70s Golden Bee not running

Mudhen wrote:It's possible the reed is not sealing, the tank is not sealing, needle valve/fuel nipple is clogged, or the needle valve is dirty or bent.
~Reed: Insert the reed with the horizontal bar on the circlip facing out. Insert the reed housing in your mouth - yes, you read that correctly- and apply gentle pressure against the reed. It should seal. If it whistles, or air leaks, that face of the reed which seats against the inlet should be cleaned and polished. Also, lightly polish the reed seat. Insert the reed again to see if it seals. With the reed inserted, gently shake the tank. The reed should be loose. If not - set a piece of 400 grit sand paper on a flat level surface. Place the retainer against the surface with the horizontal portion of the clip facing up. Gently pull the clip along the sand paper, rotate 180 degrees and do it again, rotate it 90 degrees and do it again, rotate it another 180 degrees and do it again. The object is to create a even, flat surface. But you don't want to remove so much metal that it becomes useless. Wash it and reinstall. If the reed is not loose, sand it again.
~Tank not sealing: Clean the knife edge seals of both tank halves with ultra fine steel wool (#XXXX). Then, pour Novus #3 into the tank front seal. Gently hold the two halves of the tank together and rotate back and forth. After a few turns, it should feel smooth and have an even seal around the circumference of the knive edges. Wash the parts.
~Needle valve fuel nipple clogged: First - thoroughly clean the tank back with rubbing alcohol and a tooth brush. Remove as much gunk as possible. Tear a small piece of super fine steel wool and roll it between your fingers then "thread" it into the needle valve opening. Thread it all the way down, then continue to turn it in the same direction as the threads, (clockwise.) This will clean the threads and the seat. Then - using .008 wire, (guitar string) insert the wire into the needle valve hole until you can see it just penetrating the venturi hole in the center of the fuel tank-back. Move it in and out to make sure the hole is clean. Then insert the wire into the fuel pick-up nipple. It should penetrate all the way through to the needle valve opening. After this, roll a small piece of steel wool between your fingers then "roll" it into the nipple. Continue to roll it until it is smooth. Also, use the steel wool to clean the outer surface of the nipple. Then blast it with compy air. Also blast the needle valve opening with compy air, or you can flush it out under running water. If you do flush it out, though, still blast it with compy air to make sure excess steel wool is removed and that the various openings are clean.
~Needle valve: Inspect the tip to make sure it is straight and thoroughly clean the needle to make sure that both the threads and tip are clean.
If this doesn't work, let me know.
Mud

cribbs74 wrote:

Mudhen wrote:It's possible the reed is not sealing, the tank is not sealing, needle valve/fuel nipple is clogged, or the needle valve is dirty or bent.
~Reed: Insert the reed with the horizontal bar on the circlip facing out. Insert the reed housing in your mouth - yes, you read that correctly- and apply gentle pressure against the reed. It should seal. If it whistles, or air leaks, that face of the reed which seats against the inlet should be cleaned and polished. Also, lightly polish the reed seat. Insert the reed again to see if it seals. With the reed inserted, gently shake the tank. The reed should be loose. If not - set a piece of 400 grit sand paper on a flat level surface. Place the retainer against the surface with the horizontal portion of the clip facing up. Gently pull the clip along the sand paper, rotate 180 degrees and do it again, rotate it 90 degrees and do it again, rotate it another 180 degrees and do it again. The object is to create a even, flat surface. But you don't want to remove so much metal that it becomes useless. Wash it and reinstall. If the reed is not loose, sand it again.
~Tank not sealing: Clean the knife edge seals of both tank halves with ultra fine steel wool (#XXXX). Then, pour Novus #3 into the tank front seal. Gently hold the two halves of the tank together and rotate back and forth. After a few turns, it should feel smooth and have an even seal around the circumference of the knive edges. Wash the parts.
~Needle valve fuel nipple clogged: First - thoroughly clean the tank back with rubbing alcohol and a tooth brush. Remove as much gunk as possible. Tear a small piece of super fine steel wool and roll it between your fingers then "thread" it into the needle valve opening. Thread it all the way down, then continue to turn it in the same direction as the threads, (clockwise.) This will clean the threads and the seat. Then - using .008 wire, (guitar string) insert the wire into the needle valve hole until you can see it just penetrating the venturi hole in the center of the fuel tank-back. Move it in and out to make sure the hole is clean. Then insert the wire into the fuel pick-up nipple. It should penetrate all the way through to the needle valve opening. After this, roll a small piece of steel wool between your fingers then "roll" it into the nipple. Continue to roll it until it is smooth. Also, use the steel wool to clean the outer surface of the nipple. Then blast it with compy air. Also blast the needle valve opening with compy air, or you can flush it out under running water. If you do flush it out, though, still blast it with compy air to make sure excess steel wool is removed and that the various openings are clean.
~Needle valve: Inspect the tip to make sure it is straight and thoroughly clean the needle to make sure that both the threads and tip are clean.
If this doesn't work, let me know.
Mud

Excellent post Mud!

Very informative and thorough. That deserves a rep point or two......