Gasoline in crankcase!!! HELP!!

[AG GL]

Greetings to all as I post my first.
Just obtained a 1980 GS850G in very good condition cosmetically speaking. Bought it from a guy that said he purchased it some time ago and had an oil leak issue at the front of the engine (he never even got as far as getting his new title converted from the transferred title) . I just placed a fresh battery in it and drained oil tainted gasoline from the crankcase. The bike has been sitting for quite awhile though I can't say now exactly how long. Inside of the tank is spotless and bone dry.
So the question- can this gasoline have drained somehow through the carbs over time? Kinda like 'storage blow-by'? Motor has around 13,000 miles on it and I don't see any evidence of the engine ever having been removed from the frame. Also, his father, who actually handled the sale of the bike and who I also trust, told me it ran fine the only time he saw the bike.

Any thoughts? Thanks in advance...

AG GL

[ta473]

gas in oil

more than likely your petcock is bad and filled the crankcase from the #2 carb. its a common problem

[arveejay]

You have 2 problems. 1. your petcock needs replaced or it was left on prime. 2. Your carbs need a thorough cleaning as the float valves are not shutting the gas flow off to the carbs. PS. Don't run the bike till you change the oil and stop the gas from flowing into the oil.

[Nessism]

http://www.thegsresources.com/gs_carbrebuild.htm

http://www.cycleorings.com/

Do yourself a huge favor and a) rebuild the carbs and replace the various O-rings, b) replace the intake tube O-rings, c) replace the petcock if it's leaking.

Good luck.

[AG GL]

Greatly
appreciate the quick responses. I was sweating bullets this afternoon. I was going to rebuild carbs as I freshen up this machine and will check intake boots and petcock as suggested. Thanks all.

AG GL

[Mark whiz]

I would also replace the float needles and seats as well - those filled my crankcase up with gas a few years back. While you have the carbs off the bike, it's well worth your while to do it.

[SqDancerLynn1]

You don't need to run out & replace the needle & Seat. The most common problem is for the O ring that seals the seat to leak. Get the O ring kit from cycleorings.com Don't buy carb kits it is a waste of money.
Repair or replace the petcock, You take your chances with a petcock rebuild kit. I rebuilt my 79gs850 3 years ago, still works. If you chose to rebuild the petcock- clean the O ring seal area with a pencil eraser

[tconroy]

expect to spend about 5oo bucks for a total road worthy bike.That includes carb rebuild, plugs,oil and filter.battery and tires.Also clean all connections and check the stator papers for more info that you will need.

[fnickel]

Petcock issue

I just went through the same thing with my '80 GS1100L. I had even installed a manual shut-off valve in-line between the petcock and carbs a few years ago because the petcock and float valves were not working properly. My petcock is the wierd one with no handle on it. It works by vacuum only, there is no way of manually turning it off completely. Overnight, I found my crankcase had filled with gas and mixed with the oil. The fuel had actually run down the vacuum line from the petcock to the intake and into the crankcase. I have finally bit the bullet and ordered a new petcock. I think you should definitely try the petcock first. The carbs may be OK. It's worth taking a chance.

[BassCliff]

Hey howdy hey!

Mr. AG GL,

I just wanted to say, let it be known that on this day you are formally welcomed to the GSR Forums as a Junior Member in good standing with all the rights and privileges thereof. Please note that "good standing" usually implies pictures.

Thanks for joining us and I'm glad to see that you are getting help from all the experts in this forum. They're a great bunch and have been teaching me to be a better motorcycle mechanic and a better motorcycle rider.

You've got a great bike there, but I may be a little biased. Do you have a manual? If not, PM me.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
(The unofficial GSR greeter)

[fishmeok]

I had the exact same thing happen to me- drained 2 gallons of oil/gas out of my cranckase. Replace the rubber in your carbs, rebuilt the petcock, ride for a bit, change the oil again, good to go...
Cheers
Mark