Security screws on float bowls???

[Woodsrat]

A kid in the neighborhood came by to tell me he had to buy a new ($75!!) carb for his recently purchased TaoTao 49cc scooter after the float started sticking. When I asked why he didn't just pull the bowl and clean the needle valve he said the bowl couldn't be removed. Balderdash, I sez and damned if when he produced the old CVK carb I was shocked to see the factory had installed the type of screws that the head breaks off once they're to torque. I had to chuck the critter in my little milling machine to mill the tits flat where the screws broke off and then drill out the remaining heads to get the bowl off.

Besides the fact that the boy could've gotten a new one off of eBay for around $30 delivered what really irritates the piss out of me is that they're now selling scooters with sealed carbs, either for anti-tampering purposes or to sell new ones (I suspect to keep us from richening them up). Once I got the bowl off I was pleasantly surprised to find that the pilot jet could be removed unlike a lot of the small bike carbs nowadays that are a fixed part of the unit. Overall the quality of the carb favorably compared to Japanese carburetors.

It was bad enough when they started sealing off the mixture screws and eliminated adjustable needles--but to seal off the float bowl, a part of the carb that requires frequent service to adjust the float or clean out the crud is just plain stupid.

Anyway anyone else seen sealed carbs like this on any other unit?

[btcn]

Thats ridecouls! It is not uncommon on a little bike to have a clogged jet or debris in the float. I am sure they thought they could make some extra money by doing that. Sure, some things could be ok to make un tamperable, but not the float bowl!

[tortoise2]

Originally Posted by Woodsrat

anyone else seen sealed carbs like this

Related thread (image source).

[MOPED MEDIC]

It's an EPA issue. They don't want you to be able to change the jetting.

Looks are deceiving. The carburetors on cheap Chinese mopeds do not even come close to comparing favorably to the Japanese brands. Cheap mopeds go through a lot of carbs, not only because they are very low quality, but because there are a lot of people out there who replace the bad carb with another bad one they bought on the internet for $30. Once you try cleaning a few, you will see why most of them get replaced.

I figured out a long time ago that instead of wasting your time trying to clean a cheap chinese carb, or replacing it with the cheapest carb you can find on the internet, the most cost effective thing to do is to replace it with a Keihin or Walbro.

[A_Vasiliev]

Wow. That's... dare I say it, completely fucking stupid.

[MOPED MEDIC]

You can usually get them off with a pair of needle nose vise grip pliers.

[tortoise2]

Restriction related thread . . 14mm carb (throttle bore inside diameter) as compared to the typical 139QMB 18mm carb.

[thackers@hotmail.com]

I put mine in a vice and used a metal blade on a recip saw and cut a line though the bowl and screw enough to get a flat head in. Once the groove was there, no issue unscrewing them and no real damage done, just a couple of grooves in the float bowl as well.

[hexnut]

Originally Posted by thackers@hotmail.com

I put mine in a vice and used a metal blade on a recip saw and cut a line though the bowl and screw enough to get a flat head in. Once the groove was there, no issue unscrewing them and no real damage done, just a couple of grooves in the float bowl as well.

Since he posted that two years ago I'll bet he figured it out way before now. noob

[bman]

Originally Posted by hexnut

Since he posted that two years ago I'll bet he figured it out way before now. noob

Nice way to encourage participation. nob

[hexnut]

Originally Posted by bman

Nice way to encourage participation. nob

nob

[bman]

Originally Posted by hexnut

nob

noob

[hexnut]

Originally Posted by bman

noob