Fuel air mix screw. confirmation of a theory...

I put pod filters on my LTD400. Did a rejet. Replaced all sorts of other crap and she starts fine. However she will only idle with choke fully on. So out of curiosity I checked the mix screws on the carbs. On one side they were screwed out 6 and a half turns, on the other 8 and a half. I screwed them in and set 'em at 2 and a quarter turns each but my gas tank is empty. Can I assume the previous owner had this set for waaaaay too much air? How dramatic is an extra half dozen turns on that screw? Advice would be appreciated.

I think the kz400 had fuel mixture screws not air mixture screws but I'm not sure. If the mixture screw is on the engine side of the carburetor (between the engine and the slide) then it controls the amount of fuel in the idle circuit. If it is on the air filter side (between the air filter and the slide) it controls the amount of air in the idle circuit. Fuel mixture screws have a fairly sharp pointed tip. Air mixture screws are kind of blunt. One and a half to one and three quarters turns out are typical settings for fuel screws. Two to three turns out are typical setting for air screws. With a fuel screw, the further out you turn in the richer the idle circuit becomes. With an air screw, the further out you turn it the leaner the idle circuit becomes. I hope this helps.

Thanks for the reply. My carbs, like most of the parts on my bike, are from a different model, the B1 and C1 models which are fitted with a pilot air screw on the side of the carb, marked 53 on this diagram

According to the Haynes they should be between 1 and a quarter and one and a half turns out. Hence my curiosity as to the amount of air being permitted in with the ridiculous amount of turns the previous owner had done.

maybe p/o didn,t know much,,, about bikes and thought more was better,,,

Dude seemed to be on the ball on some aspects, mostly making non stock shit work ling enough to sell it to me, and way off on others....