-made gauge that might work in a pinch...but WHY?
Buy good tools and spend your money once. Just my .02

 

Valid point captainkirk, yes, they should be done regularly, but as the riding season never really ends here then I pick my times. Usually whenever I have removed the carbs for any reason or whenever I change the plugs, whichever comes first.

As to why use a home made one? For me. It's accuracy. I have only compared my homemade oil filled manometer to a set of vacuum gauges and to be honest, the vacuum gauges were not good enough. There are also a lot of different variables in other sets of gauges. Some work independant of each other and just give a number for for that particular carbs vacuum. Some work with atmospheric pressure and weight to give you a reading. With this method there is no way to correctly calibrate a gauge for any wear in the tube that may allow more air past the slide than another. Tools wear out and require replacing, even the most expensive.

With a home made one I am comparing nothing but pure vacuum of an individual carb against all three others using a liquid of lighter density, therefore more sensitive than any of the others use.

But in the end it is all up to what works for each person. To me, it is not the money or the satisfaction of building your own tool to to a job, it's about results.

So therefore, the challenge is out. Time for everybody to take their tools in hand and head for the shed.

Sync and colourtune to your hearts content then screw your idle down so your bike ticks over at 500rpm below manufacturers idle without dying.

Mine does using my homemade gauge, so it's good enough for me.

SO this begs the question. Why does no-one sell and make money from such a tool if it works.

Simple answer.

Because anybody could just copy the design and make their own as it has no hard to get liquids (mercury) or impossible to calibrate on the kithcen scales stainless rods. (I presume the rod weights would be measured to an extraordinarily precise match)

Just my opinion of course, but food for thought.

Cheers
HG

 

Right on Captn'
A mechanic can only be as good as the tools he works with. (not that cheap or homemade tools wont work)
For years I worked with very cheap tools, lot of busted knuckles and damage to bolt heads and nut corners. (strictly out of necessity, all I could afford)

Now I try to use the right tool for the job and It does make my work easier and better.

I use mercury sticks and like HG find that the liquid mercury is more accurate than guages or bars.

My .02

 

Agreed. The only downfall to the manometer ("carb sticks") I have is the fact that if you tip it over and spill it, 1) you now have hazardous waste, and 2) Now you have to order more before you can use them again. Still, in my 25+ years of being a professional mechanic, I find that in the long run, cheap or homemade tools are not worth the effort if you're going to use them on a frequent basis. If you want to build tools due to cost and/or the challenge, put some thought and engineering into them and do a bang-up job. You won't regret it later.

 

Do i need to purchuse the 6mm brass adapters if i buy the carb sync tool. ( the yellow one in the pic at the top of the post)

 

No. The adaptors are for early (Mid-70's Kaw, Zook and Honda) bikes that dont have permanent vacuum line fittings.

Those bikes have screwed-in plugs you take-out and replace with the screw-in adaptor.

You're good to go without them. But, the day after you get the sticks ... some guy you know will buy a Classic Honda 750/4 and make a liar out of me!

 

I made one of those Synch tools, using the clear plasic lines and a yard stick (mounted on the shop wall) I filled it with automatic trans fluid (red) so it's easy to see and have enough time to do adjustments without sucking any fluid into the carb. It is very, very sensitive and I disagree with those who think otherwise. I use it for my V-twin and my 4 cylinder Yamaha.
That being said, I'm always open to new ideas and the one with the two bottles, using colored water looks like another good idea. I'm going to give that a try next. I think just using the bottle cap with some Goop (like liquid rubber) to seal the lines should work to seal the bottles good. Thanks for the ideas!!