GS1100GK overheating

[burystone]

I purchased an 82 GS1100GK from the guy next door. It had done 18000 miles. It was winterized in 85 and not put back on the road till late 2005, when I bought it. I did a bit of maintenance. Replaced the fork seals, had the carb cleaned and balanced professionally, valves adjusted, new plugs, full service etc. This bike dries so well I am totally hooked.

The problem I am having is hot starts and battery charging. Perhaps the charging is not an issue and the battery just cant take the amount of times I need to turn the engine over to get started. But I have my doubts!

It starts great cold. But as soon as I take her more than say 10 miles, I am scared to switch off. The engine appears to be overheating badly and I can't switch off for fear it wont start again. As soon as the engine cools down, it starts no problem. If I leave it idling after running a few miles, I can see smoke coming from the general engine area. Its hot!

I thought that it may have been running lean but the plugs look very healthy and the problem was there before and after the carbs were set and balanced.

I guess my next task will be timing, but can anyone offer me any other advice. Are these bikes known for any issues, particularly overheating. I know there is one being broken down at the moment and it might be a good time if I am looking for hard to get parts.

I would appreciate any feedback no matter how helpful.

Burystone

[Nessism]

I'd focus on what's keeping the engine from starting and not on the heat. So the engine just cranks and does not start when hot? Does it sputter at all or try to start?

Problem with trying to find a problem like this is knowing where you are with the maintenance: old GS bikes tend to leak air for example unless the carb boot O-rings have been changed. Also, you might want to do a compression check to understand if there are any mechanical issues. Cross things off the list so you can move forward.

[TheCafeKid]

I purchased an 82 GS1100GK from the guy next door. It had done 18000 miles. It was winterized in 85 and not put back on the road till late 2005, when I bought it. I did a bit of maintenance. Replaced the fork seals, had the carb cleaned and balanced professionally, valves adjusted, new plugs, full service etc. This bike dries so well I am totally hooked.

The problem I am having is hot starts and battery charging. Perhaps the charging is not an issue and the battery just cant take the amount of times I need to turn the engine over to get started. But I have my doubts!

It starts great cold. But as soon as I take her more than say 10 miles, I am scared to switch off. The engine appears to be overheating badly and I can't switch off for fear it wont start again. As soon as the engine cools down, it starts no problem. If I leave it idling after running a few miles, I can see smoke coming from the general engine area. Its hot!

I thought that it may have been running lean but the plugs look very healthy and the problem was there before and after the carbs were set and balanced.

I guess my next task will be timing, but can anyone offer me any other advice. Are these bikes known for any issues, particularly overheating. I know there is one being broken down at the moment and it might be a good time if I am looking for hard to get parts.

I would appreciate any feedback no matter how helpful.

Burystone

The plugs put in are OEM recommended i assume?? Sometimes people tend to put in hotter plugs in to compensate for richness issues...I too have probs from time to time getting her to kick over when ive just shut her down. This i think may be more an electrical thing on my end perhaps...is your top end getting oil? just a thought there too. These guys here can help you figure it out man...never fear, take things in order and you'll get her fixed.

[burystone]

The plugs are as specified in the user manual. I had the O-rings changed when I had the carb cleaned (ultrasonic). New airfilter too. They did a leakdown test which they said was 6% and good even for a new bike never mind one of this age. Thank you both for your feedback . It was very helpful.

Burystone

[dennis roy]

I had the same problem with my 850. I was told the starter needed to be replaced and that eventually it would leave me stranded. I brought the starter to a local shop that rebuilds them and it was fine. It turns out the battery was dying and was on it's last leg. I replaced the ground wire from the battery to the engine and for safe measure added a ground wire directly from the starter to the bolt the ground wire goes to. No problems starting it now. If you haven't checked any of those it's a cheap thing to try.

[tone]

There could be any number of problems causing this overheating, heres the things i'd check.........

Plugs (new dosn't mean thay are good or the correct grade?)
Plug leads (firing on all 4 All the time ?)
Mixture (could be either lean or rich)
Is the top end getting oil ? correct grade of oil?
Ignition timing

& last but not least it there's smoke rising when hot i'd say there's an oil leak (head gasket maybe)

hope this helps :-D

[burystone]

Is the top end getting oil? How can I check this?

burystone

[Redman]

Bury,

Welcome to GSR.

I got a GK (all stock) about 2 years ago. Spent about 1 1/2 years looking for cause if it running hot (like nearly burn flesh off my leg).

But didnt have the hard-too-start-when-hot problem like you stated. I would quess weak starter on that problem, starter will be even weaker when the starter is hot.

About the running hot:
You said plugs looked good, but didnt described how they looked.

WHat I found on my GK:
- Plugs were white white white, maybe just a slight shade of grey on very lower part of insulator next to center electrode, but mostly white, not at all the grey light brown.
- Engine hot like seems like clould burn my fingers at one inch away. Like going down road at 60mph and the air comming off the head still hot enough to burn fingers. Would drip water drops on the head and it would just explode flash into vapor instantly and dissapppear.
- Had many other recomendations of "increase jet size", those 1982s all run hot I was told. (but my 82 650G didnt). I was thinking that it is all stock, I should not have to adjust the jet sizes.
- Had many recomendations for checking/changing the intake boot and /or o-rings. Boots were fairely new and good. But did find the o-rings leaking, would suck in WD-40 that I sprayed on them right where the boot meets the the head. Did change the o-rings. Did start and run better, idled a lot better, more responcive, but was still running hot hot dern hot.
- Checked the spark plugs type. Checked spark plug caps.
- OPened up the "air mixture" screw some. Helped only a little bit.
- Checked valve timing. Was okay.
- Checked valve clearence. Some exhaust valve shim clearance where too tight. Changed out the shims as needed. Didnt really help, ... but I felt better.
- Had head off bike, and fairing and lots of other stuff off bike, and found that it was just as hard to push it around even though all that weight was off of it. FOund the front brakes dragging. CLeared that up, and it did roll better and seemed to take off from a stop better better, but engine still dern hot hot.
- Had carbs sysnced professsionally (at independant shop). And it ran smoother but still dern hot.
- So after all that, even thought I didnt really want to, didnt think I should have to,...I installed bigger main jets, went from the stock 115 up 2 sizes to the 120. Was about $12 total I think. Whaa-hoo, that did it.

I would say to check out all the other things before changing jet sizes, as it has been sitting for a decade.
Humm, you say you have had the boots checked and the o-rings replaced.
Seems like you are about a year ahead of me.

[Redman]

WHere, in general, are you located?

[BassCliff]

Hey howdy hey!

Mr. burystone,

Let it be known that on this day you are cordially and formally welcomed to the GSR Forum as a Junior Member in good standing with all the rights and privileges thereof. Let it also be known that you can improve your standing with pictures (not you, your bike)! :-D

Thanks for joining us. There are a lot of knowledgeable people around here. It's a great community.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[burystone]

Rethink

Thank you all for your feedback. What a fantastic commumity!!

I initially thought that my overheating problem and the poor starting when hot were one and the same. My thinking was that an over-expanded engine would be tighter hence the difficulty in turning her over. But I do remember that a jump start even when hot gets her started no problems.
My feedback also suggests that charging problems are a known issue.So perhaps I should treat these two problems separately.

I am not a strip the engine down sort of guy, but have the original workshop manual and am happy to do anything that doesn't involve a torque wrench.

My thinking now is that the stator creates the electricity to charge the battery and the voltage regulator makes sure it gets the correct voltage/current. The battery was replaced last year but if the voltage regulator is faulty, the battery may be fried and not holding charge. If the stator windings are fried then the battery wont be getting charged at all. As it is, I trickle charge the bike every night.

So here are my next questions.
How can I check if each of these three are functioning correctly?

Im in Southern Ontario Canada. What is the best source for new batteries. And is there a heavy duty version non OEM battery that anyone has tried?

Would I be better trying to get a used stator or get the one I have rewound?

I guess the voltage regulator is no longer available for the 82 GS1100GK. Is there one from a more modern bike that would work?

Lastly. My thinking might be flawed here. Am I missing an electrical component from the charging chain that I should be looking at. Also, someone mentioned that I should check if the oil is getting to the top of the engine on the overheating issue. How can I do this.

Thanks for reading this. Hope someone can advise.

Burystone

[Steve]

My thinking now is that the stator creates the electricity to charge the battery and the voltage regulator makes sure it gets the correct voltage/current. The battery was replaced last year but if the voltage regulator is faulty, the battery may be fried and not holding charge. If the stator windings are fried then the battery wont be getting charged at all. As it is, I trickle charge the bike every night.

Good thinking ... it's essentially correct.
Although the battery was replaced last year, there is no guarantee it's still good. In fact, many batteries are not properly initialized before being put into service, so they are not operating at full potential to start with. Anything that negatively affects them will only degrade them further.

Just how do you "trickle charge the bike every night"?
If you use a manual trickle charger, the battery might be overcharged and fried. Have you checked the electrolytle level? An automatic charger would be better, but the best thing for charging a battery is an automatic charger/maintainer. Several models fit that description, and can be found in a variety of prices. Battery Tender Plus ($60), Battery Tender Jr. ($40), Schumacher ($36 from Schumacher, about $30 at Wal-Mart), Sears Die Hard ($30, appears to be made by Schumacher).
All of these can be plugged in and left on the battery indefinitely, assuring proper charge at any time.

So here are my next questions.
How can I check if each of these three are functioning correctly?

The best way to check the electrical parts on your bike is to follow The Stator Papers which are found in the Garage section of this forum.

Im in Southern Ontario Canada. What is the best source for new batteries. And is there a heavy duty version non OEM battery that anyone has tried?

I don't know about availability in your area, but I get my batteries from Batteries Plus. What you are looking for is a sealed, AGM (absorbed glass mat) battery. Has higher cranking capacity and is sealed, so you never have to check the electrolyte level again. \\/

Would I be better trying to get a used stator or get the one I have rewound?

Check your stator before you replace it, but new ones are available from Elektrex (or is it Electro Sport?). Rewinds are available from Tim Parrot Enterprises in Alabama.

I guess the voltage regulator is no longer available for the 82 GS1100GK. Is there one from a more modern bike that would work?

If you need a r/r (rectifier/regulator), the Honda units on eBay are a better choice than the Suzuki models. They seem to have better heat sinks and heavier wires. You can save some of the hassle by getting one from fellow board member Duaneage. He gets used units, tests them, reterminates the wires to match our GS bikes, then sells them at a good price.


.

[Nessism]

There have been many many threads regarding charging system issues - a search is in order.

First thing the search will point you at is the Stator Papers http://www.thegsresources.com/gs_garage.htm

Regulators - get something aftermarket or convert a newer model R/R (easy job).

Good luck.