Air box / Carb issues

[eviljim]

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I cleaned my carb last night. When putting in back on. I had massive issues getting the air box back on the carb cleanly. Two of us where trying without any susses. Even with the carb and air box off trying to get it to fit together was impossible, the air box was just the wrong shape. Think of the air box as cone and the carb as a glass, doing up the clip would just make the glass (carb) shoot out of the cone (air box). I know a pic would be better.
I suspect it has either been damaged and got worse over time or always been bad from the factory.
I am thinking of trying to heat up the air box to try and reshape it or make a cover to go over the mess, with an old inner tube or the like.
I don't want to have to buy a new air box
Is this common fault.

Oh my bike is a 2006 EC 300.

Caravan monster if you read this your input would be very welcome. ( I don?t see this as bad to you in anyway)

 

[eff]

Heat the air boot with a heat gun or bike the bike into the house and let it warm up so that it will be more pliable.

 

[GMP]

Once the carb is on and everything lined up and tight, heat it up again, the entire airboot. When it cools it will take a set to the proper position. Makes subsequent R&R a bit easier.

 

[eviljim]

Makes subsequent R&R a bit easier.

What is R&R

 

[Brian VT]

What is R&R

I'd guess removal and replacement.

 

[lindsey97]

please tell us the proper tool to heat the airboot with. brand would be great. i have an oxy act. torch but im guessing this will be a tad too much.

 

[Caravan Monster]

Hi Jim, it is a little tricky to get the carb / airbox back together. I do this job by removing the top two bolts on the subframe and swinging the whole assembly down so the airbox / carb joint opens up. That way, when re-assembling, you can fix the carb to the engine side boot first and then bring the airbox boot up to the carb with a pivoting motion to close the joint.

Was it very cold where you were working on the bike ? It sounds as if something is going wrong if the carb and airbox won't join when removed from the bike. Maybe try taking the carb and airbox indoors and allow them to warm up to room temperature first. Airbox and carb boots do tend to get more brittle and inflexible with age, but an '06 should still be ok; I've just worked on two twenty year old hondas that were hard work in this department, but still went together ok.

 

[eviljim]

Thanks all.
Plan of action is take the air box off. Get It very warm. Get the carb off the bike, fit it to the air box, Heet some more. This should get it to re mould a little. Let it cool then put it all back together, may be with some more warmth.

I may take some pics.

 

[eviljim]

All is now good.
So I took the air box off, nice opertunity to give it a good clean. Put the duct in hot water for a bit then attached the carb and let it go cold on the bench.
This pretty much sorted the problem. Put it all back together heating it all up with a heat gun. Now all fits like a dream.