How to remove vacuum caps?

[Hypersthene]

Well here comes a stupid one...

It seems like this should be so easy. I can get the vacuum hose off #4 no problem, and the cap on #3 is easy enough to reach and pull off, but I'm having a heck on a time grabbing the caps on #1 and 2. I've been trying with needlenose pliers (yes, this resulted in tearing one, but it's probably worth replacing the whole set anyway). Any tips on how to get these off? I'm taking them off to synch the carbs, by the way.

[Hypersthene]

Solved my own problem...turns out the best way to do it is to go inside, go online, complain about how hard it is, then get a beer from the fridge and get back to work at it with needlenose pliers and a fine screwdriver.

However, now that I have your captive attention, how on earth am I ever going to get them back on? Does it help to apply a little drop of oil to slide them on?

[ctandc]

Go to your local Autozone / Advance Auto. Spend $7 on a little plastic case which has about 50 different little vacuum caps and plugs. It has 6 or 7 that are the perfect size for the vacuum ports and they are tight enough they don't need clamps to hold 'em on.


HTH

Chris

[steves]

I use forceps to remove them....
never had a problem getting them back on...

[Hypersthene]

Thanks Chris; I went out and found just what you described and they worked perfectly. Surprisingly, they went on much more easily than they came off. Probably a function of very old, somewhat gooey rubber.

As for you steves, you're probably just cleverer than me.

[md86]

Yet another reason why the 98+ Kats suck compared to the pres ..... I don't know WHY they thought it'd be a good idea to put the synch ports in such a tough spot to get to .

[The CyberPoet]

I use forceps to remove them....
never had a problem getting them back on...

+1
I use forceps both taking them off and putting the clamps back on ( 98+ ).

I posted this in another thread, so I might as well repost it:
Here's a set of a dozen of them for $10:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=270166087083

And here's a perfect candidate (8" curved):
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=280153251139

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[GregS]

Any rubber cap or hose will go back on with the best lube in the world which we all carry with us all the time. It's in your mouth and we call it spit. The benefits of spit over an oil is the spit dissolves whereas oil will soak into the rubber and cause it to not stick. Then if your motor backfires or sputters it stands a good chance of blowing the cap off.

[The CyberPoet]

Actually, the best lube in the world for vacuum caps is called Castrol Red Rubber Grease
It's a special grease formulated for rubber products that lubes and restores some VOC's to the rubber, helping it extend it's lifespan and keeping it pliable. Unfortunately, it's not normally sold in the USA... but I do keep a 1 lb vat of it here (thanks to the KR members who scored it for me) and will send out small batches of it to those who need some (enough to last you through a couple carb rebuilds plus a few brake rebuilds).

Second best is, oddly, the oil from the skin on your nose (thanks to SpecialK for the tip).

Spit comes somewhere further down the list

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[[email protected]]

if one of the vac cap is missing... will it have a impact on how the bike is running.

I have one cap missing and so far the bike runs fine

i was synced the carbs and int he processes i lost one of the vaccum cap

oh i have a 97 kat 600

[Hypersthene]

A missing vacuum cap will definitely affect how the bike runs. It means too much air gets into that carb, screwing up the fuel/air mixture in that cylinder (and possibly sucking dust/dirt/debris into the carb through the vac port). The bike will still run, but it will run a lot better with all three vacuum caps intact. Do like Chris said; go to autozone/partsource/whatever and pick up a pack of vacuum caps for a few bucks (I got a pack for $5). A fast, easy fix.

[md86]

Yeah , if your bike seems to run fine with a missing cap , either your butt-dyno is off , or aliens have tinkered with it . Mine wouldn't idle so well with a missing cap . Would die at lights unless I stayed on the throttle . FELT like it ran mostly ok for the most part other than that . Vibrated a bit more .

[The CyberPoet]

the 98+ models are less sensitive to missing one cap (or having a torn one), but the plug will still foul, and the engine won't run quite as smoothly as it should.

Auto parts store - vac caps. They're $2 around here for a pack of four.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[Newbie2it]

On a side note, If you, Like me, seem to be suffering from vac port rubbers that love to blow off whenever they feel like playing musical caps agianst the bottom of your gas tank. One solution I've recently found that has worked wonderfully so far is a small peice of duct tape over the port, then shove on the rubber. ;Þ

Seems that the wonderous combo of the glue on the tape add enough friction to help keep them in place without clamps.

[Teh_K]

I guess I'm the only one who actually takes the carbs off to get at those caps

Just undo the 2 screws securing the seat bracket to the frame and the 4 clamp rings that snug over the carb fittings, and pull 'em out. (I guess you have to undo the breather hose too...)

I figure it's just as much time (or less) than messing around with needlenose pliers - but I haven't tried the forceps...