82' GS650GL dying at stoplights when hot

[MisterOh]

Hello everyone!

I recently bought a 1982 GS650GL from someone from craigslist. It has its share of problems but it ran great (aside from slipping out of 2nd gear. damaged gear dogs?) before I removed the gas tank to install an HID. When removing it, I unscrewed the back of the petcock instead of taking the whole petcock off. When screwing that back on, I forgot to put in the spring. (Stupid, I know... I have absolutely no mechanical experience!)

After wondering why my bike was leaking so much gas, I realized my mistake a few days later and put the spring back in.

However, now my bike dies at stoplights after I've been riding for longer 15-20 minutes. The engine just slows and slows until it just stalls out.

What could be the problem? I'm guessing I may have screwed something up with the carbs or the petcock, but it's also very possible it's something wrong with the electrical system. My bike doesn't charge, but I've been charging the battery with a battery tender every once in a while because I can't afford to buy a new stator or R/R (not sure what the problem is quite yet) right now.

[IanDMacDonald]

I'm curious why you felt the need to take the petcock off?
Anyways, what are the engine's rpms when the engine is "slowing and slowing"? Have you tried increasing the rpm's before the bike dies? You said this happens when the bike is at a stop, meaning when the bike is at idle. Have you tried increasing the idle? In my opinion, there could be a couple of things going on. One, because your charging system is crap, the bike is struggling to stay alive. What happens when you attempt to re-start the bike? Did any gas leak into the crankcase? Before attempting to install the "super-cool" HID, did you go through Bass Cliff's new owners checklist of things to do?

Take it for a ride again, and rev the bike before it seems like it's about to die. I think it's possible your idle could be fine, but the lack of voltage coming from your battery is causing the engine to die when the engine reaches a low rpm. With the HID kit on your bike, I assume that ballast takes a nice draw from the battery, which would significantly shorten the life of a battery that is already being strained by not being charged by the charging system.

If you run through the "Stator papers" you will be able to determine whether it's the stator or r/r. I have the same bike and the charging system on mine is not working. I ran through the stator papers and found that my stator and r/r checked out. So, I concluded that there is some type of electrical gremlins within my harness. I bought a used harness and mosfet r/r off ebay and will work on it over the winter. Keep us posted.

P.S. I seriously doubt your bike is dying because it is getting too hot, unless there is something more serious going on like lack of oil, crankcase breather hose obstructed, etc.

[MisterOh]

Oh sorry I forgot to mention that:
Once the bike sounds like it's going to die soon I have to keep blipping the throttle to keep it alive. If it dies, I have to twist the throttle while pushing the ignition.

I have not tried increasing the idle. That knob's on the carb right?

Don't HIDs draw less current than normal headlights? Also, this happens even with normal headlights installed... I am exchanging the HID bulb for another color so I'm running with the stock headlights right now.

I'll run through the stator papers soon. School is kicking my ass right now. I tried to run some tests a few days ago but I couldn't find the r/r or stator

As for the p.s.: I have no idea if the heat is the reason why. I just know that the stalling issue comes up after 15-20 minutes of riding. I'm changing the oil today. Side question: How can you check the oil levels if the window is so dirty that you can't look through it?

[IanDMacDonald]

Yes, the large thumb screw in the middle of the carbs. DO NOT CONFUSE THE CAMC CHAIN TENSIONER KNOB WITH THE CARB KNOB!!!!!!!!! The idle knob comes off of the carbs, the cam chain knob is below the carbs.

Yes, the HID draws less current during normal operation, but, not during start-up. And, I am back in school for social work, with a minor in electronics, so, I know what you mean!

No need to find the stator or r/r except in the case of checking for a broken wire. THe wires you are looking for are under the seat. Red, green, blue/white striped wires are from the stator. The wires coming from the rectifier are in a molex connector. Trace the wires and you'll find them. The rectified is under the battery box, and the stator is inside the right engine side cover.

With regard to oil, when in-doubt, drain it and start over. That way there is no doubt as to quantity.

[tom203]

"How can you check the oil levels if the window is so dirty that you can't look through it?

You can use a pencil or dowel stuck down thru oil filler and get a approximate reading of oil level. These engines rely on enough oil to keep things comfy- notice all the fins on bottom of engine?- they dissipate heat that oil has picked up.

[1_v8_merc]

Your R/R is probably bad.

Your coil wires/caps could be causing it too.

I had the exact same problem as you, and a new R/R fixed my stalling issue.

[Smellii]

Just fixed my stalling problem. It was my regulator. It's the square-ish palm-sized metallic thingy with cooling fins attached to the bottom of the battery box. It prevents too much voltage (produced by your stator) from passing through to the rest of the bike. Mine wasn't letting any voltage pass which make all the electicals run from my battery while the bike was running. That will quickly drain your battery.

[Smellii]

This thread ~may~ help.

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=184894

[BassCliff]

Hi,

The next time you take off the gas tank, just disconnect the two rubber hoses from the petcock. Have a look: Where Do These Hoses Go?

Your bike won't run very well with a dead battery. Have a look at your "mega-welcome" and go through the maintenance lists. Until you address everything on the lists you will have an unreliable machine. Yes, it takes time. Yes, it costs money. Tackle one problem at a time. Keep us informed.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[mike_of_bbg]

How do the plugs look? Post pics? Once my bike was doing the same thing when getting hot - the sync was off and one of the cylinders was running too rich at high temps and fouling the plug. A good sync and leaning out the idle mixture helped.

Also, you'll want to check your volts at the coils. Weak voltage at the coils can make for hard re-starting (and easier plug fouling). Should be within a volt or so of the battery. Many of us have resorted to the coil relay mod to get our coil voltages up.

Another suggestion is to check your coil secondary impedance. For stock coils and plug caps it should be in the 35k ohm area (measured from plug cap to plug cap 1-4 or 2-3): ~14k for the coil and ~10k for each cap. The caps tend to go way up in resistance when they go bad. Most of us replace the stock caps with 5k NGK caps, if you're in that boat expect more like ~24k.