Keihin VE65AAWE9 - Fully Explained

[Bob H]

I'm worried because this black coating is not only on the outside of the carbs but on the inside too and in every pathway. And it's quite a substantial coating which will reduce the fuel ways somewhat and I can't get in there to clean them. I'm hoping fuel will erode it over time. If not I don't see what else I can do. All I can do is try, or buy some new carbs.

Easy for me to say from the other side of the globe - but I would acknowledge the learning experience and get new (used) carbs.

There is no way to get that coating out of the internal passageways. Running fuel over time is not going to do it, that coating is likely more durable than fuel residue. People rebuild carbs due to fuel residue.

I recently retired, but still at "0" my time is worth more than the effort of putting your new jets and all the other bits into the carbs, getting the 4 back together, hooking all the boots & cables - only to have it run worse than stock or not run at all. The passageways to the adjustable idle screw would be impossible to clean out.

You are now an expert on ultrasonic, and KNOW about what liquid formulation. Some people just put a few drops of detergent in the water to help clean. Yours were soaked in vomit, and over there you folks like dark beer.

[mollusc]

I've encountered the server error when posting a couple of times.  Seems to happen only when you use the "Quick Reply" box at the bottom of the thread.  If you hit the "Reply" button it should work correctly.

[ThePowster]

Bugger... New carbs... I could use the ones from my current running Nighthawk and still use the float bowls and carb tops. I actually think that's a good idea 💡

Means the bike will be off road for a while.

Thanks moll for the tip I'll try that next time.

[Larry Fine]

If you hit the "Reply" button it should work correctly.

That also allows uploading pictures from your computer and clicking to make bigger.

[ThePowster]

Stage II Dynojet Kit



Hey boys and girls. The jet kit has arrived.

So the situation I'm in now is...

I have a carb rebuild kit of all gaskets, washers, new floats, valves and springs
Float bowls were prepped and painted
Carb tops were prepped and painted
Dynojet Stage II kit arrived

So far so good.

Ultrasonic cleaning oxidised them and that's where I'm at now today.

So my dilemma was do I throw these carbs in the bin and buy another set ? Then I came across a process called Soda Blasting.

By using a compressor and a spray gun you can clean parts without damaging them using bicarbonate of soda. This should totally work and remove my oxidisation and I am safe to use this in the jet passageways too as it won't destroy any surfaces.

Anyhoo I'm going to invest in a compressor and give this a shot. According to YouTube videos this is perfect for prepping carbs and once I've painted them I'll be ready to drop the Dynojet kit in and mate these to a K&N and finally onto the bike and see how she performs with a #142 main jet instead of a #115.

I'll still need to fabricate a battery box before she's ready.

At some point I want to lay the carbs out and take an image and highlight where the idle jet goes, main jets etc and label all the parts for anyone else wanting to do this. And y'all can learn from my mistakes and I believe soda blasting will be better than ultrasonic cleaning, which will be confirmed soon 👍

[Bob H]

...So my dilemma was do I throw these carbs in the bin and buy another set ? Then I came across a process called Soda Blasting.

By using a compressor and a spray gun you can clean parts without damaging them using bicarbonate of soda. This should totally work and remove my oxidisation and I am safe to use this in the jet passageways too as it won't destroy any surfaces.

I am no expert on soda blasting - but I have never heard of it as a method to clean internal passageways.

Sure, the soda may not "hurt" the surfaces but that doesn't mean it is going to travel through the spaces that were created by the mfg drilling through metal.

I would start over with a different set of carbs. The passage to idle adjustment circuit would be my concern, and you need all the various passages to contribute as the throttle opens to = 100%.

You are going to be fighting an uphill battle with modified intake on a Constant Velocity carb that relies on vacuum to lift the diaphragms. I wouldn't add more potential variables.

[mollusc]

I was going to say the same as Bob.  I don't know how you would be able to clean the internal passages.

[ThePowster]

Evening chaps.

I just wanted to give y'all a quick update on where I'm at with this.

So I'm not currently any further with any hands on improvements on the carbs yet, but I have been accumulating tools for when I'm ready to.

Not having the tools has stopped me for the next stage, that and the weather we've been having here in the UK. Bad, bad floods, risk to life tree falling, one landing on my car but luckily no damage, although I did run over my brother's foot as he held the tree back so I could get in the car to move it.

So I've purchased this 3hp 50L 10 BAR (145psi) v-twin compressor, it's 11.4cfm so plenty of oomph for Nighthawk restoration.

I've had to learn even more terminology like euro/XF fittings, PTFE tape, and I researched types of blast media and I bought a 10kg tub of bicarbonate of soda which 'should' get the carbs all nice and clean inside and out ready for paint and stage 2 dynojet install and then on the bike and see where im at.

Come summertime I can get to work on my first Nighthawk which I took the frame down to metal and it's now all covered in spikey rust, so I'll be able to blast that down now and get some engine enamel on there, a nice thick coat and start to build that one up.

I'm not sure what this black stuff is on the carbs, almost feels waxy, it may dissolve in petrol if left long enough. And if I cannot restore these I'll swap the carb tops and float bowls over to my other ones on my running NH and restore them. But never again will I use an ultrasonic cleaner.

Probably be a few weeks before I'm able to give this a try. I need safety kit yet, ear plugs, glasses, respirator and some kinda gloves for the compressed air, apparently getting that on your skin is a killer.

By time I'm done I could have bought a 2024 Fireblade   but why he like everyone else. I might even treat the Nighthawk 1 frame to a speckled paint job, candy red with silver flakes. Will see.

[Bob H]

... But never again will I use an ultrasonic cleaner.

I believe the issue was the liquid cleaning solution full strength, rather than dilute per the instructions.

Also the heat control on your unit appears to have gone crazy. Mine barely heats at all, but the cleaning action doesn't really focus on heat - it is the vibration.

Live and learn. Like any tool, ultrasonic's have their place.

[ThePowster]

Ok so today I gave the new compressor a go. First time I've used one of these. Made sure I had eye protection, a respirator and gloves on.

Loaded up the soda gun with soda, set it to 90psi and......

It did nothing lol a cat licking it would have made a bigger improvement.

All that cost for absolutely zero.

The carb is still black, well it's more dark grey, should stop calling it black. But the difference between one that's been polished with a wire brush on the dremel is night and day different.

So I guess my options moving forward are going to be, trying a different type of blast media, maybe glass bead or something, failing that I'm looking at some kind of acid tank to maybe remove it. 

The dark grey might be ok, it's not like it's millimetres thick or anything, but I know the fuel passageways are already micro in size.

I don't want to use the wire brushes again, the wires spin off and go everywhere and the black soot that comes off in the process is nasty and also gets everywhere. Maybe I should try an acid next, but having never bought one I wouldn't know where to start.

The dilemma continues 😐🤯

[Bob H]

Cost to discard damaged carburetor that cannot be restored = 0.00
If the internal passages are coated with a reaction to ultrasonic cleaner, it is toast.

[mollusc]

Whatever that coating on your carbs is, if it's less reactive than the alloy of the carb bodies themselves then soaking them in acid is only going to eat away the carbs rather than cleaning them.  It would be a little bit like a dye resist when etching circuit boards, or a wax resist when doing batik.

[ThePowster]

Afternoon chaps.

Cough
.. cough... 😷

Ok so I decided to boil my carbs in white wine vinegar, and now my pad stinks and I can barely breathe.

But the good news 😁 is that when I transferred them to the sink of cold water the black stuff was coming off on my hands 😱

So there is hope yet. Also when boiling away the bubbles were coming out the jet holes.

I've rinsed them in cold water and back in a pan with 6 table spoons of bicarbonate of soda, half an hour each, after that I'll dry and reassess.

But so far, simple cheap vinegar has had the best results in removing this black coating 👍 it even came off in the vinegar and in the water so I'm confident with enough boiling and bicarb doing it's thing I might save them after all 🤞

[ThePowster]

I don't believe this...  Now the bicarb has turned them black again.

Who's up for teaching me how to do an EV conversion  madness this....

[Bob H]

JOB EVALUATION

Communication Skills - excellent
Ability to stay focused and on track - excellent
Ability to discard - Needs Improvement