carb cleaning question

[grez]

I've started the teardown/refurbish of my recently aquired 94' speed triple and am trying to put together a list of replacement parts/fixes-now that the carbs are out i don't know how far i should go with cleanig them,the bike ran fine when i took them off and i dont know much about tuning them so i dont want to make any changes/adjustments but i want to make sure they are clean inside.should i just remove the bowls and spray eveything down with carb cleaner and call it a day or leave it to professionals and take em into the shop for a soak? or should i not open them at all and just brush the gunk off the outsides with some sort of cleaner to make them pretty again cause it ran good to start with? any help is appreciated

[Readmarx]

if it ain't broke don't fix it... when I got my '94 it was a mess (salvage) and the throttle was jammed/seized open. I did take them apart and cleaned all jets with carb cleaner and lubricated springs, etc A good clean on the outside won't do any harm, but I wouldn't go taking everything apart unless there's a particular problem.

[KitNYC]

I don't know if "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" really applies to carbs, as they collect varnish and their rubber bits rot...

I would pull the float bowls and look at the state of the rubber bits. If they're in good shape, I'd be inclined to leave them alone for a year or so. If not, time for rebuild kits and maybe a dunk...

Cheers,
-Kit

[born to be mild]

On my last bike I filled em up with Reddex, { I assume that you can get it in Canada }, just via the fuel inlet pipe easing off the drain screws til the Reddex leaks out, then left it a couple of weeks or so and hey presto, cleaned carbs judging by the colour of what drained out and by the fact that starting improved lots.No dismantling required, simple, easy and cheap .
I wish that I could claim to have thought of doing this, but a colleague had tried it first on his Honda with the same good results.
I hope that this is of use.

[grez]

that reddex sounds like a cool product,i think i will take the bowls off and check it out but like i said it was ridden on a regular basis and ran good so i may try some of that reddex stuff(not sure if i can get it in Canada)i've never heard of it till now.so is the fuel inlet the line that came from the front of the tank petcock that goes between carb 1&2 or the one off the back of the petcock that leads between carb 2&3 and should that stuff keep everything inside protected after i draain it out until spring when i put them back on or should i spray them with sumthin so they dont dry out or corrode

[gn2]

Originally Posted by grez

~ it was ridden on a regular basis and ran good ~

As already mentioned, under those circumstances, best to leave the carbs alone.
There's only any point cleaning them if the bike is reluctant to start or runs rough and everything else has checked out OK.

@ btbm, I like that Redex tip, which of the Redex products did you use?

[born to be mild]

gn2; its the one for petrol engines sold in Halfords, about £3 a bottle, it looks like cherryade.
Grez; Im not sure which hose, one will be reserve, one normal, it doesnt matter as long as it gets into the carbs. All i did was drain the petrol out, then I rigged up a plastic detergent bottle cut in half with the nozzle fitting inside the petrol hose[ thinking about, it was a wood glue tube I butchered cos it had a tapered nozzle] , then poured the Reddex into the bottle/ funnel thingy til it ran out of the drain holes, tightened the drain screws up and left it for about a month and drained it. I didnt replace it with anything as the carbs are copper and aluminium so theres nothing to corrode in normal atmosphere. When you drain it out it will hopefully be a dark brown, which is old petrol which has varnished.
Like gn2, wouldnt take the carbs to bits unless you really have to!
Personally I would not leave it in place longer than 2 to four weeks as it may affect the seals, I dont know if thats a possibility, but theres no need to risk it.
Reddex is a petrol additive sold in the UK as a means of cleaning fuel systems, you put it in the fuel tank under normal circumstances, I think that Havoline fuel system cleaner is very similar in N America.My speey carbs have just had a couple of weeks soaking in Havoline, I got some gunk out, but not a lot,but unlike my original bike, a SRX 4, the Trumpet has been used consistently, not stood.
Im rambling, sorry,,lol,,Good luck with it.

[KitNYC]

Originally Posted by born to be mild

<...>
Grez; Im not sure which hose, one will be reserve, one normal, it doesnt matter as long as it gets into the carbs.
<...>

Just to be clear on how the petcock functions: AFAIK, both of those pipes are flowing fuel to the carbs at all times. There are 2 pipes at the top of the petcock, at different heights. Turning to Reserve simply allows fuel to flow through the lower input pipe to get to the fuel at the bottom of the tank.

Cheers,
-Kit

[born to be mild]

Cheers Kit, I was a bit hazey on that point .

[gn2]

According to my Haynes manual, one pipe is a vacuum pipe and one is a fuel pipe.