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Leaky intake boots

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jory
  • Start date Start date
J

Jory

Guest
Hey all! Ok, I've got a few issues on the bike I'm trying to work out. Money is SUPER tight so I'm trying to get creative until I can afford to do things properly. That being said, I need to replace the fuel rail O-rings on my '82 GS1100GK. No biggie. The problem is that I found that my intake boots (at least one anyway) has started separating from the plate it's over-molded onto.

Does this plate has a small flange that I can tighten a hose clamp onto? Would using some Permatex PermaShield on the areas that are coming apart work? One guy used radiator hose over the old boots and it worked for him. Another guy used a bicycle inner-tube and RTV. Can I skip tracking down the the rubber O-rings used on the intake boots and use rubber sheet gasket material instead? Ideas?

I'm just looking for the cheapest (not easiest) way to get my bike sorted out sooner rather than later.

http://www.thejunkmanadv.com/cracked-rubber-intake-boot-fix.html
 
No real quick and easy fix that I know of. The o-rings between the head and the intake boots, dry out, flatten, and are VERY brittle on these bikes. The intake O-rings are cheap, not worth trying to 1/2 a$$ IMHO.

As for the boots, you can try some RTV but keep in mind, it should ONLY be used on the outside of the boot and over time (sooner not later) the fuel vapor will turn the crap to goo.

You 'may' have a little luck with a tire patch kit. Again, only a temp 'fix'.
 
Try some of that dip stuff for tool handles. It might last long enough to get you by for a while until you can afford the new boots. Make sure there is no grease on them.
 
Hi,

How many times do you want to fix the same problem? I always encourage the proper repair the first time. Then you won't have to worry about it for another 20 years or so. Perhaps the information below will help.

If you are here you probably have a 30 year old motorcycle that needs about 20 years worth of maintenance. In the links below you'll find maintenance lists, documentation, wiring diagrams, "how to" guides, vendor links, tips, tricks, and a whole lot of GS goodness. This is your "mega-welcome". Let's get started. :)

Let me dump a TON of information on you and share some GS lovin'. :D

I just stopped by to welcome you to the forum in my own, special way.
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If there's anything you'd like to know about the Suzuki GS model bikes, and most others actually, you've come to the right place. There's a lot of knowledge and experience here in the community. Come on in and let me say "HOoooowwwDY!"....
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Here is your very own magical, mystical, mythical, mind-expanding "mega-welcome". Please take notice of the "Top 10 Common Issues", "Top 15 Tips For GS Happiness", the Carb Cleanup Series, and the Stator Papers. All of these tasks must be addressed in order to have a safe, reliable machine. This is what NOT to do: Top 10 Newbie Mistakes. Now let me roll out the welcome mat for you...

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Please Click Here For Your Mega-Welcome, chock full of tips, suggestions, links to vendors, and other information. Then feel free to visit my little BikeCliff website where I've been collecting the wisdom of this generous community. Don't forget, we like pictures! Not you, your bike! :D

More links to helpful threads in the forum:
Help! Your Bike Won't Start
DON'T DO THESE THINGS
Help! Your Bike Won't Run Well
Oh God! Pods!


Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
 
Dave8338 said:
No real quick and easy fix that I know of. The o-rings between the head and the intake boots, dry out, flatten, and are VERY brittle on these bikes. The intake O-rings are cheap, not worth trying to 1/2 a$$ IMHO.

As for the boots, you can try some RTV but keep in mind, it should ONLY be used on the outside of the boot and over time (sooner not later) the fuel vapor will turn the crap to goo.

You 'may' have a little luck with a tire patch kit. Again, only a temp 'fix'.
Click to expand...

Thanks Dave! I haven't found those O-rings anywhere local in the correct material (Viton) or size. I can find rubber gasket material at any auto parts store and it would be cheaper. But, would it work very well? I just don't want vac leaks. What thickness of gasket would you shoot for?

As for sealants, I would use a high temp/fuel resistant sealant, but yes...I would only apply on the outside. Does that metal plate the boot is molded on have a lip that sticks out into the boot? Something to get a hose clamp onto to tighten the boot down some?
 
Ok, I'm going to use either a liquid gasket material for any cracks in the boots (Permatex Ultra Black or Motoseal, Threebond, Seal-All....suggestions?) and skip the O-rings for the boot mounting surface, instead opting to use a gasket which should give a larger sealing surface. What gasket material would you use in this situation? I was thinking about a rubber/fiber gasket sheet or a paper gasket. Ideas?....other than "replace the boots and use correct o-rings". I've got everything other than the gasket material.
 
Jory said:
Ok, I'm going to... skip the O-rings for the boot mounting surface, instead opting to use a gasket which should give a larger sealing surface. What gasket material would you use in this situation?
Click to expand...

I'd use the proper viton o-rings... You are trying to reinvent the wheel...
 
If money is that tight why are you even thinking about restoring a thirty year old motorcycle?

I can think of cheaper ways to get killed.
 
tkent02 said:
If money is that tight why are you even thinking about restoring a thirty year old motorcycle?

I can think of cheaper ways to get killed.
Click to expand...

That's the funny thing about money...it's not always tight. Not everyone can afford a new car or a new bike and I'm one of those people. I can only afford old, used stuff usually. I can't afford to buy anything else right now and I can't afford to drive my wife's Tahoe (old and used too) to/from work. Towards the end of the year, I should be better off but just need to patch things up in the meantime. Not looking to catch a hard time, so let's go with the question I posed instead of trying to beat me up for what I'm not doing.
 
You're aware that a set of intake O-rings from Robert Barr will cost you about $6 delivered?
 
There is no way to seal broken boots. The engine will draw false air and run lean, and hot. Not good. I'd fix the bike properly or park (or sell) it.
 
Well, worked on the bike over the weekend to inspect/repair the boots and O-rings. Pulled everything off to get to the boots and of course had a couple bolt heads break off so it took some grinding/drilling/tapping to get good threads again for the new cap-screws I picked up.

Boots actually looked pretty good, no cracks going thru...nothing bad was noticed, but I went ahead and ran a thin bead of Permatex MotoSeal around the outside of where the boot mounts to the plate it's over-molded onto. Instead of using replacement O-rings, I picked up some Fel-Pro 3187 gasket material which I cut into templates from the boot mounting plates. The way I see it, it's a larger sealing surface than crushing an o-ring. Suzuki might have used O-rings instead of gaskets as a cost savings when making these things, but it doesn't always mean there's not a better way to do things. Working in an engineering department, we deal with the same type of cost/benefit restrictions.

Anyway, cut all gaskets, re-mounted boots/carbs/etc. and fired her up. I had to adjust the idle speed some but once she warmed up, it was a nice improvement. I sprayed carb cleaner around the boots/intake and there was no change in idle so looks like the rubber gasket material worked great.
 
What's the over and under on when these boots start leaking again? 2 months?
 
Nessism said:
What's the over and under on when these boots start leaking again? 2 months?
Click to expand...

Wow, a little pessimistic huh? Just curious why you think it might only last 2 months? :-k

That gasket material is rated for high temps, fuel/oil resistant and has a larger sealing surface than the usual O-rings. Others have had success doing the exact same thing as I did. Maybe they only succeeded because they didn't have someone telling them they couldn't do it or knocking them down for trying something different.

Feel free to enlighten me why you think what I did wasn't a good idea. :cool:
 
You may want to consider that, if you're trying to trouble shoot a problem like leaking intakes, the most prudent method would be to use the components that have worked for the last 30+ years and is not experimental, not cost prohibitive and are a known commodity. That way, if there are any future problems, you can rule out the previous repair as being the most likely cause.

Reinventing the wheel can be a good thing if the wheel was not the most reliable wheel out there. Reinventing a wheel that works great for years is more questionable. Will your repair work for now or over the long run? Who knows. We do know that replacing the original O-ring with the correctly, and easily obtainable O-ring, will work for many years going into the future.
 
Jory said:
Feel free to enlighten me why you think what I did wasn't a good idea. :cool:
Click to expand...

When it comes to handing out advice on an Internet forum, the members here try to stick to methods and procedures that are known to work well. There is literally centuries of combined GS maintenance experience on this forum. They know what works and what doesn't. Fixes that "might" work are frowned upon because we don't know your level of skill, attention to detail, and so on. So when you ask for advice on how to do something, the members here are going to try to convince you to do it The Right Way. Often bluntly.

In this particular case, we have seen time and time again people try to avoid the steep price of new rubber carb boots and seal up the boots with RTV and whatnot. And then come back a few weeks/months later with the news that the fix didn't hold. On other hand, properly cleaned carbs, brand-new boots, and a sealed airbox are known to have fixed intake air leaks with an almost 100% success rate.

But of course it's your bike and you are ultimately free to do what you want. I have gone "against the grain" on some of the popular advice here, but I did so knowing full well it was a gamble. Sometimes the gamble paid off, sometimes not. Your mileage may vary. :)
 
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