1978 gs 750 carbs cleaned now the oil glass gauge looks black and over full.

[MoMakkawi]

So i took the carbs out of my bike and cleaned them up and re installed them i turned it on and it worked right away it seemed to have more power, but a few days later the glass hole you look through looks black now and way over full after i just recently changed the oil. Could this be due the floats not being properly set.... im lost the bike is running seems to be rich and it seems like it takes a while for the bike to warm up to stick at idle i have to fiddle with the idle screw adjuster and choke to get it going any help would be nice
I am 20 and this is the first time i have worked on a bike so take my ignorance into consideration... so anything you may think a dum**** may have done i probably did it .. let me know please.. and is it OK for me to ride the bike as is because it is my only mode of transportation right now.

 

[tkent02]

Replace the petcock. it's leaking into the carbs, which overflow into the engine... Replace the oil BEFORE you ride it or even run it. If you ride it with that oil in there it will no longer be your only transportation. It will be your only parts bike.

 

[MoMakkawi]

i looked at the petcock how can I determine whether it is leaking before opting out and purchasing a rebuild kit .....

 

[Steve]

Remove the gas line that goes to the carbs (the larger one is the gas line) and put another line from it to a catch container. Remove the vacuum line (the smaller one) and put another hose there that is long enough for you to suck on (carefully). Suck on the line, you should not be able to draw much, but it will open the petcock and you will observe fuel flow into your catch container. Stop sucking, the flow should stop. This is, of course, assuming that you have the petcock in the ON position, pointing straight down. If the petcock does not stop COMPLETELY, do not get a rebuild kit, get a new petcock. The success rate with a rebuild kit is only about 15%, so you would get the kit, then probably have to get a new petcock anyway.

.

 

[GS750]

disconnect fuel line from carbys, turn fuel tap to ON position and if fuel comes out then the fuel tap needs replacing!

 

[tkent02]

Just replace the damned thing. It's 35 years old already, you (or someone else) have gotten your money's worth out of it already. Several gallons of gasoline above a hot engine near a poor electrical system with 35 year old coil wires in between your nuts at highway speeds in heavy traffic is nothing to trifle with.

Wanna see some cool burn scars?

 

[MoMakkawi]

I guess ill have to buy a new one just checked and its freeflowing really..... so ill buy a new one replace it and hope that does the trick thanks for the info i should be getting it in a few day ill post up to let you know how it goes if that does the job. im assuming to change the oil as well...

 

[MoMakkawi]

i was also riding it home tonight as i was at school while posting about the petcock and riding home i le go of the handle bars and the bars shook a bit then gradually got worse till i had to grab them quick or was bound to crash do to wobble is that normal ....

 

[chuck hahn]

First of all disregard Toms remarks. First of all he doesnt know if you accidentally left it in the PRI position or not. Secondly, he doesnt know if its bad or not. Heres what I would do. Fisrt off, yes the gas has leaked into the crankcase and ruined your fresh oil change. Change the oil and filter ( if youve already started the bike ). Second..fill the tank all the way up and take a spare length of hose and attatch it to the petcock and be sure the petcock is in the ON position. You can lay a clean piece of cardboard down or run the hose into a pop bottle and let it set for overnight or a few days. If the bottle gets gas in it then yes the petcock is leaking and with the bottle you will know how badly. If theres no gas in the bottle or on the cardboard, then it most likely is good. Now if youve accidentally left it in the PRI position, then youve got youre answer.

 

[chuck hahn]

No that wobble is NOT NORMAL..It points to a few things that may be wrong..slightly bent rim, bad cords in the tire, steering head bearings loose or worn out. I would check all these. Start by loosening the big bolt in the center of the top tree and shimmy it up a bit. Look at the steering head and youll see a ring with some notches in it. Lift the front of the bike off the ground and turn the bars..should not bind or have any spots that feel flat or notchy. May well be worth your time to take the whole frt end down and check the bearings and regrease them.

 

[7981GS]

No that wobble is NOT NORMAL..It points to a few things that may be wrong.. steering head bearings loose or worn out.
May well be worth your time to take the whole frt end down and check the bearings and regrease them.

Pull the steering stem out and take a peek.


Daniel

 

[tkent02]

Greetings, Chuck!

 

[chuck hahn]

Good god Daniel...was that your boat anchor at one time on a salt water fishing rig??? Thats probably then worst ive seen in a long time!!!

 

[7981GS]

It had a wobble at 110 mph that just felt a little bad to me.
I had just gotten the bike running and only had put about 100 miles on it at that point.
Felt OK until I hit over 105 ish.
Kinda thought that I should check it out. What do you think?
According to the PO, he had been riding "it all over the place 6 years ago' when I got it.
Now, it is one of the first things that I check when I bring these Zombies back to life.
So far, I have not found one that didn't need grease.

This is the only grease that I use on steering head bearings: http://parts.cat.com/parts/machine-fluids/greases/desert-gold-grease
About $10.00 a tube and lasts forever. Synthetic, of course!


Daniel

 

[tkent02]

fill the tank all the way up and take a spare length of hose and attatch it to the petcock and be sure the petcock is in the ON position. You can lay a clean piece of cardboard down or run the hose into a pop bottle and let it set for overnight or a few days. If the bottle gets gas in it then yes the petcock is leaking and with the bottle you will know how badly. If theres no gas in the bottle or on the cardboard, then it most likely is good.

This is NOT a valid test. Put the end of the hose into a container with a little gas, put the container lower than the tank by a foot or two, open the petcock to fill the hose with fuel, then turn it to on... That way there is the suction of a syphon trying to pull fuel through the petcock, just like there is when it is on the bike, leaking into the carburetors and the crankcase. Just using an empty hose won't make the petcock leak unless the petcock is REALLY leaky. Mark the depth of fuel in the can and come back tomorrow to see if the level is any higher. It doesn't take a gusher to fill the engine with fuel.
But really, just replace the silly thing, they are cheap and new ones usually work very well for a long time.

 

[TheCafeKid]

I'm in agreement with Tom. Don't mess around with a 35 year old petcock.
Just replace it and don't worry about it for another 35 years.
I'm poor too, but when it comes to gasoline possibly filling and ruining my engine, or catching my balls on fire, I'm not messing around. I once tried to rebuild a petcock, and it worked for a few weeks. So then I was going to do it again and halfway through it dawned on me that having my sack on fire would probably not be fun.

As to your wobble, how old are your tires? And is this wobble completely new??

First thing I'd check (and I'd also advise simply replacing) is the steering head bearings. They over time will smash dimples into the races and then the bearings rocking in and out of those dimples will cause your wobble.
It's also a good idea to check/replace your wheels bearings. And if your tires are more than a couple (two) years old even if the tread looks ok, I'd suggest replacing those as well.
This is all as a matter of safety. The wheels and tires are the only things keeping you attached to the road...if they fail, you'll fail and it'll hurt.

 

[chuck hahn]

This IS A VALID TEST..TOM!! If its bad, the weight of the gas making pressure against the seal and simple gravity will make it leak. The weight of the gas against the seals will be much greater than any suction in a pop bottle or from the carbs for that matter.

 

[rustybronco]

This is the only grease that I use on steering head bearings: http://parts.cat.com/parts/machine-fluids/greases/desert-gold-grease
About $10.00 a tube and lasts forever. Synthetic, of course!

Here's what I use---> http://royalpurpleindustrial.com/prodsi/upg.html I will last me a long time because I got a lot of it for free.

 

[1_v8_merc]

I use Ford moly for mostly everything.
If it's going to get wet, I'll use Marine grease.

 

[MoMakkawi]

thank you for the input will check when home tonight to see if i can find the problem. will post an update soon.

You guys are a great help, I would be stumped if not for this forum