Carb screws giving me a hard time!

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t0mmy

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Hi guys,

Sorry, but, this is another repetative rookie question!

I am currently taking the carbs apart and the screws are so ridiculously tight, I am just stripping the heads off the majority of them. I have tried soaking them in WD-40, the old 'use the hammer to loosen them up' trick and I am about to resort to drilling them out. Has any one got any tricks on removing tight screws they want to share?

From just looking into the carbs, the look relatively clean, but I am getting fuel coming through to one of the air filters. I assume that is bad news?:shrug:

Thanks in advance!:thumbsup:
 
Fuel coming out of the air filters means you're flooding; either the float needle is worn, the float pivot pin is getting hung up, or the float height is plain wrong.

As a last resort I use a dremel with a cutting wheel to make a notch in any screw/bolt for a flat bladed screw driver. Applying some heat from a plumber's torch might help. You can also boil the carbs in water for a short time so long as the diaphragms have been removed. I'd also try some pb blaster; it's been recommended to me for dissolving rust over wd40.

Replacement bolts can be obtained at any hardware store that carries metric hardware. Lowes tends to be better than Home Depot in this regard. True Value hardware is even better, at least the one in Northwood was.

I'm also from NH :)
 
I had to use an impact driver to remove some of the screws in our carbs. IIRC it cost $19 at Sears. WD40 is not a lubricant or penetrating oil, the WD stands for Water Displacement. PB Blaster is the best penetrating spray I have used although I've heard great things about a product called Koil
 
If it's the screws that hold the carbs together via the little angle bracket, I know exactly what your talking about. I used a pair of vice grips and alot of muscle. This will destroy the screw heads but I just went to the hardware store and replaced them with hex head screws and lock washers. SO much easier to get on and off and looks alot better
 
iglehart332 said:
If it's the screws that hold the carbs together via the little angle bracket, I know exactly what your talking about. I used a pair of vice grips and alot of muscle. This will destroy the screw heads but I just went to the hardware store and replaced them with hex head screws and lock washers. SO much easier to get on and off and looks alot better
Click to expand...

i have also had good results with this method in a pinch:thumbsup:
 
If the slots look even slightly worn i like to try and tighten them just slightly first to break them loose so I don't strip them in the direction that I need to remove them.
 
PB Blaster and a cordless impact driver. I have had to slice a flathead slot in float bowl screws before. Then replacement allen heads from your favorite hardware store.
 
Use a 'T' style driver with the appropriate sized head (#3 I think if I remember correctly) and push down and turn,focusing on steady hard pressure down and turning. If it strips then you will have to drill out or tap ect.Factory used some kind of liquid weld or something. Funny thing is, once you tighten it up and leave for a while, it will weld up all over again and be frozen.:shrug:
 
Thanks all! Great help. I have got 80% of the screws out by using a combination of pb blaster/hammers/chisels and elbow grease! A few stubborn ones that I have just stripped that I may have to drill out.

Bcware - I came across your youtube videos about the carbs and they are a great help for a newbie like me. Your diagnosis looks spot on. The side that was flooding is giving me problems. The pivot pin just won't budge. I managed to remove the other side no problem but, not a chance with the other side! I am going to go at it with a bit more force after work and see if I have any luck.
Glad there is someone from New Hampshire on the forum! Judging by your great knowledge, you may have to be my personal gudie through this project!!
 
I second or third the vise grip idea... we did ours the screw heads started to strip.. so before we messed them up entirely I snapped a set of vice grips on the head of each screw and cracked them loose.. it did not wreck the heads at all.. yes a few lines on the edge but we reused all of the screws with no issues.

Snap the vice grips down from the top like you were using a screw driver and twist.. if that makes sense.. it should not destroy anything if done right..
 
Old thread, I know, but still one that will get looked at for a long time.
My tip for removing stubborn Philips head screws; take a tiny wad of steel wool, the size of a pea, and push it into the screw slot with the screwdriver tip. The strands of steel wool grab at both the driver and screw, adding friction to help keep the driver from camming-out of the screw. Works best on a Philips screw where the slot isn't totally boogered.

I'd read years ago of mechanics using valve polishing compound the same way, but I never have the compound laying around.
 

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