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Won't start on gas?

  • Thread starter Thread starter fannin88
  • Start date Start date
F

fannin88

Guest
Hey guys. I have a question. I have an 82 GS1100GL. I had been riding a little bit and yhe bike was running great. I then didnt run it for a couple months then attempted to start it with no luck. I'll make it easier to follow along with to help diagnose issues by making a list of things I've attempted thus far. I'm not to familiar with bikes in general, much loss our older ones so please bare with me.

- Took carbs off and had them cleaned, no change.
- Tested coil resistance with a DMM, checked correct.
- Performed a quick spark test for reassurance, appeared to have strong spark.
- Replaced spark plugs
- Loosened fuel bowl, fuel had made it into the bowls.
- Attempted to start on starting fluid, did run for about a minute or so...I had to keep working the throttle.
* I bought a spark tester just to be 100% sure that I do indeed have the spark that I need, but it is being shipped to me as we speak.

I'm getting spark and fuel but can't get it to fire on it's own without starting fluid. Can you guys give me some other possible things to check out? It just blows my mind that it ran fine, was parked then all of a sudden is dead in the water unless you use the starting fluid (which is much less than steady to saw the least) thanks guys
 
The first thing that comes to mind is that the passages in the float bowls for the choke circuit are plugged.
 
I'm betting that it's still a carb related issue. The fact that it started on starting fluid would confirm you have ignition. Now stop using starting fluid. It's confirmed you have ignition and any further use could cause damage. Who did the carb rebuild and exactly what was done? Were all the O-rings replaced? Did you replace the intake boot O-rings?

Go here and read up on how to do the job yourself: CV Carb rebuild tutorial

More basic... Did you fill the tank with fresh gas? Is your choke working? These bikes should start cold by simply pulling the choke and pressing the starter. Don't give it gas via the throttle until warmed up.
 
I also would put my money on a carb issue. Can you define "had them cleaned?" As in, did you completely take them apart ENTIRELY and blow out all the holes with compressed air and replace all the o-rings and soak the bodies in carb dip?

Carbs are tricky, man :-P
 
Thanks for the quick suggestions guys. A guy locally done the carb work.i didn't want to take a chance of messing them up. He (supposedly) tore them down and cleaned all the internals. He said everything inside looked really clean and new. So he didnt replace anything that he mentioned to me. I know he has messed with a lot of these old bikes and had a 750 drag bike (which was how I found him originally) that he built Soviet assumed he knew his stuff pretty well.
Carbs were my initial thought as well but like I said, I'm still very green with these ol things. How hard is it to get the carbs out of sync if i were to rebuild them myself? The thought of doing 1 makes me nervous, much less 4, but i have no doubt that i could learn!
 
It's not difficult at all, you just have to be organized. It's meticulous work. I used plastic baggies to keep everything organized. Take pictures too as you're taking it apart (seriously).

Get an o-ring kit from http://cycleorings.com/ and replace any bolts if they look old. Make sure the float needles don't have grooves in them (if so, replace them with OEM ones). Make sure the float height is correct. Then make sure the float height is correct. Then make sure the float height is correct again. Cause that's important :-P
 
As for syncing them, you pretty much have to after a rebuild. You can "bench sync" them using a paperclip or something to make sure the throttle plates are the same, but that doesn't account for any changes in the engine (one cylinder might have slightly higher compression than another...stuff like that). You can either get a set of carb sync gauges ( http://www.carbtune.co.uk/ or Z1Enterprises has a few) or take it to a shop and WATCH THEM SYNC IT.
 
Awesome! You guys are a huge help.
Would I be best off to buy a rebuilt kit and actually replace the jets and such as opposed to just dipping and spraying them?
 
Don't buy any carb kits. The jets that came in the bike are the best jets you'll ever find. Just go through the process of cleaning them out as described in the manual. You may find that you have to replace the float bowl gaskets (usually not) or the pilot jet plugs if they're petrified but beyond that everything can be cleaned and reused.

Take a walk through that carb rebuild tutorial I made a link to. Read through it and see if it makes sense. If you still feel you can't do it yourself, then there are several members here on this forum that will do it for you at a very fair price.
 
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