Idle adjuster spring bound...
 

I have a 2004 EC300 with the standard PWK38 AS1 carb.

I've heard many other people say their idle adjustment is screwed in almost as far as it will go, mine is the same. This makes adjusting the idle difficult as it's spring bound and I need to use a screwdriver rather than just my fingers.

Wanted to ask if anyone has tried cut some off and shortening the spring? If so did it help?

Thanks and all the best, Dave.

try adjusting the air screw might help to higher the idle

I'd shortened the spring a little bit but getting a better needle altered it back so it ran better at closed throttle and hence idled faster.

I have the same deal on my 04 300 with an RB modded carb. Started with a 45 pilot jet, no idle no matter what I did. Went to a 42, would barely idle sometimes. Went to a 40 and now it will idle very low, but the spring is still nearly bound.

The mixture screw does not seem to affect the idle, if at all. Off idle, yes, but idle no.

I'm trying to decide whether I should go to a 38 pilot or perhaps a #8 cutaway on the slide.

I think the needle base diameter does play into the idle mixture. I have the same problem on one bike and when I swapped needles to one that had a leaner (thicker) base diameter, I needed to drop the slide several turns with the plastic idle stop screw.

The typical carb chart we were all shown as novices explains a carb with an appropriate needle. Make the needle too skinny at closed throttle and big wet drops slip past when it should be the fine atomic spray from the pilot jet controlling things.

My idle screw was usually buried too, until I got a Suzuki NExx needle and a matching pilot jet! Now it's nowhere near in as far with a much more predictable idle and jetting. The oem needles leave SO MUCH on the table.