Float bowl screws/leaky carbs

[Rasputin]

Strangely enough I have just done some helicoils on a friends XS500, bought the Kit from eBay, 4mm, £20. Dead easy to do if your carbs are on the bench. I don’t think any sort of glue will do, in my opinion. 20 inserts in the kit, extra inserts are then really cost effective.

 

[prue1]

I am going to try the loctite product.

 

[MaxPete]

I am going to try the loctite product.

Cool - please report back!

One small suggestion...in the video, the Harley guy seemed to apply the release agent to only the first few threads of the fastener - the same ones to which he applied the threading compound.

In my view, the entire fastener should get the release agent because as you thread it into the hole, the compound will work its way all along the body of the bolt from the tip right out to underneath the head (as was visible in his video).

It would be pretty tragic to do all that work and then be unable to unscrew the bolt from the hole....

 

[jetmechmarty]

I am going to try the loctite product.

Don't get crazy with torque and it works fine, in my experience. Also, if this option fails for you, the helicoil option is still on the table.

 

[jetmechmarty]

In my view, the entire fastener should get the release agent because as you thread it into the hole, the compound will work its way all along the body of the bolt from the tip right out to underneath the head (as was visible in his video).

Yes, for sure. The release agent has very low viscosity. In the video, I expect it flowed right up the threads. If not, it will adhere to the fastener just as Pete suggests.

 

[Mailman]

I documented a helicoil repair on my XS2 carb, post #485

http://www.xs650.com/threads/mailman’s-xs2-a-full-on-restoration.51520/page-25#post-546624

 

[5twins]

And it looks like you had to fix that commonly stripped one under the choke housing.

 

[Mailman]

And it looks like you had to fix that commonly stripped one under the choke housing.

Yeah, the one with limited access, naturally!

 

[prue1]

Check this thread.
Loctite Stripped Thread Reair should be adequate for securing the bowls. It's the easiest fix.

This guy is yelling because I expect he's deaf from too many years of loud pipes. Still, a fix that I have used a few times and endorse from experience.

 

[prue1]

thanks guys for all the helpful info!

 

[prue1]

An update on the loctite thread repair: Well I completed this job yesterday, Since I had the carbs off, I decided to do a thorough cleaning and used the loctite product on all the float bowl screws. The product worked on 6 of the 8 screws. I had no luck repairing the two outer rear screws. These coincidentally or not, where the screws that I had previously used a longer screw with a external nut. I'm not sure why it did not work in these locations, maybe it was because there was no thread left? Anyway it was not a problem since I went back to the longer screw with nut in these two areas. The worse hole where I had placed the small wood screw (mickey mouse) did repair. I snugged up all the screws and tried to get a tight seal while as to not over tightening them. I used locktite thread locker blue on all the screws. Time will tell if this is a successful repair.

 

[bikefreakjon]

I'm not sure if it has been mentioned yet,but on carbs that have paper float bowl gaskets the fuel level is always below the gasket otherwise they would leak continuously.

So in other words you have a float valve problem not a gasket problem.

Also after years of overtightening those screws the float bowl itself can be warped and might need to be trued up with a file or on a plate of glass with sandpaper.

Ps. Please don't locktite those screw, they don't need it and that's a dirty trick for the next person to find!

 

[cra-z1]

You might try Timeserts for this repair.I know the guys on the Z1 group have used them.