Timing and a few other general problems

[Dalisword]

Hi, I bought a 79 GS1000E last fall, rode it a few thousand miles before the snow flew then stuck it in the garage as it sat when I got a flat in November. (The two main problems I had with the bike in the fall were as follows)

• Oil leak from under the head leaking on my exhaust which then turned my pant leg black.
• When I would start it (if i could get it started) It acted extremely cold blooded, it popped like popcorn going off in the exhaust (backfiring i presumed) and had intermittent amounts of power until it warmed up (15-20 miles of riding) ((And yes i gave the bike ample amounts of time to warm up before riding it))

This spring when I pulled the bike out of the back of my garage I tried starting it and of course the battery was dead...... Soooooooo I decided it was a good time to start repairing the problems I had with it. I had been told that the popping could be due to the exhaust gaskets being shot and it was sucking cold air in. (The previous owner put a 4 into 1 exhaust on it and didnt replace the seals) So I decided to take care of the oil leak at the same time. I bought a gasket set for the engine and tore it down.

Now I should say I do have experience rebuilding car engines but the motorcycle was a whole different beast (to some extent)

I replaced the head gasket, the valve cover gasket, the exhaust gaskets, and all the smaller gaskets and washers dealing with the top end. I did nothing with the lower end. Upon getting the engine reassembled I put a new battery in and charged it according to the battery spec sheet. I also changed the oil, oil filter, and air filter. I went with a paper element air filter because the foam UNI air filter in the bike looked a little dirty. I also replaced and gapped the spark plugs. After all that I cleaned the carbs (Because it wouldnt run due to gasoline varnish(did not rebuild)) I put a full new tank of 92 octane with a little seafoam for good measure and hit the starter........ The bike fired up right away, waaaay easier than it ever has. But i still noticed problems....

• The oil still leaks
• It still pops until it is warm
• I rode a good 150 miles then it suddenly started running like absolute **** (excuse my language please) no power, couldnt go over 20mph etc Sooooo I checked the timing thinking that could be the problem... the timing still appears to be fine... although I was wondering what the difference between the F mark and the T mark were.

So on to my questions:

• Any ideas how to fix the popping? (I just got new (used) intake things (that connect the carb to the head) but havent installed them yet)
• Any idea how to stop the leaking?
• What else could be wrong with it if it isnt the timing?

Thanks in advance for your help, and I am sorry I wrote you a novel, I just felt you should know the history of the bike to better help me.
Thanks!!!
-Dali-

[Big T]

Since you're new to bikes, here's a few things for you:

1. Go here

http://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff/

And read everything tha pertains to your bike including the manual

2. You need to completely strip and clean your carbs (aka rebuild) do NOT buy any kits, all you need may be float bowl gaskets

3. While you're in the carbs, make a note on what the main and pilot jet sizes are and compare to stock

4. You have a 4-1, do you have the stock airbox? This will help determine how many jet sizes you need to go up. Order jets from www.jetsrus.com

5. Empty your gas tank and check it for rust or gunk. Pull off the petcock and check the screens for rust or gunk. That's most likely why you're loosing power, you carbs are clogged up. But it could be a dozen other things

6. Clean your motor and use talcum powder to pinpoint your leak. It could be as simple as the tach drive O ring

7. The popping is because it's not jetted correctly for the header. See #3 and #4

8. Have you adjusted the valve clearances yet???????

9. Give us pictures

10. Use the search function, if you don't find an answer, post up a new question

PS - you're wasting your money on high octain gas, the 8 1/2:1 GS motor runs regular

[SqDancerLynn1]

I would clean the gas tank& carbs again, you probably got some more crap in the carbs even tho you just cleaned them

[Dalisword]

Another question for ya.

Ive spent some serious time on the website you gave me. It has helped with several of the smaller things ive been dealing with about the bike. Im looking for new jets but I dont want to buy the wrong ones. Jets R us has (what i think are) my correct jets but I want to make sure the carbs I have are the right ones. One of the charts on bikecliff's website stated my carbs should be Mikuni VM26SS's I did some looking and anything I find on the VM26SS's looks different than mine. Although I did find some mickeys that looked like mine that were the VM22SS's. SO did Mikuni make VM26SS's with the 4 bolt tops or were all of them the screw on tops like all the pictures I have seen? Will there be any markings on my carbs that I can crosscheck?
Thanks
-Dali-

(P.S. I also pulled out the main jet on one of the carbs and there were no markings on it that I could see... Would this indicate the stock 95's or some cheap knockoff brand Owner A put in?)

[SqDancerLynn1]

Make sure your bike is a 79? Could be a 80 model made late 79, with BS/CV vacuum carbs. Look in the carb section>
Jet #s can be very hard to see.

[Dalisword]

Make sure your bike is a 79? Could be a 80 model made late 79, with BS/CV vacuum carbs. Look in the carb section>
Jet #s can be very hard to see.

Is there any way to tell for sure? The tag under the seat says applicable to 79 model years, and the date of mfg on the frame is 8/78. Did the previous owner maybe put these BS/CV carbs on it? The only numbers I can find on the carb is on the "exhaust" side heading into the head and those numbers are 490 over 20

I took a quick pic of my carbs. Hopefully this helps!

[BassCliff]

Hi,

You can tell from the picture that these are not BS series carbs. They are definitely VM carbs but that's about all I can see. It's possible that a previous owner has installed different carbs. The stock carbs for the '79 GS1000EN are the Mikuni VM26SS.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[Dalisword]

Ok, I have the carb bodies torn down and soaking, I'm waiting on a set of paint gun brushes off ebay to really scrub em down. I ordered new jets from Jets R Us, I went with 110's as the old ones were indeed 95's. Still waiting on the jets too. I am assuming I will have to resynchronize the carbs. The cheapest synchronizing tool i can find is for 40 bucks and it does all 4 at the same time. Is there anywhere i can get a single carb one or make one cheaper than that?

P.S. BassCliff your website has helped me tremendously, you are my hero IMHO

Thanks!
-Dali-

[Big T]

That's why Cliff is our 2010 GSer of the year!

So,

1. What about that oil leak?
2. You did get new O rings, right?
3. How are your intake boots?
4. 110s may be too rich for stock exhaust, too lean for a header. You may need a bigger pilot jet, also

[Dalisword]

I cant find the oil leak until I start it again cause thats the only time it leaks. So I haven't done anything with that yet. I did indeed buy new O rings, the old ones were a little crusty looking. I need new top and float bowl gaskets, and I am trying to decide whether I should cut my own with the old ones as a template or just buy new stock replacements. (any thoughts?). As far as the intake boots go, I busted one of the old ones this time pulling out the carbs, but I found a GS850 engine at the local scrap yard with newer boots, any idea if these will fit? I figured 110's would give me a decent idea of where I need to go next with my jet sizes since it is in the middle, I dont know if the aftermkt header on my bike is a higher performance one, or a welded together by the neighbor kid in his shop class one so hopefully the 110's will give me some feedback. Plus I was talking to a guy selling a bike similar to mine on the sales forum, and he said he had 115's in his and they ran great, except when it got hot out (80+) I live in Iowa where pretty much every day (unless it is raining) it is around 80+ in the summer, and I couldnt find anything between a 115 and a 110 without drilling my 95's. Any idea how many sizes I should go up on the slow jets?

[rustybronco]

Is there anywhere i can get a single carb one or make one cheaper than that?

http://thegsresources.com/_forum/sho...37&postcount=2