[amfshovel]

I can't get my super b carb to run right.

It's cold today, maybe 40's out.

What ritual should I follow to get this thing to start consistently.

I just choked it and it started after a few tries, idled for a minute, then quit.

Now it won't start weather choked or not.

A guy I know says "pull it off and throw it in the Mississippi, it's junk".

I'm of the opinion that it worked 40 years ago it oughta work now. I want to figure this thing out.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks a billion in advance.

 

[iiggii]

Throw it in the swamp .B = Big dumb carb...

 

[69camfrk]

I can't get my super b carb to run right.

It's cold today, maybe 40's out.

What ritual should I follow to get this thing to start consistently.

I just choked it and it started after a few tries, idled for a minute, then quit.

Now it won't start weather choked or not.

A guy I know says "pull it off and throw it in the Mississippi, it's junk".

I'm of the opinion that it worked 40 years ago it oughta work now. I want to figure this thing out.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks a billion in advance.

I've only had minimal problems with my B on my ironhead Sporty in 25 years. Take the bowl off and make sure everything is good and clean. If it has varnished up a little bit, it will cause the needle to stick in the orifice rendering the bowl float inop. The easiest way to check and see if it's the float/needle, after it quits running, take the plug out of the bottom, and if no fuel, your question has been answered. If not, your mixture setting is probably all wrong and should be set back to factory specs for the carb.What you want to do is warm the engine up, idle 6-800 rpm and turn the idle mixture screw in leaning it until the engines starts to die. Don't turn it too hard in the seat as it will damage shit. Turn it back out richening it until it starts to die. A position about halfway between these points or a setting of about 1/4 to 1/2 a turn out from the lean side of the range is correct. From the fully closed position this is about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 turns. That is straight from the S&S B carb sheet.

 

[amfshovel]

I've dismantled and dipped it within the last two weeks and everything looks good to me.

I'll try to pull the plug and see if by chance there is an issue with the float.

Thanks

 

[69camfrk]

I've dismantled and dipped it within the last two weeks and everything looks good to me.

I'll try to pull the plug and see if by chance there is an issue with the float.

Thanks

I'm pretty curious now! There is not much to these things. If it corroded up really bad though, the passages could be messed up. Hopefully that is not the case. Truth is, they are pretty reliable carbs. They obviously perform better in higher rpm ranges because of no accelerator pump, but on Shovels, they generally work better than on the lower c. i. Sportys.

 

[Dr. Benway]

B = Big dumb carb...

...and thus easy to tune and use.
Make sure you're not leaking air thru the butterfly shaft bore, and follow the baseline tuning info. You'll get it.

Don't forget that most carb problems are ignition problems, and vice versa!

Edit:
Almost forgot...even more than the choke/enrichener, what helps starting with the B is an adjustable idle screw. I made a knurled screw; give it a half or full twist, whatever it wants, and kick. From stone cold my shovel starts on the 3rd kick (hot I'm not as consistent with yet).

 

[amfshovel]

Brand new Crane Hi4 is my attempt to straighten out the ignition. It ran fine two weeks back.

I've been working on switching the front forks back to stock length and rewired battery connections due to different size posts.

The bowl leaked go juice when I loosened.

Spark should be good.

Why on Earth would I go out cold and get it to start on choke, it quits and won't start since.

Mixture screw was out just a hair under 1 1/2 turns to start, have tried 1 1/4, have not tried 1 3/4 yet but why not?

I agree there is nothing to them, and that tuning "should" be simple.

The butterfly "looks" good to me. Before I took it apart and cleaned it I could see a gap, after I cleaned it though I saw no light coming through.


Him telling me my Super B is crap just makes me want to make it run perfect all the more.


Do I need to rejet? I could understand rejetting to make it run perfect, but since it ran two weeks back it seems like there ought to be a way to get it going now.

 

[Loffer]

One of the easiest carbs to make run well. getting it dialed in with the right jets will help. when i did use one I almost never had to use the choke after it was setup right for the bike. check out nightrider.com or S&S tuning directions and start from baseline like said. Check for manifold leaks.

 

[amfshovel]

Guess what. I was just reading this.

http://www.jockeyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=59592

and I saw PETCOCK.

Realized I never turned it on today...........

Won't be able to try again until tomorrow, but I'm pretty damn shore that go cause an issue.

 

[Bodyworx]

"The bowl leaked go juice when I loosened" ..... when the petcock was closed and after dying? Thats a first. you sure about that ?

 

[69camfrk]

Guess what. I was just reading this.

http://www.jockeyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=59592

and I saw PETCOCK.

Realized I never turned it on today...........

Won't be able to try again until tomorrow, but I'm pretty damn shore that go cause an issue.

Yeah, no gas from the tank is usually an issue.

 

[pan620]

gas cap venting properly?

 

[govmule84]

Fuck.

Nothing beats the good feeling of knowing you licked the problem, coupled with the bad feeling of knowing you're a goddamn dimwit.

 

[Richard D]

I have a B on my "77 Sporty. Should I also follow this advice? Would an E with the accelerator pump be better for me? I like that they are shorter.

 

[amfshovel]

I've dun dummer.

Yep, leaked gas when I loosened the bowl.

Wouldn't start for me this morning with the petcock on but it was damn cold so I'll give it a try tonight after work and see.

 

[amfshovel]

Still sucks if it won't start cold. I like to ride year round.

 

[Dr. Benway]

I have a B on my "77 Sporty. Should I also follow this advice? Would an E with the accelerator pump be better for me? I like that they are shorter.

What, turning on the gas before you start? Absolutely.

Regarding the pump, I haven't felt that I need one; and there certainly are lots of carbs out there happily providing fuel that don't have pumps. In the past when I've had E carbs, that pump is usually dialed down pretty low so they just spit a little fuel anyway.

If you've got it in your head that you want an E, just get it. Otherwise, any time you have a problem you and everyone else will be giving that B the stinkeye...

 

[kickstarts]

Halfway down this page is the Super B tuning manual in PDF directly from S&S. I can't think of any better advice. Read it from cover to cover or print it out to have forever. When you're done reading the manual and tuning your carb, you'll be a Super B master.

http://www.sscycle.com/instructions/instructionslist.php?x_cat=24

Great carb, super easy. It has what, 3 moving parts? As long as you have no intake leaks, clean plugs, an ignition system that works correctly and this manual, you'll have no problems.

Oh, and P.S.

A guy I know says "pull it off and throw it in the Mississippi, it's junk".

This guy doesn't know what he's taking about and I wouldn't take any of his advice. If you're gonna throw that carb anywhere, throw it into my yard.

 

[amfshovel]

Thanks for the advice everyone.

Kickstarts, I was reading the manual just before I read this post.

This was my favorite part.....

Cold Starts
1. Open fuel petcock.

mwahahahaha

I'll be working through the entire procedure as soon as I get home tonight.

I was reading this convo earlier http://xlforum.net/vbportal/forums/archive/index.php/t-1197582.html and there are plenty there that agree.

I'll be sticking with the B.

Thanks again.

 

[caveman]

i had one on my shovel and it didn,t work at all, so i bought a rebuildkit and rebuilded the "thing" still didn,t work...after several times being laughed at the pub ,over 50 people or so i pulled it of and trowed it in the farest corner of my garage...
i have to admit when it was runing it was going good and fast...