1984 200es carb help

[King Trikester]

I picked up a 1984 200es the other day, its in good mechanical condition just a few cosmetic issues. it came straight piped when i bought it so I threw on a DG exhaust system i had lying around. I cleaned the carb today and took out the screw on the bottom with the spring behind it without counting how many turns it was. what is this screw for and how should it be adjusted. the engine idles good, it has less power than it did before i cleaned the carb, and when i let off the throttle it idles high for a couple seconds before it goes to a normal idle.

[kb0nly]

Thats the mixture screw... Its detailed in the manual how to set it, check the link in my signature below to get the service manual.

Get it adjusted right and you should be ok. The slow return to idle could be an air leak though, did you replace the o-ring on the front of the carb that seals it to the intake?

[King Trikester]

Ok thanks, I did not put a new o ring in it but I meant to, I will have to put one in tomorow and that would make sense because it seems to me like its starving for full, running lean but not sputtering or anything. For now I have the mixture screw Out 2 turns, I will have to read the manual tomorow I can't access it right now

[kb0nly]

Ok, thats a very common problem because the o-rings harden with age and you pull the carb and put it back on and it doesn't seal back up. If you took the intake off the head replace that o-ring as well. 1-1/2 to 2 turns is about average for them, i generally just get it warmed up then turn it in slowly until it starts to die out and then turn it back out until it does the same and then set it to the middle of those two points. But even then i will take it for a ride and then check the spark plug to see what i got for color.

[King Trikester]

Ok, I put in a new o ring, and it helped a lot, I will have to play with the pilot screw some other day because I go back to Work for a week. It's a lot better but still not the right mixture but I will get it. I had a blast with the old girl today, I took it up the creek at my parents place where I grew up, lets just say I wish I had a go pro, I made it way farther than I ever did on the 89 300 fortrax with mud bugs all around that I grew up on. I am really impressed with the old girl she really performed for me, it's a gnarly creek with huge boulders and obstacles to over come. Wish list is a go pro and a winch

[kb0nly]

Awesome! So is the return to idle better now? When you get back to it read the plug, if you learn to tune an engine by reading the plug thats the best way to get them.

[King Trikester]

Ok so I haven't had time to look at it yet, I will read the plug tomorow, I've got a newb question what way do you turn the Pilot screw to make it run rich? My un educated guess would be out would make it run more rich? Some one please correct me if I'm wrong

[Lockjaw]

I've been told out. I put a new mikuni on my 200s and it seems to work the other way. In makes it rich, out makes it lean.

[kb0nly]

On the 200ES its out for richer... Here is how you know for the future...

If the mixture screw is on the airbox side of the carb, it is an air screw which means it adjusts how much air goes past it, and if it is on the side closest to the engine it is a fuel screw and so it adjusts how much fuel goes past it. So if its an air screw you turn it out for leaner and in for richer, if its a fuel screw its out for richer and in for leaner.

[King Trikester]

Thank you I believe i am lean, that's what it seems like to me, it won't idle unless I open the air screw, then that makes it Rev to hight at an idle I just wasn't sure wich way to turn the fuel screw, I will have to adjust it and read the plug, thank You for your help

[kb0nly]

If adjusting it and reading the plug still shows your lean continue looking for leaks. The o-ring on the front of the intake to the head if you havent replaced that also, i know you replaced the one on the carb. Could also be the cap on the top of the carb that the throttle cable goes through, there is a rubber gasket on that as well, if thats leaking that will suck in extra air also.

[Lockjaw]

On the 200ES its out for richer... Here is how you know for the future...

If the mixture screw is on the airbox side of the carb, it is an air screw which means it adjusts how much air goes past it, and if it is on the side closest to the engine it is a fuel screw and so it adjusts how much fuel goes past it. So if its an air screw you turn it out for leaner and in for richer, if its a fuel screw its out for richer and in for leaner.

OK mine is on the engine side and it lean spits if I turn it out, and stops if I turn it in. Go figure. But it is a mikuni not a stock carb.