Need help on 91 Voyager xii

[Wilby64]

rebuilding carbs and need help. I'm in Washington court house Ohio is there anyone near me who is able to help? Got the bike 4 years ago and haven't been able to ride it yet due to dies when choke is closed . Guessing carbs are gummed and varnished

[Wilby64]

rebuilding carbs and need help. I'm in Washington court house Ohio is there anyone near me who is able to help? Got the bike 4 years ago and haven't been able to ride it yet due to dies when choke is closed . Guessing carbs are gummed and varnished

well, messed up the carbs, couldn't get any help. now I'm looking for carbs for my 91 voyager xii, maybe someone knows where i can get some pretty reasonable used one here in ohio?

[cranky]

... I'm just gonna assume you got that 4 year old gas outta it
and put in a bit'a new with a real good dose of Sea Foam....

[Wilby64]

Was gonna rebuild carbs but shaft broke on 2 of carbs trying to get the caps out to replace pilot jets. Got carbs out but now really need to entirely rebuild the whole thing. Was trying to get healp earlier but that didn't work. When these 2 new carbs come in Saturday, And I can't get it together since I'm doing this by myself I'm just gonna trash the bike I'll just give up I'm not a motorcycle mechanic So when I reach my limit I'm done

[Mr Jensee]

Wiliby64 contact me by phone and I will give you the phone number of Carl Leo who can rebuild your carbs like new. Look on my picture for the number.
I will tell you off the top that putting them back on the bike will test your patience. Carl can give you some help over the phone when you get them back and before you install them. It is worth what he charges believe me.
MRJensee.

[Barry]

You only bought 2 carbs instead of 4? The cost for a complete set is probably the same. Hopefully someone closer to you with some mechanical skills will come to your aide. Have you owned this bike for 4 years? Do you know it's history?

[Wilby64]

You only bought 2 carbs instead of 4? The cost for a complete set is probably the same. Hopefully someone closer to you with some mechanical skills will come to your aide. Have you owned this bike for 4 years? Do you know it's history?

yes sir i do know its history for having one owner before me. the man passed away 8 years ago and it sat for pretty much that whole time only being started a few times which was why i was trying to rebuild them. the caps on the pilot screws/jets were still on and in my effort to remove them broke two to the point they needed replaced so i ordered 2, inside right and inside left, for 55.00 off ebay,have owned it for the 4 years and just now have time and some funds to try and get it on the road. absolutely love the bike. will upload pictures when its done

[Mr Jensee]

Wilby64 I still havent gotten your email. You can contact me using the contact button next to my image and info to the right. In case you got my email wrong.

[Nails]

Appreciate the gumption, but you're giving up too soon. The hardest part is getting the carbs off the bike.

I assume you have the service manual.

Guessing carbs are gummed and varnished

Well, that's a good guess, but doesn't really say exactly what's wrong. Given that time sitting on old gas, you'll have to take them all apart and chunk them into a sonic cleaner. (I bought a $100 sonic cleaner at Harbor Freight. This one job paid for it.) Despite all the fanboys (I use it too), Sea Foam won't get it. If it helps, take them apart one at a time. But they really gotta come apart.

I bet you'll find various plastic tubes and rubber gaskets/o-rings with cracks and leaks. I'd recommend replacing all of that crap. You'll want to ensure that all the carb circuits are open -- I blow carb cleaner through them. You'll want to disassemble all the jets and blow everything out with carb cleaner. Pick up a bunch of q-tips at Walgreen's.

Take an extra special look at the slide (vacuum piston) gaskets and the carburetor boots, especially between the carbs and the engine. (Those boots can be pricey, so cross your fingers.) Check the float heights -- this is critical. (Well, pretty much everything is critical with these Keihin carbs.)

shaft broke on 2 of carbs

I think this would take some cowboying, since it's a metal shaft. Any chance the butterfly just slipped? They go together kinda jigsaw, and it's challenging to get everything lined up right.

Given that you broke two of them, I'd have to recommend that you slow down, figure out what's actually wrong, and then start ordering parts.

Got carbs out but now really need to entirely rebuild the whole thing.

Yep. That means meticulous cleaning and replacing limited-life parts, including anything rubber and most of the plastic (especially the connectors in fuel lines).

I'm just gonna trash the bike I'll just give up

Too bad I don't live nearby -- I'm looking for a parts bike

But seriously, you're giving up way too soon.

the caps on the pilot screws/jets

It's highly unlikely adjusting these would do a damn thing. Everybody seems to rationalize that this must be the problem, presumably because they're easy to reach.

I'm afraid your life might be worse than your fears. You really will need to disassemble them completely to clean them properly.

in my effort to remove them broke two to the point they needed replaced

I gather you mean two shafts, not two caps, which aren't necessary and just in the way anyway.

Again, these shafts are puzzling to line up right, along with everything else.

absolutely love the bike

I'm sure you'll like it more when it actually runs. And even more than that when you figured it out and fixed it yourself. So, take a deep breath and try again. (Kentucky Fried Movie accent: "And dis time use toe-tall concentwation".)

These carbs definitely are not simple, but they are understandable. Take the manual step-by-step. If you can't get enough, search this site for "Keihin" for other references that'll keep you busy for weeks ... or in some cases a lifetime.


Or if this is too intimidating, just swap yours with a set that Carl Leo has gone through, just as Jensee says.

[SgtSlag]

Several years ago, I had to prepare my father's 1982 Honda 750, which had sat for 5+ years. to sell it. The carbs were gunked up, of course, and it would not start, let alone fire! I found a YouTube video, and I went to town on it. I got it running, but it needed to be fine-tuned, after that. I was sooo happy! I did a little dance in my parent's driveway! (I was in my late 40's, at the time.)

I have not tried to work on carbs since then. I take mine into a professional. They've earned my trust over the years, working on three of my bikes. It costs more money, but I know I can trust the bike, when I get it back.

Nails is correct: SeaFoam is a good preventative, but for something like this, you need to disassemble the carbs. SeaFoam only works on carbs with minor issues: limited varnish deposits, very limited occlusions in the jets. If the bike will run (gasoline can still get through the jet's tiny openings), SeaFoam will likely help (it will dissolve the little bit of varnish present), if not outright cure what ails the carbs. If the bike won't start (too plugged to allow gasoline to escape the jets, only air going into the cylinders),reach for the tool box. My Dad's Honda was waaayyy beyond SeaFoam treatment.

Once you get your bike running, I would recommend once/month treatment with SeaFoam, as a preventative measure. Used in this way, it can help you avoid carb issues down the road. I use it to preserve the gas in the tank, for winter storage; come spring, it fires right off, once gas reaches the carbs.

Also, be sure to run non-oxygenated, pure, non-alcohol gasoline in your XII! It's usually 92 octane Premium (higher octane is not needed, just that is what it is). It costs extra, at the pump, but it will prevent plastic and rubber bits inside the fuel system from being destroyed, over time. The manual for my '93, explicitly states to avoid using gasoline with any alcohol in it. My 2000 truck has a bad fuel gauge, due to alcohol in the gas dissolving parts of it. To replace it would cost over $500 just for parts! Labor is extra... Cheers!

[Wilby64]

First chance to get on here since last and I appreciate the all the advice. I really do. I took everything to a shop 35 miles away and he promised me that he would tear them apart and deep clean them and replace diaphragm and all and put the 2 new carbs on, both inside left and right. This way I will be able to make summerville Mr Jensee, will email you in about 20 minutes I didn't forget you just been busy at work

[VoyKimmer]

Good luck with the shop. You should have sent them to Carl Leo. Guaranteed to be perfect.

[Barry]

I've personally overhauled my carbs twice. Last year I had them done by Carl. Best decision ever. He does things most mechanics would never take the time to do. Like polishing the slides. Also he changes jetting and needles that really transforms the vxii. I've owned 3 vxii's. Just wish I'd have sent him carbs years ago.

[Me Again]

I also remember something about using the old clips instead of new