Got slides out -- Won't go back in....

Bonedigger · Post by **Bonedigger** » Sun Sep 12, 2010 4:39 pm

Greetings,

Thanks to helpful postings in this forum I was able to free my stuck slides after 15 years of neglect. After cleaning the carbs I've found the slides will go no further than a half-inch into the slide barrels. From polished areas on the barrels I can see what areas are binding. I've used 600 wet/dry on the barrels but how much is too much? How did they get so tight? They worked fine when put away wet (after promising the wife an kids I wouldn't ride again after crashing my other Honda Hawk GT 650). The carbs are currently off the bike, is it possible that bolting them up to the engine will actually align the barrels again, since overtightening can make them bind? I'm at a loss. Thanks in advance for your assistance.

Thomas

davomoto · Post by **davomoto** » Sun Sep 12, 2010 4:42 pm

The slides must go in a specific way. The long dutout faces inside, away form the idle adjust screw. Alsothere is a left and right slide, the cut out at the bottom of the slide must face rearwards. Try polishing the bores and the slides with OOOO steel wool.

Bonedigger · Post by **Bonedigger** » Sun Sep 12, 2010 9:26 pm

davomoto wrote:The slides must go in a specific way. The long dutout faces inside, away form the idle adjust screw. Alsothere is a left and right slide, the cut out at the bottom of the slide must face rearwards. Try polishing the bores and the slides with OOOO steel wool.

Davomoto, I appreciate the advice. I have all that correct. (This will be my second rebuilt. The first was when I bought her back in '85.) The slides were a monster to get out and they don't drop in anymore. I heated the carbs to get the slides out. Was that a mistake? I started out using 0000 on the bores but then moved up to 600 grit. I've been at it all day but no progress. It just seems like the carbs shrunk a couple of sizes.

jensen · Post by **jensen** » Mon Sep 13, 2010 4:24 am

Hi,

How did you heated the carbs ? open flame ?
Carbs are made from zamac and it's an alloy with a base metal of zinc and alloying elements of aluminum, magnesium and copper, and the melting point runs from 350 towards 400 degrees (depends on the alloy).

It will loose it's shape far below the melting point, and with an open flame these temperatures are reached easily. If you need to heat up something, always check the behavior of the material, and do it in an oven, slow and controllable.

I'm afraid you have to look for another set of carbs,

Jensen

ricksd · Post by **ricksd** » Mon Sep 13, 2010 7:51 am

Jensen is probably right- once they're oval it's hard to make them round again. If you're interested in trying, you'll need a tool called a 'barrel lap'. They're sort of an expanding arbor that you load with an abrasive and slowly work it through the bore expanding a little at a time- I used them almost daily working with hardened tool steel parts, and they really work.
I've never tried to get the slide locating pin out of a carb body- that will be your first challenge, but they got it in, so it must come out.
If your carb body is only slightly distorted, you may be able to lap them round and save them.
Here's a website for a company that makes the laps.
http://www.acrolaps.com/index_005.htm
Rick

Honda305.com Forum

honda305.com Forum

Got slides out -- Won't go back in....

Got slides out -- Won't go back in....