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1983 GS550L problems!!!! plz help

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ryan734
  • Start date Start date
R

Ryan734

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Ok where do i start.. i bought this bike few weeks ago&when bought guy said he jus rebuilt carbs an diaphragms in em!! Bike started an ran fine all the way home.. parked in shed came out next mornin to gas under bike&wouldnt start.. changed petcock an got to fire an idled fine but ran it down the street turned around then it cut off after goin threw couple gears.. tried to push start nothin.. killed battery tryin to start normal way!! Jus dont get how it ran fine then jus dont want to run!! If battery is no good could bike still run?? Got good compression&spark!! Almost seems like it could be somethin with clutch or some type of sensor.. plz help
 
Sounds like maybe a bad petcock. Make sure it's in the "on" position and not "prime". The needle valves in the carbs can't hold off a tank's worth of fuel indefinitely; do not leave it on prime. Use prime only if the bike has not been started for a while, and only for 15-20 seconds. Sometimes when the diaphragms in the petcock go bad they'll let fuel down the vacuum line to carb #2 directly. Then it's usually time for a new petcock. That's with an OEM petcock. Many aftermarket petcocks are not vacuum-actuated so you must turn them off after you park your bike. Check your crankcase for signs of gas. If your oil level is high and/or the oil smells like gas DO NOT try to start the bike; it's time for an oil change. Make sure cylinder #2 is not full of gas.
 
Hmmm you also need to check the charging system
Do not despair
 
Jus replaced petcock as stated.. it was bad an was letting gas flow freely no matter what position it was in.. but no longer does.. got to start but no longer then after going to end of street an back it died an wouldnt start even if tryin to push start!! An no gas in cylinders when i pulled em!! An should the oil light be on before i start bike??
 
So if charging system was messed up would it stop the bike from running even after started?
 
gee ryan its so early on a sunday to think logicallly.
oil ligght on is normal
form my bike anyway.

I had a similar problem caused by a combination of issue whereine the bike was overwhelmed by too much fule
had to let it sit for a long time for it to start
 
Empty the bowls out on the carbs so i kno they wasnt full with gas.. an also like i said i check plugs an none was covered in gas.. like i stated it started up fine an idlesd good an could rev it up an everything.. i jumped on it an ran to corner which is like 40 yards or so turned around shifted then went to shift heard a lil bit of a weird noise then died an wouldnt fire back up..
 
Could be intermittent electrical. Go through all your points of ignition and clean them up real good including the kill switch button. Make sure there are no exposed wires anywhere. Tape those up. Get a multimeter, this is a must have tool, check the charging system and all ignition points for proper voltage and ohms.

The old wiring on these bikes is very sensitive. One thing out of place can cause intermittent problems to the ignition. Which is weak to begin with. Being a newb this is what I have recently learned on my 550T.

Right now now my bike is running good after a similar problem. If the voltage to the coils is too low you can still get spark but a weak spark.

Be patient. These bikes will run. I may have to do a relay mod on mine.
 
or you have worn down na old battery
recharge it and try again
 
But what i dont get is bike fired up when bought an rode it home no problem an now this.. If battery is done will it still fire up an stay running like it did but die shortly after running down street like 40 yards if that?? Bike only has lil over 8k miles.. looks an felt like to be a strong runner!! Jus frustrated..
 
An honestly not that great when it comes to electrical things.. jus couldnt pass the bike up for 450 bucks.. thought would be great starter bike but dont want to take to shop&dump bunch of money in it.. an im not that well mechanically inclined.. lol
 
did you get the manual yet? It has fcotry approved troubleshooting charts very handy.
 
and at that mileage its probably not the charging system fried but I would suspect any battery on an old bike.

A battery can get too depleted to run then regnerete for want of the correct word from sitting.

got charger?
 
Ryan734 said:
An honestly not that great when it comes to electrical things.. jus couldnt pass the bike up for 450 bucks.. thought would be great starter bike but dont want to take to shop&dump bunch of money in it.. an im not that well mechanically inclined.. lol
Click to expand...

You have to realize even though the bike has low miles. Everything on it is 30+ years old. Stuff is going to break, go out of spec and need replacing. The wiring is old and with only 8k miles in 30+ years the bike has sat more than its been ridden. This is good and bad from what I have read.

These bikes are relatively simple and it should not be that hard to locate the problem with a little research and effort.


You have any pictures of the bike?
 
Well thats what im asking if bike would still run as it should once started even if battery is junk or dead??
 
Yea an so i thought it should be relatively easy too.. even tho when i bought bike night before it ran fine.. then found ouy petcock was bad thats why gas was on ground next day so put new one on an no leak now.. but now this electrical or ignition problem.. smh
 
again refer to the manual in the link I posted.
If you dont you will start chasing your tail
 
Here is pic
 

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