Pilot Jet destroyed...

Yup. Took my favourite screwdriver, peeked into the little pilot hole, thought it looked a little bit rugged down there, but what the heck... a few seconds later there is NO WAY that pilot will be removed by a mere screwdriver... So what to do now? I guess I have to drill it out?

(Just want to add that these carbs were the old ones, planned to use the parts for spares, for example the pilot jets, since Mikuni original in Sweden goes for approx $ 10 each..! And my thumb is NOT in the middle of my hand, I just sometimes forget to turn the brain on..:pinch:)

I did exactly the same thing the week before last, I used PB blaster on the dang jet for hours, used a heat gun, tapped on the jet with a hammer and screw driver, and still stripped the pilot jet head. Next I got some ez-out screw removers and tried to drill into the jet and use the screw remover (it screws into the jet and *supposedly* twists it right out) and you know what, the stinkin screw remover snapped off in the pilot jet. After a few minutes of throwing anything I could find against the garage wall as hard as I could (tools, not motorcycle parts) I calmed down and decided to ebay another set of carbs, which really put the hurt on my pocketbook.

The only thing I could think of maybe doing differently was to soak the carb body (with as many parts removed as possible) in carb cleaner possibly for a couple days, but my impatience got the best of me and ended up costing me some more carbs.

If you and I had the same bike (I have a 650) our two half-junked carbs would make a grand pair of good carbs, but alas, it cannot be. Good luck!

Well Davo... Appreciate your honesty, but must admit I was hoping for something like "No problems, just do this and that and it's fixed..." Right now the future seems darker than a smithy's ass... But I will atleast heed your warnings and dip the carbs in all kinds of aggressive chemicals before I challenge the three remaining pilots... (I too had some tool-colliding-with-garage-wall incidents).

Regards and good luck with the new carbs!

If there is room enough to get a torx bit into the pilot jet,here is a fix from the CB SOHC message board.

Drill out the pilot enough to press fit (pretty tight)a torx bit into the pilot jet. The heat from drilling and the added grip from the tight torx bit often get the pilot jet out.
Fish

this is where a motorcycle mechanic is like a dentist

left hand drill bits or dremmel tool
a lot of patience
steady hand
pick set


the brass is so soft you have to get enough material out to use the pick to get brass out of threads and remove all material

takes time and patience it is possible

shop rate triples in these circumstances

I see several BS30/96 type pilot jets with stripped slots a week. Heat and PB Blaster don't seem to help. Also NEVER drill out a pilot jet that is in a well with the hopes of drilling and retapping the thread. It is pretty difficult to do. The best way to remove the stuck pilot is to drill a small hole and use an EZ-Out. The pilot jets have few threads and generally come out easily. I tend to discourage the use of EZ-Outs but in this case, they work well. The secret is to use the recommended drill size and then not drill too deeply as there isn't much material in the head. Drill a bit and test fit the EZ-Out until it will seat in the hole with a gentle tap with a small hammer and then just twist the jet out. BTW: The brass will drill more easily if you have a carbide or at least titanium coated drill bit. I suspect you can get jets via www.z1enterprises.com as Jeff is now stocking more BS30/96 sizes than he used to. I think he might be able to mail you some... not sure about the shipping though...