Removal - Carbs Stuck

[EliasBaldwin]

I have been making progress the past few weeks lowering the engine on my 1980 CBX. Everything has gone pretty smoothly until the very last step: actual carb removal. As I posted when I first bought this bike, it has been sitting for at least ten years and probably a few of those years in the hot desert sun. The intake rubber boots are as hard as stone. I have removed the air box and tried pulling, heating (not very successful in a cold, unheated barn) and lastly prying the rack of carbs off with a 2X4. Any words of advice on this procedure? They wiggle up and down but won't budge back and forth.. I imagine there is a lip on the intake somewhere further complicating things. They are really stuck on there and I thought I would ask before I break or bend something.

Pictures of progress are forthcoming.
Thanks,
Elias

[tevan]

Heat them up with heatgun very good without burning anything up. Put a 1'' block of wood at the engine block area. Then pry with a prybar at the bottom steel bracket that ties the carbs. together. Pry on one side then switch to the other. The key is the heat gun. Don't worry about the rubber holders because they for sure need replaced. Remember heat !!!!!!

[sneck]

Hi Elias

I have stripping down a 79 CBX and it has also been stood for a good length of time and I was having the same problems as you I used the exact method mentioned by Tevan and eventually they came off, it did take quite a while though just keep working from one side then the other .

Sneck

[Jeff Bennetts]

Just make sure you don't pry anywhere near the fuel rails, they dent very easily.

[cbx6ss]

may also wish to saturate each boot with spray lube ''(i.e. WD40) at each opening. Heat, Spray, Pry.

[EliasBaldwin]

Thanks for the tips. I will give it another round when things warm up a bit outside.

[EliasBaldwin]

Three months later, I finally had a minute to work on removing the carburetors, and a friend lent me a heat gun. The trick is the heat, prying, and patience. It's a lot warmer outside now too, so that probably helped. I considered it a great success when they popped off without anything being broken.

With the carbs removed, I now have room to clean and polish several hard-to-reach areas.

Below are three photos of the process. I was especially intrigued with a smear of yellow paint on one of the rubber boots. This same paint also appears on two bolts on the carb. Perhaps this was an error at the factory - an unsteady hand? To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time the carbs have ever been removed.
I am confident the carburetors will clean up nicely.

[steve murdoch icoa #5322]

I remember very well the first time carb removal. Now the real fun begins.
The same method works on the install...heat, lube, muscle and patience.
Looks like pine needles? I had pumpkin seeds in the airbox once.

[Kool_Biker]

Putting them on is MUCH easier as, on top of the invaluable heat gun (worth investing in one for a thousand more reasons), you also have the luxury of liberally lubricating the boots internally AND engine inlets externally, prior to inserting. Silicone spray, I have found, is better than WD-40 as less volatile, thus less likely to evaporate under the heat of the heat gun.

One more thing, whether inserting OR removing carbs, always make sure all 12 boot clamps are as loose as possible.

Have fun with the carbs. Aris

[EliasBaldwin]

Pine needles everywhere...

Thanks for the tips, everyone! I've been thinking I'll have the carburetors rebuilt by a specialist. Though it would be a great learning experience, I don't really have the facilities or the tools to restore them. For the extra cost, I think it would be good insurance that they might actually work when I reinstall them. The whole rack together is such a neat piece of art - I put it on my bookshelf indoors so I could study them more closely. They really tie the room together.