1980 GS450L Wont Start Help

[GateKeeper]

your just going to keep chasing your tail, as they say......

remove the carbs, strip them down, dip them, clean them, change the O rings, put them back together, now you will know that the carbs should not be giving you any grief and you can concentrate on other items if the bike will still not run.

otherwise the limited time you do have to spend on toys, is just a waste of your time.

.

[GS(X)400]

Strip them and Dip them.

Its better to start from known good from unknown

[Steve]

well steve, when I sprayed cleaner into the hole that the screw came out of, it went through and came out the back of the carbs (where the aircleaner goes) so this told me that the passage was not blocked. As far as when I cleaned the carbs the other day, I did not know at the time that there were hidden screws behind caps.

No, that only tells you that the AIR portion of the passage is not blocked.

There is also a FUEL portion that goes down to the fuel pilot jet.

Just spraying without opening things up to let the gunk out is also a bit counter-productive. Also, just because it was "not blocked" does not mean that it was open to the proper size.

Go ahead and do little bits and pieces, as your time allows, then get ready to kick yourself in the end, knowing that in just four days' time, you could have had it all done RIGHT, and could have been out RIDING.
EDIT: I just started back at the top and realized that this is a 450. You could be riding in TWO days, not four.

Have you by chance noticed how many are saying "strip and dip"? It's not that whatever I say is 'right', it's just been proven over and over and OVER again, do it right the first time.

And, if you were to take the time to contact some of the people who are preaching "strip and dip", you will find that some of them also "cleaned" their carbs multiple times before relenting to the masses, and doing it correctly. Yes, these many voices are speaking from experience.

It's your bike and your time, do it any way you want. We are only trying to show you the way, we will not push you through the door.

.

[Larry D]

^^^^^^^

What he said.

[Steve]

^^^^^^^

What he said.

Larry, if I remember correctly, aren't you a member of the "been there, (finally) done that" crowd?

.

[Larry D]

Larry, if I remember correctly, aren't you a member of the "been there, (finally) done that" crowd?

.

No, I didn't have any problems with carbs. I stripped and dipped them the right way the first time.

I did, however, have a problem with top-end oiling on 2nd generation 750, which resulted in a top-end rebuild. Perhaps that's what you're thinking of.

[Dmpaul89]

update

Thanks for all the replies,
Steve, I completely agree with what you are saying I know they should be stripped and renewed with gaskets. I just needed to know if everything else is good like the clutch and tranny etc.. so i was just doing a quicky job so I can run it long enough to test the other aspects of the bike the licence plate was last renewed in 1994! and the guy I bought it from knew nothing of the history of the bike, so I am being very careful how much time and money To be invested in an unknown engine. So far everything seems pretty good, The motor sounds tight . So yes It looks like I will be ordering an o-ring kit. and dipping the carbs.
Has anyone used berrymans chem dip? it comes in a 1 gallon can and has a basket. I have never tried it but looks like i will work.

[koolaid_kid]

That is the dip of choice. Walmart has it for less than $20 per gallon. One can does many carbs.

[Steve]

That is the dip of choice.
Walmart has it for less than $20 per gallon.
One can does many carbs.

Yes.
Sometimes.
Definitely.



Yes, that is the "dip of choice", but GUNK brand dip works just as well, if that is all you can find.

The Wal-Mart near me has it for about $28 per gallon, but some of the auto stores have it closer to $20-22.

I have three cans at home. Two are for carbs, the third is one that I got about 5 years ago.
Can't say how many carbs have gone through it, but it is dirty enough now that it is relegated to cleaning nuts, bolts and screws.

.

[koolaid_kid]

Yes.
Sometimes.
Definitely.



Yes, that is the "dip of choice", but GUNK brand dip works just as well, if that is all you can find.

The Wal-Mart near me has it for about $28 per gallon, but some of the auto stores have it closer to $20-22.

I have three cans at home. Two are for carbs, the third is one that I got about 5 years ago.
Can't say how many carbs have gone through it, but it is dirty enough now that it is relegated to cleaning nuts, bolts and screws.

.

Of course.
Too bad.
Good for you.

[Dmpaul89]

update

Well I took the gas tank I got at the salvage yard too the local locksmith today. It had the lid on it with no key. When we got it open It was clean as a whistle! no rust at all. and he only charged me 13.50 to make a key fron scratch. I though that was a pretty good deal. Also ordered my o-rings so they should be coming in soon.

[Dmpaul89]

Question

So I took my carbs completly apart last night and dipped them. I have a few questions. First off I noticed on the needle and seat there are no rubber seals in them, It is just metal on metal. Is this right or are there supposed to be rubber seats in there? Seems like on other carbs Ive taken apart there would either be a rubber tipped needle or a small rubber o-ring in the seat itself.

Second, how fast should the vaccuum slide return to closed postion? seems like mine are slow to close, even after putting a slight bit of oil on the slide. takes maybe one to one and a half seconds to "fall back down". if they are supposed to act quicker should I stretch out the springs a little to put more down pressure on them? I did read another thread on here about drilling out the little hole next to the needle to improve throttle performance......

Third, would it be a sin to put some RTV sealant on the intake boots over the old o-rings? Just as a temperary seal so I can run the bike a little till my new o-rings come in. and do some tweaking in the meantime.

Thanks

[Dmpaul89]

Also, I didnt really find many Orings in the carbs. there is one on each mixture screw, one on each drain plug, and one on each intake boot. so aside from the intake boots. the other Orings can be replaced with the carbs already installed. The Fuel "T" is metal with a rubber shell that looked fine, I just cleaned it up and put a little brake grease on it, and went Ahead and put everything back together. and now I just need to do something bout the intake boots.

[cowboyup3371]

Get orings from www.cycleorings.com for your bike; Robert Barr is the owner and a member here. Also, don't use RTV on the intake boots; it doesn't seal anything.

[Gorminrider]

So I took my carbs completly apart last night and dipped them. I have a few questions. First off I noticed on the needle and seat there are no rubber seals in them, It is just metal on metal. Is this right or are there supposed to be rubber seats in there? Seems like on other carbs Ive taken apart there would either be a rubber tipped needle or a small rubber o-ring in the seat itself.

Second, how fast should the vaccuum slide return to closed postion? seems like mine are slow to close, even after putting a slight bit of oil on the slide. takes maybe one to one and a half seconds to "fall back down". if they are supposed to act quicker should I stretch out the springs a little to put more down pressure on them? I did read another thread on here about drilling out the little hole next to the needle to improve throttle performance......

Third, would it be a sin to put some RTV sealant on the intake boots over the old o-rings? Just as a temperary seal so I can run the bike a little till my new o-rings come in. and do some tweaking in the meantime.

Thanks

I think my carbs are very similar to yours on my 1981 GS(X)400.
My needles and seats are metal.
MY slides drop fairly fast, ..they sort of fart pushed up and down. HOWEVER, if I block the oval port shown in this picture ,they stay up.

I actually did have to attend to this,as there was quite a diff between carbs when first disassembled.