I am trying to help my friend fix his 1996 Kawasaki Eliminator. Cosmetically bike is in top shape. If I didn't know I'd say it is from 2011 not 1996! Only 5500 miles on the clock but someone without skills messed with the carbs.
The fumes from exhaust smell like 90% unburnt gasoline. Bike makes 30 miles from the 3.5 gallon tank!
So the new owner is new to bike world and hesitant to work on the bike by himself therefore he took it to the shop. It was supposed to be $200 to calibrate carbs and set it all up. Not a bad price for someone who doesn't know how to work on a bike. They opened it up adjusted 3 carbs BUT here is the problem: They said that in one of the carbs there is a broken piece and they couldn't do anything about it. Fortunately the dude from the shop was fair enough and only charged my friend $50. He said that he doubts that this broken part can be bought/replaced and advised to get new carburetor (which is freaking $800-$1300 on bikebandit.com, none on ebay).
My friend wants to take the bike to another shop where they quoted him $400 to fix it. I am trying to convince him that I will help him do it for free. He doesn't know the name of the part that is broken (dude at the shop mentioned it but my friend's English isn't that great so he didn't catch it :( ) So I am telling him that we should find what's broken and see if the part is available on bikebandit and go from there. I looked at schematics of those carbs and it seems like pretty much all the parts are removable/available to purchase.
Can you think of any part in carburetors that could be broken and not replaceable?
I'd greatly appreciate your comments. I know it is a total shot in the dark but please fire away! All ideas are welcome.
Thank you!
Total shot in the dark here...
From only knowing what is in the OP, it sounds like a carb housing is cracked or a piece that warrants a whole new unit. I'd be surprised if it was just a float bowl.
Without knowing more...hard to say :technical:
EDIT: Sounds like it's running rich if it smells strong of gas. Are you sure it's carb related? Are you getting spark on all cylinders?
I haven't touched the bike yet.. I saw it once few days ago. After that it was all speculation and phone conversations. Dude is hard to convince that fixing it in-house is a beter and cheaper option than going from mechanic to mechanic and wasting money...
I don't have tons of experience and knowledge of mechanics, but I am pretty confident that with community help I can do better job than most bike shops because I care and am willing to spend time to understand the issue. Bike shops rarely do that.
@jestercinti, your suggestion is great! If I get to work on the bike I will definitely check for spark in all cylinders! As to the broken part, my friend seemed convinced that the mechanic was talking about something inside the carb, not the housing itself.
Community help is always best but...........you need to approach the right community.
A quick google and.......
http://www.zl-oa.com/forums/showthread.php?17530-96-ZL600-parts
I love the ZL600 eliminators... I was soooo close to getting one, but lack of parts availability told me to look the other way. The 600 eliminators were made origininally in '86, and nothing was held back on that model. It has the motor from the 600 ninja, and it screams for a cruiser-style bike... The only other year it was made, was '96 and it was a watered down version of the first.
My knowledge continues on these eliminators, so if you need anything specific, feel free to PM me... or join over on zl-oa.com and talk to Bacchus or anyone else there who is knowledgeable about these carbs... If you have to look for parts, I would start there on that forum.
I'll +1 on jester's comments... since the shop didn't charge but for an hour's time, and didn't jump at the chance to make more money with more work, I'm inclined to think of things that WOULD require a new set such as a cracked housing.
- Bboy
Just noticed sledge's post suggested same forum I was talking about... Super knowledgeable there on the Eliminators. Even though the ZL600 was made but one year, the carbs are Keihin CV (I think the smaller 30mm were on the 600 but I'm not certain), so there maybe compatible parts from other bikes that are more common. The '86 model had a lot of compatible parts from the 600 ninja that would work with slight modifications. However, I'm not sure on the '96. As I mentioned before, the '96 is watered down compared to the original.
- Bboy
Thanks so much for help guys. I will definitely join the other forum you mentioned. I just got a text message from my friend and he went back to the shop and the mechanic showed him a picture. It is the housing that is cracked. You were right BockinBboy! It just blows my mind how could someone have cracked the housing... amazing.
I will keep you updated if I have any information. If you have anything else to add please don't hesitate. Maybe you know how to weld cracked housing, or know someone that would do it if this is possible. New OEM housing will be crazy expensive and finding a used one will be a challenge. I saw very clean set of carbs for 1996 Ninja 600 on eBay but I have no clue if they will fit... any way to check that?
I posted similar question on the Eliminator forum you suggested. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction!
Quote from: kml.krk on January 11, 2013, 02:25:26 PMIf you have anything else to add please don't hesitate. Maybe you know how to weld cracked housing, or know someone that would do it if this is possible.
Durafix rods will weld aluminium alloys but its not as easy as it looks in the videos, partculalrly on something as small and as intricate as a carb body. Laser welding is also an option if you can find someone who does it. Perhaps if you took it to good welding shop or a specialist carb` shop and asked their advice
http://durafix.co.uk/
http://www.motorcyclecarbs.com/_P16629.cfm
I had a thread started on zl-oa and I also found person, with great reputation, who rebuilds older carbs. I already have a quote from him and now it is up to my friend to make a decision. He can either send carbs to get them fixed for a good price or he can wait weeks for appointment at local bike shop and waste $400 without any guarantee that they will be able to fix the issue...
Here is the picture of the broken part:
(http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb128/kmlkrk/PART951358012381592_zps0315f2c9.jpg)
Quote from: jestercinti on January 11, 2013, 10:30:00 AM
Total shot in the dark here...
From only knowing what is in the OP, it sounds like a carb housing is cracked or a piece that warrants a whole new unit. I'd be surprised if it was just a float bowl.
Without knowing more...hard to say :technical:
EDIT: Sounds like it's running rich if it smells strong of gas. Are you sure it's carb related? Are you getting spark on all cylinders?
Quick story. Had a GS450 once. Ignition box/CDI went bad. Chased every mechanic and bike breaker all over town, spend a ton of $$, with nothing.
Then posted on the gsresources forum. Some guy in New Hampshire said 'I have 3. Make one work and send me $30.' Within a week the bike was perfect!
Moral: jacks of all trades masters of none are good for general issues, but one like this should be left up to the experts in old carbs.
Good luck!