Needles FJ1100

[RD56]

Finally got back to working on my carbs. Bike sat for 10 years with gas in floats. Needless to say things were pretty messy inside. Needle seats were the biggest problem, it was like they were stuck in concrete. My question is: the needles themselves had substantial corrosion on all of them. I soaked them and cleaned them superficially, but they were still very rough to the touch. I'm not sure what type of metal these are, but it appears that the corrosion ate into the metal, so I put my dremel to work like a lathe and used a dremel abrasive paper, not sure of grit but really fine, to smooth out the needles. Is it possible to remove too much metal from needles to affect performance of carbs. From looking at the needles that I have not spun yet, there appears to be a tiny knob at the point end. Trying to save as many parts as possible, but am I asking for trouble by even slightly altering the shape of these things. Thanks for any advice. Rick

[Joe Sull]

I had to use the old seat and needles too. My problem was the seats. By the time I removed them, they were pretty out of round. I worked with them till the needles moved free without hanging up. I polished the insides of the seats with a high speed drill, qtip cut in half and dremmel compound. They are sealing and I'll be using them till I can buy a set. If the rubber on the needle is still without blemish, and you can get them to move free in the seats, you should be good for a while.

[Pat Conlon]

Rick, based on the age and condition of storage, my advice to bite the bullet and figure on buying new parts.
New (adjustable) jet needles
New needle jets (aka emulsion tubes)
New #40 pilot jets
New 117.5 mains
New float needles and needle seats.
RPM carb rebuild kit.
RPM SS screw kit
New intake manifold o rings

You've already done the hard part. Now rebuild it with good parts and consider the job properly done.

If you want to keep your stock airbox, fine, but look closely at the rubber boots. If they are cracked, hold on to your wallet 'cause they are expensive. Strongly consider ditching the airbox and going to UniPods.
This will free up a lot of room under there and makes any future removal/replacement of the carbs a snap.

That's my $.02.   Cheers Pat

[andyb]

+1

Faster, cheaper, and easier--in the long run--to do it right.  Once.

[movenon]

Listen to Pat and Andy, they have a lot of real time experience with FJ carbs. The UniPods are a great product. That bloody air box is a pain in the ass even if you know how to remove it.  If you ever need to do any maint. while on the road the last thing you want to do is fool with that air box in a parking lot or under a pine tree....

IMO the two best things to make your life simpler is convert to the spin on oil filter and UniPods.
George