Will this never end.......

[nooblet]

Ok, had some electrical issues with my GS550ES which I believe I got sorted out with the help of forum members. (thanks all) So I finally took it out for a test ride today and it was running really good. I went about 6 miles and she just shut off (at about 60mph). Pulled into the breakdown lane, slowed down and tried to clutch start. Coughed and backfired, tried again with the same result. Pulled into a gas station and tried to start it back up, it turned over but would not fire. Had a pretty heavy gas smell so I started checking and on the left carb where it plugs into the airbox, was wet. Not dripping, but was visibly wet with gas. Called someone to pick me up so I could load it on my truck. When I got back about 30 minutes later, she started right up. Ran for a minute or two, then died again and would not start. Got it home, unloaded it and tried again. Started up, and ran for a minute or two then I shut it off. It looks like I have to pull the carbs and see if I have a stuck float, some crap in it etc. Is there anything else I should be looking for?

[DCrippa]

Could it be vapor lock? Make sure the gas tank and all the vent hoses aren't obstucted - blow some compressed air through them after you've drained the tank... Can't think of anything else that you haven't mentioned other than inspecting the petcock fuel filter maybe... Check your plugs to see which carb is fouling - Good luck that's a pain.

[elrico]

Are fuel and vacuum hoses attached snugly at carbs and fuel tank, are they new or old, sometimes old rubber line @ fuel line to petcock connection fatigues and will pull apart and develop a "flap"inside the end of hose;can act like a check valve and stop fuel flow or restrict it,this internal flap is not really obvious to detect.This can happen,if old hose is repeatedly attached and reattached during problem troubleshooting.If plastic type vacuum line ,they can split.You may want to replace/renew/inspect hoses and connections,inexpensive.Before installing line blow through both ends,to ensure free flow,some little piece of debris could be in there from storage or transport ,the carb vent lines also, so,if your fuel tank is removed again (and again),just maybe something to consider.

[nooblet]

The fuel lines were replaced 2 years ago and the connections are still tight and they do not appear to be cracked. I did notice however that the bike will run with the petcock in the off position. I checked it a little while ago, so I will pull the petcock off and see if it has something stuck inside it. What about the fuel on the boots at the airbox side? If it helps, I did replace the plastic insert that screws into the top of the carb for the choke cable 2 days ago, and that is the same side that has the fuel leak. Forgot to mention it before.

[BassCliff]

Hi,

Have a look to see if any of this information is relevant: Overflowing Carbs

I was unaware that the stock petcock had an "OFF" position. Is yours a vacuum operated petcock? Or have you replaced it with an aftermarket Pingel unit?


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[nooblet]

Not sure. It was on it when I bought it. It has two lines that go into the carb, thats it. I was told straight up is on, toward the rear of the bike is off and straight down is reserve.

[Griffin]

Not sure. It was on it when I bought it. It has two lines that go into the carb, thats it. I was told straight up is on, toward the rear of the bike is off and straight down is reserve.

You were told wrong.

The 16 valve GS550 has a petcock unique to it (as are many other items on this bike). Unless you've owned one for awhile (or read the owner's manual for it), you wouldn't know what the positions mean. Yours is indeed the stock unit.

Down is "on". Back is "reserve", and up is "prime".

If you've been running on what you thought was "on", you've had it on prime the whole time, and probably been flooding the carbs and airbox.

Try running it in the down position "on", or if it's low on gas, facing backwards "reserve".

[BassCliff]

Hi,

Not sure. It was on it when I bought it. It has two lines that go into the carb, thats it. I was told straight up is on, toward the rear of the bike is off and straight down is reserve.

Most, but not all, GS petcocks work LIKE THIS. I'm sure yours works similarly. There's a manual for your bike on my website. Feel free to download it.



Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[elrico]

Reviewing your test ride engine stoppage:glad you made out ok,no fun at all.That senario is familar..Every time I thought my SuzukiGS550ES electricial system was good,I would roadtest ,and die on road. I realized bike would run great for 8mi,then just die,well battery drained down at that point to low voltage:not high enough to allow ignition coils to produce it's very high voltage needed to provide spark plugs energy to produce strong,fat,blueish ,spark/flash.Coil is step up transformer,if primary coil/winding voltage is low,secondary step up voltage is low,it reaches a point where the ignition coils due to primary voltage dropping off,spark becomes so weak, plugs will not fire and engine stops running.You try restart,yes engine still cranks,bunch of times in fact,but now with weak/lower voltage in battery,the starter motor drops voltage super low(plus head and tail lights being on,etc),your ignition coils never can develop the high secondary voltage needed for fat spark to ignite air/fuel charge in engine cylinders. It seemed like battery/charging system was good...after thinking about it..are you 100% in the know that your electricial system is up to the task.Gas trace by carb left side may be because of repeated restart attempts etc. If you know elect/charge system is spot on ,sorry to have rambled on.

[nooblet]

Thanks for all the input. Yes, I was running in the prime position so it is very possible this is why it is flooding the carbs. From all the tests I have done, the charging system is working properly. I did have one high leg from my stator at 4K rpm's, but the R/R is doing it's job and my charging voltage numbers are good. I will replace the stator once I free up some cash. I will pull the plugs for now and see if they are wet and replace if necessary. Since I was running in prime do I need to worry about gas getting into my oil? I did an oil change yesterday before my 6 mile ride.

(It was only 6 miles but it felt soooo good to finally get back on it again)

[elrico]

Prime pos.can be Big problem if carb float needle/ type valve does not close fully and leaks fuel/gas ,overfilling fuel bowls and continue to flood carb bodies and rise and fill air box w//gas,saturate air filter also,drip all over bike ,onto floor etc.Think of the water toilet holding tank,if float valve in it sticks open,does not close and shut off water when tank is full of water at pre-set level,you hear and waste water ,you maybe jiggle handle ,maybe ,usually water flow stops.except in toilet tank there is overflow pipe which will allow water to go to drain,through toilet bowl,your floor does not get flooded w/water.Not so with dangerous gas/fuel in leaky carb(s),fuel will spil out,if not caught,everywhere,the gas /fuel tank is actually draining itself...if bike parked inside enclosure like attached garage,fumes build up Big time,little arc from turning on light switch could possibly even ignite vapors and blow up garage /house/person(s) etc. Besides making motorcycle hard to start.Be vigilant to this,if machine leaks in a static state,parked,use good judgement.That is why we NEED our vacuum operated fuel valves to operate correctly and shut off bike tank gas/fuel supply when bike engine not running.If carb float valves are leakers good petcock oper.condition when left in ON pos. will prevent big problem,keep fuel in gas tank. Be mindfull if using PRI position to help start bike, like after it has sat unused for days,and lost carb float bowl gas,which happens over time,days usually, so after carbs are primed,you start/run motor,remember to return petcock selector handle back to ON pos .or above senario could/likely/possible cause problem(s) as described.Slow down,be aware/alert,little things can get by you,like forgetting that little ,out a site petcock selector knob/lever.

[Steve]

Could it be vapor lock? ...

Vapor lock is highly unlikely. Vapor lock happens when fuel evaporates out of the fuel pump and it can't pump vapors.

Our "pump" is gravity. Just try to let the fuel evaporate out of that.

.

[nooblet]

I put the petcock in the correct on position and started the bike. Let it run for a minute or so and checked the area where I saw gas before and it was there again. (where the boot attaches to the carb in front of the airbox) It was also leaking out of the hose on the airbox that points toward the ground. (Lower hose left side of airbox) Shut it off and started to take things apart. The clamps that connect the carb boots are tightened all the way and they are still loose. I need new clamps but I dont think that is the actual problem. When I pulled the boots off the rear of the carb I reached in and pushed the floats up. On the right side they dropped back down, on the left side they stayed up for about 10 or 15 seconds before they dropped. I am going to hopefully finish pulling the carbs tomorrow.

[elrico]

Those float things you saw ,move slow ,easy ,up and down longish,round and grey color w/thin long brass rods hanging from them are called (throttle)slides/pistons. These not related to gas/leak problem. You really must have exploded carb parts diagram(s) and solid info.that can be found in postings re your issues. Mr.Basscliff's posting/offer/greeting,please review ,please go to his webpage links etc. If you do not have solid info...it will be harder than it should/could be for all.. also saying, gas leak problem fix most likely resides in float valve mechanism,you need ..info, little tiny parts,delicate area to set up etc This is a very important part of good carberuation performance and fuel management system: critical/vital inspection of parts,setting proper float levels,ensuring valves indeed do work properly.all this again ,I am sure can be reviewed and studied before job is attempted,at your favorite chair w/good lighting,magnifing glass(hey,don't laugh) cup a joe I can not emphasize enough the valuable resourses available to/for so many things re GS motorcycle issues .P.S. re: TheGSR: IF... I had only known about this site resource many moon ago..ah,laments,but new day now,take advantage of this.These good folks can help you even more when you are learning/studying more too.

[elrico]

In the Carb/Fuel/Exhaust Forum Posts #68-78 Priceless,all at our fingertips and then some.