The FAQ's page has had to be discontinued due to abuse and hacking. This site has been hacked several times and if this situation keep occurring with my other pages they may have to be discontinued also, or worse discontinue this site altogether. I will attempt to create a new FAQ's page without the "ask a question" feature, depending on the availability of spare time. I apologize for this inconvenience. If you have a question please use the Help and Tips page to contact me. I have copied some of the questions people have asked over the last while here on this page for you to look through and see, hopefully one of them will help you with your question.
Repairspot.com
Small Engines: My small engine won't start when the throttle is stuck?
What is happening is the engine is flooding with excess fuel when the throttle is stuck open. You need to fix the stuck throttle before you will be able to start the engine. Try using something like WD-40 and spray the throttle linkages at the carb, the throttle cable and the throttle trigger. This will lubricate any binding that maybe occurring in any of these three areas. If this doesn't free up the throttle, there might be damage to the trigger, cable, or carb linkage, you will need to have repairs done.
Small Engines: I saw your article "Two Stroke Engine Carburetor Rebuild". T hat if I can't get a carb kit? I have a two stroke 5 hp outboard motor that went out of production 10 years ago. The mfgr is out of business. Can replacement gaskets and diaphragms be made from scratch?
I have made gaskets for several outdated engines using the
proper gasket materials. You can get gasket material at small engine parts shops
or
automobile supply stores. The material should be the same thickness as the
original gasket. Just remove the old gasket, lay it over top of the new
material and draw an outline of the old gasket. Use a utility knife to cut out
the new gasket material, and make sure that any of the holes that are cut into
the new gasket are exactly the same size of the original. If the holes are any
smaller they may restrict the flow of fuel or air through the carburetor. As for
the diaphram, I have never attempted to make one because I have never had to. I
have always been able to get the replacement
diaphragms.
Small Engines: I was able to start our lawnmower in at a low
elevation in Burnaby, BC, however, it wouldn't start at an elevation of 2500
feet in the
Cariboo area of B.C. The sparkplug stays dry when trying to start the mower.
Do I need to adjust something due to the higher elevation?
High altitude alone would not cause you engine to not start,
there must be a contributing factor along with the altitude. High altitude only
affects the performance of an engine, e.g. horse power, torque, fuel consumption
etc. A contributing factor might be you carb is dirty with varnish or debris, or
the carb is not adjusted properly, timing might be out a little also. And one of
these problems might be minor enough for the engine to run in Burnaby but enough
of a problem in conjunction with the higher altitude to cause it not to start in
the Cariboo. Try and clean the carb with carb cleaner and adjust the fuel
mixture screws before you go up there the next time.
John
Small Engines: Why is there black carbon deposits on spark plug and black carbon out of the exhaust?
This is caused by to rich of a air/fuel mixture, weak ignition or wrong heat range spark plug (too cold). You might need to adjust your carburetor and lean out the air/fuel mixture first, also check that the choke is not partially stuck closed, or the float in the carb might also be stuck partially open which causes excessive fuel, also check for the correct spark plug. What is happening is all of the fuel in the combustion chamber is not being completely burned during ignition, this leaves hydrocarbons, that stick to the surfaces in the combustion chamber, spark plug, muffler, and goes out to the atmosphere which causes pollution. The most common cause is the carburetor. As a last resort if adjusting the mixture doesn't work, remove the carb and disassemble it, clean it , reinstall it and readjust the the fuel mixture, this should solve the problem.
Two Stroke Engines: Are you familiar with the Yamaha kt100
kart racing engine? How about the Walbro W3BA carb? IF you are, could you tell
me
whether or not you clip off the little ear on the diaphram. We use two separate
engine builders, one tells us we can get more fuel by clipping it off, the other
says we must not clip it off. We have not had any problems when we clip them off
during a carb rebuild, but we are looking to get the most power possible thanks.
jim
Do you mean the round metal plate that is around the post that
attaches to the metering lever? If this is so I would think that removing the
metal plate would allow the rubber membrane of the diaphram to be drawn further
into the metering diaphram chamber thus taking up more space in the chamber
which would leave less space for the fuel. I would think that the metal plate
prevents the membrane of the diaphram from entering too far into the metering
chamber. To help get more fuel into the carburetor I would decrease the pop off
pressure of the metering needle. The pop-off
pressure is the pressure at which the needle valve will open thus letting the
fuel to enter the metering chamber. The value of this pressure is a function of
the engine, power output and other factors and it will directly affect the
air-fuel mixture that the carburetor will deliver to the engine. It is
true that the mixture adjustments are done by the HI and LO screws but if the
pop-off pressure is too high, it can lead to fuel starvation especially
at high RPM. Such a situation will cause engine overheating and possibly lead to
a seizure. If the pop-off pressure is too low, the carburetor will
have a flooding tendency especially at low and mid RPM. It will also cause
difficulties in restarting a warm engine also. To decrease the pop off pressure
you need to use a weaker spring and you can do this by clipping off some of the
metering spring one turn at a time. To increase the pop off
pressure you can stretch the spring. You might have to experiment with it.
Two Stroke Engines: I can no longer get Leaded or Lead Replacement petrol to use for my brush cutter. Can I use unleaded petrol or will this damage the engine?
You can use unleaded gas in your engine, it will not hurt it.
The lead was added, in part, to raise the octane value of the gasoline, and
octane values have not dropped with the removal of the lead. In North America,
lead has been banned since 1986, and the reason was because of pollution laws,
and to prevent the catalytic converters in vehicles from clogging up. I have
never used leaded gasoline in any of the engines I have owned or worked on, and
some of these engines were built in the 60's and 70's. The lead also acted as a
lubricant but with today's efficient two stoke and engine oils you don't need
this lubrication provided by the lead in gasoline.
John
Two Stroke Engines: I have two Stihl weed trimmers. I do not have the model number handy but here is my question. Since I mixed two gallons of fuel mix using a Poulan oil additive, both will not accelerate past half throttle. Do I have the mixture wrong?? Both will start easily as usual and do not excessively smoke but I can't get enough speed to week-eat correctly. Is the mixture wrong??
You may be using old or bad fuel (foreign material in the fuel that will plug your fuel filter) since it is happening to both weed eaters at the same time. I hope I understand you correctly. You also mentioned oil additive. You should be using a two stroke oil to mix with the fuel. An additive is used to stabilize the fuel/oil mixture and stop it from going stale. When two stroke engines are not producing power at wide open throttle they are starving for fuel. This could be caused from poor fuel or a fuel flow restriction of some sort. Or improper low and high speed air/fuel mixture needle settings, and since you did not mention about adjusting the needles on the weed eaters this should not be the cause. You could make a new batch of mix with two stroke oil and new fuel, and check the fuel filters to see if they are plugged. If they still have the same problem, try adjusting the air fuel mixture on the carbs.
Good luck
John
Follow Up:
John:
Thank you for your reply. I did get fresh fuel and purchased "Stihl" two stroke
oil to mix at the prescribed directions on the container...1 container to 1
gallon of fuel. I used the wrong term"additive" to refer to the Poulan
2-cycle oil for mixing. So far the "new" fuel seems to have helped...I
will also check the needle.
Four Stroke Engines: How do you adjust the carburetor on a
Briggs and Stratton 6.5 HP lawn mower? It starts and runs but the engine run
speed is
slower than it was when I got it new and it bogs down if the grass is over 2"
high and kills the engine.
First you need to locate the main mixture and the idle mixture screws. Once you have located them turn both of them in all the way until they seat but not not too tight to avoid damaging the needle or seat. Back them both out 1 and 1/2 turns. Start the engine and let it warm up 3 to 5 minutes assuming you eliminated the other possible fuel problems, put the engine at high speed and turn the main screw in until it starts to run erratic and note the position of the screw and then turn the screw out until the engine starts to run erratic again and then turn the screw back in until the midway point of the two positions when the engine ran erratically. The put the engine at idle and adjust the idle mixture screw the same way as the main mixture screw. If the engine stops or hesitates when you are mowing or the engine is under load, turn the main mixture screw out 1/8 th of a turn and try under load again and keep doing this until the engine runs smoothly. If your engine smokes while mowing or under load turn the main screw in 1/8 th of a turn at a time until the smoke is gone. After this step you set the engine to idle and if it is not idling properly turn the idle screw in 1/8 th of a turn in or out until it idles smoothly. There is also a third screw that may need adjusting, this is the idle stop screw, It is located where the throttle cable connects to the carb. This screw when turned opens or closes the throttle plate in the carb which increases or decreases the idle rpm. Turning it in opens the throttle and increases the rpm and turning it out closes the throttle and decreases the rpm.
Four Stroke Engines: How do you connect and adjust the governor on Tecumseh engines?
Well, since you have not been specific with your question. Like the engine model, the problem you are having, etc. Have a look at this .pdf file and it may help you work through your problem. http://www.repairspot.com/Tecumseh Govenor.pdf
Four Stroke Engines: I have a riding lawnmower Craftsmen brand, about 7 years old, recently when its at full throttle and I put it in neutral it kills the engine when its cold, you can put it and gear and run around no problem but you try to let the clutch out when its in neutral and it dies right away. Any advice on what it could be? thanks.
I would guess there might be a problem with the wiring on one of
the safety kill switches or one of the switches itself. For instance there is a
safety switch on the seat, so if you fall off of the mower while it is moving in
gear the engine will shut down. Or the safety switch that won't let you start
the engine if the blades are engaged or the clutch is not depressed or if the
mower is in gear. There might be a short in the wiring or the switch itself in
one of these safety devices.
Follow Up:
Hello John, turned out it was the seat switch, didn't know it had one,
thanks for the advice.
Four Stroke Engines: Why is there black carbon deposits on spark plug and black carbon out of the exhaust?
This is caused by to rich of a air/fuel mixture, weak ignition or wrong heat range spark plug (too cold). You might need to adjust your carburetor and lean out the air/fuel mixture first, also check that the choke is not partially stuck closed, or the float in the carb might also be stuck partially open which causes excessive fuel, also check for the correct spark plug. What is happening is all of the fuel in the combustion chamber is not being completely burned during ignition, this leaves hydorocarbons, that stick to the surfaces in the combustion chamber, spark plug, muffler, and goes out to the atmosphere which causes pollution. The most common cause is the carburetor. As a last resort if adjusting the mixture doesn't work, remove the carb and disassemble it, clean it , reinstall it and readjust the the fuel mixture, this should solve the problem.
John
Follow up:
Thanks for the help. It was the air cleaner. Strange because a brand new Honda
5.5hp
Gardening: How much do you cut back my raspberry bushes in the fall? Mine have become leggy and long. Can they be cut back down about 3 feet?
Raspberries bear fruit on biennial canes This means the roots live indefinitely and send up canes each year that generally bear fruit the second season and then die. In the spring, prune out any winter-killed canes at ground level. You'll want to cut back the remaining canes at about chest height. After the harvest, cut back at soil level all the canes that have given fruit. It should be easy to tell which canes have just fruited because you can see what remains of the little berry clusters after the berries have been picked. If you let the job go or weren't around during the fruiting season, you'll be able to distinguish the old canes because they are darker, with peeling bark. Obviously, you should remove any part of the plant that looks diseased as soon as you spot it. Have a look at this picture for better understanding.
Gardening: How do I dry Hydrangeas?
Harvest the stems just as the first flowers reach maturity. Don't wait too long. Flowers at the top of the stem may be partially closed, but that's okay. The best time to harvest is mid-morning on a slightly breezy day. By midmorning, the dew has dried off the leaves, but it will be a while before any flowers wilt. Dampness slows drying and can lead to mold. When cutting, take as much stem as possible and make a clean, angled cut with a sharp pruners. Choose a cool, dry, airy room such as a spare bedroom or large closet as your drying room. Low light is fine, but direct light will drain the color from your flowers. Hang flowers upside down in 1-1/2-inch-thick (at their stem) bunches spaced apart. Secure the bunches with a rubber band and hang from a 1/2-inch-diameter horizontal pole, a pipe from the ceiling, or a drying rack. Bent paper clips make perfect hangers for your bunches. Place newspaper or a drop cloth under the bunches to catch fallen leaves and petals. To preserve fragile and moist blooms, use silica gel, available from florist and craft suppliers. In a shallow, airtight plastic or glass container, spread the flowers on a 1-inch-thick layer of silica. Carefully spoon or silica on top until you've covered the flowers with at least another inch of powder. Seal the container and leave it for 3 to 4 days. Or microwave the flowers, sealed in a plastic container, for about 3 minutes. Allow 15 minutes to cool. Check the blossoms to be sure they are adequately dried. With either method, remove the blossoms carefully when they're finished drying, and shake or brush off the crystals lightly. Store dried flowers in arrangements out of direct sun to reduce the leaching of color from the blossoms.
Gardening: Will the ants that are all over my tree hurt it?
The ants are not doing any damage to your tree. Why you have the ants on the tree is because there are aphids and the ants are acting like little farmers and they kind of look after the aphids and collect the honeydew the aphids excrete. The aphids are what would damage the tree. As for whitefly here is an informative web site to look at about the white fly and will answer your question. http://whiteflies.ifas.ufl.edu/
Gardening: Do you have any home remedies for Black spot on roses?
Mix 3 tablespoons of baking soda into 1 gallon of water and spray the roses. Pick up any fallen rose leaves and get rid of them in the garbage or take them to the dump, don't put them into a compost or keep them around the yard. Black Spot is a fungal disease and can spread.
Gardening: I need to plant a fig tree, how do I do it.
Here is a little information on Fig trees. Plant in dormant season…Figs should be planted while they are dormant; spring is the best time. In warm areas, bare-rooted trees can be set out in fall or early winter. Where late spring frosts are common, it is best to set them out in spring after the danger of a hard winter freeze has passed. Container-grown plants should always be planted in spring. Prefer the sunny side…For best growth, fig trees need full sunlight and freedom from competing trees and shrubs. A good place is on the sunniest side of a building. Plant the trees about four feet from the building. The roots will grow under the building and be protected from injury. Fig roots will not damage masonry foundations or steel pipe. They may, however, damage clay sewer pipe. Therefore, do not plant fig trees within 25 feet of clay sewer pipe or over septic tank drain fields. If you plant fig trees in a lawn; maintain a two to three foot, grass free area, around each tree at least a year or two, until the tree becomes established. Do not plant fig trees close to rapid-growing plants. They will use water and nutrients needed by the tree. Figs from nurseries may be grown in the field and sold bare-rooted, or they may be grown in containers and sold in the container. Before planting a bare- rooted tree, prune about one third of its top, unless it was topped by the nursery. Container grown plants can be transplanted without being pruned; they need only to be removed from the container and set in the planting hole. Set trees in the planting hole three or four inches deeper than they were in the nursery. Fill the hole with soil; water heavily enough to settle the soil around the roots. For best growth, fig trees need full sunlight and freedom from competing trees and shrubs. A good place is on the sunniest side of a building. Plant the trees about four feet from the building. The roots will grow under the building and be protected from injury.
Gardening: How do I get rid of bamboo?
Here are the steps to take to get rid of your bamboo problem. Cut it off. Cut it down. Water the area. Cut it down again. 1. Cut it off. All of the stalks of bamboo in a clump or grove are interconnected underground by rhizomes (underground stems) unless you have cut them by digging a ditch or cutting a line with a spade. A bamboo grove is usually one single plant, not a group of plants. Cutting rhizomes with a spade or a saw will do the trick if you do it every year. If the growth is old, you may need to use a mattock or a digging bar the first time. Digging a ditch and putting in a barrier is a more permanent solution.2. Cut it down. Cut the grove to the ground. All of it.3. Water and fertilize the area, to cause new growth.4. Cut it down again. And again. New shoots will come up from the rhizomes. Break them off or cut them off with pruning shears. Keep doing this until no more shoots come up. This will exhaust the energy stored in the rhizomes underground. Without green leaves to photosynthesize and produce new energy, they will no longer be able to send up new shoots. The rhizomes will be left behind, but will rot away. That's all you need to do. You need a saw, a pair of pruning shears, and patience, and maybe a spade and/or mattock. The widely advertised herbicides don’t work well on bamboo, probably because so much of the plant is underground. Since cutting the bamboo down will do the trick, and you have to cut the bamboo down anyway to remove it from your yard, herbicides are a waste of time and money in this case. To prevent a running bamboo from spreading, a "rhizome barrier" is essential. A barrier two or three feet deep is effective. It should be slanted outward at the top so that when the rhizomes hit the barrier they will bend upwards. A barrier does not stop a running rhizome; it only deflects it. The barrier should project an inch or two above ground level. Check the barrier once a year, and cut off rhizomes that arch over the top.
Gardening: Can you tell me the about the different types of sun loving Rhododendrons?
Here is a list of sun tolerant and sun loving rhodos and their
descriptions. Alena - Fragrant, white ball-shaped blooms with yellow
spotting in the throat. Dark green, glossy foliage with a mounding habit. Sun
tolerant. Hardy to -24 C. Augustinii - Ethereal blue flowers on somewhat
sparse-foliage plant. Buds can suffer in late spring frosts. Sun tolerant. Hardy
to -20 C.Dichroanthum Scyphocalyx (Golden Gate) - Wonderful, sun loving, dense
growing plant. Audacious flower colour so difficult to describe.
Orange/Apricot/Rose. Hardy to -20 C.Dora Amateis - Bushy, dense, deep green
foliage highlighted with bronze tones. Covered with pure white blooms. Grows
best in full sun. Hardy to -20 C.Elisabeth Hobbie - Lipstick red, bell-shaped
flowers held in lax trusses over leathery, deep green, elongated foliage.
Tolerates full sun. Hardy to -21C.Elizabeth Red Foliage (Elizabeth Ostbo Red) -
Interesting rhodo with bright red new growth. The new leaves remain red
throughout the summer and then become a bit bronzed through the winter months.
Same compact growth habit as Elizabeth, with larger leaves. Sun tolerant. Hardy
to -18 C.Impeditum - One of the best and most versatile dwarfs. Good for
rockery, bonsai or massed. Compact, dense, silver-gray foliage. Great in sun.
Hardy to -25 C.Jean's Favorite - Augustinii-like hybrid more tolerant of spring
frosts. Ethereal blue flower. Wonderful upright form with narrow leaves. Sun
tolerant. Hardy to -20 C.Mission Bells - A sun-tolerant, compact grower with
shiny leaves. Lax trusses of wide, tubular flowers. Hardy to –21 C.Percy Wiseman
- Yak cross. Vigorous, dense, well branched plant. Peach edged blossoms with a
yellow throat fade to soft cream. Sun tolerant. Hardy to -24C.Ramapo - A
wonderful bushy dwarf with tiny blue-green leaves and good growth habit.
Numerous flowers are followed by dusty blue new growth. Needs sun to keep
compact, but will grow in part-shade. Hardy to -32 C.
Gardening: How do I prune honeysuckle?
Hi: Pinching the tips to promote bushiness is permissible in young plants, it is a good idea to permit new plants a year or two of growth before pruning heavily. For tangled, woody, overgrown older climbing honeysuckles, they can be ruthlessly cut back in the autumn and winter, as long as they are healthy and vigorous. Use loppers to reduce the plant to 60cm (24in) in height. In spring vigorous new shoots should be trained so the whole of their support structure is clad from base to top. Continually pinching out the growing tips stimulates bushy growth. Flowers are unlikely to develop until growth slows, but within a couple of years, perhaps sooner, flowering should be back to normal. Applying a general fertilizer and a mulch of rotted organic matter will help promote healthy regrowth.If this is more extreme than the situation merits, shearing over excessive growth will be sufficient, removing most of the side shoots. Typically, shearing back is helpful where all the growth is at the top of a wall or fence, or where a honeysuckle is too wide and spreading. Again, flowers will be slow to form, but the plant will perform more effectively when pruned.In subsequent years heavily pruned honeysuckles that flower mid- to late summer, for example Lonicera japonica (Japanese honeysuckle), should be pruned back in spring if they need keeping within bounds. Otherwise it can be left to ramble. Honeysuckles that flower early in the season, on short laterals from the previous year's growth, such as Lonicera periclymenum, L. x italica, L. tellmanniana and L. tragophylla, should be pruned back by about one-third in late summer immediately after flowering Honey Suckle should only be pruned as is needed to keep it confined. Pruning is best done immediately after flowering has ceased (early to mid fall for many species). Some shrubby species should have older woody stems removed on a regular basis in order to promote a healthy, full appearance.
Gardening: I just laid a new sod lawn, what do I do now?
Water it every day and give it a good soaking, And hopefully you fertilized it with fertilizer you can get from any lawn and garden centre the fertizer should be low strength, 13-16-10 is what you need to use. And just make sure you keep watering heavily for about two weeks. It should take about two weeks to take root. To check to see if the sod is taking root, just pick at random any of the sod pieces and pull up on the corner of it and if it does lift up it has not rooted. If it does not lift it has rooted and you just water as normal. And you can start mowing. And remember to mow only 1/3 of the length of the grass ( if the grass is three inches long only cut one inch). If your grass is really long, you should mow it in stages over a period of time, lets say mow it on a Saturday and then again on Thursday and then on Tuesday until you get it to the height you want, and then you can mow as normal.
Miscellaneous: I have a 2000 Camaro V8 that will crank but won't start. I replaced the spark plugs and spark plug wires and there is spark. You had described a situation with a clogged carburetor which explains my situation completely. I sprayed gasoline into the air intake and the engine did start. My question is how do I fix the clogged carburetor? Do I need to replace the carburetor entirely or is there a way to un-clog it? What should I do? Thanks for your help.
Sounds like your Camaro does have a fuel supply problem , when you sprayed fuel into the air intake, but it won't be because of your carburetor. Your car does not have a carburetor, it has a fuel injection system. First thing you should check is your fuel shut off relay switch. All cars with fuel injection have them. What it does it shuts off the fuel pump in the event of crash, this helps prevent the possibility of a fire. Sometimes if you bump into something hard enough, say like a curb, it will shut off the fuel pump. The location of the switch should also be in your owners manual, just look in the list in the end of the manual for emergency fuel shut off switch. After pushing the button try and start the engine. The location of the switch should also be in your owners manual, just look in the list in the end of the manual for emergency fuel shut off switch. After pushing the button try and start the engine. But it looks like it might be your fuel pump/fuel gauge wiring harness that runs under the carpet, between the carpet and in front of the rear seat on the drivers side. I did a search for any recalls on your car and there are none, but I found a TSB (Technical Service Bulletin) for 2001 Camaros. Your TSB From Alldata is: 02-06-04-015 MAR 02, Engine - Intermittent No Crank/No Start Below is a description of what a TSB is. (Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) are issued by vehicle manufacturers to help automotive technicians diagnose and repair problems reported by consumers and repair shops. It's amazing how many fixes are found in these bulletins that can't be found anywhere else. Thousands of bulletins are issued by car manufacturers every year. TSBs contain up-to-date factory fixes for difficult to diagnose problems such as rough idles, intermittent stalls, hard starts, and all kinds of "shakes", "rattles" and "clunks" that can sometimes drive you nuts. TSBs describe service procedures that may improve performance, reduce future breakdowns, or show a factory authorized modification for your vehicle. The TSB and recall titles for your make, model and year of car gives you an instant overview of the types of TSBs and Recalls on your vehicle. These descriptive titles can be used to narrow down your search within the database, or you can take this list directly to your automotive technician.) So apparently the 2001 Camaros have a problem with the wiring harness for the fuel pump I described earlier. I found it here at the NHATSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) website. Below is the link directly to the TSB for your Camaro from the NHATSA. Click on "Get Summary" in the bottom right hand side of the search results box. Another window will pop up with the TBS info for your car. This is just a summary of the TBS, it does not give you the full report. The full report basically tells a mechanic how to fix the problem. You have to get that from a dealership or mechanic and they might charge for it or might not even release it to anyone. If they hand them out to everyone they would go out of business. It wouldn't hurt to phone around and find out. http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/tsb/results.cfm This is the TSB from AllData But if you go to this website link below they might be able to get you the TBS if you ask real nice in their forum and then you might be able to fix it yourself with their help. http://www.troublecodes.net/ Below are the rules for the forum and if you scroll down the page, there are the rules for asking for the TSB for your car. Use the ALLdata TSB code for these guys. They say they can't use the code from the NHATSA. http://www.batauto.com/trules.shtml#tsb
Follow up: Thank you for all the help you offered for the
problem with my 2000 Camaro. I found out it was a bad relay to the fuel pump.
Thank you again for
all your help
Thanks a bunch
Rachel
Miscellaneous: I have a 1981 Yamaha VIRAGO - XV920RH I just
purchased it but I'm having difficulties getting one of the carburetors to work
any ideas or any helpful tips?
Thanks
First you should make sure there is spark going to that cylinder and eliminate any other cause of the problem that is occurring. ie. fuel supply (is there fuel getting to the carb), electrical (bad plug or plug wire), etc. What I would do in your case would be to remove the carburetor disassemble it and do a complete cleaning with a good parts cleaning solvent. Use caution when disassembling it as not to damage any of the gaskets since it might be hard to find news parts for the carb since the age of the motorcycle. Fill a coffee can or other container and let it soak for awhile in the solvent, use a a small paint bush and clean all areas of the inside and out with the bush, then blow out any and all small air passages with compressed air. If you don't have a compressor, in one situation I used a small drinking straw and blew through it into the carbs small passages. Don't poke any thing into the air passages they may get damaged and ruin the carb. Reassemble it, install it back onto the engine. I have found an excellent web site for you, exactly what you need. It is a site for Virago owners. They have all the technical info on these bikes and all the models, schematics, owners manuals, tips, FAQs page, and a forum where you can ask experts on these bikes any help question. I am sure you will find the information here, You'll enjoy this site.
Home Page
http://www.viragotech.com/
Carburator Schematics
http://www.viragotech.com/XV920/carb_dia.jpg
http://www.viragotech.com/XV920/carb_dia_2.jpg
Tech tips for 81 to 83 Virgos
http://www.viragotech.com/fixit/viragotips.html
Main Forum Page
http://viragotech.com/phpBB2/index.php
Forum for the Virago XV920
http://viragotech.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=11&sid=d988ad3a6efc885a6e4c9b7a921403a3
