ARRGH- it's beginning already...

[fishmeok]

I just brought home a GS850G in decent shape. The PO "rebuilt" the carbs but left the petcock in the prime position. First time I started it the cam breather hose was gushing gas like a fuel pump. This morning I drained 2.5 GALLONS of nasty old gas out of the oil pan.

It now runs, but the bike surges like crazy, won't rev- if I open the throttle it bogs below idle, then picks up to 3K after I let go before settling a bit. I had to shut it off, the blue smoke was fogging out my garage...

So I've got the o-ring kit on order, the carbs are coming back off, and I'm going to see what has been messed up.

Any suggestions on specifics to look for? Besides changing the oil and filter several times is there anything else I should do to the engine itself?

Cheers
Mark

[SPARKSS]

I just brought home a GS850G in decent shape. The PO "rebuilt" the carbs but left the petcock in the prime position. First time I started it the cam breather hose was gushing gas like a fuel pump. This morning I drained 2.5 GALLONS of nasty old gas out of the oil pan.

It now runs, but the bike surges like crazy, won't rev- if I open the throttle it bogs below idle, then picks up to 3K after I let go before settling a bit. I had to shut it off, the blue smoke was fogging out my garage...

So I've got the o-ring kit on order, the carbs are coming back off, and I'm going to see what has been messed up.

Cheers
Mark

Hello Mark. Did the bike run ok after the carbs were rebuilt? If it did, then you may have a situation where the cylinders were washed down badly and have lost compression and ability to control oil (blue smoke and poor power). Of course you need to get the old gasoline out of the crankcase....lubrication issues aside, it won't do the clutch any good either. If the engine has never run or wouldn't run after the previous carb work then it's possible you have this in addition to the above.

Start with basics......see if you have an engine first (sorry for sounding grim).

[SqDancerLynn1]

You do know the airfilter/box MUST be installed for it to run properly

[fishmeok]

It did run before he took everything apart, he told me some of the jets were clogged. Why does the airbox have to be installed? That's new to me.
Cheers
Mark

[Nessism]

Why does the airbox have to be installed? That's new to me.
Cheers
Mark

You haven't been around here long have you? \\/

The GS line of bikes has very lean carbruration from new and with the airbox off they bearly run at all without rejetting.

[nabrams]

After you get all that gas flushed out of the engine:
Instead of going about the process piece-meal, why don't you search for the many posts on this forum (some by me) that list the many "sanity-check" steps/verifications needed when restoring a bike that's been sitting (based on what you've said, you definitely should consider your bike as belonging to this category) - and then actually DO the checks.
This will save you MANY hours of frustration and TONS of money.
If you're a beginner (in terms of mechanical skill) you're looking at between 30 and 60 hours of work and a couple of hundred dollars for purchasing tools you'll need (besides whatever parts you need for the bike). In the end you'll have a reliable machine for a fraction of the cost of a new bike.

By the way: I know many have seen me give this same speech to many of the newcomers. I think they need to see the big picture besides tackling their immediate/first problem.