EVERYTHING
YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT JETS
Do I get air miles when I
re-jet?
Not likely.
To re-jet or not to re-jet?
That is the question. Whether I'm at school, in the shop, or answering
e-mail, the question of jetting is the question most often asked.
First
of all, what are jets?
|
This
pic shows the carb (inverted) sans float bowl. |
A Jet is a type of propulsion
system, predominantly used on most modern aircraft ..... Actually, Jets
(as used in a motorcycle) are the parts in the carburetors that determine
how much gasoline (brought up from the float bowls) is allowed to mix
with the incoming air to give the correct air/fuel ratio for proper
combustion.
The jets are screwed into
the bottom of the carburetor body, just above the float bowl (the bowl
must be removed to access them). They are made of brass with a very
precise hole drilled through the middle, with the size of the jet, (based
on the diameter of the drilling) stamped into the top or the side. The
higher the number, the bigger the hole, and the greater the volume of
fuel flow. On most carburetors there are two jets, one (called the pilot)
which controls fuel flow at low engine speeds and the other (called
the main) which controls fuel flow at higher engine speeds.
So when
would one re-jet a set of carburetors on a motorcycle?
If the bike is completely
original, without any modifications, then you wouldn't need to change
jetting. It's only when changes to the intake (i.e. nonstandard air
filters) or exhaust systems are made that re-jetting may be required.
However, the replacement of
a muffler alone with a comparable aftermarket type does not usually
require re-jetting. It's only when the entire exhaust system is being
substituted for a high performance one that jetting work will likely
have to be done.
Why do
these changes require jetting?
|
Twin
carbs stripped of their jets. |
When the bike was designed,
the folks doing the work built the engine, fuel, and exhaust systems
to work together in order to produce the desired performance characteristics,
as well as to meet all the legal standards of many different countries.
When we take it upon ourselves
to change any part of that power family we also have to adjust the rest
of the system to work with our new addition. A good analogy would be
that one day you decide to build up those biceps, so you begin to lift
weights. By lifting the new heavy loads you begin to tear down muscle
tissue. This tearing down of tissue causes the body to repair itself
with new muscle tissue. In order for this to happen your body will need
more and better fuel. If you continue to guzzle beer and eat a steady
diet of French fries your body cannot rebuild the muscle, so the damage
does not get repaired. You may think your doing this great performance-enhancing
thing for your body, when in fact you're only working harder and may
even be doing more harm than good.
The same holds true for your
motorcycle. By adding a performance pipe or air filter and not compensating
for the change you may be robbing it of performance instead of adding
to it. You may also be doing some serious damage to engine.
|
And
here with have a lurvely 4 into 1 system (circa 1972). |
When you add a performance
air filter it is generally less restrictive than the stock one. This
allows more air/oxygen to pass through it and into the carburetors.
By adding more oxygen (but not any additional fuel) you will lean out
your air fuel ratio. The leaner the mixture, the hotter and more erratic
the engine will run.
Changing the stock exhaust
system in favour of a high performance header will also necessitate
re-jetting the carburetors but for different reasons. When a manufacturer
designs an exhaust system to meet several international noise standards,
they usually do so at the cost of some performance. Adding a performance
pipe offers less restriction to the exiting burnt gasses, usually resulting
in more noise than the stock, but also a gain in peak horsepower. By
fitting a well designed and less restrictive aftermarket system you
not only better utilise the pressure pulses in the pipe (which help
with the extraction of the exhaust gas from the cylinder) but you also
exhaust the gasses more efficiently (meaning that less burnt gas remains
in the cylinder to dilute the next fresh charge).
Although it may not seem
linked, this does ultimately effect the intake system, usually requiring
a richening of the mixture.
How can
jetting solve this problem?
|
Removing
the main jet .. |
By increasing the size of
the main jet, we increase the amount of fuel in the air/fuel mixture
that's being burnt in the cylinders. By increasing the gasoline content
you make the oxygen in the mixture lesser than the stock mixture. Less
oxygen, or more fuel in this case, the cooler the engine will run. Also
by increasing the quantity of mixture being burnt you get a more powerful
burn in the cylinder and an increase in the performance of the machine.
To compensate for this we
increase the size of the main jet. A good rule of thumb when changing
the air filter OR exhaust system is to increase the jet size by 10%.
So if the main jet is a 95 then 10% would add 9.5 to the jet size, giving
you 104.5. Since jets generally come in increments of 2.5,
you'd have to settle for a 105. If you change both the air filter and
exhaust then you're probably safe to start at the 15 - 20% increase
zone.
Note - It's always best to
go a bit higher than too low. By opting for a 10% increase you're likely
to be adding a bit too much fuel, making for a rich mixture. Slightly
rich is much less harmful to an engine than a lean mix, which runs hot
and can cause seizure or even melting of the piston!
So how do you know if you
have it right? Because you can't actually see what's going on in your
engine while it's running we have to rely on an accessible observer
- the spark plug. The spark plug is the window to viewing the internal
combustion characteristics of your motor.
The plug
chop
|
Plug
colours (left to right) - Rich, normal and weak (click for bigger
pics). |
You've just installed a new
performance air filter and/or exhaust system. Presuming the bike starts,
allow the bike to warm up normally, no zoom zoom, and take it for a
good run - 20 to 30 km should do it. Find a straight stretch of road
(a steady incline, is preferred but not essential) and kick the bike
up to a high gear and open it up. As it revs out, release the throttle,
pull in the clutch and kill the engine. Pull over and remove a plug.
Warning - The plug
will be HOT! Use gloves.
Have a look at the business
end of the plug; it's the end where the spark occurs. If all is well
in the motor the end of the plug should be a tan colour. If the engine
is still getting too much air then the plug end will be whitish in colour.
If you're getting too much fuel, then the colour will be black. All
this is assuming your engine is in good shape and not suffering from
old age or oil consumption. These conditions will effect the colour
of the plug and may give you inaccurate readings.
How do
I change the jets?
In order to change the jets
you must remove the carburetors from the bike. Once removed the float
bowls must be removed to access the jets. The main jet is the located
in the middle of the carburetor body and is the one that has the needle
running into the tube that the jet screws into. Jets can be purchased
from a local motorcycle shop and is usually done on an exchange basis.
They range in price from $5.00-$15.00 each depending on the type and
machine.
Because the carbs have to
come out each time the jets are worked, this is why it can get very
expensive in a short amount of time. Carburetors are generally a pain
in the ass to get at and to remove, and jetting is not an exact science
to boot. It might take several attempts before the bike runs really
well.
Is this
what they call a Jet Kit?
No, a jet kit is an entire
kit that changes how the carburetor performs. The main jets are changed
along with the needles and slide springs. Air holes are drilled out
while others have restricters installed. Some kits will come with a
modified performance air filter as well. These kits run upwards from
about $160.00 each and you may need to have the bike run on a Dyno Machine
to find out where the performance lapses, (flat spots) if any may be.
That will run you a pretty penny.
I think I'll get a fender
sticker that'll read;
WANT
TO INSTALL A JET KIT? DON'T DO IT! STOP ME AND ASK WHY
Oh my poor ZX-7, now the
gas tank is leaking...
Thanks for reading, Sonic.
Terms:
Lean, too much air or not
enough fuel in the mixture.
Rich, too much fuel or not
enough air in the mixture.
Quick
observations:
Bags
of black smoke from the pipe: Too Rich
A white smoke from the pipe:
Too Lean
Head pipes turning blue
very quickly: Too Lean
Popping and farting from
the pipe: Too Lean, possible air leak in the intake system
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