2nd gen needle holder stuck!

Hey all,
First post to this forum. Looks like a good one!

Just bought an '86 750, rode it for 50 KM, and wouldn't start after a Saturday night shift at work. Tried everything, ended up calling a tow.

Found a few things: nasty old air filter (replaced), rust in the gas tank (I'll get it lined), one completely wrong needle in one carb, and one rather mashed-up one in another.

So I'm in the carbs cleaning them out and I have a jet/needle kit in the mail on the way (it's a stage 1, I know some people don't recommend re-jetting, but I just want to get on the road).
But I can't get the needle holders to come out of the vacuum pistons... They turn the proper ~90 degrees counterclockwise, but they don't want to budge. I don't want to push on the needle lest I break the holder or spring, and I don't want to force anything at all because these pistons are (as far as I know) discontinued!
Anybody have some tips on how to get the needle holder to come out? It's crucial that I figure this out, or my jet kit will be useless.

Thanks in advance!

[image: View Post]Chazviffer, on 02 October 2010 - 01:07 PM, said:

But I can't get the needle holders to come out of the vacuum pistons... They turn the proper ~90 degrees counterclockwise, but they don't want to budge. I don't want to push on the needle lest I break the holder or spring, and I don't want to force anything at all because these pistons are (as far as I know) discontinued!
Anybody have some tips on how to get the needle holder to come out? It's crucial that I figure this out, or my jet kit will be useless.

Thanks in advance!

i suppose you did push down before turning 90 ccw with an 8mm socket--there is a detent slot that you must line up. Then you might grab the top of the needle holder with long needle-nose pliers and ease it out...

[image: View Post]kennybobby, on 02 October 2010 - 01:54 PM, said:

[image: View Post]Chazviffer, on 02 October 2010 - 01:07 PM, said:

But I can't get the needle holders to come out of the vacuum pistons... They turn the proper ~90 degrees counterclockwise, but they don't want to budge. I don't want to push on the needle lest I break the holder or spring, and I don't want to force anything at all because these pistons are (as far as I know) discontinued!
Anybody have some tips on how to get the needle holder to come out? It's crucial that I figure this out, or my jet kit will be useless.

Thanks in advance!

i suppose you did push down before turning 90 ccw with an 8mm socket--there is a detent slot that you must line up. Then you might grab the top of the needle holder with long needle-nose pliers and ease it out...


I'll be sure to push down a little more with the socket next time and see if that works...
As far as lining up the slot, the needle holder looks like a round piece with two straight cuts along each side, and there are two thin holes (not the round vacuum control one) on the underside of the piston - should the "cuts" in the round holder line up with these piston holes?
If the usual push-turn-pull doesn't work... any ideas?

I'll be sure to lube up the inside of the piston a little before doing this again, too with some WD-40.

[image: View Post]kennybobby, on 02 October 2010 - 01:54 PM, said:

[image: View Post]Chazviffer, on 02 October 2010 - 01:07 PM, said:

But I can't get the needle holders to come out of the vacuum pistons... They turn the proper ~90 degrees counterclockwise, but they don't want to budge. I don't want to push on the needle lest I break the holder or spring, and I don't want to force anything at all because these pistons are (as far as I know) discontinued!
Anybody have some tips on how to get the needle holder to come out? It's crucial that I figure this out, or my jet kit will be useless.

Thanks in advance!

i suppose you did push down before turning 90 ccw with an 8mm socket--there is a detent slot that you must line up. Then you might grab the top of the needle holder with long needle-nose pliers and ease it out...



I guess I wasn't pushing down while turning... I lined up the slots and voil�! Out came the needle holders.
Thanks!