Planet Minis

Goldfish · 07-17-2009, 02:04 PM

Going to do a thorough cleaning and re-building of the carb on my z50. Anyone have any tips? I'm thinking I'll dismantle as much as possible and let it soak in carb cleaner for a day or two. Any reason why this isn't the best approach? Thanks!

mexicanyella · 07-18-2009, 06:18 AM

Depends on how gooped up it is. When I got my '71 running upon receiving it, it had been sitting for years untouched. Like, more than 10 years. I was able to get the carb in working order with a can of spray carb cleaner and a compressed air hose. Didn't even need a jet (torch tip) cleaner tool.

The jets are soft brass. Remove them carefully so you don't strip the screwdriver slot or threads and don't accidentally blow them out of your neighborhood with the compressed air hose. Don't bend or crush the hollow brass float or its hinge arm. The tiny spring clip that holds the float needle onto the float is easy to lose too.

Try really hard not to do this on a cluttered surface, or a gravel driveway, or in the dark. Or in the bathtub with the drain stopper out. Any of these approaches has been problematic for me in the past.

The brass barbed nipple where the fuel line goes on is pressed into the carb body and I once accidentally pressed hard enough putting the fuel line on to shove it too far into the body, restricting fuel flow, and it took me a long time to realize what was causing my fuel starvation problems. I realized it when I accidentally pulled the barb OUT while removing the fuel line for the 10,754th time. I switched to a spare carb and the problem went away; that original carb has become a parts carb since although I probably could have fixed it with JB weld or something if I'd been inclined to.

Anyway, take off the float bowl, remove the float and needle, remove the pilot and main jets (you will have removed the top cap and slide and needle as an assembly when you took the carb off the bike). Remove the pilot air screw and its little spring (that's the one that's sort of flush with the body; the one that sticks out with the spring visible is idle speed and doesn't totally HAVE to come out). Spray cleaner in all the visible passages and holes from every direction possible, wait a little for it to dissolve, and then blow through with compressed air, taking care not to let the spray coming out get in your eyes. That's been problematic in the past for me too. That should be enough without dipping the whole thing in a bucket of carcinogenic fluid. Unless it's really, really gooped up.

Be advised that the threaded holes on either side of the head's intake port (if you remove the carb and manifold together) are easy to strip and a helicoil kit to repair them costs about $30 at an auto parts store, not including the 1/4" drill bit to pre-drill them for the thread inserts.

Goldfish · 07-19-2009, 02:06 PM

Thanks lots for the time spent to respond. I'm pretty mechanical so I don't think I'll have much trouble. I also have a gallon of carb cleaner with a strainer designed for cleaning small carbs such as this. The main reason for the post was that in the past I've cleaned a carb for a tecumseh carb that came off a piece of lawn equipment only to find out the carb has some internal splastic parts that could not be removed and were permanently damaged by the soak in carb cleaner. New carb time.

Didn't want to somehow damage the minis carb.

Thanks again!

tmas · 07-19-2009, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mexicanyella

Try really hard not to do this on a cluttered surface, or a gravel driveway, or in the dark. Or in the bathtub with the drain stopper out. Any of these approaches has been problematic for me in the past.

Some good tips.

tmas

07-17-2009, 02:04 PM	#1 (permalink)
Goldfish PM Newbie Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 9	69 Z50 carb Going to do a thorough cleaning and re-building of the carb on my z50. Anyone have any tips? I'm thinking I'll dismantle as much as possible and let it soak in carb cleaner for a day or two. Any reason why this isn't the best approach? Thanks!

07-18-2009, 06:18 AM	#2 (permalink)
mexicanyella El rey de los puntos Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Troy, MO Posts: 976	Re: 69 Z50 carb Depends on how gooped up it is. When I got my '71 running upon receiving it, it had been sitting for years untouched. Like, more than 10 years. I was able to get the carb in working order with a can of spray carb cleaner and a compressed air hose. Didn't even need a jet (torch tip) cleaner tool. The jets are soft brass. Remove them carefully so you don't strip the screwdriver slot or threads and don't accidentally blow them out of your neighborhood with the compressed air hose. Don't bend or crush the hollow brass float or its hinge arm. The tiny spring clip that holds the float needle onto the float is easy to lose too. Try really hard not to do this on a cluttered surface, or a gravel driveway, or in the dark. Or in the bathtub with the drain stopper out. Any of these approaches has been problematic for me in the past. The brass barbed nipple where the fuel line goes on is pressed into the carb body and I once accidentally pressed hard enough putting the fuel line on to shove it too far into the body, restricting fuel flow, and it took me a long time to realize what was causing my fuel starvation problems. I realized it when I accidentally pulled the barb OUT while removing the fuel line for the 10,754th time. I switched to a spare carb and the problem went away; that original carb has become a parts carb since although I probably could have fixed it with JB weld or something if I'd been inclined to. Anyway, take off the float bowl, remove the float and needle, remove the pilot and main jets (you will have removed the top cap and slide and needle as an assembly when you took the carb off the bike). Remove the pilot air screw and its little spring (that's the one that's sort of flush with the body; the one that sticks out with the spring visible is idle speed and doesn't totally HAVE to come out). Spray cleaner in all the visible passages and holes from every direction possible, wait a little for it to dissolve, and then blow through with compressed air, taking care not to let the spray coming out get in your eyes. That's been problematic in the past for me too. That should be enough without dipping the whole thing in a bucket of carcinogenic fluid. Unless it's really, really gooped up. Be advised that the threaded holes on either side of the head's intake port (if you remove the carb and manifold together) are easy to strip and a helicoil kit to repair them costs about $30 at an auto parts store, not including the 1/4" drill bit to pre-drill them for the thread inserts.

07-19-2009, 02:06 PM	#3 (permalink)
Goldfish PM Newbie Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 9	Re: 69 Z50 carb Thanks lots for the time spent to respond. I'm pretty mechanical so I don't think I'll have much trouble. I also have a gallon of carb cleaner with a strainer designed for cleaning small carbs such as this. The main reason for the post was that in the past I've cleaned a carb for a tecumseh carb that came off a piece of lawn equipment only to find out the carb has some internal splastic parts that could not be removed and were permanently damaged by the soak in carb cleaner. New carb time. Didn't want to somehow damage the minis carb. Thanks again!

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