Need help leaning out fuel/air mixture

For the 550 ltd, Tk22 carbs, I have a starting point detailed for the fuel level.

gpzweb.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.co...stmentsAndMaint.html

The drain tubes on the bottoms of the bowls are connection for the clear tubes. Use an 1/8" vac hose and press the end into a larger clear hose. You need a larger hose (1/4" or larger) to prevent false readings from happening. The drain screw needs to only be loosened about 1/2 to 1 turn to see the level rise..

There is a whole site dedicated to those carbs.

gpzweb.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.co...ge/TK22mainPage.html

And if you follow the links in my signature, you can download several service manuals. Grab all of them for reference.

Read the valvetrain warning before working on the valves.

loudhvx wrote: For the 550 ltd, Tk22 carbs . . . The drain tubes on the bottoms of the bowls are connection for the clear tubes. . . The drain screw needs to only be loosened about 1/2 to 1 turn to see the level rise. . . .

Loosening of the drain screw converts the overflow nipple to a float bowl drain nipple.
The drain function -- not the overflow function -- is used by the clear tube test.
The clear tube test won't work on these type carbs unless the drain screw is loosened.

It's unfortunate that the FSM's clear tube test instructions don't mention the need to loosen the drain screw.





Many other Kawasaki models have carbs with drain screws that have no connection with the overflow circuit.
Some Kawasaki models have carbs with drain screws and no overflow circuit.
Mikuni smoothbore carbs have drain screws and don't have overflow circuits.

Good Fortune!

The factory service manual, in my signature, for the Kz550 has it. I said .5 to 1 turn, but the manual says 1 to 2 turns. Go with the manual's numbers. If you open too far, it can start sucking air bubbles in through the screw and that throws off the reading.

The tube at Z1E is for carbs that do not have the drain/overflow nipple. On those carbs, the drain screw must be removed and replaced with the threaded adaptor. Most people work on the fuel level one carb at a time, so one tube is enough.

FaultedGeologist wrote:

missionkz wrote: Are you using the stock fuel tank and existing fuel lines, with at least a half gallon of fuel in it? Or like me with single tube about the same length, holding it vertical to get the same aprox "head pressure" as a gas tank and filling it with a funnel, etc.

I have always wondered if this is the cause of my float issues. I built a stand for my Keihin 34 carbs, then created a page for it in the Tools area.

kzrider.com/forum/21-tools/604016-carb-h...-float-levels#744214

kaw-a-holic wrote: use one of these, worth every penny: www.z1enterprises.com/product/ZSM01-208

I don't understand how that $12 for one tube linked above from Z1 would work. Where would the threads go, and why $12 each? Wouldn't you want 4 or 2 based on your # cylinders? I made the ones linked to in my tools post for a couple bone$.

Those was before I realized which carbs he had. Older VMs only have a drain plug. The tool post screws in in place of the drain plug.

Thanks fellas, this is all really helpful. Apparently I'm just not very good at this part or these carbs are just super finicky. It seems like any adjustment I make puts the fuel level to either extreme either too rich so it's pouring out the air jet or too lean so that the clear tube barely gets any fuel.

The tang needs to be level. Bend the arms so it's close then the tangs are for fine adjustments.
Steve

Sounds good, the PO had installed pods and got rid of the airbox. Should I put slightly more fuel in the bowls to account for this?

NO it needs to be rejetted.
Steve

So it looks like some of my overflow tubes are cracked badly enough for fluid to leak through. Would the cracks give me false readings on the clear tube test?

They could. Try soldering them.
Steve

fatcat70 wrote: So it looks like some of my overflow tubes are cracked badly enough for fluid to leak through. Would the cracks give me false readings on the clear tube test?

You mean the vertical standpipe inside the bowl, correct? Yes, if they are cracked, and leak, you will never be able to set the fuel level properly. I haven't had much luck with soldering brass parts in bowls. I can solder the part perfectly, but another crack just shows up soon after. The culprit is probably alcohol in the gasoline. This was never a common problem until about 15 years ago.

Some people reported luck with sliding a sleeve over it.

You can buy fractional inch brass tubing at hobby stores. And usually you can even find metric tubing online. Cut it to the same length, Slide the sleeve over it and solder it. It needs to be sealed at the bottom, and only really at the bottom, to work, but that is a dangerous place to heat the brass because it could loosen the pipe in the bowl. Just be careful.

I wonder if there is a no-heat solution you could use, like a gasoline/alcohol proof epoxy?

Some have even reported success at using heat-shrink plastic tubing. But I don't know if that is a viable long-term solution.