help! got it together and it wont start

[Billyboy]

If you're relying on the vac p.cock to fuel the carbs initially, you'll be cranking a while. Use the prime, when she's ready to rock.

[kurifu]

I have a 1978 Honda CX500 that has a similar problem. It just won't start. I think the battery is bad, since it won't take a charge. When I used a car battery it turned over three times and that was all. Since then it won't even rotate. Any ideas??

Actually this happened to me, I replaced my piston rings about 3 weeks ago and had to replace my battery since the slight added friction meant that I couldn't get the engine turning fast enough. I hooked up a car battery and it went right over within seconds.

I didn't have to do anything special to prime my carbs, I have a GS1000 GT (CV carbs), I just put the petcock in prime, tapped the fuel lines a bit to get the air bubbles out and went in to watch TV for 30 minutes.

And since no one else has really mentioned it, have you considered your starter being the problem? Brushes might be worn or the contacts corroding and this could prevent sufficient current getting into the starter to get your engine going.

If you chain is tensioned properly and your engine turns over freely without hitting valves an whatnot you can check if you starter is the problem by taking your bike down a hill. The only part of this that sucks though is that if it doesn't work you now have to push your bike back up the hill.

[ron bayless]

Actually this happened to me, I replaced my piston rings about 3 weeks ago and had to replace my battery since the slight added friction meant that I couldn't get the engine turning fast enough. I hooked up a car battery and it went right over within seconds.

I didn't have to do anything special to prime my carbs, I have a GS1000 GT (CV carbs), I just put the petcock in prime, tapped the fuel lines a bit to get the air bubbles out and went in to watch TV for 30 minutes.

And since no one else has really mentioned it, have you considered your starter being the problem? Brushes might be worn or the contacts corroding and this could prevent sufficient current getting into the starter to get your engine going.

If you chain is tensioned properly and your engine turns over freely without hitting valves an whatnot you can check if you starter is the problem by taking your bike down a hill. The only part of this that sucks though is that if it doesn't work you now have to push your bike back up the hill.

Thanks for the input.I have done verything.I just trid it again after retorqueing,redoing th tensioner,relubeing the cam journals,still wont start.

[Killer2600]

Thanks for the input.I have done verything.I just trid it again after retorqueing,redoing th tensioner,relubeing the cam journals,still wont start.

Does it turn over well? If not does it turn well by hand with the plugs out? It may sound like extra work but it'll isolate whether the engine is binding or if the starter/electrical is running slow.

[KEITH KRAUSE]

Is there spark at all plugs?
Is there sufficient fuel in each bowl?
Is the air box on?
If yes to all 3, let me back up some. Did you correctly mount and torque the cam caps? They must be re-assembled in specific position and torqued correctly and in a specific torquing sequence.

[nabrams]

From your statement below, it seems clear that you CAN turn the motor by hand.
If so, you need to clarify where you're at now. When you hook up jumper cables to your car battery (car should NOT be running) does the engine turn over nice and fast? Do you SEE spark on all cylinders?
If yes, then for now try future starting attempts with the car battery. Once you get all the carb issues (and/or ignition issues) worked out and the bike starts up, then remove the jumper cables and try starting without the car battery. If it won't turn over then it's a bad battery or bad starter motor (may just need insides cleaned - see other posts).
The idea here is to use the "process-of-elimination" approach, so that you only test one variable at a time.

Ha ha ha.That's funny.Yes I did try to start it first in gear.I turned the key hit the button and nothing.I was glad at least for a moment when i realized it was in gear.I just went out and rechecked the timing by hand.The motor was turned over 2 complete revolutions by me by hand and the timing marks come up right every time.If i took the tensioner almost off,had it really loose,that wouldnt hurt anything would it?Seems like it would only let the cam chain be loose,right?

[rphillips]

Don't do that. If you already did, take it completely off, reset the plunger all the way in, lock it down, then reinstall it & release the plunger. With a little help, you should be able to see if the tensioner is the problem. Turn the engine by hand with a wrench, then have someone turn the little disc on the side of the tensioner, appx. 1/4 turn & hold it in that position, It will only go 1 way, I think counter clockwise, this will loosen the tension on the cam chain. Then turn the engine again. If it's much easier with the disc turned, that's your problem, if the engine doesn't turn any easier, it must be something else. Wish I could think what

[ron bayless]

Help!!!! I Am Getting Close!!!

Itook the cams out,tensioner off,the motor was still hard to turn over.i took the head back off of course after taking the carbs and exhausts back off.I took the front cam chain guide out.Now the motor turns over like a sewing machine??? What now?? Can the front cam chain guide be in place as far as appearance goes but be snagging the chain down below or something>>? Maybe that is the problem.At least now i know the motor does tun over freely.All the cylinder bores are oiling too.Help!!!! Soon!!!

[ron bayless]

Yeeha!! It Tuns Over Now!!!!!

It was the 34728473ing! front cam chain guide.It looked right it felt right but it wasnt right> i took the carbs off tensioner off, cams out head back off and couldnt find anything wrong.I got the motor top turn over real good until i put the front cam chain guide in,then it started locking up.FYI the front cam chain guide fits into a little cup in the front of the cam chain guide holder that is under the crank.The rear cam chain guide fits into the back of that same holder.If the front cam chain guide is all the way down, it might be, but not in the holder.If you turn the motor over and it goes about 180 then stops, it is the cam chain guide.Pull it out and you will see that is the problem.I put it back in about 6 times.For some strange reason it finally went in and the motor would still turn over like it is supposed to do.Thank God.My wife and her small hands are what i needed to get the thing in place.I will now owe her something expensive.Tomorrow gas tank, exhausts, and fire it up.I will keep ya'll posted.!!

[KEITH KRAUSE]

That's great! Hope she runs great!

[80GS1000]

If you're relying on the vac p.cock to fuel the carbs initially, you'll be cranking a while. Use the prime, when she's ready to rock.

I just had to prime the carbs on the 80 GS1000. After waiting FOREVER for the float bowls in carbs 2&3 to fill up with the petcock on Prime, and cranking and cranking and cranking on the starter motor while 1&4 were still empty, I used a siphon pump to siphon some gas from a gas can directly into the main carb fuel hose till they wouldn't take anymore fuel. Didn't overflow or anything, and then the bike started right up. Up to that point, I was tearing my hair out trying to figure out why the bike wouldn't start. ](*,)