drivin me nuts please someone have an answer

[Rodman]

evening guys/gals
this is my prob
im working on a gs 550 and when its cold it seems to start ok but needs to warm up well before itll idle , ok it needs the carbs sinked no prob i know this and gonna do it when i can find out why it does next
i shut it off to hook up sticks and it wont start crank all day no run its got gas its got spark its got compresion butif i just bump the starter itll sputter and try to start if i bump it a few times itll start and run but its not a guarentee,its like strange to me. anyone have this prob ,can anyone tell me how to fix first time ive ever come accross this prob .
any advice would be appreciated
Rodman

[mike_of_bbg]

Valve clearances checked? Carbs cleaned? New O-rings? What year 550? What's it's recent history?

That sounds a lot like how my 82 GS550 was with starting. She sounded like she wanted to start up right away, but then would have to crank for quite some time to get it going. I installed a Dyna over the weekend. She starts within 2 seconds every time now. Bad ignitor methinks (PO said it was probably marginal - died on long rides - and the sig gen tested OK so I'm deducing ignitor). Yeah, I had spark too. Not saying that's the problem, sounds more like fuel mixture to me in your case. Yours might even be a points model.

[almarconi]

More than likely the problem is in your carbs. My 750L, after it sits for a couple of weeks, will only start if I bump the starter. If you have vent overflow tubes on your carbs, try gently blowing into one of them. As strange as this may sound the bike should start right up. I also noticed that after a couple of weeks of sitting, it helps to leave the bike on prime for a couple of minutes before trying to start the bike. All of these symptoms disappeared when I was using the bike to commute to work. The more I drove it, the easier it would start.

Knowing what I know now about carbs and fuel level, more than likely mine are not set correctly and this is causing part of the problem. I found that even if all the floats are set to the same measured height, they may not give you the same fuel level. It is critical to check the fuel level, once the carbs are installed on the bike.

[Rodman]

thanks guys
bike is an 80 gs 550, ive done the carbs and as far as i know they are right
im not saying i dont make mistakes
it has electronic ign
bike sat for a long time and the guy who had it messed with it not knowing what he was doing ,
it only seems to do this when its warm i can let it sit over night and itll start right up
its stock but pipes are leaky air box is installed and attached correctly
ive checked everything i can think of , had full head of hair when i started but now its getting thin lol
Rodman

[seuadr]

hmm. won't start when it's warm eh? have you checked the voltage to the coils and for spark from the coils?

unless i am mistaken, the 80 shouldn't have points, so chances are that isn't the problem.

when you cleaned the carb, did you replace the orings between the carb and the engine? check the boots for pliability between the engine and carb, as well as carb and airbox? did you tear the carb completly down and check the pilot circuit and replace the o-rings?

[themess]

Please write using full words, complete sentences and standard punctuation and grammar. Your messages will be much easier to understand. This isn't text messaging.

[BassCliff]

Hi,

The carbs must be clean, clean, clean. See The Carb Rebuild Guide for the proper procedure.

Easy starting when cold but not when hot? Could be a rich mixture. Where are your pilot mixture screws set? Are the float heights set properly?

Have you replaced the carb intake boots and/or O-rings?

That's all I've got for now. Keep us informed.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[Calvin Blackmore]

Please write using full words, complete sentences and standard punctuation and grammar. Your messages will be much easier to understand. This isn't text messaging.

gosh it really does seem text based.
does this mean you guys are not doing this on your phones?

[seuadr]

gosh it really does seem text based.
does this mean you guys are not doing this on your phones?

i can read it fine :shrugs:

[themess]

I've never sent a text message, and I don't read the ones sent to me. It's a generational thing.

[Steve]

I've never sent a text message, and I don't read the ones sent to me. It's a generational thing.

Well, I have started sending a few in the last few months, since we have gotten text service added to our phones, but I still use full words and punctuation.

.

[Matchless]

Well, I have started sending a few in the last few months, since we have gotten text service added to our phones, but I still use full words and punctuation.

.

And I thought I was the only one or so my daughter tells me!

[Octain]

I've never sent a text message, and I don't read the ones sent to me. It's a generational thing.

You dont have teenage kids do ya themesss?

[duaneage]

I set up my bike for carb sync once on a sunny day. The tank sat in the sun and I hooked up a longer fuel line with a in line filter as a coupler to join the two lines.

After dorking around with the boot taps and hoses I started the bike. Ran for a bit then died. Would not start again. No fuel in the carbs.

Vapor lock. The tank and fuel filter were dry. I threw a wet towel over the tank and fuel filter and fuel started flowing again. A young man came over a few weeks later to sync his bike and the same problem occurred, a wet towel saved the day again.

Gasoline can generate significant pressure on a hot day and since we use gravity feed without a pump on our bikes they can get locked. Most fuel pumps provide 3-7 lbs of deadhead pressure to overcome fuel vapor pressure.