Please help. Any advice is welcome.

[flyanimator]

Good day to all the good people on this forum.

I've owned my 1980 GS 1100 L for about a year now and have put only a couple hundred miles on it (somewhere around 200 more or less).

Some of the things I have done to it since purchase are of course an oil and filter change. I replaced the intake boots on both the airbox and cylinder head sides. Cleaned and rebuilt the carbs along with new o-rings. Replaced the cdi and pick up with a dyna-S ingnition system as well as replaced the coils with new accel coils and wires, spark plugs were replaced as well. I also performed the coil relay modification after checking and cleaning all electrical connections on the harness. The front and real master cylinders were rebuilt as well and fluid was changed with new clean brake fluid.

I have a new petcock on order and I just received a NOS gasket set for the engine.

I had been having some issues with my carbs so I cleaned them but after looking through the forum found that i had not cleaned them well enough. I only folloewd the directions on the berrymans dip which calls for 15 minutes. I have now left each carb in there for a ful 24 hours and am getting ready to put them back together. One of the issues I was having was hard starting when the bike is cold. I was nearly impossible on a nice morning (72 degree weather) and completely oimpossible in temeratures below 60 degrees even with choke. I figured that the choke system was cloged and thats when i pulled the carbs to dip them longer. I also get a loud pop from the exhaust from time to time. I read that this might be caused by out of spec valve clearances also. I had adjusted the valves soon after i got the bike (about a year ago but less than 200 miles). I will be rechecking them as I may have adjusted them incorrectly or failed to tighten the nuts completely. If there is anything else that could be causing this issue, i would greatly appreciate hearing from you.

Also, my engine is leaking a good amount of oil so I will be pulling it out and replacing the gaskets. It's mostly from the cylinder head gasket but it also drips from around where the front gear meets the case. I want to replace all of the gaskets so that i'm sure that it's done correctly, but I am a bit weary of removing the cylinders to get at the gasket underneath. Anyone have any advice on resealing the engine or a site where i can get a tutorial or step by step pictures on how to do this.

Also, since I will have the engine out, is there anything else i should look at or do while i'm in there?

Again, I thank anyone with any advice they can contribute and I appologize for the super long post.

-Rudy O.

[Big T]

Hard starting - I would have pointed you to valve clearances, but you've figured that out. Since there's only the 3 basics left - Air, fuel and spark - I'd have to say fuel. The carb passages were still clogged up. Get some carb spray with a nozzle and spray it anywhere there's a hole and see if comes out somewhere else (wear goggles) Be sure and pull out the mixture screw

Oil leaks - 1st, you can do this in the frame, don't bother to pull the motor out unless you must.

Have you confirmed that the head gasket is leaking? Oil can run down from the valve cover or the tach drive and leave confusing oil deposits

The other leak will be a seal or a loose connection under the drive sprocket cover. (I'm assuming you have the famous 1100 chain drive L). Clean all of the out and pinpoint where the oil is comimg from

Anything else - IF it is the head gasket and you pull the cylinder barrels, check the cam chain guides. They're plastic and get brittle with age

And, as always, post up some big pictures of what you find for the best advice.

[Billy Ricks]

I see you're in South Texas, I'm in San Antonio.

Not to hijack your thread but wanted to point you to this,

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=155079

[waterman]

I agree with Big T, fuel is most likely holding you back. Did you adjust the mixture screws for best idle? What shape is your airbox in, is everything sealed up okay? Sounds like you have taken care of most everything else. Maybe a compression check to confirm engine mechanicals.

I would clean up motor and verify where oil is coming from. Some have used foot powder to better track where the leak really is.

Not sure of any tutorial, but the factory service manual is pretty comprehensive. Ask away, we will guide you through it.

[flyanimator]

Thanks Big T. Yes it is the chain drive 1100L model that apparently only came out in '80. If I'm not mistaken, Chef has one of these as well, though i believe his is much nicer and runs better than mine

I have confirmed it is the head gasket although I know that my valve cover gasket is leaking as well. I purchased the whole gasket set so that I could replace these and any other gaskets I may find are worn out or leaking.

I know I don't have to remove the cylinder barrels to replace the head gasket, but do you thing it would be good measure to do so and replace the base gasket and o-rings while I'm at it? Or should I just change those that are leaking and leave the others alone?

Oh another symptom I forgot to mention earlier... I've noticed that the right side exhaust runs hotter than the left. Not sure if this might be cause by valve clearances or dirty/clogged carb passages or both but it's cause the chrome on my exhaust to turn colors (blue, purple).

[flyanimator]

Thank for the info Billy Ricks. To be honest, I've yet to go on a cruise and this sounds like i would really enjoy it. I'm down in Edinburg, approximately 230 miles south of S.A. Once my ride is back on the road, i will definitely go up there. The Hill country is amazing in the spring. I'll make sure to keep my eye on that thread to see when the next cruise is, hopefully I can attend.

[Billy Ricks]

Thank for the info Billy Ricks. To be honest, I've yet to go on a cruise and this sounds like i would really enjoy it. I'm down in Edinburg, approximately 230 miles south of S.A. Once my ride is back on the road, i will definitely go up there. The Hill country is amazing in the spring. I'll make sure to keep my eye on that thread to see when the next cruise is, hopefully I can attend.

I used to live in McAllen and Pharr. Moved down in about '91 and back up here 6 years ago, I picked up an '86 GSXR750 in Edinburg a couple of years back. If you were closer I'd lend you a hand on the bike. If you get really stumped check around for a guy named Gene Cameron. He used to have a shop on Trenton just west of 10th Street. I don't think he's there anymore but you might be able to find a number for him. He really knows his schitt when it comes to GS models.

[flyanimator]

Thank you Waterman. I did adjust the mixture screws but i believe that maybe carbs were still clogged so once i finish cleaning them up I'll try it all again. I also got myself a colortune and carbtune so I can make sure to get the adjustments just right.

As far as the oil leaks go, I did use powder on the engine as a matter of fact. Thats how i was able to trace the leaks. The only one i'm not sure of is the one by the chain gear coming out the side of the engine case.

I have done a compression check on the engine about a month after I purchased it. I don't remember what they came out to, but I do remember they were within 2 psi across all cylinders and within spec.

My airbox is in good condition although I dont think the filter access cover is very snug. I will go ahead and follow your recommendations and seal this up with something so as to prevent air leaks. I imagine that the air leaks can lean out the fuel mix and cause the engine to run hotter than usual causing my exhaust to turn blue. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I have a couple of years experience wrenching on autos but I'm new to motorcycling and air-cooled engines. So i'm justapplying my previous mechanical knowledge as best I can.

Thanks again for the advice, I appreciate it.

[flyanimator]

Wow, it is a small world afterall. Yes I remember that shop. I used to drive by there when I was younger, it was right on the corner of Trenton and Main by Morris Junior High. I appreciae that bit of information, I'll have to look Gene up if I run into some trouble. I'll look you up whenever I go up to the S.A. area for some tips on good routes around the hill country.

[Billy Ricks]

Wow, it is a small world afterall. Yes I remember that shop. I used to drive by there when I was younger, it was right on the corner of Trenton and Main by Morris Junior High. I appreciae that bit of information, I'll have to look Gene up if I run into some trouble. I'll look you up whenever I go up to the S.A. area for some tips on good routes around the hill country.

Better than that I'll take you out there. I live on the NW side of town near Sea World so all it takes me is 15 or 20 minutes to be out in the thick of it.

[flyanimator]

That would be awesome. I have some family living over there on W. Bitters just inside 1604. Next time I'm up there I'll definitely get in contact with you for a criuse out to the country. I'm pretty into photography too, so I'll make sure to bring my camera, I hear the sights are amazing. I'll need to do that soon since I'll be moving to lubbock in the fall for Graduate school for the next 4 years. If anyone on here needs a lawyer or financial planner in a few years, just let me know. I'll be working on my J.D. and a masters of science in personal financial planning. :S I'd be glad to help out anyway I can.