I HATE phillips/flathead screws!!!!

Why can't the world be all metric and either bolts, nuts, or allen head screws!!

So I need to take apart my 7 year old carburetor on my dirt bike and the screws will not budge, yes I sprayed penetrating fluid on them and now I wait. It will either come apart or I'm gonna have to half ass it and use sea-foam.

I left gas in my carb from August will sea-foam clean the carb or do I need to take it apart?

 

If you have it on a bench you can use an impact screwdriver.

 

reverse drill bits FTW

 

I grabbed the screw head with vice grips and that plus the screwdriver got my carbs apart a while ago. Getting an impact screwdriver would be smarter, though. You don't want to strip those out.

 

Yup, I had to use a vice grips on both of my YZs when working on their carbs. I immediately then went to Home Depot and bought a bunch of allen head bolts to replace them.

Brilliant part on Yamaha/Mikuni's behalf to use super soft brass screws on their carbs (both on the float bowl & slide cap). :roll:

 

How does this vise grip method work?

 

Put the vice grip on the head of the screw and turn. lol.

 

Damn Tom that seems like some voodoo ****, I'll try that when I get off work.

 

Impact screwdriver, followed by vice-grips, followed by...Oven cleaner!!!

It's what the shops use on carbs to clean the passages. Caution, may eat all plastics you do not remove.

 

some oven cleaner will also eat aluminum and brass too. It can etch the passage ways and screw up the flow of fuel(makes it a pain to tune), I have seen it turn a simple $50 carb job into a $450 nightmare. Just a FYI.

 

^Didn't plan on going that route but thanks for the heads up

 

the impact screwdriver has to be the simplest and best invention for stripped screws.

the vice grip method will work, but I wouldnt reccomend it.

 

if not you can always use an easy-out

 

Thanks guys I'm going to try the vise-grip first with the thought of buying allen head bolts for next time, although after reading about the impact screw driver I'm gonna need on of those.

 

I have one you can borrow.

 

I have found that if you insert philips head screwdriver into screw and smack it with a hammer it tends to break the threads free. also if you can file the head of the screw flat on two opposing sides you get a better surface for a wrench or vice grips.

 

Replacing the screws with allens is the way to go. I do it every time I do a carb/s on a bike, been doing it for years and it saves you time the next time you need to get into them.

 

beep beep :wavey: