[net.cycle] Aux gas while synching carbs

mojo@mp-mojo.UUCP (09/10/86)

Hi.

I'm eager to synch the carbs on my Maxim-X.  I have the "Carb Stix"
mercury vacuum guages (which I've already been told are lousy --
worth the cheap price I guess).

I haven't yet come up with a simple way to replace the gas feed
though.  My girlfriend the immunologist brought me a flask with
a two-hole stopper, some tubing and some glass tubing.  The idea
was great, but with nothing reasonable to hold up the flask, it
ended up in a mess of shattered glass and gasoline pretty quickly.

Any cheap and simple suggestions?

Mojo
... Morris Jones, MicroPro Int'l Corp., Product Development
Northern Calif. Motorcycle Safety Council, MSF Instructor
{lll-crg,ptsfa,dual,well,pyramid}!micropro!mp-mojo!mojo
Not the opinion of MicroPro!

car377@drutx.UUCP (RogersCA) (09/11/86)

In mp-mojo.24.UUL1.1#119, <Morris Jones>:

> I'm eager to synch the carbs on my Maxim-X.  I have the "Carb Stix"

I just bought an XJ1100J Maxim and I would be greatly interested to hear of
your carb synching experiences.  Please post a summary or send mail when
you get done.  

How about an old lawn mower gas tank?  The Sears kind are almost
all plastic nowadays, and the output fitting is usually just a plastic nipple 
which might be coerced into fitting into your gas tube.

Also, did you get the plastic or the glass Carb Stix?  Why are they no good?
What do the shop people use for this job?

Chuck Rogers @ ATT-ISL, Denver

berger@clio.Uiuc.ARPA (09/11/86)

Did you get the cheap "carb stix" or the expensive version?  I
was considering buying it.  It has to be better than dial type
vacuum gauges.

animal@ihlpa.UUCP (D. Starr) (09/12/86)

> In mp-mojo.24.UUL1.1#119, <Morris Jones>:
> 
> > I'm eager to synch the carbs on my Maxim-X.  I have the "Carb Stix"
> 
> I just bought an XJ1100J Maxim and I would be greatly interested to hear of
> your carb synching experiences.  Please post a summary or send mail when
> you get done.  
> 
> How about an old lawn mower gas tank?  The Sears kind are almost
> all plastic nowadays, and the output fitting is usually just a plastic nipple 
> which might be coerced into fitting into your gas tube.
> 
> Also, did you get the plastic or the glass Carb Stix?  Why are they no good?
> What do the shop people use for this job?
> 
> Chuck Rogers @ ATT-ISL, Denver

Back in the days when I had to synch carbureters, 
I used to just set the gas tank atop a
shelf in the garage or on top of my car (put something under it to avoid
scratching the paint!) while doing the synch job.  I needed about eight feet
of gas line (available by the foot at most auto parts stores) to do the
job.  If the Maxim has a vacuum-operated petcock you'll have to set it
to the 'PRI' position (that's PRIME, not Institutional Revolutionary Party)
to get gas to flow.  

As for the complaints about carb-stix accuracy, I know several mechanics
who swear by them.  I used them myself with great success.  About the
only problem I can think of with Carb Stix is that (a) you don't know the
actual vacuum values, so you can't tell if all four cylinders are screwed
up, and (b) the cheap plastic adapters they give you for hooking up to
the manifolds may leak.  This latter was no big problem on my Kawasaki
since the hoses fit right on the manifold fittings, but on my Suzuki I
had some difficulties.

If you still have problems synching carbs, I recommend you go out and buy
a big single or a Harley, and do away with the problem permanently.

Dan Starr

mojo@mp-mojo.UUCP (Mojo Jones) (09/14/86)

> From: berger@clio.Uiuc.ARPA
> Did you get the cheap "carb stix" or the expensive version?  I
> was considering buying it.  It has to be better than dial type
> vacuum gauges.

I got the version with the glass tubing.  For the difference in price
it didn't make sense to get the cheaper one.

The objections to carb stix that I've been told are (a) they ain't
accurate, and (b) you can suck the mercury back into your engine.

(a) may be b.s. from someone who wants to sell me a $99 Yamaha carb
synchronizer.  (b) is claimed to be a non-problem by the carb stix
instructions, "... where it will pass harmlessly through your engine."

I guess I left out the objection that you always have to store them
upright, and thus they're difficult to transport on a bike.  Oh well.

Mojo
... Morris Jones, MicroPro Int'l Corp., Product Development
Northern Calif. Motorcycle Safety Council, MSF Instructor
{lll-crg,ptsfa,dual,well,pyramid}!micropro!mp-mojo!mojo
Not the opinion of MicroPro!

marauder@fluke.UUCP (Bill Landsborough) (09/15/86)

In article <24.UUL1.1#119@mp-mojo.UUCP> mojo@mp-mojo.UUCP (Mojo Jones) writes:
>I'm eager to synch the carbs on my Maxim-X.  I have the "Carb Stix"
>mercury vacuum guages (which I've already been told are lousy --
>worth the cheap price I guess).
>I haven't yet come up with a simple way to replace the gas feed
>though.  My girlfriend the immunologist brought me a flask with
>a two-hole stopper, some tubing and some glass tubing.  The idea
>was great, but with nothing reasonable to hold up the flask, it
>ended up in a mess of shattered glass and gasoline pretty quickly.
>Any cheap and simple suggestions?
>Mojo

What I have done that works well it take an empty bleach bottle and
drill a hole in the bottom and thread and glue with a gasket sealer a
barbed fitting which can be purchased at any major automotive parts
chain store. I hung the bottle from the ceiling of my garage and use
hemostats for a on/off petcock.

		Bill Landsborough