Professionally clean and rebuilt carb..cant start

You should always use the correct weight oil for your bike. It'll tell you what you need on the oil cap. Make sure the oil you use is also rated JASO MA or you could destroy your clutch. I would sniff test the oil in the bike to see if there is any gas in it before draining it so you don't waste the oil if there is nothing wrong with it.

If you have fuel in the airbox the guy who "rebuilt" your carbs screwed them up. Before you change your oil you need to fix the carbs. Otherwise the fresh oil be very soon be contaminated. Have you noticed fuel leaking from the overflow tubes that attache to the very bottom of the carb bowls?

You need to:

A. Check the fuel level in the carb bowls using the clear tube method.
B. Check the float valves in the carbs to ensure they are stopping the fuel flow.
C. Check your petcock to ensure it is stopping the fuel flow when the engine is shut off.

And just so you know Rotella is wet clutch certified oil. It's cheap at Walmart, I buy 15-40 by the gallon. My sure you do a clear tube test on all carbs to check for proper float bowl levels. Get that done before changing oil.
Hang in there, you will get it figured out.

650ed wrote: If you have fuel in the airbox the guy who "rebuilt" your carbs screwed them up. Before you change your oil you need to fix the carbs. Otherwise the fresh oil be very soon be contaminated. Have you noticed fuel leaking from the overflow tubes that attache to the very bottom of the carb bowls?

You need to:

A. Check the fuel level in the carb bowls using the clear tube method.
B. Check the float valves in the carbs to ensure they are stopping the fuel flow.
C. Check your petcock to ensure it is stopping the fuel flow when the engine is shut off.

Yup. Every time I see the phrase "professionally rebuilt" I shudder.

Did the proffessional replace the needle/seat? Did he set the float level and check it, sounds like a poor rebuild IMHO, pilot circuit must be plugged. With gas leaking in the airbox dont try starting it for now, have to find what cylinder(s) the gas is leaking from and correct it.

As a former shop mechanic I hated return work, but always wanted to know if there was a problem. That way I could know what i didnt do right

I doubt that the "rebuild" included any new parts at all other than possibly gaskets. The '82 KZ550 uses VM carbs, so there's no reason to rebuild. Needles, jets, etc. shouldn't need replacement; they just need to be clean. My VM carbs have never had any parts replaced (other than carb bowl gaskets) since they were new (55,000+ miles) and they still work like new, so it's difficult for me to understand why one would rebuild VM carbs. If the guy did replace parts, is the quality of the replacement stuff as good as the originals and did he use the correct parts, set the needles clip correctly, etc? I would think if the carbs had simply been cleaned they would function fine, but the guy may have either not cleaned the float valves or bent the float tangs, or who knows what. You never know what someone else will do when they get their hands on your bike. That's one more reason I do all my own work on my bike - in the long run it makes life easier. Ed

This bike as the TK22 carbs on it. I went they and messed with all the floats ok the carbs and it sounds like it wants to turn over a few times trying to start. I feel as tho I am getting closer than I was getting. Since the floats should be better would flooded oil be an issue with starting? But good news with all your help and good ideas I am making progress. Little at a time and it's been frustrating but it's starting to look better. Thank you again EVERYONE!!

Sorry, I thought it had the Mikuni VM carbs. The TK22 carbs are very similar in nature, so I still don't understand what parts he felt needed to be replaced. Here's some TK22 info that may be useful (see link below). Ed

home.comcast.net/~loudgpz/GPZweb/TK22mainPage/TK22mainPage.html

According to the TK22 website Ed just linked to, your bike should have the fuel level 3-3.5mm below the carb body. I found mine runs best at 3. I doubt the oil is causing the bike to not run but you shouldn't try to run it without first checking the oil level with the bike cold and on it's center stand. Another thing to check is your air box cap. If the cap isn't properly installed, the filter wont seat correctly and the bike won't want to run.

correct me if I'm wrong guys they shouldn't the needle and seat be replaced if there is a visible ring on the needle from vibration and allows gas to pass the seat

650ed wrote: I doubt that the "rebuild" included any new parts at all other than possibly gaskets. The '82 KZ550 uses VM carbs, so there's no reason to rebuild. Needles, jets, etc. shouldn't need replacement; they just need to be clean. My VM carbs have never had any parts replaced (other than carb bowl gaskets) since they were new (55,000+ miles) and they still work like new, so it's difficult for me to understand why one would rebuild VM carbs. If the guy did replace parts, is the quality of the replacement stuff as good as the originals and did he use the correct parts, set the needles clip correctly, etc? I would think if the carbs had simply been cleaned they would function fine, but the guy may have either not cleaned the float valves or bent the float tangs, or who knows what. You never know what someone else will do when they get their hands on your bike. That's one more reason I do all my own work on my bike - in the long run it makes life easier. Ed

Float valves are very common to need replacing these days Ed. Working on a bike you've owned and maintained is one thing. Working on anything that comes through the door is another matter entirely. I'm just saying don't be so quick to hammer on the mechanic that did the job without knowing anything about it other than then carbs were claimed to be professionally rebuilt. That's a very general description and quite possibly not really accurate.

Back when they were new, you couldn't buy float valve seats for TK carburetors. Kawasaki had us dress the seats with toothpaste and a Q TIp. The float valves were part of the carb body and not available individually. We had issues with them flooding on 550's and they could be a pain in the ass sometimes. I remember those very well....

30+ year old slide needles can be worn out. Labor prices can make it sometimes more cost effective to replace pilot jets instead of cleaning them.

The Tk22 rebuild kits now come with seats and needles, and they usually need to be replaced. If there is a ring ridge you can feel on the needle, you're better off replacing it.

However, the new seats, (as Larry mentioned were once unavailable), and new needles actually alter the fuel level because they are not identical to the oem ones. The Tk22 web page shows what to look for, and a way to set the approximate height while rebuilding.

home.comcast.net/~loudgpz/GPZweb/TK22mai...stmentsAndMaint.html

Also, if you are using a see-through plastic filter wit a yellow, paper element, those he a tendency to stop flowing. You will want a scintered bronze/brass filter, or fine metal screen filter. (5/16" ports).

Z1 enterprises has a nice, cheap, see-through metal screen filter I've been using for several years.