choke cable/starter issues

[mr blackstock]

Hello,
I recently bought a 1985 FJ1100 that had been sitting for 2 years, it's condition is good, but it has been used...alot.  it has around 225000kms on the clock, but was 5000kms into an engine rebuild when the owner decided to park it up.

Since getting it home I have cleaned the carbs thoroughly, but was concerned about the stiffness of the starter plungers.  Once I got it all back into place, I went about lubricating the cables hoping to loosen things up abit, but the choke cable does not seem able to work the plungers at all!  The previous owner has even worn away abit of the switch block attempting the same.

The choke rod that runs the length of the carb bank, connected to each starter plunger sits loosely, as though either it has worn away parts of the "rungs" or there are nylon sleeves missing from each "rung".

Is there a way of removing the starter plungers to be cleaned without breaking up the carb bank?  I really do not want to mess with the synchronisation of the carbs.

I can activate the plungers manually without using the cable, but once the tank goes back on, I am buggered!

any help would be great!

cheers

[WestOzFJ]

Sounds like all those miles of vibration has caused the top hat section (that is the end of the plunger) where the choke rod assembly normally engages has worn completely away?

Short answer to your question is "no" - you can't change the plunger without breaking down to individual carbs else they won't come out...

If the plungers have not been pulled out when cleaning then the carbs have not been "cleaned thoroughly". Given that most of the smallest orifices in the carbs are in the choke and idle/pilot circuits (not to mention those tiny suckers in the emulsion tubes), no amount of superficial attention to the outside can replace a proper strip down, clean and blow out with air is the only way to do it right.

The reward WILL be a much sweeter running engine.

Forget the carb synch issue holding you back - you'll get the synch close enough by eye on the bench until you can access a manometer set.

[SlowOldGuy]

You really need to break the carbs apart to get the plungers out.  However, you can clean the choke circuit by spraying cleaner from the float bowl choke port while holding the plunger open.  The plunger merely acts as the choke throttle plate, metering the amount of the enriched mixture is allowed into the intake port.

Make sure the choke fuel orifice on the side of the float bowl is not clogged.

Sounds like your trouble is potentially a stuck choke cable.  You could tie a string or small wire to the choke rod and activate the plungers that way.

DavidR.

[mr blackstock]

Seems like I may have to break the carbs apart, although I will try blowing out the passages linked to the plungers first. 
Also, I did "clean thoroughly" without breaking up the carb bank, not merely wiping off the surface grit and grease, but dismantled all the way down to bare connected carb bodies, I had hoped that as the plungers were functional but stiff, that re-assembling everything and frequent use might loosen them up a little.  In the past with the other bikes I had done this to, the carbs worked great afterwards.

In the short term I might just move the bracket that mounts the choke cable towards the middle of the bank, giving it more leverage over all four plungers.

thanks for the tips,
cheers

[mr blackstock]

I forgot to ask, how do you remove the choke from the switch block?  while the cable feels to be moving freely, it would be good if I could remove it...

cheers