SuzukiSavage.com - Frozen carb drain plug screw

DavidOfMA

Senior Member

Offline

Getting back in gear
after a long time
away

Posts: 336
Beverly, MA
Gender: male

Frozen carb drain plug screw
02/07/13 at 06:54:15

Weather's been iffy enough so I'm not likely to ride for a couple more weeks and I wanted to drain the carb, only to discover that the screw is frozen. PB Blaster, gentle tapping with a screwdriver, tapping on each side to try to unseize it so far has not loosened it, and I'm wary of applying a vice grips to it for fear of shearing it off. Any suggestions on how to unfreeze this screw?

Thanks!

Back to top

- David

IP Logged

Serowbot

YaBB Moderator
ModSquad

Offline

OK.... so what's the
speed of dark?

Posts: 28660
Tucson Az
Gender: male

Re: Frozen carb drain plug screw
Reply #1 - 02/07/13 at 08:45:55

There's not a lot of magic to getting a screw out...
Penetrating oil, a good fitting bit, and torque...

In the case of the drain screw,... if you can remove the floatbowl entirely,.. and put it on a bench, you can really get at the screw, and probably remove it cleanly...
Trying to work, upside down, on a rubber mounted carb, is a prescription for boogered screws...
Wink

...

Back to top

Ludicrous Speed !... ... Huh

...

IP Logged

arteacher

Serious Thumper

Offline

Ride as if your
naked and invisable!

Posts: 2581
London ontario
Gender: male

Re: Frozen carb drain plug screw
Reply #2 - 02/07/13 at 09:08:30

Serowbot wrote on 02/07/13 at 08:45:55:

There's not a lot of magic to getting a screw out...
Penetrating oil, a good fitting bit, and torque...

In the case of the drain screw,... if you can remove the floatbowl entirely,.. and put it on a bench, you can really get at the screw, and probably remove it cleanly...
Trying to work, upside down, on a rubber mounted carb, is a prescription for boogered screws...
Wink

...

....also, if you take off the float bowl you can heat up the bowl and remove the screw easier. The reason why it sticks is that it is a taper.

Back to top

white '07, Raask exh, Corbin seat, slipstreamer shie, Raptor, Routy's fwd controls, Baron tach, Frisco bars, Isogrips, Headlight and taillight modulators, Dial-a- jet, AME 9 deg chop kit, K&N air flt

IP Logged

DavidOfMA Senior Member Offline Getting back in gear after a long time away Posts: 336 Beverly, MA Gender:	Re: Frozen carb drain plug screw Reply #3 - 02/07/13 at 09:53:49 Thanks. I'll have to wait until the upcoming storm passes and it warms up to do this. Hopefully the screws on the float bowl are also not stuck, though I gather these are easier to remove.
Back to top	- David IP Logged

engineer Serious Thumper Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 872 Gender:	Re: Frozen carb drain plug screw Reply #4 - 02/07/13 at 17:29:43 I took the advice of people on this forum and bought an inexpensive impact driver from Harbor Freight before I touched the carburator. It worked great and I had no problem with any of the screws. When I reassembled the carb I used Allen head cap screws.
Back to top	2005 S40, Intruder shocks, Dyna, 52.5/150, 3 washers, 2 turns, modified seat, Raptor IP Logged

DavidOfMA Senior Member Offline Getting back in gear after a long time away Posts: 336 Beverly, MA Gender:	Re: Frozen carb drain plug screw Reply #5 - 02/07/13 at 18:10:04 Thanks. I have the impact driver. Once the storm clears and it warms up a bit, I'll try that before I try removing the float bowl, though given that the carb is rubber mounted I am doubtful the driver will loosen up the screw while the float bowl is still on the carb.
Back to top	- David IP Logged

Dave

YaBB Moderator
ModSquad

Offline

SuzukiSavage.com
Rocks!

Posts: 18099
Camp Springs, Kentucky
Gender: male

Re: Frozen carb drain plug screw
Reply #6 - 02/07/13 at 18:34:54

DavidOfMA wrote on 02/07/13 at 18:10:04:

Thanks. I have the impact driver. Once the storm clears and it warms up a bit, I'll try that before I try removing the float bowl, though given that the carb is rubber mounted I am doubtful the driver will loosen up the screw while the float bowl is still on the carb.

I just came home and it is 55 degrees, the sky is clear.....I didn't see any storm?

Back to top

Someday I will be old......But not today!

IP Logged

Gyrobob

Serious Thumper

Offline

Posers ain't
motorcyclists

Posts: 2571
Newnan, GA
Gender: male

Re: Frozen carb drain plug screw
Reply #7 - 02/08/13 at 19:22:45

If the carb bowl screws are reluctant, just take the whole carb off and set it on the bench to get to everything easily. Once you have done it once or twice it only takes about 15-20 minutes to get the carb off,... way less time than it will take to repair boogered up or sheared off carb bowl screws.

When you tried tapping the drain screw from side to side did you see it move any at all?
-- It will not move at all when frozen, but it will move a few hundredths (a barely visible amount) when it does start to break free.
-- One way to note if there is any movement is to get a Sharpie and color the screw and its surroundings completely.
-- Once that is done, if the screw moves even a teense, you'll notice the bare metal uncovered by the movement.

Back to top

If you think there's good in everyone, you haven't met everyone.

IP Logged

DavidOfMA

Senior Member

Offline

Getting back in gear
after a long time
away

Posts: 336
Beverly, MA
Gender: male

Re: Frozen carb drain plug screw
Reply #8 - 02/08/13 at 19:51:36

Thanks for the tips on loosening frozen screws. I didn't see it move, but I'll try the Sharpie trick. But unfortunately, not for a while, as we're in the midst of a major blizzard here, and I have no garage or shop (bike's parked under a cover in the driveway). Hopefully I had enough fuel stabilizer in there the last time I went riding to keep the carb from getting too gummed up before I get a chance to ride again, else I'll have to remove it anyway to clean it and can fix all the frozen screws then.

Back to top

- David

IP Logged

Digger

Serious Thumper
2005 No Login

Offline

Ya gotta be tough to
ride singles!

Posts: 1604
Colorado Springs, CO
Gender: male

Re: Frozen carb drain plug screw
Reply #9 - 02/09/13 at 17:52:15

If the drain screw is OEM, I believe that it has a modified JIS-head (or, at least, mine does.

You're best off using a JIS screwdriver to remove same.

Several years ago, when I got the OEM drain screw off of mine (see signature), I reused said screw, but treated its threads with a bit of Anti-Seize first. End of problem.

Also, don't know if this will help you, but on mine, one could even use a flat-head screwdriver to remove the drain screw. YMMV!

Good luck!

Back to top

Digger
2001, Metallic Glacial Blue, Raptor Petcock, Verslavy (first hole) (otherwise, mechanically, the bike is stock), 13,xxx miles
I don't own a cage.
www.astronautbiker.com

IP Logged

DavidOfMA

Senior Member

Offline

Getting back in gear
after a long time
away

Posts: 336
Beverly, MA
Gender: male

Re: Frozen carb drain plug screw
Reply #10 - 02/09/13 at 19:42:00

Yes, mine has the combined flat head / philips head drain screw. Couldn't budge it with a flat head, either. At some point I'll take the carb off and loosen everything up but right now there are 4-6' snow drifts hereabouts. I'd hoped to drain the float bowl before winter set in with a vengeance, but I appear to be too late.

Back to top

- David

IP Logged

Gyrobob

Serious Thumper

Offline

Posers ain't
motorcyclists

Posts: 2571
Newnan, GA
Gender: male

Re: Frozen carb drain plug screw
Reply #11 - 02/10/13 at 03:00:18

A common improvement is to replace all the existing machine screws (with Phillips or JIS threads) with stainless allen head screws. That way you can always get enough torque on them, especially in tight places where there might not be room for a screwdriver.

Another thing I do is to put a smudge of RTV on the threads right before reassembly.
-- It keeps the threads from deteriorating and/or rusting from galvanic (dissimilar metal) corrosion.
-- It glues the threads together a little bit,.. just enough to provide some protection against coming loose, but nowhere near enough to lock them up like real glue. Even if the fastener loosens a bit, the cured RTV keeps it from spinning off due to vibration.

Back to top

If you think there's good in everyone, you haven't met everyone.

IP Logged

justin_o_guy2

Serious Thumper

Offline

What happened?

Posts: 55279
East Texas, 1/2 dallas/la.

Re: Frozen carb drain plug screw
Reply #12 - 02/10/13 at 08:48:09

Ive found that once I moved a screw its stayed "workable" for me. Of course, I use oil & anti-sieze on things. Clean it up once its in your hands, oil it before it goes back. BUT, If youre gonna want to mess with it, you know a danged allen head would be ever so much easier to work with up under there. MInes stock, & I have no problem draining mine, but some people have a hard time working up under there.

Back to top

The people never give up their liberties but under some delusion.- Edmund Burke.

IP Logged

DavidOfMA Senior Member Offline Getting back in gear after a long time away Posts: 336 Beverly, MA Gender:	Re: Frozen carb drain plug screw Reply #13 - 02/10/13 at 09:06:20 Thanks for all your suggestions. Storm's passed, sun's up, starting to warm up. Rain all day tomorrow, but maybe I can get to it on Tuesday.
Back to top	- David IP Logged

LouSiana

Junior Member

Offline

SuzukiSavage.com
Rocks!

Posts: 73
Hannover, Germany
Gender: male

Re: Frozen carb drain plug screw
Reply #14 - 02/10/13 at 14:26:35

The drain plug screw has a fine thread, would not be easy to find one with an allen head... About the bolts holding the bowl and the lid at the top, right! Best way to change them into stainless allen bolts if you ever get the carb from its place.

Here in Europe that drain plugs have a phillips head and 10mm hexagonal combined. So what about over there?

Back to top

IP Logged