help

[siffty]

Hello everyone,
I am a complete noob when it comes to bikes, so when responding, please make say it as simply as possible...
I just got an 81' GS450. It was running fine when i first got it, i went and put gas in, and cruised around with everything running fine. I parked it and went on vacation for a week. When i returned, i tried firing it up, but the battery was dead. So i hooked it up to my car to jump start it, and then next thing i know gas is pouring out of the overflow valve, well at least i think thats what it is. So i take the carbs off and clean them up well, put everything back together, as well as a new battery. It now starts without a problem, but after about 10 seconds dirty gas comes out of the overflow valve again, and im in neutral and the engine is running so hard i think the engine is going to blow. This bike was very poorly maintained before i got it, so if anyone has some ideas of what i should do to get it running smoothly again, please.. please help me..
Thanks everyone
Sam

 

[koolaid_kid]

Sounds like you need to clean out the gas tank. It is entirely possible that you got some bad fuel.

 

[Nessism]

Pull the carbs again and clean them out a second time. You need to do a complete job and change the various O-rings. Fuel over flow is caused by a float needle that is not sealing properly. Number one reason for this to happen is debris holding the needle from seating. Do you have rust in the tank? If so, you need to clean it out. Do a search on Por-15 and take care of business. Before you put the carbs back on you should replace the large O-rings between the carb boots and the head. They get hard and allow air leaks which will keep the bike from idling properly.

Don't shortcut or you will continue to have problems.

 

[siffty]

First of all, could this really be the reason it is idling so high?? im not doubting just wondering... because im scared to even start it, thats how hight its running.
Second of all, what is a float needle?? are those the little floaty things in the carbs? And so im just supposed to clean the debris out from around these?
Thirdly whats Por-15?
And finally, can i just get all these o-rings and carb boots from any auto store??
Sorry again, for sounding so retarded... but i eargerly await your replies.
Thanks a ton everyone
Sam

 

[Nessism]

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

http://www.por15.com/Cycle-Tank-Repair-Kit?sc=2&category=170

http://www.cycleorings.com/

For the large O-rings for the intake boots you need to hit the dealer or order from a on-line parts source. Google is your friend. Air leaking past the old hard O-rings will destabilize your idle so you had better replace them.

 

[siffty]

hmmm

hmmm

well i guess im in trouble.. took the carbs off, and didnt find any o rings anywhere.. so im not evn sure where they are supposed to go, if i did get new ones..
oh and another thing... does the air intake into the carbs need to be tight, or can it kinda fit loosley, and have cracks and stuff where the intake meets the carbs?? I dont think it matters.. but thought i would ask

 

[koolaid_kid]

If your bike has orings, they go between the head and the intake boots, mounted in the intake boots. And heck yes, any intake leak will cause no less than two problems; high idle and low power. These bikes are extremely sensitive to lean conditions, which is caused in part to the things you described. No cracks allowed. Period.

 

[Nessism]

well i guess im in trouble.. took the carbs off, and didnt find any o rings anywhere.. so im not evn sure where they are supposed to go, if i did get new ones..
oh and another thing... does the air intake into the carbs need to be tight, or can it kinda fit loosley, and have cracks and stuff where the intake meets the carbs?? I dont think it matters.. but thought i would ask

Yes, you are in trouble.

You need new carb boots in addition to the large O-rings that seal them to the head.

Plus you need to rebuild the carbs properly following the instruction in the link I provided.

Time for you to do some homework.

 

[siffty]

alrighty, i will get started with all of this, thanks again for the help, ill probably have more questions in a day or two, so please keep watching this thread.. thanks

 

[nabrams]

OK, here comes my "speech to the newcomer restoring an old bike":

I think you need to see the big picture besides tackling your immediate/first problem.

Instead of going about the restoration process piece-meal, why don't you search for the many posts on this forum (some by me) that list the many "sanity-check" steps/verifications needed when restoring a bike that's been sitting (based on what you've said, you definitely should consider your bike as belonging to this category) - and then actually DO the checks.
This will save you MANY hours of frustration and TONS of money.
If you're a beginner (in terms of mechanical skill) you're looking at between 30 and 60 hours of work and a couple of hundred dollars for purchasing tools you'll need (besides whatever parts you need for the bike). In the end you'll have a reliable machine for a fraction of the cost of a new bike.

 

[siffty]

when working on the bike, i thought i could loosen the idle knob so i could turn it, but i am still unable to adjust the idle knob.... any thoughts?