1980 GS550E - Spark Plug Pic

[081dbx64]

Hi

I hope you can help I have been having a little problem getting my idle to remain constant. It seems to act differently based on how long I ride it. After a long run it seems to idle high. I'm kind of thinking it just needed to be ran...but now after a entire tank of fuel, I'm thinking it's the mixture screws.

I just had the carburetors cleaned. The very first time. The mixture screws caps were removed so I assume they were taken out and cleaned. The intake boots were replaced I assume new O rings. The boots were new. New intake filter.

I have not checked the valves yet. That's my next project.

I have attached pictures of my spark plugs. What do you all think?

thanks

Cylinder 1
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/lgrDJiwh7IJEfIH9WSKE1A?feat=directlink

Cylinder 2
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/jzCcQxW_KwJKQ3MeVOEnHQ?feat=directlink

Cylinder 3
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/mwXCZ3_GuCHYQ-t_s3z59A?feat=directlink

Cylinder 4
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/kA8Tu3OvNSEXyJ3RxyTHSg?feat=directlink


Here is the bike

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/2HfnVE1T2oNHaXMKmV9k_Q?feat=directlink

 

[friedshrooms]

I have the same problem on my 82 450. I believe we need to weather seal out air boxes and check for leaks. I already purchased new intake manifolds and clamped the carbs in tight. The airbox lid is where the weather sealing goes. You also may need a valve adjustment if that doesn't work. Also you say you think the intake O-rings were new, you can get them for pennies at a plumbing store.

 

[081dbx64]

The air box lid seems ok. The foam is still there and not rotted.

 

[friedshrooms]

The air box lid seems ok. The foam is still there and not rotted.

Then maybe you need a carburetor rebuild or sync.. Though more likely a valve adjustment. Your plugs are an excellent color by the way. And if you did that I'd at least check those O-rings.

 

[081dbx64]

Now that I'm a little more savvy after reading this forum maybe I should call the guy I had work on it. He is a bike mechanic at a Honda dealership. He does this on the side there is no Suzuki place within miles. I let him know it sat for 20 years. I never had the valves adjusted since owning the bike. It has 18,000 miles on it. I am sure they need work. I guess I will have to get some feeler gauges and a gasket and check these. I know he did not.

Other than the idling it runs fantastic.

 

[Guest]

#1 looks like there is oil on the plug
2&3 look perfect
#4 looks a little lean.

 

[Guest]

Is it me or am I just used to looking at rich plugs? They all look lean to me.
Chef, 2 and 3 look the leanest.
May be my monitor though..

 

[tkent02]

Replace the O rings, adjust the valves, seal the airbox, dip the carbs, clean all the tiny passages.
Learn to do proper plug chops.
After all that the plug readings will have some meaning, these are near useless.

 

[081dbx64]

Fair enough. I ordered feeler gauge and Suzuki valve tool today. Got gaskets from Real Gasket. I'm sure I will need shims when the time comes. Any idea of where to get these?

 

[tkent02]

Z1, Suzuki, any motorcycle salvage, or try the shim club on this site.

 

[081dbx64]

shim club? How do i get to that?

 

[Steve]

do a search (advanced search) for ghostgs1, he is the one that organizes the "Club".

.

 

[FlyingSteve]

Or figure out how much you need to take off your current shims and then go to a good machine shop that has a surface grinder.... Only one of my valves was out of the spec and my buddy owns a machine shop and now that shim is a new size and the valve is in spec

 

[081dbx64]

That's a great idea! I have a buddy that can do this I think.

 

[Nessism]

The Real Gasket is no good on bikes, like the 550, which have the tach gear in the valve cover - the thickness of the Real Gasket keeps the tach gear teeth from properly engaging those on the camshaft.

For the 550 you want your mixture screws out at least 3 turns from lightly seated, and the carbs need to be vacuum synced or the idle may hang. Also, confirm with your mechanic whether or not the intake boot O-rings were changed. Lastly, I suggest you learn to do your own work or you will go broke owning a 30 year old motorcycle.

 

[FlyingSteve]

Lastly, I suggest you learn to do your own work or you will go broke owning a 30 year old motorcycle.

So true...

I bench sync'd the carbs on my 550 and I have no issue with them (But at some point when I have the cash I will buy a sync tool and do a proper vacuum sync). However I did have the hanging idle issue like you are having before I installed my dynojet kit. The pod filters caused that issue... So maybe you have a lot of intake leaks?

As for your valve shims, if you know someone that has a surface grinder and knows what they are doing, then you can save yourself a lot of $$.

 

[Steve]

As for your valve shims, if you know someone that has a surface grinder and knows what they are doing, then you can save yourself a lot of $$.

Maybe, maybe not.

How much time and effort will go into grinding a shim down about .001"? That is half the increment of the normal shims.

Compare that time and effort with $5.28 for shims from Z1. Yeah, there is some shipping involved, but if you have other things to order, too, toss in a few shims to add to your collection, it won't change the shipping at all.

Now to the shims themselves:
Depending on the grinder, you may have to worry about heat distortion.
You certainly need to worry about keeping the sides parallel.
You also need to do your grinding on the side that has the number stamped on it, because that number will now be wrong.

If you have a Suzuki dealer near you, talk to the guys in the service department.
There are some places that will exchange shims with you. Sometimes for free, sometimes for a modest fee.

.

 

[FlyingSteve]

Hey Steve, do you have ANY idea what a surface grinder actually is? I'm betting not

And how the heck are you talking about "heat distortion" when you are taking off .001"?

Go google or youtube "Surface Grinder", Mmmk, thanks.

Biggest problem you may run in to is the magnetic table not being able to hold the shim down because they are so thin... However, that is easily fixed by using some flat washers set around the shim.