XF200 carb boots?

[dmmcd]

My brother's XF has a rough idle. We adjusted the valves last night and after some playing discovered that he has a leaky carb boot between the air filter and the carb. I didn't take it all apart to see where it is leaking, or if it is a big crack, but I did try to re-seal the band clamp on the carb. Is it possible to get new boots or should we just take it apart and glob it up with RTV?

I tried looking on the Qlink store site, but they don't have parts breakdown, and I didn't see any carb boots.

[Weldangrind]

I'd certainly try black RTV. Just get the repair area as clean as possible, and the RTV should stick just fine.

[FastDoc]

That will work but is not pretty if that matters. Another member had a similar problem but I don't remember who. I recall the Suzuki unit will NOT fit and one shouyld be ordered from Q. You will have to call as it's not on the website. IIRC. :wink:

[david3921]

That was me, Doc. But it was the intake between the carb and the head; a lot more critical. I got it from Qlink shipped for $45. I bought another type from JCWhitney for $15 that I can convert if I need another one.

Take the failed intake to an auto supply and see if you can get a gas filler neck hose of the same inside diameter. Others are using these for intake carb boots and are working well. All you are looking for is a path for the clean air to get to the carb. It's one of the supports for the carb so the stronger the better. Radiator hose might work well also.

[2LZ]

A lot of good ideas here...but what Im curious about is unless it's sucked in some dirt or something, why would a cracked boot between the air box and carb cause a rough idle? It's not a sealed vacuum area.
I suspect this may not be the end of the search.....

[Weldangrind]

Could it be that it's just way too lean because of the crack? I'd expect that the carb is jetted to suit a restrictive airbox, and then a sudden inrush of air would alter the mixture.

Only guessing.

[dmmcd]

Could it be that it's just way too lean because of the crack? I'd expect that the carb is jetted to suit a restrictive airbox, and then a sudden inrush of air would alter the mixture.

Only guessing.

That's my guess too, but if I spray carb cleaner around the boot, the idle picks up. If I press with my hands around the boot, the idle picks up and smooths out. I think it is adjusted for drawing through the air filter, and if it gets unrestricted air coming in, it leans out the mixture.

[Weldangrind]

Another thought I had is to use self-vulcanizing rubber tape. If you can take the boot off and wrap around it, the rubber tape should do a nice job of sealing the crack.

[SpudRider]

Could it be that it's just way too lean because of the crack? I'd expect that the carb is jetted to suit a restrictive airbox, and then a sudden inrush of air would alter the mixture.

Only guessing.

That's my guess too, but if I spray carb cleaner around the boot, the idle picks up. If I press with my hands around the boot, the idle picks up and smooths out. I think it is adjusted for drawing through the air filter, and if it gets unrestricted air coming in, it leans out the mixture.
I agree with both of you. ;) Constant velocity (CV) carburetors are sensitive to changes in the airbox. If the boot from the air box is cracked, the air box is altered, or one installs a pod air filter, it is very likely the operation of a CV carburetor will be affected. ;)

Spud :)

[FastDoc]

Another thought I had is to use self-vulcanizing rubber tape. If you can take the boot off and wrap around it, the rubber tape should do a nice job of sealing the crack.

That wouldn't look bad either. I've seen that type of tape for sale at the local hardware store.

[dmmcd]

Another thought I had is to use self-vulcanizing rubber tape. If you can take the boot off and wrap around it, the rubber tape should do a nice job of sealing the crack.

I don't think I've seen that before, I'll have to keep an eye out for it. Thanks.

[Weldangrind]

It's unique, because it doesn't stick to anything but itself.