Carb wear?

Hey guys, ive been the proud owner of a 1980 kz440A for a year now. Since ive had it i have had issues with leaks. First time it was leaking from the two nozzles on the bottom of the carb. Had it rebuilt. Second time right after rebuilt it was leaking from only one nozzle. the shop i had it done it at ordered another carb kit and fixed it. The shop owner told me if it still leaked after that the carb is worn out and would need replacing... now a month later its leaking again. From the top of the carb.... I am wondering if the carb has suffered no visual damage. Can it wear out? The bike only has 16000kms.

Thank you

Find a different shop - QUICKLY! There are only a couple reasons for a carb to leak, and they are very easy to fix. If the carbs leak after the shop worked on them the shop doesn't know what they are doing OR they just want to buy that new boat with your money.

Carbs don't "wear out." Float valves may get dirty, diaphragms may tear, etc., but the carb itself isn't going to "wear out", and surely no replaceable metal parts will be worn with a mere 16,000 kms. That is very low mileage.

The shop may have damaged your carbs or they may have screwed them up by replacing the original parts with cheap aftermarket junk that is not made with precision.

I recommend you simply buy a Kawasaki Service Manual and fix the thing yourself. Motorcycle carbs are not rocket science. You will save money and you will have a sense of satisfaction. Oh - and did I mention - find a different shop! Ed

I had that feeling. I am still new to mechanics and opening up carbs scare me. But i Fear i wont have much choice to start figuring it out. At least i have a shop manual and a Clymers. Thank you for confirming what i thought.

There are some great videos on YouTube on cleaning carbs, full walk throughs... 30-45 min videos, but well worth the time, free learning... Ya know?

And get a factory service manual.... Its a must, and will also walk nyounthrough step by step through removing and cleaning the carbs....

Between YouTube, the FSM, and this site, all the info is available....

I have never, never on any carburetor, motorcycle, car or what have you, bought a 'kit' (maybe a jet or two for tuning purposes, but I digress) the stock brass is most likely perfectly fine, you just tend to have to take out the diaghragm and the bowl off and clean, clean, clean, new (not always needed) float bowl gasket, put it back together and you're good to go

There is definitely satisfaction in knowing what's between your legs. Learn how to work on it and you won't need "oke-dokes" ever again.
Steve

Lately, due to alcohol in the fuel, brass parts have started to erode. On some carbs there is a brass tube overflow pipe inside the carb. If it starts to crack, that can cause a leak even if everything else is new.

Also, after many many miles some carbs do get problems related to wear. Some carbs use a butterfly valve as the throttle. This rotates on a shaft supported by the carb body. After a lot of use, the holes supporting the shaft can start to leak air and create a vacuum leak. I've also seen throttle slides that start to gall up and make the carbs stick.

So, while there are ways carbs can "wear out", hopefully your leaking issue is just from improper setup or from a part that can be replaced. If it from a cracked overflow pipe, a good repair is more difficult. You can sometimes put a sleeve over the pipe if the leak is not at the base. If the leak is at the base of the overflow pipe, then more drastic measures have to be taken.

It can be soldered in most cases. The main issue with CV carbs are the diaphragms. A lot of guys are too cheap to replace them. If they are old, they are getting hard and won't work like they should. If they are cracked, the same thing only worse. Gluing them is foolish and a waste of time. The diaphragms control the metering of the main jet and needle. Won't run for SHT without good ones.
Steve

Where exactly at the top of the carbs is the leak?
If at the carb tops, try loosening then re-torquing the screws.
If the diaphragms are the problem, JBM Industries has replacements.