Nuances
Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2020 5:59 am
I don't think most folks appreciate the level of skill and understanding good mechanics possess. It is probably assumed they are not very sophisticated. When a votech instructor I taught mechanics in the use of laptop computer vehicle diagnostics, quite a common thing now as I am sure many of you know. If fact we dealt with a wide range of computer utilization, including shop management software, manufacture online vehicle database use, and manufacturer training web use. Mechanics aren't dummies.
Further, the awareness of subtlties is not foreign to the mechanic's world. Boat prop rebuilders have to straighten their power shafts on a cloudy day because otherwise the sun brightening and dimming as it does on many ordinary days heats the shaft unevenly and makes straightening within 0.002" impossible. Similarly, I have to wait to bore cylinders til midday when the temperature in the shop is constant. With all the measuring tools changing dimension from morning to afternoon, even in a heated shop, not to mention the pistons growing due to temperature also, it's a challenge. Thus with the gnat's whisker piston-to-cylinder spec Japanese engines are assembled to, it just doesn't do to do this task first thing in the morning.
While carburetors are a little more crude than either of the above things, they too have subtlties that folks are unaware of or do not believe in. I showed you one in a recent article that pointed out the float pivot pins on GL1000 carburetors and their directional bias. There are actually many areas in carburetors that inattention will turn into gotchas. And one that lingers in my thougths right now is carburetor bracketry.
Most carburetor joining brackets for play a larger role than is commonly thought. Owners of V4 Honda carbs seem to not realize that fooling around with the steady plate on the tops of these carbs affects the whole carb set and ruins the careful alignment of the set, making the linkages inoperable and even causing breakage of the delicate carburetors. In fact, carb set bracketry not only provides stability, it also exerts forces on the carb castings that demand very careful assembly to avoid misalignment. I once had a customer insist that one of his brackets being bent, which I apprised him of during the rebuild, could not possibly be the problem he was experiencing with his choke linkage hanging up. But it was, and it happens more often than you might think, especially when someone previously has handled them roughly or worked on them inexpertly.
The brackets on a set of Honda CBX1000 carburetors. Note the massiveness.
Here is a bent bracket. Not very bent though is it?
But it is bent enough that installing it throws off the sensitive alignment of the carb rack.
This causes the choke linkage to bind and malfunction.
Take care and enjoy the holidays!
Further, the awareness of subtlties is not foreign to the mechanic's world. Boat prop rebuilders have to straighten their power shafts on a cloudy day because otherwise the sun brightening and dimming as it does on many ordinary days heats the shaft unevenly and makes straightening within 0.002" impossible. Similarly, I have to wait to bore cylinders til midday when the temperature in the shop is constant. With all the measuring tools changing dimension from morning to afternoon, even in a heated shop, not to mention the pistons growing due to temperature also, it's a challenge. Thus with the gnat's whisker piston-to-cylinder spec Japanese engines are assembled to, it just doesn't do to do this task first thing in the morning.
While carburetors are a little more crude than either of the above things, they too have subtlties that folks are unaware of or do not believe in. I showed you one in a recent article that pointed out the float pivot pins on GL1000 carburetors and their directional bias. There are actually many areas in carburetors that inattention will turn into gotchas. And one that lingers in my thougths right now is carburetor bracketry.
Most carburetor joining brackets for play a larger role than is commonly thought. Owners of V4 Honda carbs seem to not realize that fooling around with the steady plate on the tops of these carbs affects the whole carb set and ruins the careful alignment of the set, making the linkages inoperable and even causing breakage of the delicate carburetors. In fact, carb set bracketry not only provides stability, it also exerts forces on the carb castings that demand very careful assembly to avoid misalignment. I once had a customer insist that one of his brackets being bent, which I apprised him of during the rebuild, could not possibly be the problem he was experiencing with his choke linkage hanging up. But it was, and it happens more often than you might think, especially when someone previously has handled them roughly or worked on them inexpertly.
The brackets on a set of Honda CBX1000 carburetors. Note the massiveness.
Here is a bent bracket. Not very bent though is it?
But it is bent enough that installing it throws off the sensitive alignment of the carb rack.
This causes the choke linkage to bind and malfunction.
Take care and enjoy the holidays!