[MostExcessive]

In a desperate attempt to familiarize myself with my bike and auto maintenance in general, I have decided that I will disassemble and reassemble my carburetor to clean it out.

Armed with YouTube videos and my Clymer Service Guide, I feel confident that I won't mess up anything too badly.

Is there anything I should be wary of as I work on this? Are there any other maintenance tasks that I can use to gain experience with my bike?

Thank you for helping a newbie!!

 

[MCReviver]

I found that having access to an ultrasonic cleaner helps a bit. Especially with the right liquid in it. But you can get by without one. Have you ever tried Seafoam or some such similar commercial gas additive? They can be effective if the carbs aren't too far gone. One thing to keep in mind is when you are reassembling the carbs, you have to turn the idle mixture screw in until it bottoms, then back it out a certain number of turns to give you an initial setting. DO NOT screw it in too tight, or you could ruin the carb body itself and you won't do the brass screw any good either. Rubber parts do not get soaked in "carb cleaner" or they will shrivel up and die.
Are you going to do your own tune ups? If you can do one in 15 minutes on a CX500, you are a pro. I raced the other mechanic in a Honda Shop I worked in when your bike was new and we finished 10 seconds apart. Oil and filter, valves adjusted and whatever else was on the 600 mile check.
You will find all the information and help you will need here as there is more experienced help on this web site than anywhere else you will look. Youtube has some great videos too, so just type in "youtube" along with the subject you want to learn about in a search engine, and sit back with some popcorn and a Doctor Pepper and learn all about it.
BTW, I like what I see in your profile page. I hope you wear the right gear when you ride!

 

[Knute]

Stop.

Do you have a copy of the Factory Service Manual (FSM)? If not, download it from the WIKI
Do you have a copty of Larry Cargil's Carb book? If not, order it.

Steer clear of Youtubes, many times the person making the "informative" video does not have a clue. Just because its on the Internet, doesn't mean its good or accurate.
Clymer's is good to a point, but it is not complete. Use the FSM for full procedures and specs.

 

[KauffmanAndrew]

One tip I learned from working on my CX500 (after finding it in a barn)..

Don't assume that the previous owner (or whoever did maintenance) put the carbs back together correctly last time.
I ran into all kinds of issues from the PO installing things incorrectly.

Follow Larry's guide, and read through as many threads on CARB CLEANING that you can find here before tearing into it.
AND LABEL EVERYTHING.

 

[OCR]

The FSM is in this sites WIKI and is linked to from many members sigs
{see below}

Also, take pictures as you disassemble so you know where part are supposed to return to and we all can see if they are in correct order to begin with.

 

[izak]

You came to the right building site . And all the advice you will ever need for working on your carbs , you have found here in a MostExcessive manner. I can not add anything to all that has been said already . The info on this forum is 100% and ALWAYS just like your forum name says .

 

[reclinedrelic]

I try to heed my fathers advice;"If it ain't broke, don't fix it." I suggest that you only disassemble your carbs if you are having problems with them. Routine maintenance carry out by all means.

 

[rscottp]

Buy Larry's book! Best $30 you will ever spend.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Flogger]

I will read and do about anything on a cycle but two things... valves and carbs! They require special equipment, guages, and experience. I'd get the FSM too as previously stated before I even considered doing carb work. Most bikes with "issues" are really just bikes that the PO's messed up these things on... by messing with them without knowing what they were doing...

 

[MostExcessive]

I found that having access to an ultrasonic cleaner helps a bit. Especially with the right liquid in it. But you can get by without one. Have you ever tried Seafoam or some such similar commercial gas additive? They can be effective if the carbs aren't too far gone. One thing to keep in mind is when you are reassembling the carbs, you have to turn the idle mixture screw in until it bottoms, then back it out a certain number of turns to give you an initial setting. DO NOT screw it in too tight, or you could ruin the carb body itself and you won't do the brass screw any good either. Rubber parts do not get soaked in "carb cleaner" or they will shrivel up and die.
Are you going to do your own tune ups? If you can do one in 15 minutes on a CX500, you are a pro. I raced the other mechanic in a Honda Shop I worked in when your bike was new and we finished 10 seconds apart. Oil and filter, valves adjusted and whatever else was on the 600 mile check.
You will find all the information and help you will need here as there is more experienced help on this web site than anywhere else you will look. Youtube has some great videos too, so just type in "youtube" along with the subject you want to learn about in a search engine, and sit back with some popcorn and a Doctor Pepper and learn all about it.
BTW, I like what I see in your profile page. I hope you wear the right gear when you ride!

Thank you!! I found a guide on how to make an ultrasonic cleaner and I have access to one at my University, so between the two I should be able to get everything cleaned out. I haven't tried Seafoam, but I'll do some research!

I want to do my own tune-ups! I'll look into some other resources to learn what I'm doing. Maybe some day I can get it done in 15 minutes XD

BTW, I like what I see in your profile page. I hope you wear the right gear when you ride!

Haha, thank you! I went out riding a couple of times in shorts and very quickly realized how dangerous it was, so now I'm much safer! And of course, I always wear a helmet



I'll gather some more resources before I pull anything apart! The general consensus seems to be that I need to pick up another manual or two.

 

[MCReviver]

"Haha, thank you! I went out riding a couple of times in shorts and very quickly realized how dangerous it was,"
Obviously you were a distraction to the other drivers around you. :in love:

 

[plik]

I'm building a CX500 for my wife. I'm curious to know how you like riding it.

Anyway, on topic, buy Larry's book. Read it all the way though before you start. And don't neglect any of his advice; follow everything to the letter.