hawk41 wrote on 07/06/16 at 23:11:10:Nothing about carbs makes sense to me (sh*t, life doesn't make sense to me but what else is new)! So! Are you saying that the shim needs to be "less" in size than the original. "Shims" are supposed to be make something bigger,right? I think it's time for another Gin & tonic!
The idea is to lift the slide needle in order to let in more gas through the main/needle jet complex. With the Savage, this is traditionally done by
reducing the size/number of shims. Now that I'm working on my Dad's Honda Shadow, I'm actually in the process of
adding shims to achieve the same effect.
Is your head exploding yet? I believe the difference is specifically
where on the needle you add the shims.
If the carb has never been worked on, you'll do well with the needle shim (white spacer) mod as well as the main and idle jet adjustment.
Let no one fool you, the white spacer mod will make a huge difference . Changing the main jet alone won't fix everything, nor will messing with the idle mixture. You need to do all three. I have 3 washers, with a 150 main, and the idle mixture adjusted to whatever. I have stock setup. I may be running a slightly rich, but it does okay. It runs smoothly but pops a bit on decel. I live around 1500 feet alt. My setup is considered a good starting point for the dyna muffler. I'd say Serowbot would agree. You'll probably lose a bit of gas mileage. You may have to play with it till you get it where you want it.
Another question: Can you turn the idle mixture out until the engine slows down? Go for the mid-point--the sweet spot between being rich enough to slow the engine or lean enough to slow it. Turn the screw back and forth like a slow pendulum until it slows down in each direction until you find the happy middle. The number of turns is partly academic. It helps us understand. What matters is that it is at the point where it runs right, regardless of whether you've counted turns or not. One important thing, though is that you stay within a certain range of turns. On the Savage, going more than three turns out becomes less productive and risks losing the screw. You don't want to have to jam the screw either in the other direction in order to find the best place. Find the sweet spot. If it crosses the three turn mark, you might as well just get a little bigger jet, at least if you can spare a few dollars.
Let's say that you turn the mixture screws every-which-way and it still doesn't run right... You might have the wrong size pilot. Or... you might have other problems... But, of course, that may not apply to you.