Still Popping and Light Ticking. Any help Welcome.

[Tracer]

Since rebuilding my carbs (1980 GS850L), I've had some lingering popping when I release the throttle. It always seems to happen at highway speeds when I'm slowing down and/or decelerating. It doesn't seem to happen much, if at all, in town at lower rpms. I also have an occassional ticking sound coming from around the head near #1 and/or #2 cylinder. I have also checked the both exhaust pipes with my hand and can feel the popping coming from both pipes after I rev it up then cut the throttle.

Let me give you as many facts as possbile about what's been done. etc.

As noted, the carbs have been rebuilt (by me) and sync'd (by me). I may try one more sync. The carbs may have come from an 850G model. I'm not sure, but I'm pretty sure it was a later bike, maybe an 82 or 83.

The air filter has oil in it, but maybe it needs more. I'm not sure how saturated it needs to be. The original foam seal at the top of the air filter frame has been replaced too.

All the rubber and rings before, after, and within the carbs have been replaced. Including o-rings.

The tank has bee 2-stepped and sprayed out with a power washer (in between steps).

I've checked all the valve shims and only one came in out of spec, and I've replaced it. (This is what I did when I first heard the ticking last summer.)

And last Saturday, I replaced the all four exhaust gaskets hoping the ticking and the popping were because of bad exhaust gaskets.

When removing the exhaust system, I noticed that I have something rattling around in the left muffler.

So here I sit, broken hearted. Tried to fix my bike, but it only . . . Well, you get the gist.

I also noticed that I have an occassional oil leak from the head gasket on the right side. The oil seems to show up on the right side cover and air filter cover, plus a bit around the head and cylinders.

So here's what I'm wondering? Could the popping/ticking come as a result of sticking valves, and/or ageing/deteriorating mufflers?

My brother is buying the bike from me, but I have to drive it from WI to AZ to deliver it for him, and as a result, I have a number of thoughts weighing on my mind. Would it be ok to ride the bike to him as is? Should I break down and buy a new gasket kit (and rings while I'm at it, and anything else that ought to be down while in there) and replace the head gasket, base gasket, valve seals, etc. (and charge him for parts since I can't afford them right now)? Or should I just sell it locally and get what I can? Feel free to weigh in on any of these questions as well, but don't feel obligated.

Thanks for any input. I've come a long way with this bike from when I first got it two years ago, and all with the help of the group. Even though there's still a little more to iron out, I've enjoyed a few hundred miles of local commuting, including some short interstate hops. Hopefully these last issues are minor, and/or will be sorted out. [-o<

P.S. The spark plugs look good. They are a little light on the tan side. So they're not rich, but they're not white either. Thanks.

[shortlid]

Where do you live and what weight oil are you running?? Ticking might need thinker oil in summer heat. Pop can be from exhuast leaks is it the stock exhuast and what shape is it in??

[bwringer]

Sometimes it's hard to tell what normal GS engine noise is. Keep in mind that these things make a lot of harmless mechanical noise -- far more than modern bikes and even more than other engines of the '80s. I've found that 20W-50 motorcycle-specific synthetic oil does the best job of quelling mechanical noise.

You can also get some alarming noises from parts that vibrate and resonate at certain RPMs -- try loosening and then retightening the exhaust mounting bolts. Sometimes this will help with resonances.

With all the above said, it does certainly sound like you have an exhaust leak somewhere and/or an exhaust pipe or muffler with, um, issues. Personally, I'd want to remove the exhaust system and take a hard look at the flanges, welds, and such where the exhaust pipes meet the cylinder head. Also, make sure you didn't accidentally put in an extra exhaust gasket -- they're hard to see and remove sometimes, and I've seen engines with two stacked on top of one another.

[Tracer]

Sorry for the slow reply. We were on vacation and I'm getting caught up now.

I'm in WI, and I have used 10-40 oil in the bike as per the filler cap and the manual. I was under the impression that using anything else could be problematic. Not so?

I'm pleased to say that all original exhaust gaskets were removed. However, I really didn't perfect the procedure until I got to #3. :? As a result, I can see how one might leave the older ones in and place new ones on top.

Overall the mufflers and pipes (externally) check out fine, though I haven't inspected them too closely. I did notice a small hole at the base of each muffler near where they weld onto the pipes. Some small quantities of water came out, so I assumed they were there to drain off any water build up during short rides. Should I plug these with a little JB Weld?

One of my brothers suggested that I look at the clamps where the headers and pipes join the cross-over section under the oil sump. He even recommended running a bead of copper RTV inside each of those conncetion points. Any thoughts one way or another?

Thanks everyone.

[Steve]

Everything you have done sounds good (pardon the pun), but whatever you do, DON'T PLUG UP THOSE LITTLE HOLES in the front of the mufflers. They are, as you suspect, to drain condensation to keep the mufflers from rusting from the inside out.

Normally I would say that an occasional backfiring on decelleration would be a combination of a rich mixture and an exhaust leak, but you say you have new gaskets in. You also mentioned that you can feel the popping at cylinders 1 and 2. In spite of new gaskets, what is the possiblity that the seat area around the gasket might be cracked?

Another possiblity, this one addresses the rich mixture part of it. Is it a stock foam filter or a K&N? Either way, they do NOT need to be dripping-wet to work. If you have too much oil on them, they won't allow enough air, which will richen the mixture. If it is a foam filter, take it out and squeeze as much oil out of it as you can. Do not wring it, just squeeze. If it is a K&N, you might have to clean and dry it, then re-oil it lightly. Let it sit overnight to let the oil spread to an even color. If there are any dry (white) spots, touch them up carefully with a dot or two of oil.

Good luck and keep us informed. Expiring minds want to know!