VERY BUMMED and need some help/advice

[smokienutz]

i did my first oil change on my gs1100. after the oil change i did the ususally inspect making sure i tighten every thing/ seal was put back right etc. drove her for about 5 or 10 mins and was please that i did an ok job. the next day (yesterday) i took her on a longer ride. (1hr.+) i noticed that she started to eat oil. it was a full in the window w/ a small bubble on top. now she is at the full line. after a few stops and heading home i noticed now the oil level is now between the full and low lines and SHE WILL NOT START!!! no lights, nothing. so i ask someone to give me a jump. hooked up the cables and STILL NOTHING!!! hoping you see why i am so bummed. so if any of you have any suggestions please help. thank you.

 

[exbellicus]

Did you ride this bike before the oil was changed without problems, or is this a newly acquired bike? Did you happen to check the oil level before?

 

[Nessism]

The problem is not likely to be oil related unless you bumped something when doing the work. The no power business points to a battery, fuse, or battery cable issue. Time to clean all the connections and look for burnt fuses. Basic maintenance.

 

[Tom MLC]

Make sure your bike is level when you check the sight glass. one or two degrees can make a BIG difference in what you see in the window. Even if the bike is slightly nose down, the oil will look low in the glass.

If this is the case, then you have another problem with the non-starting issue. I recommend you confirm or eliminate the oil level issue before drawing the wrong conclusion.

 

[BassCliff]

Hi,

Does it crank but not catch? Does is only click when you press the start button? Or is there no reaction at all when you press the start button? What kind of shape is your petcock in? What kind of shape are the carbs in? Have they ever been cleaned? Have you checked and cleaned every electrical connection and ground in the entire wiring harness? These old bikes need a lot of TLC at first, then they will love you a long time.

Maybe this will help... Testing The Ignition System


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[rapidray]

Look at the air filter. If the engine was over filled with oil, or has excessive blow by, it will push the oil out the crankcase breather into the air box. If it has put a bunch of oil on the air filter, that would make it not want to start. That's where I would look first. Ray.

 

[Guest]

The oil and electrical are two different issues.
Check the main fuse first and the connections on the battery.

 

[Suzuki_Don]

Pull the spark plugs, spin the engine and look for good healthy spark. No Spark -- No Go.

 

[rphillips]

Like said, oil & elect aren't even connected in any way. Until you get elect system working, engine won't do anything. Oil change has nothing to do with elect or starting. Just my opinion

 

[Guest]

overfill issues

overfill issues

Look at the air filter. If the engine was over filled with oil, or has excessive blow by, it will push the oil out the crankcase breather into the air box. If it has put a bunch of oil on the air filter, that would make it not want to start. That's where I would look first. Ray.

I think what Ray has written is the first part of the process of elimination, IMHO.

 

[smokienutz]

ty all for the help. i just bought the bike less than a week ago. she has a recharging issue when i got her. the oil was full also. when i changed the oil it was sort of thin (imo) but, i did add some marvel mystery oil to maybe loosen anything up. before the oil change i didn't notice any oil dissapearring. just that the little window being really black. (dirty oil). on the running/dead issue. (this is where i am sort of lost) i rode her for an hour. went to class.(class was about 2 hrs.) after class started her up rode her down the street(a few blocks) killed her,(shut engine off) had a cup of coffee. then rode her for about 15 r so miles, needed some more wake up juice for the hour r so trip. grabbed a mt.dew drank it. (so i am thinking 15 r so mins). put my stuff back on and nothing. no crank, no lights. like i never put the key in. i have notice, if there is (from the past week of having her) any moisture in the air she has a very hard time starting or will not start. tried to jump her. usually when i jump her u get little sparks around the terminal. but this time (lol all 6 freagin' times), nothing like i never put the cables on.
i am lost because, how can i ride(first day) for 6 r so hours, charge battery, ride her 2 hrs plus, by a new battery, ride her more and then ABSOLUTELY nothing. just confused.

i hope i answerred the questions better. i am reading more on the ignition system,then going to tackle the oil issue.

 

[gggGary]

Don't worry about the oil for now. It's electric. where did you hook up the jumpers? If you used the hot terminal on the battery and a bolt somewhere on the frame for the ground then we can point you at the battery - terminal to frame wire and connections next. Usually short and easy to find, trace it from the battery terminal to where it bolts to the frame. This can cause endless (very expensive) troubles if it is not properly taken care of so don't just wiggle, get it to work and drive off.

 

[exbellicus]

From a newbie, again.

It sounds to me that you might have a charging issue. See the stator papers here http://thegsresources.com/garage/gs_stator_ref.htm

If your stator isn't recharging your battery, it will go dead...fast. Recharge your battery and try again, or jump it. If it starts after either of those, you may have pinpointed your problem to a bad stator ($60-$100).

It could also be your r/r (regulator/rectifier). When the stator generates AC power, this mechanism converts it into useable DC power (like a power supply on a computer does). If your r/r is bad, it could be frying wires, fuses, or worse. Again, stator papers! A new r/r will be in the range of $80-$100, you may be able to find cheaper online.

Now another possibility could be a very simple yet very common one. Bad ground! If a ground wire came loose somewhere (or you forgot to reconnect it) your bike won't do squat. Check all your connections and clean them while you're in there to prevent further problems. Lots of guys suggest using dielectric grease.

 

[rapidray]

After all of this, it sounds like it isn't charging & is running total loss. Charge the battery & see if it starts again. If it does, you know it's not charging. Don't try to jump start it, just start with charging the battery with a battery charger. You HAVE to have a fully charged battery before you can even start testing the electrical components anyway. Ray.

 

[smokienutz]

o i forgot lol. i did change the plugs a fe days before the oil change. i did notice a greater take off and the bike ran alot rougher after that. (meaning vibration increase). i took has, she needed them and i was getting a little closer to where she should be.

before i got her she sat to almost a year. so in one way i am bummed but, in another way, i get to "fix" and make her better. peeps before me didn't do a great job keeping her running well. poor girl lol. but anyway i am reading/learning to go ahead and replace the entire wiring system. to clean up the look but more importantly to ellimanate any further problems. also has i go i will be adding those little mods mention in here. (coil/horn relay mod etc.)
again, ty all for responding. i am really digging this site!!!!

 

[gggGary]

to go ahead and replace the entire wiring system. to clean up the look but more importantly to ellimanate any further problems. also has i go i will be adding those little mods mention in here. (coil/horn relay mod etc.)

Nothing wrong with that, hint; get the bugs isolated BEFORE you take the plunge into a whole new wiring system. One problem at a time so's to speak. Nothing worse than trying to fix two or three or...... issues all at the same time. Always nice to get a bike running put a season on it sorting it out then do big mods the next winter.

 

[DanTheMan]

Another spot to look for the completely dead issue is your fuse box. Your bike should have the glass fuses in a box under the left side cover I think. Pull all your fuses, clean them, maybe wouldn't hurt to replace all of them (I had a couple that looked good, the main fuse/engine fuse bing one of them), I had no lights, nothing. It was just a bad fuse that looked good. I tore mine all apart, replaced all the bad connectors in the wiring, took a couple of days before I was done, and it was just a fuse. Oh well, the rest of the wiring needed the attention anyway.

 

[exbellicus]

Sitting for a year isn't too bad, especially since mine has been sitting for SEVENTEEN!

 

[Steve]

From a newbie, again.
... Bikes use both AC and DC power. This mechanism converts your DC battery power into AC (like a power supply on a computer does, just backwards). If your r/r is bad, it could be frying wires, fuses, or worse. Again, stator papers! A new r/r will be in the range of $80-$100, you may be able to find cheaper online. ...

Sorry, gonna have to call you on that one.

Bikes do NOT "use AC ... power", they generate it. The only place that AC exists on the bike is between the stator and the r/r. The combination of magnets and stator windings generates AC current that is then rectified (that's the r/ in r/r) to DC (direct current) and regulated (that's the /r) to about 14 volts and sent to the rest of the bike.

Actually, a NEW r/r will be in the range of $130-160, but you can get a used, tested unit from member "duaneage". Do a search for his name, you will see his information on how to order one from him for $40.

.

 

[exbellicus]

Steve you caught me too fast, I had already gone back and corrected it. Learn something new every day!