GS1100E started pinging

[TomE]

Well, the GS is running and,at least at the start of my run, running well. I took it out on a 200 mile ride today. I found plenty of twistys and got to know a bit about how it handles, brakes and goes. Very well, for all of the above, I must say!

But at about the 100 mile mark, the bike started pinging at slow speeds. It seems that whenever I was under 40 mph and 4000 rpm, it would ping.

I filled up at the start of the ride with Chevron regular, a gas I have used before with no ill effect. At the end of the ride, I filled up with Chevron Supreme, and ran it 4 miles or so to make sure I had new gas in the carbs. The bike pinged less when using Supreme, but it still pinged.

What's going on?

I would be glad to retard the timing a bit. The bike has plenty of power, and power to burn.

I did get 60 mpg, so I might be running lean? The exhaust pipes are not bluing, so it's not running very lean, if at all. And why would the mixture change half way through a ride anyway?

[posplayr]

I did get 60 mpg, so I might be running lean? The exhaust pipes are not bluing, so it's not running very lean, if at all. And why would the mixture change half way through a ride anyway?

That is scary......

maybe carbs got jets clogged. Do you run a filter?

[Guest]

What was the temp gauge registering when it began pinging? The bike could have begun overheating . 60mpg is way too much for an 1100E.....they were rated around 45mpg with factory-stock jetting, so it may well be super lean as is.....checked plug colour lately?

[TomE]

Let's see... Yes, I do use a filter. It's a small little conical thing that is also used for small motors. I have drained the tank through it on several occasions, and I think it has good flow. Or at least, it had good flow last time I checked.

I was having lean surge problems at high speed, but replacing the entire petcock fixed that.

Temp gauge? Sorry, not on this bike.

I just had an idea, went out in the garage and looked, and sure enough, the vacuum line from #2 carb to the petcock, on the carb end, had slipped up 1/4 inch. It does not want to go all the way down when putting the tank back on, and apparently does not want to stay put, either. Would a leaky vacuum line do something like this to me?

I can't pull the plugs tonight. My daughter has 18 of her closest friends over and they have even taken over the garage! Guess the plugs will have to wait.

[Big T]

Tom

A vacuum leak will definately make it ping. I'd just get a new piece of vacuum line, the old one's probably hard

And, show us the color of your plugs

I wouldn't mess with the timing, other than to confirm it's correct

I'd say we should go for a ride, but I'm in Wyoming this AM!

[TomE]

OK, I was able to get back to the Garage tonight.

Poking around, I found that the foam air filter was completely dry. I don't know if it needs oil. like my other one, but it got doused with air filter oil that was intended for a K&N in my other bike. It must have done something because the idle speed slowed down.

I also changed the petcock vacuum line.

The bike still pings, as bad as ever.

I checked the plugs. They are a light gray. On this page:

http://www.dansmc.com/spark_plugs/spark_plugs_catalog.html

The color best matches number 27. The plugs are nothing like as bad as the one in the picture, they are fairly new, but the color matches.

I tried waving an unlit propane torch around the rubber tubes between the carbs and the head. Nothing. No idle speed up or any effect at all.

This bike is not ready for that ride to California I want to take. Darn.

Any suggestions?

[TomE]

Well, I slept on it and came up with a few things to try.

First, when I oiled the foam filter, the idle went down about 500 rpm. I don't know if the filter should have been oiled, but the experiment shows that I don't have any significant leaks in the intake system. If I did, it would have showed up as either less effect or an unbalanced idle.

Second, after the filter oiling, the plugs show even temperatures. The two middle plugs are slightly hotter than the outer plugs. That makes sense. Also, I don't have a problem with balance. That tends to make me think, again, that I don't have any intake leaks.

The pinging shows up at low throttle settings and low rpm. If it's not an intake leak or a filter issue, my next thought is the idle mixture settings. I know they have a large effect on the mixture at low throttle settings from my work on my '75 Goldwing.

Those idle mixture set screws still have the factory caps on them. The guy who rebuilt the carbs could not have cleaned it all that throughly. I think it's time to take those caps off and see what is in there. Some carb cleaner in that opening won't hurt, either.

Any recommendations for setting the idle mixture other than "Tune for peak rpm?"

[BassCliff]

Hi,

Those inconsistent, intermittent little issues can make your bike no fun to ride. Sometimes the only way to take care of those issues is to just fix it right, rip it all out, and replace everything that should be replaced. For example, see my Air Intake Repair guide.

About the only way to be absolutely sure you have no air intake leaks is to replace the intake boots, O-rings, airbox boots, and seal the airbox. Spraying various things around the intake boots will not find the small leaks that affect the engine at operating speeds and temperatures. Please forgive me if you've heard all this before. I do not know the history of your bike or the work you've done to it since you acquired it. Check the READ ME page on my little website for a complete list of tasks that must be done to ensure a properly running GS, or at least have a reliable baseline for further troubleshooting.

As for your air filter (What filter do you have?), both the UNI filter and the K&N filter should be lightly oiled. Too much oil can cause your motor to starve for air. I agree that 60 mpg is a bit much for your bike.

Yes, you cannot properly clean the carbs without removing the idle mixture screw caps along with the adjustment screws and O-rings underneath. CLICK HERE to find the proper way to clean your carbs.

Besides the "highest idle method", you can also set the idle mixture screws using a Colortune from Morgan, the Carbtune people.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[davel]

Have you checked the timing advance weights? If they're stuck open, the engine will ping at low RPM.

[1150bob]

Have you checked the timing advance weights? If they're stuck open, the engine will ping at low RPM.

What he said!

[Guest]

Pinging is either too much advance, bad gas and/or too hot (lean)
Check the advance as adviced
Check for air leaks
Check for clogged pilot jets or idle mixture screw passages
Shim the needle to richen it
Retard the timing if ness

[TomE]

Timing weights? Sounds like a good idea. Let me go check.

Bummer. They are fine. In fact, they look showroom new. This bike has been cared for and it shows in all sorts of odd places.

I ordered a set of the rubber pipes that go between the carbs and the head, just because I feel I need to replace something. Anything.

My bike does not have the o-rings CliffBass talks about. The tube from the head is part of the head casting. So at least it's not o-rings.