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Another project GS550ES, needing some help...

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jbeaber
  • Start date Start date
J

Jbeaber

Guest
Well, my GS550ES isn't nearly as pretty as MelodicMetalGod's, but she ain't too bad. If I can get them off my phone, i'll put some photos up. From what I have pieced together, this GS550ES has sat outside for a long time. What have I done so far?
1. Ripped all the plastics off
2. Ripped the CA emissions system off
3. Ripped the carbs off, cleaned them and put them back on
4. Ripped the fuel tank off, cleaned a lot of rust from in it, cleaned up the petcock a bit, then put it all back together.
5. Bought a new battery for it, new spark plugs, installed
So, what is known about the rest of the bike? Well, the ignition does not work. I have unplugged it and hotwired the bike. There are two sets of wires, both of which can easily be hotwired. My goal is to try to get the engine running to see if restoration of the rest of the bike is worth it. The rest of the bike seems to be in generally good shape. It will take some work. If the engine will run I think it is worth the effort.
So, where am I now?
As I said, I can get power to the bike. I did so, pulled the clutch in and hit the start button. Absolutely nothing happened. The bike was in neutral. It was up on its center stand with the side stand down as well. I have noticed that when the sidestand is up, the side stand light on the dash is still on. But, even if that alert is accidentally triggered, it shouldn't matter as the bike is in neutral. I did take the start button apart. There is a low voltage between the two contacts, around 0.8 I believe. any ideas where my problem is? It makes no sound, nothing..... :confused::confused::confused:
 
Spray wd-40 on sidestand switch. Take electric ignition thumbstarter apart and spray it with electronic parts cleaner. Check your fuses and wiring connections (all of them). Clean with electric parts cleaner as you go.

Check OHM reading on igniter box. Check everything electrical - rectifier, signal generator - see where the short is. I had a similar problem and it was a wire connector behind the headlight that was not connected properly.
 
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Welcome to theGSResources website and a wealth of information. Glad to see another GS550ES out here! What year is your bike? (You may want to put your bike info in your signature.)

As far as the side stand light being on whether it's up or down, that's normal until the engine starts. With the ignition on but the engine not started, the side stand light stays on regardless of side stand position.

I don't have enough experience to properly troubleshoot your problem, but it seems that it's obviously electrical and that you're already exploring the path from the battery forward and I'd say that's the right course of action, although there are those more knowledgeable here that may be able to give better pointers.

One thing that comes to mind: Is the starter getting current? If so, then the problem is probably the starter.

FYI: According the factory service manual, the primary concerns with a dead starter button are

1) bad battery (which you've already addressed),
2) Defective contacts/switches
3) Brush/commutator issues in starter
4) Defective starter relay

That's not much help, but it's all I've got. Keep asking and some resident experts should be able to offer more complete advice.

Best of luck!
 
Clutch safety switch could be bad, kickstand switch could be bad, bad ground, any number of things.

Grab yourself a can or two of electrical parts cleaner (any auto parts store) and take every connector apart and clean it thoroughly. Inspect each one for obvious overheating, shorts, loose connection or corrosion. Take the engine ground off, scrub the connectors and contact points with sandpaper or synthetic steel wool and reinstall. Look over the entire wiring harness for crimped wires, burned areas, etc. Take the headlight out and verify that all of the wires and connectors inside the bucket are in good condition.

Doing this will eliminate 95% of possible problems, doesn't cost much and will greatly familiarize you with the electronics of your bike. If it doesn't solve the problem then at least you know the harness and connectors aren't the problem and can start diagnosing components.

This might be a completely "duh" question, but are you sure you hotwired the bike correctly? You might have inadvertently wired it in the "ACC" position, and the bike won't start.

You can check to see if the starter's good by jumping the starter solenoid. Do a "bump start" first to verify the engine's not seized or hydrolocked, even if it won't start.
 
You guys are on the attack quickly! So, i am pretty sure that i am hotwiring it correctly. I have the service manual and am connecting the two sets of wires that are connected when the ignition is in the 'on' position. Examining the clutch connection is a very good idea. I will give this thing a total examination with my multimeter to see if I can identify the problem. In the mean time, MAJOR disaster last night...
So, after playing with the bike a bit, I was relaxing upstairs (our garage is the first level of our house) with the wife watching TV. I smell gasoline. I smell myself, not there... I got downstairs and the bike is in a large puddle of gas. Last night was the first time I connected the bike to the fuel tank since cleaning it. The fuel tank was not leaking. I am a bit confused. i know where some of the gas is coming from. So, my observations...
1. I don't understand the petcock. Mine does not have labels and it is not the same as indicated in the manual. It has three positions, up, back and down. That is not what is indicated in the manual. any help on that?
I think mine was in the up position. Fuel was not leaking in any significant manner in the hour or so i was playing with the bike. But it definitely was later on!
The fuel seems to be coming out of the front of the carb boots. I'm not sure if that indicates they need to be replaced or what. Shouldn't this have been prevented by some of the systems in the bike? Like the float bowls? Sorry to sound like an idiot. This is my second project bike and both of these problems are new things for me to be dealing with. Thanks!
 
And the bike is a 1985 GS550ES. The PO painted it all blue. We'll see what i decide to do with it in the long run. It is the California model.
 
guys is fuel coming into the carb body via the petcock vacuum?

or have the fuel pipe O rings failed.

what did you sues to clean the petcock?

if its diaphragm was pierced then fule could flow into the vacuum line

but then you say yours is not apparently OEM.
 
Smell the oil in the crank case. If it smells like gas (or looks thin) don't try to start the bike until you replace the oil/filter and the petcock.
 
I didn't use much to clean the petcock. It did not receive the treatment that the gas tank did. The petcock looks largely stock, it has the large plastic filter that sticks up into the gas tank. The valve is controlled by a large round handle, not a small valve like it appeared in the service manual. It looked like the fuel was coming out of the front of the carbs. It could have been the vacuum line. I will give both a closer look this evening if i have time. When the fuel tank is sitting, with no hoses connected to it, it does not leak at all. I believe I have the petcock set to the 'middle' setting.
 
I beleive that you left your petcock in the PRI (Prime) position (straight up). In this position, the fuel flows freely from the tank into the carbs.

In the other two positions RES (reserve) and On, the fuel will only flow from the tank when the engine is running (due to vacum from the carbs, assuming the vacuum port on the carbs is connected to the vacuum port on the petcock).

Move the petcock to the On position and you shouldn't have any more leaking fuel.

PS: Theorectically, the needled valve in the float chambers of the carbs should prevent fuel from entering once the floats push the needle valve up all the way. However, if there are any problems with that system (worn need valves and/or seats, bad floats, etc) then the fuel flows until the supply is cut or depleted.
 
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Do not try to turn the bike over! Check the oil, make sure that there isn't any gas in it or it's not too full. Then take out the spark plugs before trying to crank over the engine. Doing otherwise could cause the bike to hydrolock and do serious damage.

I, too, think you left the bike in PRI position. See if you can post a pic of the petcock, I'm curious as to the knob you referred to.
 
Back to the bike at last!!!

Back to the bike at last!!!

Man, getting married really takes up a lot of time!
So, the project bike was worked on tremendously this weekend with some pretty good success. The goal was to try to get the engine running, because nothing else is worth doing unless we prove the engine still is worth something!
So, we took the fuel tank off. The fuel tank is in rough shape. I tried the hydrochloric acid/phosphoric acid/nuts and bolts approach to derusting a gas tank with some success, but not complete. Rust has come back in. As my bike does have an odd petcock, we just decided it was work for another day. Plus, it is easier to diagnose it if we have a happy engine trying to pull fuel from it. The part of the petcock that inserts into the fuel tank looks similar to the photos I have seen in the service manual. The external parts do not.
So, we just set up a funnel and tube to supply fuel in small amounts to the float bowls. we filled them up and tried to start the engine up. After a bit of fussing and figuring out things on the bike, we got half of the engine to fire up. It was able to run for a bit with just the left side running. On the right side we checked for spark (yes, I know the spark plugs on one side are powered by two different systems, but we thought it couldn't hurt). Then we got the bike running on the one side and gave the non-running carb a nice shot of carb cleaner through the back. The right side of the engine roared to life. So, we have spark and air on the right, no fuel. We took the carbs off and recleaned parts. The idle jets were dinged up from someone removing them. We got them out and cleaned them up as they were blocked. Sadly, this did not fix the problem. I'm thinking that some of the internal workings of the carb are blocked up and need a nice good soak. I will be taking the carbs off, removing ALL plastic and rubber, then giving it a nice immersion bath for a bit to see if I can get it all cleaned up and happy....
In the mean time....
The ignition did not work. The key would not turn and it is stuck in the off position. So, I pulled the ignition off and took it apart. First off, now I can just use the base as my hotwire to get the bike on. Much simpler and safer. I have determined that the problem is the tumbler, all else is totally functional. I am now thinking of taking that to a locksmith and having it redone. Much cheaper than replacement with new as Suzuki only sells the ignition as a complete system, no individual parts.
Then there is the gas tank... I will be playing with the petcock (man, that sentence sounds wrong) soon to determine if that is the issue. I also am thinking of Kreeming the tank to cover up the rust issue. Any experience with that?
Then there is a lot more work to be done on the bike. Full fluid change, tire change, fork seals.... The chain actually looks like it is in decent shape. I have cleaned it up, it moves freely and doesn't look like it has suffered much. I hope to have this thing up and running in a couple months, before the Bay area rainy season begins... Comments, ideas and suggestions are ALWAYS appreciated....

-J
 
John,

Be sure to blow out the carbs passages with air pressure after you dip them. Nothing is worse than tearing the carbs down again and again.

If the jets are mangled, perhaps you should get some new ones

As for lining the tank, most members prefer the POR 15 to Kreem. Mine's been Kreemed for over 20 years. Prep work is all important before you line it. Search the forum, I'm sure this has been discussed before.
 
I think you are right about the jets. The brass is messed up around the top, making removing it and putting it back in a bit of a touchy subject.... Thanks for the info on the Por 15
 
Hey howdy hey!

Hey howdy hey!

Mr. Jbeaber,

First let me say,...

Let it be known that on this day you are hereby cordially and formally welcomed to the GSR Forum as a Junior Member in good standing with all the rights and privileges thereof. Please note that "good standing" implies pictures! :-D

It's probably best if you buy a new factory petcock. The rebuild kits do not work most of the time. Just replace it with the right part and then you won't have to worry about it for the next 20 years. If you can't clean and coat your tank back into shape, there's always ebay.

Thanks for joining us. Best of luck with your restorations. Keep us informed and bring on the pictures. We love before and after pictures.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
(The unofficial GSR greeter)
walmart_greeter2.jpg
 
Good to hear that another 550ES is in rehab. Sounds like you've got a good foundation to work with.

FYI: If you find you need parts, especially gas tank or carbs, let me know as I've got extras.

Best of luck!
 
Ignition amusement

Ignition amusement

Well, I took the ignition apart this weekend. Everything looked fine except the tumbler. It would not move at all with the key in it. So, I brought it to a locksmith along with the key, the fuel cap and the helmet lock as samples where the key worked. They called me in a little while later, all fixed. The key never fit the ignition. It was set to a completely different key. Now it isn't. The ignition is all better and should be reconnected this evening.
I also am going to attack the carbs again. So, am I right in this plan for soaking one of my carbs?
1. Remove everything that isn't metal, all rubber and plastic. The float bowl is clean, so just soaking the main body.
2. Soak it for 20 minutes in the bucket o' carb cleaner
3. Rinse thoroughly with water
4. Dry it
5. Spray carb cleaner into all the little orifices and the holes
6. Put it all back together and see if the right side of the engine fires up
 
You've got the right idea with soaking the carbs. However, many folks here recommend an overnight soaking rather than the 20 minute suggestion that's on the product.

On the other hand, I was able to bring my carbs back to life with just a good carb cleaner spray (took a whole can).

Other than that, replace any worn out gaskets and o-rings and ensure the slides, diaphragms and needle-valves are in decent shape.

Best of luck!
 
Well, the ignition is back on the bike and happy. The only bad news on that is that the new keys I had made are a little bit wider than the original. I need to go to the locksmith to have them clean those up a bit.
The bad news is that the soak didn't accomplish anything. I did mess up one little thing, tho, that I intend to undo this evening. I soaked the carb with the idle air screws in place. I know ho far out they need to be, 3.5 turns. We checked and compared those this past weekend. The ones on the right side, however, were much tougher to remove than those on the left. I've noticed that bikes that sit tend to suffer more on their right sides than left... The higher side if the bike is on the side stand. So, tonight I will repeat and see if I have any luck. Other ideas are, of course, welcome. The right side of the engine roars to life if you spray carb cleaner into the back of the attached carb; air and spark are definitely there. Fuel is my problem..... Yes, the float bowls are full.
 
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