• Required reading for all forum users!!!

    Welcome!
    Register to access the full functionality of the GSResources forum. Until you register and activate your account you will not have full forum access, nor will you be able to post or reply to messages.

    A note to new registrants...
    All new forum registrations must be activated via email before you have full access to the forum.

    A Special Note about Email accounts!
    DO NOT SIGN UP USING hotmail, outlook, gmx, sbcglobal, att, bellsouth or email.com. They delete our forum signup emails.

    A note to old forum members...
    I receive numerous requests from people who can no longer log in because their accounts were deleted. As mentioned in the forum FAQ, user accounts are deleted if you haven't logged in for the past 6 months. If you can't log in, then create a new forum account. If you don't get an error message, then check your email account for an activation message. If you get a message stating that the email address is already in use, then your account still exists so follow the instructions in the forum FAQ for resetting your password.

    Have you forgotten your password or have a new email address? Then read the forum FAQ for details on how to reset it.

    Any email requests for "can't log in anymore" problems or "lost my password" problems will be deleted. Read the forum FAQ and follow the instructions there - that's what we have one for...

  • Returning Visitors

    If you are a returning visitor who never received your confirmation email, then odds are your email provider is blockinig emails from our server. The only thing that can be done to get around this is you will have to try creating another forum account using an email address from another domain.

    If you are a returning visitor to the forum and can't log in using your old forum name and password but used to be able to then chances are your account is deleted. Purges of the databases are done regularly. You will have to create a new forum account and you should be all set.

Getting Really Frustrated Now

  • Thread starter Thread starter northwoods
  • Start date Start date
have you tried kicking it yet?


usually doesn't help, but it always makes me feel better...

unless I kick it too hard, then I'm even more frustrated because I'm in pain at that point also.
 
I'm not quite at that point yet. If or when I give up, I'll just part the whole thing out. Shame to do considering the condition of the bike and having a clear title.
 
northwoods said:
I'm not quite at that point yet. If or when I give up, I'll just part the whole thing out. Shame to do considering the condition of the bike and having a clear title.
Click to expand...


Don't part it out man. Just give it a little time, and with a little bit of trial and effort you'll have it going.
 
Yeah I suppose. Oh well, I guess I'll take the carbs out for the umpteenth time tomorrow. I tell ya' what, if anyone wants any tips or tricks to taking carbs off of a 81' 550L, give me a hollar. I can almost do it with my eyes closed now....sheeesh this is getting old.
 
Wondering if maybe you have the butterfly's all jacked up and opened too far. They should only be cracked a very slight amount at idle. The choke needs to be out and the throttle closed in order to start the bike. Also, you still have the rubber plugs in the pilot circuit right?
 
OK, once you have it all assembled and the problem persists, do the following test, put a little fuel in a spray bottle, take the aircleaners off so you can access all the carbs, carefully lift the slide on carb #1 with a something soft like a thin piece of wood with a sharp point, spray 2 squirts of fuel deep into the the throat preferably beyond the slide, while holding the trottle fully open. Release the slide, open choke fully, keep throttle closed and try to start, if it fires do not touch the throttle at all. Try this on each carb just to check whether it will run if fuel from each carb gets to it. If this works give all 4 carbs a squirt or two and try starting then. This will prove beyond doubt that your spark and timing is OK and not messing you around.
As Nessism said also check that your throttle is not already being held open by the idle adjuster or the cable adjuster.
Here is a schematic that may help
 
Last edited:
Yes, as I was layin in bed last night I realized that my throttle cable is keeping the butterflies jacked open a lot. I'm going to pull the throttle cable off the bracket and see if it will start.
 
northwoods said:
Well after going back to Basscliff's site and looking at the carb rebuild series, I see that I forgot to clean the holes on the choke pickup tube and the passages. I'm wondering if this is the problem seeing that the rest of the carbs were pretty gummed up. I guess I'll have to take them off and clean the parts I missed, fun fun fun!!!!
Click to expand...
Sounds like you're getting an education there North ;) I don't know what sort of dip Berrymans is but I can tell you with the experience of rebuilding a lot of carbs, that, no matter what sort of cleaner I've used, I never rely on it. Make sure each and every passage is clear either with compressed air (and observing it coming out) and/or a small wire inserted through the passage. Always check ALL the adjustments (and always use good tech info!). Never trust the look of a diaphragm, unless you can look very closely......better to assemble as required, and apply vacuum to observe operation etc (or if cheap enough, change 'em....and then test!).
 
Rookie Thought...

Rookie Thought...

I understand where you are at this moment. I had one float full of gas and its' chamber had gas vapor in it when I pulled the carb. What it came down to was pulling the valves from the float and cleaning them. I was not sure how they came out at first, I pulled with a plyers and could not get them, but I knew I had clean out the whole flow area of the fuel. In the process I put a compressor nozzle on the fuel intake of the carb - having pulled the hose off. I hit it with a blast of air and both of the valves flew off. I found that I had to take the screen off and clean that, and the needle valves that are on the other end of the valve and scrub at those. I soaked them in carb cleaner the scratched at them with a metal brush and a dental pick pulling old gasoline from the corners of the valve. Assembled and, well, it started right up and does every time.

Perhaps that might be a spot to look?
 
OK, you have 'cleaned' the carbs, apparently several times. :shock:

How long have you left the carbs in the dip? For a bike that has been stored in conditions like yours, I would leave each carb body (that has been completely stripped) in the dip overnight. When you take it out, rinse with warm water, use copper wire strands, carb spray and compressed air to assure that ALL passages are completely clean.

Now it is time to re-assemble the carbs, with new o-rings and gaskets. O-rings can be purchased from www.cycleorings.com. Also be sure to get new o-rings for the intake tubes. Then go through all the adjustments and sync procedures and you should be good to go.

.
 
I just finished a carb cleaning/rebuild and petcock replacement on my 1980 GS550 yesterday. I could not get the bike started for the first time until I pulled the air cleaner and shot a bit of carb and choke cleaner into the intake to prime 'er up. I guess that the starter just couldn't pull enough air through the carbs to get gas started through all the passages, but a few seconds of running fired her right up. Without the carb cleaner helping out I ran a fully charged battery almost dead trying to start it with no results.
 
Thanks to all for your help, looks like the throttle cable was keeping the butterflies jacked open so that it wouldn't start. After disconnecting the cable and fully choking it, it fired right up. I idled it for about 5 minutes and then tried starting it later but no go. I think that my tank is way too rusty. So I'll pull the carbs one more time, clean them all up again and then coat the tank and try again.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top