Remove limiters Zama EL50

[mbrick]

Zama EL50 carb on a 576xp.

Would like to remove the screw limiters, grind off the tab that is limiting the rotation, and reinstall them so I can muffler mod the saw.

They offer 1/2 turn of adjustment now. The cap on the H needle is scraping against the pressed in ball, but the L screw is below it. Not sure if this is expected?

I could try and push out each ball from the inside, but how is the cap held in after that, just o-ring friction? Any good ideas on how to pull on them?

No springs, so the caps need to be reinstalled to keep the screws from vibrating around?

Couldn't find any photos or details for these type of caps. They are not the same as the red plastic ones on Stihl saws.

 

[mbrick]

Spent some time with this and wanted to give an update. One of the caps was not installed correctly and the retaining ball was digging into it and keeping the H needle from moving correctly within the allotted 1/2 turn, so I definitely wanted to address that. Now I can also muffler mod and know it isn't too lean.

Easy to push the small brass retaining balls through and out. The caps are hammered onto the needles and the outer profile of the needle digs into the cap. Once one cap was removed after some work with a pick, it was easy to reach in and remove the second one.

You can also see how the 1/2 turn limit mechanism works with the post on the cap and post in the bore.

It's hard to see but there is a yellow seal down in the bore for the needle so I do NOT think they will vibrate loose. One could also modify and then reinstall the caps with o-rings to be safe.

Also, rebuilt with a genuine Zama rebuild kit (made in China) RB-130, about $11.
Be sure to follow the manual instructions and set the metering lever flush with the carb body using a straight edge. The old one was flush and the new one was WAY off, at least 1mm sub flush. Also surprised to see how soft the steel is, the metering level has a deep indentation worn in it from the diaphragm. I've removed parts from 15+ year old Japanese Mikuni carbs and they look new...
No obvious issues but the new parts are definitely fresher. The pump side was a bit gross.

If you remove the H and L needles, the longer needle is L incase you mix them up.

A few photos to help anyone else out that was looking for this info since I couldn't find any details previously: