CARB separation

I need to change the fuel inlet T tube on my kz650b. Can someone point me in the right direction on separating the carbs to do this. Is there a video on pics showing this somewhere.

What's it leaking?

Why do you need to replace it?

Here's why I ask - I had the fuel tank off my 1977 KZ650 and the carbs drained for several months during a winter because I brought the bike into my basement to replace the steering stem bearings and do some other work. In the spring when I installed the tank and turned on the fuel the "T" fitting leaked where it enters the carbs. I figured I needed to replace it. After looking for a replacement "T" for a couple days and not having much luck I turned the fuel on again. The leak was gone. I can only guess that the fitting or carbs have o-rings that swelled back up when wet with fuel. All this happened 11 years ago and it has not dripped 1 drop since then. Ed

early T pieces had 4 o rings on them which can be replaced with new. Later T pieces didn't, they had bulges moulded into the plastic and relied on tight fit to prevent leak.
If you have the early type they may swell once immersed in fuel but may not depending if they have dried and cracked. If you have the later type, short term fix can be PTFE tape, but only whilst your awaiting delivery of a new one. you can get a new one here but check fit motocomp-online.com/t-pieces/1924-t-piece-kawasaki-suzuki.html

A short piece of electric shrink tube do the same effect on my fuel T fittings.

The hardest part about unganging the carbs is getting over the sense of being overwhelmed the first time you do it. Just take lots of photos and start working. You need to remove the throttle shaft, which is accessed by removing the top cap on the carbs, as well as removing the carbs from the gang plate. The entire set can be broken down in less than 15 mins once you get over your fear.

Oh, and replacing all the various carb O-rings is a good idea while everything is apart. You don't need "carb kits" just new O-rings and maybe float bowl gaskets.

Good luck

Everything comes apart kind of logically. part A has to come off before part B and so on n so forth.
I did not use the manual. I would go nuts checking back in forth from the book to the carbs for every little thing.

I'd never really done carburetor work before, but went ahead and did the full disassembly & cleaning. It seemed easy to me & I do mean easy. The same thing is done 4 times on a lot of stuff and most everything only goes back together one way, so it's kinda hard to mess up. Use good fitting tools so the little parts don't get damaged, especially the brass jets.

I used 4 cheap plastic divided lunch containers to keep the parts separate & organized, and did the job on a clean, uncluttered work table. Before doing the complete job, I had removed one of the float bowls & the stuff under there, then put it back together >> for practice to see how hard it was >> it wasn't.

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As Martin pointed out - be SURE to keep each carb's parts together; put each carb's parts in its own container with the carb number marked on the container. That is - do NOT put parts from one carb into a different carb. The parts tend to wear together, so mixing them can cause problems. Ed

650ed wrote: As Martin pointed out - be SURE to keep each carb's parts together; put each carb's parts in its own container with the carb number marked on the container. That is - do NOT put parts from one carb into a different carb. The parts tend to wear together, so mixing them can cause problems. Ed

For most of the parts in the carbs it doesn't matter if you mix and match. Float needle and seat is the major exception, and I like to keep the carb slides together with their original carb body although this doesn't seem to matter

It wouldn't be the end of the world if the little parts got mixed up, but like 650ed, I prefer to reinstall the parts into the carburetor from which they came. My thinking is that there can be minute differences, plus for a first timer, it might help the new guy if he keeps things as organized as possible. But again, it probably doesn't matter, unless a guy is OCD or something. :laugh:


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It's also feasible that putting the parts in jumbled could actually improve any given situation. I've heard both sides of the argument but I've never collated my carburetor jets or orifices and with the exception of one bike that i haven't fully rebuilt the carbs they function perfectly.

Go figure

GS963 wrote: I need to change the fuel inlet T tube on my kz650b. Can someone point me in the right direction on separating the carbs to do this. Is there a video on pics showing this somewhere.

I'm not quite sure where your tech ability lies, but just separating a set of carbs to replace a leaking 'T" isn't rocket surgery, but close enough for some. Of course, that also gives some opportunity to fix other things while apart.. I also polished the bores where the fuel "t" and it's associated fuel plumbing go into the carb bodies with my dremel tool, and polished the needle seats, and choke plungers, with new choke plunger boots last January when it was 19 degrees here on a warm day.



I chucked the choke plungers into my cordless dewalt, and polished the brass up with metal polish with new booties to prevent any air leaks and keep foreign materials out of the fuel / air mix.



I also soda blasted (lightly ) all of the carb bodies and polished up the exterior brass tubing just because the gangreen carb look is actually no longer in fashion.



Don't sweat putting the jets and small parts back into the same carb, unless there is a reason not to.. like a matching buggers up thread or something.. a 110 jet is a 110 jet, no matter what carb it came out of. Inspect it all and make sure it is all in good shape, and nothing is plugged.

Just do not go in looking to do this in 20 minutes. Never rush a repair. problems arise, threads strip and screws snap. That's life, take your time, and you'll be fine!
Easy peasy.



gangreen: