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Again, and like others, I've reached a point where I can't get the bike to start. Actually, I've never had it running consistently since I got it last spring. It's all been trial and error it seems. Here'e the most recent turn of events (1980 GS850L):
After letting the bike sit through winter, and after spending a few weeks going over the bike stem to stern cleaning and replacing old rubber, bearnigs, seals, etc., I started the bike. It started well, with the choke open, and no throttle applied. This was about two weeks ago (and has proven to be the high water mark over the last year+.)
Soon after that, I set the bike up to finally sync the carbs, but as I was starting, I noticed gas dripping from the carbs somewhere. I assumed it was from a float set to high, so I shut everything down and prepared to adjust the floats accordingly.
When I did adjust the floats (to set the fuel level lower), I also noticed that the fuel line going into the carbs was loose and therefore may have been the cause of the leak. But the floats were adjusted, and I assumed that if that was not the cause and did not need adjusting, I could adjust them back.
Well, when I went to start the bike again, nothing. Only an occasional catch as if the one or two cylinders would briefly and periodically fire. Also, these catches were very few and far between.
I reasoned that I had gone to far with the float adjustments when they probably didn't need adjusting, and that the engine was being fuel starved. So I set about to adjust the floats back to where they were before.
After this (2nd) adjustment, the bike seemed to want to catch and tried to run more than the last time, but still would not start and run on it's own, like it had when I noticed the gas dripping. So I figured that I was getting closer and one more adjustment to the float levels would wrap it all up.
However, after this 3rd adjustment, the bike won't start at all. Nothing. No "catching." No brief firing. Nothing.
So then I started going through the what's-missing-in-the-equation-here routine. Fire? Gas? Air?
I assume I'm getting gas since I've had to drain the float bowls all those times I adjusted the floats. Plus the tangs on the floats are almost level with the float itself, thereby leading to what I would assume would be a high fuel level.
With air, all the boots and hoses and rings are new, supple, and tight. Also, the filter is clean and hasn't changed since it ran before I started all these float adjustments.
So I wondered if spark was missing. To test this, I pulled #1 plug, put it in it's plug wire, and held it against the head while turning the motor over. Nothing.
So now I'm wondering if my ignition system is shot. Is that an effective way to test for spark? The book talks about disconnecting the blue and green wires under the left side cover, setting up #2 & #3 spark plugs on the head, connecting mulitmeter probes to the blue and green wires going to the ignitor, and then hitting the ignition switch (starter button I assume). Then when one probe is removed, one plug will spark, and when the other probe is removed, the other plug will spark.
I guess what I need here is some more direction from some of the grassrooters. Could my coils be bad? Could the ignitor have gone out? Or should I assume that it's something in the carbs still and keep trying to get the right adjustment there? If it is the coils and/or ignitors, are there some tests I could run on them before/instead of taking them to the dealer?
As a final note, with all this trying to start the bike, I ended up jumping my bike battery to my Toyota pick-up. Did I commit a cardinal sin here and perhaps ruined my battery and other electrical components? (It seemed to work for my friend when starting his bike this spring when he needed a bit more umph to get/keep it turning over.) It worked the first time I started it last week before all this crap started. But maybe the ongoing jumping and turning over has done some unexpected damage.
Like always, any help is welcome. I feel like it's turning into 2 steps forward and 3 back.
Best.
After letting the bike sit through winter, and after spending a few weeks going over the bike stem to stern cleaning and replacing old rubber, bearnigs, seals, etc., I started the bike. It started well, with the choke open, and no throttle applied. This was about two weeks ago (and has proven to be the high water mark over the last year+.)
Soon after that, I set the bike up to finally sync the carbs, but as I was starting, I noticed gas dripping from the carbs somewhere. I assumed it was from a float set to high, so I shut everything down and prepared to adjust the floats accordingly.
When I did adjust the floats (to set the fuel level lower), I also noticed that the fuel line going into the carbs was loose and therefore may have been the cause of the leak. But the floats were adjusted, and I assumed that if that was not the cause and did not need adjusting, I could adjust them back.
Well, when I went to start the bike again, nothing. Only an occasional catch as if the one or two cylinders would briefly and periodically fire. Also, these catches were very few and far between.
I reasoned that I had gone to far with the float adjustments when they probably didn't need adjusting, and that the engine was being fuel starved. So I set about to adjust the floats back to where they were before.
After this (2nd) adjustment, the bike seemed to want to catch and tried to run more than the last time, but still would not start and run on it's own, like it had when I noticed the gas dripping. So I figured that I was getting closer and one more adjustment to the float levels would wrap it all up.
However, after this 3rd adjustment, the bike won't start at all. Nothing. No "catching." No brief firing. Nothing.
So then I started going through the what's-missing-in-the-equation-here routine. Fire? Gas? Air?
I assume I'm getting gas since I've had to drain the float bowls all those times I adjusted the floats. Plus the tangs on the floats are almost level with the float itself, thereby leading to what I would assume would be a high fuel level.
With air, all the boots and hoses and rings are new, supple, and tight. Also, the filter is clean and hasn't changed since it ran before I started all these float adjustments.
So I wondered if spark was missing. To test this, I pulled #1 plug, put it in it's plug wire, and held it against the head while turning the motor over. Nothing.
So now I'm wondering if my ignition system is shot. Is that an effective way to test for spark? The book talks about disconnecting the blue and green wires under the left side cover, setting up #2 & #3 spark plugs on the head, connecting mulitmeter probes to the blue and green wires going to the ignitor, and then hitting the ignition switch (starter button I assume). Then when one probe is removed, one plug will spark, and when the other probe is removed, the other plug will spark.
I guess what I need here is some more direction from some of the grassrooters. Could my coils be bad? Could the ignitor have gone out? Or should I assume that it's something in the carbs still and keep trying to get the right adjustment there? If it is the coils and/or ignitors, are there some tests I could run on them before/instead of taking them to the dealer?
As a final note, with all this trying to start the bike, I ended up jumping my bike battery to my Toyota pick-up. Did I commit a cardinal sin here and perhaps ruined my battery and other electrical components? (It seemed to work for my friend when starting his bike this spring when he needed a bit more umph to get/keep it turning over.) It worked the first time I started it last week before all this crap started. But maybe the ongoing jumping and turning over has done some unexpected damage.
Like always, any help is welcome. I feel like it's turning into 2 steps forward and 3 back.
Best.
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