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82 XJ550 Maxim Running Lean

Discussion in 'XJ Technical Chat' started by Catphamileez, Sep 14, 2020.

  1. Catphamileez

    Catphamileez New Member

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    Thanks for the advice. I'll invest in both of those next season. I do plan on keeping this bike, all this time alone in the garage with it sure builds up the sentimental value!

    I've been working on the carbs while waiting for parts to come. Last time I did these carbs, the heads of the pilot jets had been mangled by the last guy to open them up, but I managed to get them all out with a screwdriver. I have new pilot jets coming on Friday. Now, I can't seem to turn any of them. I sprayed some WD-40 on them last night, but I doubt that will help too much.

    What's the best method for removing these stuck jets? I got an easy out kit with a #1 size easy out that seems small enough for the jet. However, I am concerned. The couple times I have used these tools before have been unsuccessful. Is the metal of the jet going to be too soft and get ground up by the easy out before it grabs hold and loosens? Please give me advice on how to continue

    Cameron
     
  2. Huntchuks

    Huntchuks Well-Known Member

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    First off, don't use WD-40 to loosen anything, it is not a penetrating oil.
     
  3. Catphamileez

    Catphamileez New Member

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    My bad, I have commonly seen WD-40 referred to as penetrating lube.
     
  4. Huntchuks

    Huntchuks Well-Known Member

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    Buy some PB Blaster or even Liquid Wrench. The WD in WD-40 stands for Water Displacement. Common mistake though, you are not alone.
     
  5. Polock

    Polock Well-Known Member

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    can you get the outside with pliers
    heat it up a little, like boiling water hot
     
  6. Catphamileez

    Catphamileez New Member

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    I'm taking it to my step-dads shop, so I'm sure we'll have PB blaster or something.

    What do you mean the outside? What should I grab with pliers, the carb body around the jet? I don't think anything will grab this jet anymore.

    When I tried to remove the jets again, I already knew the heads were on their last legs. I pushed the driver really hard and turned, but it grinded away everything left to grab. It's stuck. I have to modify the jets in some way e.g. drill into them to get them out.
     
  7. Huntchuks

    Huntchuks Well-Known Member

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    I think Polock meant can you grip the outside shoulder with vise grips to try turning the jets out.
     
  8. Catphamileez

    Catphamileez New Member

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    There's no way to turn them out, pushing and turning a flathead counterclockwise in the head never catches on anything.
     
  9. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    I'll respectfully disagree. The problem was that he turned the engine without a shim in a bucket. The same can be done with the holding tool in place, and a different sort of damage can result.
    I've changed shims both ways, and for me the holding tool is clumsy. At the end of the day using the tool that works best for you is what's best, so long as it's suited to the job.
     
    Last edited: Sep 17, 2020
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  10. bigfitz52

    bigfitz52 Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    True, and had the tool been in use there could have been irreversable damage. However, when properly used, the tool always keeps the bucket held down far enough. My biggest concern with the wire down the hole method is disturbing the carbon deposits directly adjacent to the valve seat or on the head of the valve itself. Using a piece of insulated solid #12 wire is less likely to cause such disturbance than a zip-tie, but I'm still not a fan of poking about blindly in the combustion chamber.
     
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  11. Huntchuks

    Huntchuks Well-Known Member

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    I meant clamp the shoulder of the jet with the vise grip pliers. Not the carb. No screwdriver needed.
     
  12. Catphamileez

    Catphamileez New Member

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    What do you mean by the shoulder of the jet? The jet is down about a 2 inch hole in the carb.
     
  13. Huntchuks

    Huntchuks Well-Known Member

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    Sorry, I was not paying attention to which jet you were referring to. My advice is no good for your issue.
     
  14. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    Agreed. My fear with the zip-tie is that it has edges sharp enough to act as a scraper. Carbon is really tough to remove, but a sharp edge of any kind can disturb it.
     
  15. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    I'm confused about which jets are stuck. Can you post a pic please? That will help with recommending how to remove without damaging the carb body.
     
  16. Catphamileez

    Catphamileez New Member

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    Here is a photo of one of the jets. They all look like this. They look pretty normal in the photos, but the parts of the head that the screwdriver blade would grab are rounded down.
     

    Attached Files:

  17. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    OK. Those are the ones I was thinking of.
    Use an e-z-out after soaking in a proper penetrating oil.
    The only bad thing that might happen is the hole in the jet gets mangled enough that the e-z-out loses its purchace.
    Don't use the small one that you have to fit the existing hole though. It won't be srtong enough and may snap off.
    Drill the hole as big as you can without hitting the minor diamater of the threads. If it still wont' budge then you can step up the drill size so that you cut the body of the jet away from the minor diameter of the threads and can then use a dental pick to remove the remainder of the threads from the hole.
    If you have a set of left-twist drills use those. Fairly often the fastener will catch on the drill and back out without needing to do anything else.

    If you feel at all sketchy about the proposition grab a box of doughnuts Monday morning and head over to a local machine shop with the carb body.
     
  18. bigfitz52

    bigfitz52 Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Are you sure a screwdriver that tightly and squarely fits the jet won't pop 'em out? If you already had them out once, they shouldn't be so tight as to require drilling or EZ-Outs or anything. Lots of soft metal involved here, don't be going all medieval unless absolutely necessary.
     
  19. Catphamileez

    Catphamileez New Member

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    It doesn't matter how carefully I line the blade up or how hard I push. The driver just spins around on the head of the jet.
     
  20. Catphamileez

    Catphamileez New Member

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    I got the pilot jets out using an easy out. This is pretty exciting.

    Tomorrow I get parts in the mail so I'll rebuild the carbs, set float height, and bench sync before installing. I'll let you all know how this goes.

    Thanks a ton, everyone.
     

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