still wont start with out assitance from my car.

[nisom512]

OK so my bike takes for ever to start like 5 min of trying to start it trying everything all the time. once it starts it runs just fine a little bit of hessitation while at a constant speed but she runs as long as I want her to. and it will start up when hot just not cold. what I have replaced

replacement list.(what I have put in)
NGK plugs
coil relay mod
rebuilt carbs (w/o a rebuild kit) this winter
washed out gas tank
air filters fine
just did valve adjustment
breather box gasket(thing on top of valve cover)
valve cover gasket
battery is 1.5yrs old(walmart battery)

whats next?

I have an 81 550T
i bought the bike for 500 and drove it home. then starting it from cold got worse and worse untill it just wouldnt start.
so i took out the carbs and found a broken flote post that was JBwelded.
I bought a new set off Ebay of the BS32 I belive but come to think of it they may be the 34s.

By starting it with assistance from my car is I just use my car when it's runing to help my battery not die when trying to start it a million different times.

every plug is firing I have checked each individually and they also all have fuel on them when I pull them out.

I have tryed starting it with the air box unattached, and turning the idle speed up. it does this all year round the weather doesnt change anything.

what do I need to do now? I think I am maybe getting too much fuel?

P.S. I have not synced the carbs.

 

[J_C]

Synch your carbs

 

[nisom512]

Synch your carbs

I for got to mention above that it does run once I get it started I just cant get it to start on it's own.

 

[J_C]

Have you measured the voltage at the battery when the bike is off? While the bike is running? I don't know what you've done to date, so it's pretty hard. But if the bike wont start or run on its own without being connected to a car you should definitely look at the battery and/or charging system as being potentially suspect.

I'm wondering if maybe a weak battery is charging a weak spark, and that's why it can't start on its own.

By starting it with assistance from my car is I just use my car when it's runing to help my battery not die when trying to start it a million different times.

This is a little vague; I'm not sure exactly what youre doing here.

 

[Clone]

What is the Voltage across the posts of your battery when it is fully charged?
Does it crank slow? You crank it for 5 min, that is not doing your starter any good. Next project should be pull the starter and take a look at the brushes and armature(?) to see if the contact is good. It might be a good idea while you have it out to take it to a rebuilder and have new brushes put in and the bearings replaced.
Do you have fuel in the bowls before you start cranking it? Check this by removing a drain screw.
Are you running Premium or Regular? It will start better with Regular.
Check your plug gap, I know it sounds basic, but check them.
What is a coil mod? Did you replace the coils?
Try to turn the petcock to prime a few seconds before you try to start it, could be not enough fuel in the bowls.
Once it is warmed up, does it restart easily?
Lots of questions, but they will help troubleshoot.

 

[nisom512]

By starting it with assistance from my car is I just use my car when it's runing to help my battery not die when trying to start it a million different times.

I just mean I use my car as a source of never ending bater power. so I set it up like I am going to jump the bike even tho my battery is fully charged. if I dont the battery on my bike will die (run out of charge) from over use cause it takes so long to get it started.

 

[J_C]

What is a coil mod?

Runs power to the coils directly from the battery via an inline fuse and relay, rather than through the ignition switch and the rest of the harness

 

[nisom512]

What is the Voltage across the posts of your battery when it is fully charged?
Does it crank slow? You crank it for 5 min, that is not doing your starter any good. Next project should be pull the starter and take a look at the brushes and armature(?) to see if the contact is good. It might be a good idea while you have it out to take it to a rebuilder and have new brushes put in and the bearings replaced.
Do you have fuel in the bowls before you start cranking it? Check this by removing a drain screw.
Are you running Premium or Regular? It will start better with Regular.
Check your plug gap, I know it sounds basic, but check them.
What is a coil mod? Did you replace the coils?
Try to turn the petcock to prime a few seconds before you try to start it, could be not enough fuel in the bowls.
Once it is warmed up, does it restart easily?
Lots of questions, but they will help troubleshoot.

1.I cant figure it out my volt meter keeps telling me 19v(bike off) and I know that is wrong I had a michanic buddy walk me threw using it and I still got 19V so I am doing something wrong

2.yes fuel in bowls it was just running
3.premium
4.gap is fine
5.coil mod=making a new circut to your coils with a relay so they get 12 volts in stead of runing them threw the whole wiring harness. and them loosing volts
6.done that before makes no diff
7.yes

No it is good that you ask and are very specific like that it is very easy to look over the basic stuff.
Thank you


but still hard starts

 

[nisom512]

its not hte battery cause when I hook it up to my car it is getting 12v and still not starting right up.

 

[Clone]

When you are starting it cold, do you have the choke on?
If yes, then do you open the throttle while cranking? This defeats the choke.
Don't blip the throttle until the engine catches and fires.

Now it occurs to me that the level of fuel in the bowls could be too low, So it is now being drawn up into the passages.
Do you have a good seal between the cylinder-carb, carb-airbox, what airfiltre is in there?
So if the battery is charged and the bike is not hooked up to your car, will it crank?
Do you have spark when you crank it only with the bike battery?

The battery can have 12.5V across the posts, but not have the capacity to start the bike, do you or your neighbor/buddy have a load tester? Check the battery under load. It may not give you enough CCA to start the bike cold. What confuses me is how your bike will restart on only the bike battery, but won't start initially.
What kind of time does it need to sit before you need to boost the bike to start it?

Unless you have increased the compression, you don't need premium and are just wasting money, run regular, the bikes were made for it.

 

[Steve]

Although you say you have adjusted the valves, cold starting problems are a classic symptom of tight valves. Check them again.

I agree with the choice of using regular gas. There is absolutely NO advantage of using 'premium' gas in a stock GS engine.

When you 'rebuilt the carbs', did you take them completely apart, dip them each overnight and replace ALL the o-rings (including the intake tubes)?

Even though your battery is only 1.5 years old, if it was never initialize properly, it might have been ready for recylcling after the first season.

Hopefully you will get this situation resolved, as you will not always be able to take your car with you for jump starting your cold bike. When the valves are set properly and the carbs are properly cleaned, you should not even have to crank for 5 seconds to start the engine. 8-[

.

 

[nisom512]

ok so I just replaced the battery and charged it on a trickle charger and then I tryed it on the bike and it started right up. but the bike may have been a little warm inside but not on the outside. but I still cant drive it yet cause I took it for a spin today and one of those little black half circle things that are sitting between the valve cover and the top casing of the engine, popped out with in the little crome circle covers. and oil was flying all over my leg and bike.

can i just replace them or do I have to jimmy rig it back in with like a puddy?

any who I am gunna try it tomorrow and see what what happens hopefully she starts right up after sitting over night.

 

[nisom512]

When you 'rebuilt the carbs', did you take them completely apart, dip them each overnight and replace ALL the o-rings (including the intake tubes)?


.

ummmm when I said no rebuild kits yeah I went the cheap rout and bought nothing at all. but I did take them all the way apart.\\/

but I am getting gas on the plugs when I crank it then take them off.

PS all valve clearances are lager than .056

I was thinking of just buying the rebuild kits from george fix for next winter project.

 

[nisom512]

bump bump bump

 

[Killer2600]

There is absolutely NO advantage of using 'premium' gas in a stock GS engine.

You say that but MY GS will tell you otherwise, mine hates regular unleaded so I give it the good stuff to keep it happy.

 

[J_C]

ok so I just replaced the battery and charged it on a trickle charger and then I tryed it on the bike and it started right up. but the bike may have been a little warm inside but not on the outside. but I still cant drive it yet cause I took it for a spin today and one of those little black half circle things that are sitting between the valve cover and the top casing of the engine, popped out with in the little crome circle covers. and oil was flying all over my leg and bike.

can i just replace them or do I have to jimmy rig it back in with like a puddy?

any who I am gunna try it tomorrow and see what what happens hopefully she starts right up after sitting over night.

You can replace them. theyre like 5 bucks or so online

 

[Planecrazy]

There is absolutely NO advantage of using 'premium' gas in a stock GS engine.

You say that but MY GS will tell you otherwise, mine hates regular unleaded so I give it the good stuff to keep it happy.

+1 My bike pings when it's hot out and generally runs poorly on regular, but runs great on premium. My 550L was the same way. There have been several debates over this through the years but facts are facts ... There is absolutely a DEFINITE advantage to using premium gas in a stock GS engine IF your bike demonstrates an improvement using one over the other. I don't ever put anything but premium in mine...

Now, with regard to hard starting on the 550, mine has ALWAYS behaved exactly the same way - hard starting when cold, but starts right up when warm AND runs perfectly when warmed up. There are several threads that mention "puffing" into the breather hose on the carbs. This supposedly is like pressing the "prime" bulb on a lawnmower, and gives the motor a "shot" of fuel before you crank it over. Another suggestion that has worked for me is to switch the gas tank to "prime" and wait ten seconds before cranking. This helps get possibly low float bowls filled with gas during startup. Once the bike is running, remember to switch the petcock back to the "run" position.

One other thing ... on my 550 you don't want to touch the throttle at all, AND the choke cable has to be pulled completely out - otherwise the bike simply won't start cold.

Try these things and you'll probably find the bike more cooperative, assuming everything else is in order.

Good Luck!