Metal rings in air box? and carb issues

[fuelcat]

I have a 1981 gs550l that I am trying to get running. I have had this bike for many years and it has gone through periods of sitting 2 years at a time. I have paid machanics alot of money to clean out the carbs. I got the bike back from a reputable shop and the bike would not idle right after having it cleaned. They checked for a vacum leak and did not find anything and told me the bike was not worth working on because of its age. I took it back home and again it sat for a year. I took it to another shop and they informed me that one of the float towers were broken off and the last shop welded it and the floats were sticking. They tried to fix it but the bike did not run right and stalled out.The air mixture scew in one of the carbs is frozen and damaged. I also found 2 metal rings that came out of my air box. Were do they go? I decided to buy a carb off ebay so I am waiting for it. It is off a gs550l 1982 and mine is a 1981. The choke and throttle hook up looks different. Will this carb work for my bike? can I just use the rail set up on my old carb onto the new carb?

I decided to try and do the work myself because I am sick of paying others to mess my bike up then they tell me my bike is crap.I dont believe it. I want to bring this baby back to life! Thanks

[Nessism]

I'm pretty sure those carbs will work, but you may have to swap over a few pieces like the choke actuation mechanism and such.

When you get your new carbs go though them using the carb tutorial linked in my signature. It's critical to make they they are clean and have fresh O-rings inside.

If you are not capable of going though the carbs send them to someone that knows what they are doing. PM me if you need help.

[fuelcat]

Thank you ED I will do that. Oh and were does those metal rings that came out of the air box go?

[7981GS]

As it shows that you only need two, and after looking here, http://www.boulevardsuzuki.com/fiche...1981&fveh=2112
I am guessing that only the two outer intake boots have them installed inside them.
I could check my '82 550E tomorrow and see if they are in there if you remind me via a PM.
It shows that my bike also takes two of them.

Eric

[kevmalvarez]

I'm fairly certain those are the metal rings that go in the air box boots that connect to the carbs. The boots have a molded channel on the inside, the rings should fit right in. Mine come out sometimes when I'm wrestling the carbs back into place

[TheCafeKid]

Thank you ED I will do that. Oh and were does those metal rings that came out of the air box go?

Fuelcat,

If you know that the bike was unmolested prior to your purchase, and should you ever again have to (and try really really hard not to) have a shop "rebuild" your carbs, an easy way to tell whether it has actually been done is to check the idle mix screws. If the plugs that the factory put in them are still covering the mix screws, the job was not done properly, if at all. As Ed has said, the carbs contain buna N/nitrile orings (gas resistant rubber) that act as seals to block off either fuel or air depending on where they're located. These do break down over time, and when the carbs are rebuilt, they are almost always not reuseable. If these orings aren't replaced, obviously they're not going to do their jobs. Ed has put together a very comprehensive tutorial on cleaning and rebuilding the BS series carbs and with that guide I think just about anyone who has the ability to put a easy puzzle together can do it. It's really quite well done. But, like anything on a motorcycle, the devil is in the details. You must be thorough and organized about it, as well as prepared. Like a lot of things on an old bike, fittings get rusty and seized and can sometimes be a pita to remove cleanly. So have a good set of well fitting screwdrivers on hand, especially for jet removal. The jets are brass and soft and an ill fitting tool can make mince meat out of the heads in short order which makes life even more difficult.
Also having a can or two of proper parts cleaner/carburetor dip is essential. Berrymans is my preference as others I've tried such as "Gunk" leave an oily residue behind that is a mess to get rid of. A gallon of Berrymans can usually be picked up at Autozone or PepBoys for around $20 or so. They have a handled basket that's handy as well. Each body and float bowl, as well as all of your jets should be soaked for at least 24 hours.
Youll also want either a compressor at the ready with an air nozzle on it, or at least some canned air, and a few fans of csrburetor spray cleaner to blow out all the passages and jets after you've rinsed/washed the parts upon removing them from the dip. Don't let that stuff dry on them, as it turns pretty gooey and becomes harder to rinse. And do wear safety eyeware as many of the passages come out places you don't realize, such as right back toward your face...believe me, there are few things so exquisitly painful as carb spray in the eye.

With good preparation, as I said, anyone can rebuild their carbs, but generally that is only half the battle. There are other things that will need attention, such as replacing the Viton (another type of both heat and fuel resistant rubber) orings that seal your intake pipes that the carbs go into to the head of the engine. These also break down over time and can allow the engine to suck air freely around the boots. This messes up your air fuel mix and can cause the engine to run lean, and lean is hot and hot is damaging to internals such as valves...
The airbox will likely also need attention. The metal rings Ed and Daniel have told you about, but the lid and such will likely need the seals replaced to ensure the airbox only allows the amount of air allowed by the snorkel to pass. These seals can be replaced with your standard weather stripping foam tape. Cheap and easy, but important.

And, as daunting as it may sound, a valve clearance adjustment is also an essential issue to take care of. These machines require clearance checks and or adjustments much more frequently than is often done. Every 3-5k miles on most models. The valve train is a shim over bucket design, and quite simple to upkeep, but failure to maintain proper clearances can result in serious damage to your valves such as burning.
The clearance spec on your model is .03mm at a minimum, which as you other imagine is quite small. There are also good tutorials and I think even a video? Of this procedure on the same site you find the carb rebuild tutorial.

If you learn to maintain your GS on your own, not only will you save yourself quite a bit of money, not to mention headaches, but you'll also have a greater understanding of how these fairly simple but amazingly durable engines work. It's not unheard of for a well maintained GS to see 100,000+ reliable and enjoyable miles.

The search function on this site will aid you in finding answers to many questions that may crop up along the way, and just about every imaginable question has been answered (many quite a few times ) but if you search and don't find it, please feel free to ask if you're unsure about something. Most of us would far rather answer your question before you try something that may be harder to repair if you don't ask We may come off as curmudgeons sometimes, but honestly we enjoy seeing another saved GS make its way back to happy use. They love to run, and they're great bikes. They just need owners who love em and love caring for em.
Welcome to the GSR.

[fuelcat]

I am so thankful! You guys are very helpful and I am looking forward to working on my bike now. I have had this bike for over 20 years! It is my first bike and my first love : ) I am the second owner of this bike. Once I get her running again I plan on doing a custom paint job on her, I am an artist.

Thank you!!