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Getting a bike running out of storage.

  • Thread starter Thread starter Anonymous
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Anonymous

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Hey, quick question, I hope! I have just picked up a 1980 GS850L with around 45,000 miles on it from a friend of mine who wanted to get rid of it. He had it in storage for about 5 years, and before that got it from somebody who had it in pieces, not sure to what extent it was torn down though. It seems to run OK except for the idle, and higher RPM's. When it is stared, you have to leave the choke on, and running at least 3000 rpm, other wise it wile bog down and stall out. Also when it is on the road and you get past about 5000 rpm, it seems to loose power, although I haven't taken it out on the road since I put a new battery in it. I thought maybe the timing was off, but read somewhere that the timing was electric, is that true? Another thought was maybe it was burning rich, and possibly some oil, and the plugs are oil covered. Maybe the air intake hose was dirty or clogged. Or maybe the carbs need cleaned? I have put a new battery in it as well as high octane gas. What would you advise to look at first? I have worked on cars quite a bit, but am new to bikes.
 
Take the plugs out, and put some ATF in the cylinders, and let it soak for a while. While you wait, take the carbs off, and clean them up, follow the carb cleaning series found on the home page. Get some new spark plugs. Take the ignition cover off and rotate the engine a few times to get any excess ATF out, and then put the new plugs in. This would be a good time to change the oil too, if you haven't just don it. Reinstall the carbs, and airbox, make sure the filter is in good shape. Start her up and see what happens.
 
automagic transmission fluid

dexron/mercon or type F (ford specific)

we use the same thing at work to prime diesel engines ;)
 
when I clean the carbs, do I have to dip them, or can I just douse them with carb cleaner in an aeorsol can, and the rubber o-rings, can those be bought at any car parts store? Or do I have to go to a Bike shop?
 
Do a search on thr forum, theres a guy who sells the o-ring kits for the carbs cheap. If you want to do the job right you'll have to dip them. You can also just take out the jets and clean them up, and clean everything else you can see with carb cleaner spray, and hope for the best. It may work, it may not, if it does work you've saved yourself some time, if it doesn't, you have to take the carbs all apart again. I've always done it the quick way, and have gotten away with it, usually the idle jets are clogged up, and sometimes the mains. If the problem is in the passageways of the carbs, you have to go thru the whole procedure.
 
so i worked a bit on the bike tonight. I drove it for about 25 minutes to my parents house because my dad has the tools to work on it. Before I drove it, I noticed some gas leaking out of it. I drove it and barely made it, because I had to keep the thottle open at all times, which was a task for a younger rider. Anyhow, after about 20 minutes of riding, it suddenly gained some power back but still nothing near like it should have. :x so when i got home, the gas was coming out of the number one carb and running into the air intake. So I took it all apart and got the carb unit apart and took the cap off of the #1 carb. The boot seemed like it was not in right, because when you pushed on the throttle valves, #1 seemed not right compared to the others. So I reset the boot and put it all back together, and they all sounded and responded the same. The carbs seemed very clean and free moving, though I did not get into any of the jets. I put it all back together without the air intake, cuz it was gas soaked and started it up. It started up much better, but then it began running rich, and then backfiring, and sturggling to run. Also, it would not stay running unless the throttle was held open. I then shut it off in disgust, and gas started coming out of carbs #3 and #4. In both cases, when I got it to the house, and then ran it after it was put back together, the only way to stop the gas was to unhook the gas tank. so I did, and now I'm more puzzled. It really seems that the timing is off. It runs smooth, just is hard, i think it's getting way too much gas, not enough air. Doctors out there, what is your diagnosis?
 
Your floats are sticking bad, or the o-rings around the float needle valves are shot. When you disconnected the tank did gas come out of the tank? If so, your petcock is leaking too, but that will only cause a problem when the bike isn't running, and the gas remains on.

Your bike will not run right with the airbox off, don't even try diagnostics with it off, they will not be accurate.

With all that gas overflowing, check your oil, if the gas ran into your cylinders too, you'll have gas contaminated oil, and it will need to be changed ASAP.

At the very least, pull all the jets in the carbs, and clean them, fix the float problem, and she'll probably run well for you.
 
Thanks for all the help, I really appreciate it!! :D When I unplugged the gas tank, I unplugged the small hose first, then the big one, and gas campe pouring out the bigger pipe. So I attached a different small hose with a screw in it to stop the gas, also one on the small pipe. Nothing ever came out of the small pipe. Also the little set screw in that part on the gas tank did nothing. Now there is a circular device that is about 4 or 5 inches around mounted to the inside part of the gas tank with like 5 or 6 screws, and a little lead pipe coming out of it but there is no hose for it, and not sure what it does.

Which part is the petcock?

Thanks again!!
 
also, my next thing I am going to do is do the whole rebuild of the carbs, but It might be a week or two.
 
Billy,
- The round thing in&under the gas tank is the gas tank gauge sender - should also have a 2 wire connector. Notice the gas guage on instrument panel (well, 80 GS850G does anyway).
 
yea it does, the wires are connected, but was confused byt the pipe that looked like it needed a hose attached to it. and the gas guage works on the instrument panel.
 
Billy,
About the gas petcock: The little hose is a vacuum line to operate (open) the petcock when/after the engine starts. The big hose is the fuel line to carbs. Do you have "Reserve-On-Prime" lever like my 80 GS850G, I am not certain that the L like yours has that, maybe just "main-reserve".
You should not have the gas flowing out of the petcock with bike not running (unless petcock in "prime"). THis indicates a problem with the petcock, problem being that it doesnt shut off when bike not running. WHich is a really a problem if your carb float bowl valve & its seat doesnt shut completly off either.
If float bowl valve & its seat do leak a little bit thats not usally a big problem when engine is running, because you are using the gas anyway. If float bowl valve & seat leak a little bit that is not a problem either when engine is off UNLESS the petcock also leaks. When engine running, If bowl valve & seat leak more gas than what is actaully needed, or one valve is actually stuck open, then will cause a probem such that engine doesnt run well.
BUt if float bowl valves leak AND also the petcock leaks (doesnt shut off), then when engine not running you will have the problem of overfilling the float bowls till gas runs out the carbs (is worst if gas runs into cyclinder and down into crank case as others mentioned.)
You say gas was running over/out perrty hard, does sound like float bowl valve stuck open (from prolonged storage/sitting). And gas running out of petcock sounds like problem there too. So with both problems you have a trouble even when its not running.
You say you have worked on car carbs. THey have float bowls and the flaot valves & seats (well, they used to), right? Now think of the mo'cycle having the gas tank above the carbs - gravity feed - gravity is the fuel pump- thats sort of like if in the case of the car carb if the fuel pump keept running when the car was not running. So in case of the mo'cycle, need something to shut off the gravity feed, that is the petcock.

With how you described the gas leak/overflow: Sounds like you need the carbs dissasembled further, inspect the bowl float valves & seats. I understand that any visable wear is bad. And you need to check into the petcock also (well, unless it was in 'prime' position).

Again, I am not certain that the 850L has a prime position.

Your original post mentioned having to leave the choke on to keep it running: which is classic syptom of one of two possible problems. 1)carbs gummed up, idle-lowspeed jets gummed up and not working, so having to choke to get any gas at the low engine speed. 2) Air intake boots (at head) leaking, either cracked boot or bad o-ring between boot and head or maybe boot warped at the head. Causeing extra air to be sucked in that didnt go through carberator so have to choke carb to get extra gas in the air that did go through carbs. BUt this boot problem also causes other sysptoms like backfiring and increasing high idle that you didnt mention. So I suspect the carbs gummed up which makes sence after being stored for 5 years.

OKAY, enough yammering, I shouldnt be up this late.
 
About gas sender "little pipe that looks like it needs a hose". Well, it does, sort of, doesnt need it for anything to operate properly. That is suppose to have a hose, kind of a drain to lower part of bike, to drip on the ground rather than on the engine if the gas sender unit or its gasket were to leak gas.
If you just bought a new battery, maybe you got an extra drain tube-hose with that, although maybe not long enough, and maybe not ment for the heat from the engine - ah, um, nevermind.
 
Oh, And welcome to the GSR.

Let us know of your progress on this. Many guys here more knolegable and more experienced (and better spellers) than I that will help.
 
Luke; interesting about the ATF application: what is it about the ATF that makes it useful in this scenario?
 
ATF is pretty much just an oil with loads of detergents in it. It helps free things up, and is a good to put into an engine before you start it for the first time after a long dormant period. Some people use that mystery oil stuff too, I've always used ATF.
 
Is using ATF better than using diesel? I have always filled the cylinders with diesel after a motor has sat for a while. Let it drain down and then put the plugs back in and fired it up. We used to free up seized tractor engines this way. Fill up the crankcase with diesel, and through the plugs or air intake on a diesel let it sit for a week sometimes longer, depending on free time. Drain it and then turn it over by hand with a really long cheater bar.
When I pulled my bike out after three years. I did the same. Just to be safe before starting it up.
 
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