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Mystery?! Possibly carbs...Need some advice

  • Thread starter Thread starter mdonof02
  • Start date Start date
M

mdonof02

Guest
Hello,

Have a 1982 GS450 here and have a few questions maybe people can help me out with. First and foremost, I just got back from an amazing 2,300 mile, 3 week journey, but now my bike won't work! Can someone list, other than maybe oil changing, chain oiling, what I should do to my bike? What is the standard course of maintenance after such a long ride?

My second question is the main one: Bike won't really work. When I hit the electric starter, things are clicking, so I'm assuming the engine is trying to turn (?). The engine does not start up on its own, even with the choke on, wel sometimes it does, but not usually. It is not until I am pulling the throttle that the engine start. When I have the throttle on, the bike remains on, but as soon as I let that go, & the bike is running primarily off the idle jet (?) that it stops. Too, I noticed that there is a very small puddle forming under the bike after all of this. I think it is gasoline. So I looked up & it is right under the over-flow let out of the carbs. My only thought is that maybe the idle jet is clogged...I also tried to tamper with the throttle cable settings, which did not solve the problem. If anyone can help, I would truly appreciate it.
 
Have you gone thru the carbs ? Sounds like the carbs are pouring gas into the motor. Stuck floats or bad o-rings on the fuel inlet. What shape is the battery in?
Will it start if you jump the big studs on the solenoid ? Could just be a dirty contact on the start buton ? Good luck
 
okay, thanks but...

okay, thanks but...

The battery is in fine condition. I check that first, charged it up and threw it back on, so it's at 100%. I don't know what you mean by the big studs on the solenoid, can you explain. Where would the "dirty contact with the start button be?


While I was out on the road too, it was having a bit of a problem too: I would press the starter sometimes, very infrequently this would happen and more to the end of the trip, and it wouldn't start up. It would then take a few seconds, or I would stop trying for a minute and then try again.
 
The starting solenoid has 2 large studs with a big wire on them. 1 comes from the battery and the other 1 goes to the starter when you hit the start button the solenoid connects the large wires to power the starter. There is a smaller wire that comes from the start button and pushes onto a small stud make sure it is clean also the bolt that holds the solenoid to the bike is ground.
I would would make sure the mounting bolt has a good connection to ground wouldnt hurt to add a wire direct to ground as sometimes it gets a poor ground where where it mounts. The start button itself can be the problem, it is a copper piece that when pushed connects 2 contacts on a circut board to operate the starting selonid. You take it apart and shine it up with some steel wool both the copper and strips on the board.
Hope this helps, Good luck
 
Look under your left side cover for the starter solenoid. Yours will look different, but here is one on an 850L:

IMG_4731.jpg


The starter solenoid is the gold-ish can near the top that has the red wires going to it. Use a large screwdriver (make it an old one) and short across the two large terminals on the top of the solenoid. WARNING, THERE WILL BE SPARKS. :eek: The starter should turn the engine over whether the key is on or not. If the key is off, the engine will not start, of course, but it should turn over.

.
 
What is the setting on your petcock. I don't know if that bike has a Prime setting but that would result in gas continually being able to drain from the tank. You don't want to run the bike if gas is getting in with your oil.
 
What is a mystery is how you could drive the bike for 2300 miles and then all of sudden it won't work :confused:
 
Get the gas overflow problem fixed first of all. Making sparks with gas leaking could have some interesting results.
 
Sounds like it could be the vacuum petcock is not shutting off, and one or more flats are not seating, and gas is getting in one or more cylinders causing hydraulic lock. I have had this happen on a GS850, and on a Concours. This can bend rods and twist cranks.

It is hard to diagnose anything with a description so weak, but this happens a lot.
 
Thanks...another problem...

Thanks...another problem...

yes yes I know how ridiculous it is to have ridden the bike 2300 miles & now it doesn't work. At least it didn't die out on the road...Anyway, just one more thing:

-I was checking over the bike & I realized that gas is not coming from the carb overflow, but a tube coming from the bottom of my filter housing. Could gas be overflowing from the carbs and flowing into the filter housing?
 
mdonof02 said:
yes yes I know how ridiculous it is to have ridden the bike 2300 miles & now it doesn't work. At least it didn't die out on the road...Anyway, just one more thing:

-I was checking over the bike & I realized that gas is not coming from the carb overflow, but a tube coming from the bottom of my filter housing. Could gas be overflowing from the carbs and flowing into the filter housing?
Click to expand...

Yes, it usually goes into the crankcase at the same time, so the oil is diluted with fuel.
Fix the petcock first, change the oil before you run it.
 
Last edited:
IN addition

IN addition

In addition, I opened up the air filter & it is overly saturated with gas.

-The starter doesn't seem to have a problem. The motor always tries to turn, & usually does at first. But when it is running for a few minutes, it doesn't start up.
 
What do you mean fix the petcock? The dial is not on Prime, but the normal position only to allow fuel when the motor is on...

-There is also no black smoke coming out of the tail-pipes when I run the bike. My owner's manuel says that that would be a result if my carburetor were flooded.

-In addition, I've noticed that when I turn on the bike, even for a few moments, gas drips from the overflow valve from the air filter housing. So I am getting too much oil. Should I just take apart the carbs and find if there is a float stuck?

-If the petcock were the problem, how would I fix it? There seems to be no wear/problems on it from the outside.
 
Last edited:
mdonof02 said:
What do you mean fix the petcock? The dial is not on Prime, but the normal position only to allow fuel when the motor is on...

-There is also no black smoke coming out of the tail-pipes when I run the bike. My owner's manuel says that that would be a result if my carburetor were flooded.

-In addition, I've noticed that when I turn on the bike, even for a few moments, gas drips from the overflow valve from the air filter housing. So I am getting too much oil. Should I just take apart the carbs and find if there is a float stuck?

-If the petcock were the problem, how would I fix it? There seems to be no wear/problems on it from the outside.
Click to expand...

You replace it. Test it by putting your petcock to on, and seeing if gas flows while it is off. That is a common failure mode for the petcock.

You probably have stuck float valves too.
 
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