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Runing on 1,2 & 4 Cylinders

  • Thread starter Thread starter Rain Man
  • Start date Start date
R

Rain Man

Guest
Hiya,

I recently aqquired a 1979 GS850 which was being used every now & then.
I have noticed that she is only running on No1,2 & 4 cylinders, No3 pipe is always cold to the touch, hence why she is not running properly.
I have checked the spark plug on No3 & its absolutely fine, i get a loverly spark with it, so im now thinking that No3 Carb is blocked or something, would you agree ??, what should i look for next ??
Sorry, but i am still waiting for my friend to bring round the owners manual, so thought i would ask here :)
Thank you,

Rain Man
 
Well that tells me the coils are good..otherwise you would normally loose 2 cylinders associated with one particular coil. Look inside the plug caps. If you see a slot for a flat tip screwdriver, then remove ( unscrew ) the insert and youll find a ceramic resistor. You can cut some 1/8" diameter brass rod and replace the resistor or maybe radio shack would have one. The first thing I do on my bikes is remove the resistors and out in the brass rod. If it was running ok before and this is a sudden onset problem, then thats where I would look.

EDIT:: Missed the part where you said 3 has a nice spark..so back track to the carbs.. Youve probably got a clogged jet or passage inside the carb body. May be time to just clean and rebuild them outright.
 
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How about a little more information. How long have you had the bike ? Have you put many miles on it ? Have you done any maintenence to it ? Has it been "modded" or is it a stock bike ?

If you've done nothing to the bike since you've had it, I'd recomend the normal maintenence that is required on a +- 30 year old bike. Carb dip and rebuild with new o-rings, make sure the air intake system is completely sealed, valve adjustment, syncing the carbs, cleaning and inspecting the charging system, tires, brakes, etc........

I'd also point out that there is a treasure trove of information available by using the search feature. Spend some time reading and searching to educate yourself about these wonderful bikes. Of course there's always someone here to help answer questions.

Welcome to GSR !!!!! :)
 
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You get a lovely spark pulling the plug and grounding it on the block? Or you get a lovely spark when you put that plug on another coil lead? Air/fuel, compression, spark are what are needed. Check the compression on that cylinder. If you are indeed getting spark from that lead, then it's an obvious fuel delivery issue. Not necessarily a carb issue, as you could have a blocked fuel line, etc. My recommendation is to pull the carbs and begin your re-build. Contact Robert Barr for o-rings, and go to Walmart for some Berryman's Carb Dip for less than $20 for a gallon. And, do everything Larry said too!
 
Im not so sure they have Walmart or Berrymans in the UK. If not, I hear the Yamaha carbb soak stuff is just as good.
 
Nice attention to detail Chuck! TO make up for my blunder, I checked online for our equivalent for Auto Zone over there, and they have Euro Car Parts. I did see some carb cleaner in a shaker can, but, nothing in the gallon can. I'd assume somebody carries it over there. Look around and I'm sure you'll find something similar. If not, grab the Yammie stuff.
 
Thank you for all your suggestions, you have all convinced me that my hunch was right, IE: fuel starvation on No3, so i will remove the carbs & take a look, i will probably get a complete carb rebuild kit including all new jets & O rings etc! for all 4 carbs & then take it from there.

I have only had the bike a few days now & all i can tell you is that, it had been standing in a garage for 4 years up until 9 months ago when it was given New Oil & Filter + New Fuel in the Tank(was flushed out first) & it also had a topend rebuild( cleaned off piston crowns, checked valve clearances etc!.)
The bike has done just over 30000 miles since new.
I hope this helps :)

Thank you,

Rain Man
 
Rain Man, you are supposed to be smart!!! Wait for Bass Cliff's major welcome before you waste any money!
 
Disassemble, them BEFORE you order any hard parts like fuel or air screws. Look at the ends and see if they are bent or damaged in any way. Its very unlikely you will need anything other than the orings from Robertbarr ( cycleorings.com ) and new bowl gaskets. No need to order 100.00 worth of stuff youll not need. The orings are like 18.00 US plus a few bucks to ship to the UK. You will save yourself some money. And you just said the tell all phrase.."IT SAT IN A GARGAE FOR 4 YEARS". Yes the carbs do need a full tear down and new orings.
 
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The vacuum port for the petcock is on #3 carb. again, as sedelen asked, what does the #3 plug look like?

put the fuel tap on prime and plug the vacuum line.
 
ok, sorry for missing the other info :oops:

No3 plug was almost dry, the others were wet.
When i tested No3 Spark Plug, what i did was remove it from cylinder head then plugged it into its HT cap & rested it against the head & that gave me a loverly clean spark.

Ok, i will wait on getting new jets n stuff, i wont be able to take the carbs off for a little while because we are having a lot of rain at the moment coupled with hi winds & an average temp of only 5 degrees Celsius & also, my garage is 1 mile from my house & it does not have any electric or heating :mad:

I will post back when i have had the chance to remove them & have a look ok :)

Rain Man
 
I used to take my generator and a few electric heaters to the storage unit. Table lamp for lighting.
 
chuck hahn said:
I used to take my generator and a few electric heaters to the storage unit. Table lamp for lighting.
Click to expand...

I wish i had those, but i cant afford them, as i am on a low income & can only just barely afford to keep my two bikes on the road etc! :S

Rain Man
 
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