80 GS1000E joins the family. Will not fire!

[Anonymous]

I just took possesion of a 1980 GS1000E which needs a little TLC but overall is a solid bike with 16,000 miles. It will not fire. I have replaced the dead battery, and put in fresh plugs. Old ones actually looked pretty good. Not sure if they were the correct ones for the bike. I put in NGK B8ES plugs. Checked against the block, it has spark on all 4. Turns over. All lights and signals work. Not even a sputter. Has oil and fresh fuel.

Pulled the tank and the choke cable which was frozen. Lubed and fixed the choke cable issue. Pulled the petcock which was missing the lever which you use to switch from PRI/ON/RES. Can't tell where it sat. Turned it both ways with a screw driver while trying to fire it but to no avail. After pulling the petcock, I tried to spin the settings both ways whilst sucking on both of the rubber hoses trying to get some air to pass through. Only the short stubby hose would pass air if I slightly depresed the metal circle sitting in the petcock opposite side of the lever. Smaller hose would not pass any air. No fuel is what I'm thinking. I need to get a new petcock as this one is trashed. Am I on the right track? Fuel was drained prior to my adding it. Carbs couldn't get properly primed right? Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks #-o

 

[SqDancerLynn1]

Sounds like you are on the right track

 

[Joe Nardy]

Try some starting fluid to see if you get any cylinders firing...........

 

[Anonymous]

The "80" 1100 E did not have a lever on the petcock, very poor design that was corrected in "81". If choke cable was froze up, it probably sat long enough the carbs will need to be completely cleaned. Try a small shot of starting fluid, if it hits on the fluid, you will know you have a fuel problem. Don't try to put an "81" petcock on your "80" tank, the location is different.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the replies.

The bike I have is a 80 gs1000e, not an 1100 (I wish......) 8)

...!!!!!YOU'RE RIGHT ABOUT THIS PETCOCK!!! THE 80GS1000E PETCOCK DOESN'T HAVE A LEVER! WHAT THE F@#K!!! I HAD ASSUMED THAT ALL PETCOCKS HAD A LEVER SO ONE COULD SWITCH IT TO PRIME AND RES. MAN, EVEN MY 77GS550 HAS A PETCOCK LEVER!!!
http://crc2onlinecatalog.com/petcock_suzuki.htm

NO WAY! WHAT A WRETCHED IDEA TO LEAVE OFF THE LEVER....WHY!? HOW DO I KNOW WHERE IT IS SITTING? ANYBODY HAVE AN 80GS1000E AND KNOW HOW TO ADJUST THE PETCOCK?

I can stick a slim tapered screw driver in there and turn it right? Is that what we're to do if we have the 80gs1000 petcock? Problem is I don't know how many turns its had or where center is......or if its been thoroughly thrashed to the point of no return.

Starting fluid? Don't I need fuel to get through the petcock first? Or do you mean just to see if the carbs will fire? I don't know how to put gas in the carbs without the tank and petcock functioning. Should I spray the fluid into the carbs/pull plugs and spray into the engine?

The petcock will not let air through either hose no matter which way I turn the screwdriver....and no matter how hard I suck or blow through the hoses.....also depressing the metal center does not work anymore as stated in the initial post. Doesn't that mean that I'm not getting any fuel delivery? I am on the lookout for a replacement petcock/new one but am sunk till I can get it. Anybody know where I can get one/wanna sell me one? I'm buying, must be clean. Suggestions?

 

[QuaiChangKane]

Just spray a little starting fluid on your air filter. If the carbs work at all, this should at least allow the engine to fire for a second or two.

Starting fluid is ether, and it will quickly evaporate - this makes a high-octane mixture with the air being drawin in through your filter. Your carbs may be too gummed up to feed fuel to the cylinders, but the starting fluid will allow your bike to fire as long as air is being sucked through the carbs.

Starting on ether will let you know that it's not an ignition problem, but will not tell you what kind of problems you may have with your carbs or petcock. What it can do is help suck some gunk out of your carbs, petcock, or fuel line if you get a decent sustained run.

I'd count on a needing a new petcock and a carb cleaning for sure.

(Word of warning - don't over do the starting fluid. If the engine doesn't fire after hitting the air filter with a few short bursts of ether, walk away and let it evaporate, then try it again. Normal reaction is to keep firing a little ether on the filter until you get the bike to start - BUT THIS CAN CAUSE A BACK FIRE THROUGH THE AIRBOX - it's not like a simple tailpipe backfire - an airbox backfire with starting fluid can cause a fire. Go easy - I've had my bad experiences spraying carbs with ether while trying to kick start and old Yammie...)

-Q!

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks QuaiChangKane, going to try the starter fluid trick.

Again, anybody have this rediculous petcock with no lever and know how to test it and see if its working correctly? Am I missing something? Is there another one that I can swap in to get the lever action? I've turned over the screw in there so many times both ways that I may have really messed it up if it wasn't already screwed. Can't get any air to pass through it.

Worst case, gonna buy this one new:
http://crc2onlinecatalog.com/petcock_suzuki.htm

 

[Joe Nardy]

Domino,

Check out this Pingel valve if you want NICE!
http://www.pingelonline.com/vacuum_petcock.htm

Joe

 

[Joe Nardy]

Domino,

You can rig a temporary fuel source to use while you work on the bike. Here is a link to a funnel that has caps on both ends. Add some hose and you're ready to go. Just be sure to plug the vacuum line from the carb.
http://www.legacymfg.com/products/dynamic/details.asp?ModelNumberID=CF415
This suggestion is from a post in tips and tricks. Other ideas were a lawn mower tank, weed whacker tank, carb cleaner bottle, etc.

Good luck,
Joe

 

[Anonymous]

Domino,

Check out this Pingel valve if you want NICE!
http://www.pingelonline.com/vacuum_petcock.htm

Joe

Nice one Joe....was looking for these guys after I read your PM...., but I will need to contact them to see which one is compatible. Hopefully they have one for the 80gs1000e model as I can't seem to find anything on their site. The one in the pic does not look like it is the same mount as what I have now......I'll email them.

Joe

You can rig a temporary fuel source to use while you work on the bike. Here is a link to a funnel that has caps on both ends. Add some hose and you're ready to go. Just be sure to plug the vacuum line from the carb.
http://www.legacymfg.com/products/dynamic/details.asp?ModelNumberID=CF415
This suggestion is from a post in tips and tricks. Other ideas were a lawn mower tank, weed whacker tank, carb cleaner bottle, etc.

Good luck,
JoeJoe

...again, you're the man. Gonna try to jury rig something tonight....plug vacuum line and start fuel flow when I try and fire or else it will flood....since the petcock would normally shut of fuel if engine not running when set to RES/ON....I still smell like gasoling from last night...hehehe

 

[first timer]

does your bike have the filter installed?
it won't run without the filter, it is getting to much air
so you need to some how reduce the amout of air the carbs can suck down.

if you want and you have cv type carbs i can help you rebuild those suckers in about 3 hours.... don;t get me started, lets just say i have had lots of practice.

ryan

 

[Joe Nardy]

Dom,

IF your floats and float valves are functioning properly you should not flood. The valve will shut off fuel flow when the float reaches a certain height. The vacuum petcock is just an additional safety measure. You could run your bike on prime forever if all was well in your float mechanism.

Joe

 

[Planecrazy]

Hey Pal,

Getting back to the petcock for a moment, the reason it doesn't have a lever is that it is completely vacuum controlled. My '80 GS550L is the same way (and I originally thought it was missing the lever). I don't know how much vacuum is necessary to make the fuel flow, but it's possible that the petcock is fine and that you simply can't suck on it hard enough to activate it.

Try hooking the vacuum hose back onto the motor and leaving the fuel line off (drain it into a jar). Turn the motor over and see if fuel flows ... if it does then you know the petcock is working properly. At least then you can rule out the petcock as the source of your problem.

Good Luck!
Steve 8)

 

[Anonymous]

If you're interested in a OEM replacement the P/N is

44300-47270 COCK ASSY, fuel
44348-47270 O Ring

That'll set you back about $75.00

Kurt

 

[AOD]

how does a 80 GS bike prime then for starts when the carb has been emptied of fuel? do you just have to sit there and crank and crank until it sucks fuel into the bowls? :?

 

[Planecrazy]

how does a 80 GS bike prime then for starts when the carb has been emptied of fuel? do you just have to sit there and crank and crank until it sucks fuel into the bowls? :?

I had the tank off my bike recently to replace the coils. Although I doubt the carbs were emptied, there was definitely some air in the system after pulling the fuel line. Cranking her over produced the desired result very quickly. Don't know how easy it would have been if the carbs were dry, but I suspect it wouldn't have taken too much cranking.

 

[Anonymous]

........the reason it doesn't have a lever is that it is completely vacuum controlled. My '80 GS550L is the same way (and I originally thought it was missing the lever). I don't know how much vacuum is necessary to make the fuel flow, but it's possible that the petcock is fine and that you simply can't suck on it hard enough to activate it.

Try hooking the vacuum hose back onto the motor and leaving the fuel line off (drain it into a jar). Turn the motor over and see if fuel flows ... if it does then you know the petcock is working properly. At least then you can rule out the petcock as the source of your problem.

Good Luck!
Steve 8)

Great idea/info. Thanks Steve

does your bike have the filter installed?
it won't run without the filter, it is getting to much air
so you need to some how reduce the amout of air the carbs can suck down.

if you want and you have cv type carbs i can help you rebuild those suckers in about 3 hours.... don;t get me started, lets just say i have had lots of practice.

ryan

Thanks again all for the parts info and suggestions. Ryan....No it does not have the rear air assembly but does have the big black box with the short hose and lip......unfortunatly. Got it listed in GSR parts wanted along with a few other items. I actually have a line on a few units, before the weekend I hope to have one on the way.

I did read on here about trying to put cloth across the intake to give some sort of resistance like the filter. But also read that it should fire but run badly....maybe.

Gonna go and attempt to rig the mini tank. Glad to hear that the petcock is not a totally bad design. Actually sounds interesting...I am ordering a new stock one from cycle recycle http://www.crc2onlinecatalog.com/petcock_suzuki.htm . Maybe if Pingle has a bolt on alternative...I just wish I had control over the stock petcock's settings.

If you're interested in a OEM replacement the P/N is

44300-47270 COCK ASSY, fuel
44348-47270 O Ring

That'll set you back about $75.00

Kurt

Excellent. Do I still need the O ring if I get the stock petcock or is that a replacement piece?

 

[Joe Nardy]

I would guess that the o-ring is used as a seal between the petcock body and the tank. I'd replace it rather than risk a fuel leak. Also, many o-rings can be gotten at your local hardware or auto parts store. Just bring yours with you and compare sizes.

Joe

 

[Anonymous]

Here are some pics: http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/viewtopic.php?t=15514

Last night I rigged a funnel for feeding gas. Plugged the vacume line as suggested. It drank a little bit so it must have been dry as hell. It was very cold and wet in the shed and I forgot to put my batteries on the charger. I fixed into place my makeshift t-shirt/filter and screwed down the fastener so it will have some air resistance. Set the choke and started to crank it. I watched the topping off of gas go down a little in the funnel and it actually fired for a second then quit. I was very happy even though it only fired for a sec......soo close...... But that's when the battery went dead and began clicking then nothing. The headlight and signals still worked though? Even though it would not crank. How can that be? Pulled the batery and its sitting on the charger now. Tonight I shall try again. Ordered a stock replacement petcock.

 

[Anonymous]

Maybe if Pingle has a bolt on alternative...I just wish I had control over the stock petcock's settings.

The Pingel is a bolt on alternative. You buy two parts, the valve itself, and the adapter plate that fits your particular bike.

I tend to think Pingel was orignally designed to replace Harley petcocks, as those use the bung style attachment. Someone at sometime came up with the idea to make adapter plates so Pingel Fuel Valves could be used in anything that could fit one.
You just pick the style valve you want (smooth, hex, rounded corners, etc), and the corresponding adapter (usually be measuring the distance between the stock petcock mounting holes).
If mine ever goes TU, a Pingel will probably replace it.