Posted by Richard fssnoc #4368(Ks) on July 07, 2003 at 21:43:32:
In Reply to: carbon buildup on vacuum piston posted by Richard fssnoc#(Ks) on June 14, 2003 at 20:19:27:
David.Matt/others - OK guys, here's what has happened. Some good(very good) some not so good. A week or so ago my new vacuum slide came in as I had posted. At that time I had my Suzuki dealer set me up with an appointment to do the fix for me so as to get his involvement in this carb problem. The appointment was over 2 weeks out. I just couldn't wait for July the 11th to come around. With the new part in hand and the fourth of July upon me, I tore into the carb again for the umteenth time and took the old slide out to compare side by side against the new slide and I did find some differences. Yes, the new slide is black. It is apparently supposed to be so. It is quite obviously an anti seize coating of some sort. It does wear off however as many of you are finding out, and when it does, it causes slide binding or full blown seizure as I had. The bike will still run, but only from the pilot jet. Marvel Mystery Oil will resolve the problem from getting to the point where mine was if used regularly. But, back to the slide comparison. The new slide differs from the old in that it has 4 vacuum holes drilled thru the bottom. More piston weight reduction or more vacuum, I don't know. The old slide had only 2 vacuum holes. But guys, here's what I found to be the biggest difference between my old and new slides --- the diaphram. This little culprit is what I view as the invisible demon. It (the diaphram) apparently stretches with age or abuse by using it to lift out the piston, which causes the slide to ride inside the carb chamber at an inconsistant level. You would only know this by having an old one and a brand new one side by side to examine. The new slide diaphram fit snug and precise in the lip channel grooved specifically for it, and seemed to hold the slide body itself up and off the bottom of the carb. The old slide by contrast, had a diaphram that actually seemed stretched and bubbled for lack of a better term, when fit into the channel. Obvious to me that the old slide was not supporting the piston at all in the bore of the carb. Reinstallation of the old slide was a piece of cake. The diaphram just practically fell into place in the grove for every thing to be buttoned up -- not so the new one. It fits tight. So much so that care must be taken during the installation of the carb top cap to ensure that the lip of the diaphram is not pulled accidentally from out of its vacuum sealing groove. Don't ask how I know this or what the result can be, just trust me, be careful. The thing I found was to fill the diaphram grove with MMO to provide a seal and then use a generous dose of silicone on the bottom lip of the carb top to allow it to move over the rubber diaphram and then just slide it around until you feel it go into the groove and button it up. Bottom line is my bike is running great again. Pulls strong from 45 to write me a ticket in top gear without a fart, hiccup or a cough and not a flat spot in it. Finally! I'm still giong to keep my appointment with my dealer if nothing more happens than a show and tell.