Problems after valve adjustments

[cyberdork]

Well the adjustments went good after I got the right tools, but now a problem has developed. It took a good billion cranks to finally sputter some life (which I expected so no biggy), but now it dies every time I let go of the choke or gas. What could be causing this? I notice one of the carbs spits a cloud of fuel back into the airbox.


My thoughts were.

Carbs gunked up from sitting 3-4 months
Put too much Sta-bil in the tank

[Steve]

Unless you put straight Sta-Bil in the tank (with no gas), you probably don't have too much in there. I typically run 2 or 3 times the recommended amount for long-term storage with no ill effects.

Carbs gunked up? Since you say they have been sitting for a few months, that might be a no-brainer, unless it's been sitting with Sta-Bil in the gas.

Did you verify your valve clearances after changing the shims? Too many times, there is confusion between inches and metrics when adjusting the valves and mistakes are made. After changing the shims, you should always re-check your clearances. Hard starting when cold is a classic sign of tight valves, so I would re-check them soon. Might not hurt to check your idle speed, too. Proper carb adjustment will minimize the need for choke, but you will still need some to get it started.

If you would like some help with your valve adjustments, send me an e-mail with a request and I will send you a copy of my Excel spreadsheet that helps you determine what shims to use and also keeps track of what's in there from one time to the next. E-mail address is available by clicking on my name.

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[bwringer]

I believe a GS700 is screw-and-locknut valve adjustments, not shims.

Good point about confusing metric and inches. A metric set of feelers makes life much easier.

I also vote for gummed-up carbs.

[cyberdork]

My bike doesn't have shims. I drained the float bowls but I guess that wasn't enough. I was thinking emptying my tank and putting a little gas in with a good concentration of seafoam and hoping that would sort out my mess. Think it's worth a shot? (I REALLY do not want to pull my carbs off because more than likely my bike will never work again since I lake the know-how".

[jed.only]

maybe try a funnel with good gas rather than your gastank with perhaps bad fuel?

[Steve]

I believe a GS700 is screw-and-locknut valve adjustments, not shims.

Thanks, Brian, I missed that little detail.


Cyberdork, not sure if you have gas in the carbs now or not. Has it been stored for the last several months with Sta-Bil in the tank and carbs? Did you just add it recently?

What part of the world do you call "home"? There is likely a GSR member close enough to help you, but we don't have a clue where you are. If nothing else, you can take the carbs off and send them to a willing member who can clean them up and bench sync them for you. If nobody else step in to volunteer, you can PM me for information.

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[cyberdork]

I put stabil in my tank after it was off, so whatever gas that was in my carbs is old I reckon. I live in Westminster MD.

[Don-lo]

Did you check the plugs? If they are wet, I would put new ones in and try it again.

[Steve]

If you did not run the bike long enough with the treated gas to get it into the carb passages, your carbs need to be cleaned.

It's not so much the gas in the tank that goes bad, it evaporates out of the carbs, leaving gummy deposits that clog all the tiny little passages.

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[trippivot]

did it run good BEFORE the latest service? YES... or NO ??

if NO clean the whole fuel storage/delivery system. (no sea foam)
if YES go back to the last thing you did and re-do it the correct way.

always recharge the battery. just in case.

[cyberdork]

Only thing I did was valve clearances, which I'm pretty confident I did right. And battery was fresh off the tender.

[chef1366]

Check for spark at the plugs. You might have pulled a coil connecter loose.

[cyberdork]

All pipes are hot

[paco13]

I second the question, How did it run before you adjusted the valves or anything else?

Can you do a compression test?

[paco13]

Also

You say you see fuel spitting back into air box. does that mean you are starting it with no box lid or filter in place? If so maybe thats why it won't run without choke.