Sputtering, Misfiring and poor idle... first steps?

[mbopp]

Hi, I'm excited to have just become a part of this community. I recently bought a '81 Suzuki GS850G. It runs. But Misfires, and rarely idles ok. Most of the time when I slow to a stop and put in neutral it will die. So here is my question. I first tried putting some octane, and fuel dry in the gas tank to see if I could clear it out a bit, and maybe get rid of some bad gas. That helped somewhat. It's doing a little bit better, but it's still an obvious problem.

So my question is, what is the best path to go down in resolving this issue. What are the easiest things to try (first). Do you think it is time to clean up the carbs? Or are there other things to try first. I did notice that the wires to the spark plugs are beginning to crack a tiny bit. I don't believe all the way through, but can this cause sputtering? The spark plugs look relatively new, I believe the previous owner just replaced them.

I guess, I'm just looking for some direction.

Thanks in advance.

Mike

[kurifu]

Couple of things I would check

1) Timing, also make sure the contacts are clean and gapped properly
2) Carbs - They might need to be cleaned, adjusted, or sychronized.
3) Make sure there are no cracks in the intake boots on either side of the carbs, usually this causes it to run lean, but check anyway
4) Pull out the plugs and check if they are carbon fouled, or fouled at all.

[DanTheMan]

Easy fix, maybe...Try SeaFoam in the gas tank. may clean out the carbs. Otherwise, Carb o-rings may be the fix. Also, check your header bolts to see if they're loose, and make sure your spark plugs are tight too, a slight compression leak from your plugs can cause this problem, as can the aforementioned items.
Good luck,
Dan

[Dave8338]

On the off chance that the PO didn't have the valves reset...I'd do a compression check, just to rule that out. It should run about 130-145 psi. Also, check the voltage at the battery with the bike running. At 4500 RPM, it should show 14.5-15+ volts. Abouve 15.5 volts, you will most likely be replacing the R/R. Just a heads up.

Welcome, by the way. But "COMMUNITY"... :? :-D

[mbopp]

thanks for the speedy reply! I'll check into these things. I might be greener than I thought as I don't really know how to reset valves, check compression, and timing. So any push in the right direction would be very helpful at this point.

Also, is SeaFoam avail at auto parts stores?

I ordered the haynes manual, so when that comes hopefully it will help somewhat.

[DanTheMan]

t
Also, is SeaFoam avail at auto parts stores?

Yes it is..........:-D

[Billyboy]

I was really disturbed by my bike doing the same thing. Turns out the plugs were fouled. Easy fix.

[Mark whiz]

Check the voltage and charge level on your battery. My bike started out with the same symptoms and ended up getting a new battery, stator, regulator/retifier, and ignition box before it ran right. If this bike has been sitting unused for awhile - hopefully a battery will solve the issue if it ends up being electrical

These things are real sensitive to having adequate voltage, so plugs, plug wires, etc are an obvious 1st place to look. If you are seeing cracks in the actual plug wires (and not just the wire boot), that needs to be corrected regardless of what happens. It's been my experience on both cars & bikes, that with the higher voltages used today for ignition, the wires are typically the 1st thing to "go south".

BTW................ Sea Foam is available at both NAPA and Advance Auto stores.