TOPIC:

I have a KZ1000K2 LTD (1982) which has CV carbs. I just got the bike which had been sitting for a while. I have been cleaning out the carbs and noticed my Pilot Jet has a steel plug covering it. I want to clean it. What's the best way?

Also before cleaning carb two was overflowing with gas. The float needle and level look right However how can I tell if the o-ring on the needle seat needs to be replaced? I don't see any cracks in it. Just curious.

By steel plug covering it. Do you mean the air mixture screw? The idle jet would be in the bowl next to the main jet. The jets should unscrew from inside the bowl area. soaked in a good carb cleaner should help and a tiny wire to clean out the holes. Just be careful not to damage anything, scratches or nicks I mean. good luck. pick your self up a book on your bike it's invaluable to be able to referance that kind of info.

Post edited by: nitro3custom, at: 2006/02/22 19:15

Thanks I have the Kawasaki Service manual. Yes I'm talking about the Idle Jet. My book calls it the Pilot jet. It also states that it's covered by a Plastic Plug. Which is wrong for this situation since mine is made of metal. I have included a picture of it. (This was taken before I started cleaning the carb.) As you can see in the picture there is no easy way to grab this. I tried pliers but they just slip off.

These plugs are usually aluminium or other soft metal, about a 1/4 inch thick.I Drill a small hole into it,then screw in a sheet metal screw,about three or four threads in. Use a pair of needle nose pliers and a thin piece of wood under it, and pry the plug out. This just opens the can of worms. You'll have to do a search, but I'm sure there is something more about finding the original setting, cleaning and re-adjusting the pilot. Good luck.

My plug is steel. I am able to get a magnet to stick to it. Sounds like with drilling into it and putting a screw would work. However once done would have I have to get new plugs. Or could I leave the screw in it?

Drill it? The plug is to cover the pilot jet well where the pilot jet is located. The reason is, the BS34 carburetor uses a shorter style pilot jet that pulls in gas from the adjacent main jet well from a hole into that well and MUST NOT pull in gas from the float bowl. If you drill that plug, you will ruin it and if you try and operate the bike with the plugs missing, the bike will not idle and will be far too rich on the low end of operation. The plug is press fit and has a rubber o-ring. To remove, use some vise grips on it. It will squish on the top a bit but that won't hurt it. You will need to use a new oring when you reassmble as the oring helps retain the plug. Some BS34 variations use rubber plugs instead of the metal.

The mixture screws on this assembly are located on the top under aluminum plugs.

is the plug included in the carb rebuild kit? I see a couple of parts in the picture for the kit that I don't exactly know what they are for. Looking at z1enterprises.com They have a carbkit, but what are the two parts I marked? I could guess that one might be the Mainjet, but could the silver looking thing be the pilot jet plug?


Post edited by: snowkloud, at: 2006/02/23 09:56

Hey, I'm pretty sure my kits had a new pilot jet plug & o-ring. Those parts you circled sure look like my pilot jet and plug. I'd love to pull my bowl and check for you but I can't leave work yet and when I do I'm gonna ride...

You've circled the main jet and the Aluminum cover for the pilot needle screw. The pilot jet is just above the needle scrwew in the photo. This does not look like the full kit contents. Mine included the metal washer that goes with the pilot needle and smallest O-ring. It also included a rubber plug for the pilot jet. The jets were not specific to my model bike so check sizes before replacing your old ones. I did general cleanup on another set of these carbs. They needed new rubber plugs and I made my own with some red nitrile rubber(plumbing supply $0.99 for a sheet), some punches(harbor freight $2.99), and some 3-M 'super' weather strip cement(not cheap but well worth having in the shop). Next time I'm just going to cut some Aluminum and groove for an O-ring.

-Duck

Post edited by: Duck, at: 2006/02/23 12:14