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78 1000 skunk - here goes nothing

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    78 1000 skunk - here goes nothing

    purchased a month ago, it's in my friend's garage about 20 minutes away as i want to keep it out of the weather. for those that haven't seen the purchase thread, here's a shot of the bike at the PO's garage


    and in the trailer on the way home




    carbs and gas tank are at my apartment.

    started electrolysis on the tank; something's happening there but I'm not exactly sure what yet.

    volatage is steady, though it seems to have increased slowly over time. was probably closer to 3v when i first hooked it up


    here's the rod after 24 hours. doesn't seem to have the "i've got hunks of rust hanging off of me" that i've seen in other photos - more of a kinda condensed carbonate gunk that scraped off. lost a lot of the threads off the threaded rod as well. not sure if something's going wrong here.

    it is a steel rod; it's whatever they sell in home depot and lowes. i saw some people cautioning against using stainless steel but i don't know where to find a solid iron rod and other folks didn't mention anything against steel at all. didn't get any clarity on what the issue was with steel either.


    that's it for right now. carbs are apart as well, may start throwing some photos of those out here soon too as i struggle to figure out how good or bad a job of jetting was done back in the 80s or 90s when the stock exhaust was replaced.

    cheers!

    aaron

    #2
    That may just be the plating on the threaded rod reacting.

    Eric

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by 7981GS View Post
      That may just be the plating on the threaded rod reacting.

      Eric
      figured as much, nice to get added input thanks. zinc, i'd imagine.

      anyway, scraped it off and put it back on the charge. will check it again in 12 hours.

      Comment


        #4
        Looks like a very good starting point, Aaron.
        Are you going to keep it stock?
        2@ \'78 GS1000

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by steve murdoch View Post
          Looks like a very good starting point, Aaron.
          Are you going to keep it stock?
          aside from the 4-1 and pods, yes that's my intent. considered going back to stock exhaust but i think it's more trouble than its worth to me at this point, not to mention i'm curious what the kerker sounds like (my 850 has stock exhaust). but overall i like these bikes just the way they are. wouldn't mind a set of samsonites or krausers for it, but i'm really not in a rush, gonna take my time with it. especially as my 850 started sputtering and died once on the way home last night - i have more than enough to keep me busy. oh yeah, and i'm expecting my first kid in... like 8 weeks

          Comment


            #6
            gas tank - exterior

            so as i mentioned, i'm storing the bike at a friend's in teaneck because he has a house and a garage, whereas i have neither of those things.

            i knew i wanted to start working on cleaning the inside of the tank, and he was heading down this way anyway, so i asked him to bring the gas tank with him.

            well, he put it in a contractor bag and gave it to me, and i set it outside on the deck since it had never been drained entirely and smelled a bit gassy. came back to it a day later. no problem, right?

            i still can't decide if i'm more upset at him or at myself, but for some reason he gave me the tank in the bag upside down and i never looked inside the bag and didn't check it. the gas cap held up pretty well, considering, but enough had leaked out to ruin the top of the tank. it was already scuffed from a tank bag in the past so i knew i'd plan to repaint it someday, i just didn't expect ... that

            Comment


              #7
              wow...strange gas would cause that. That's gotta hurt, go have a beer
              Rob
              1983 1100ES, 98' ST1100, 02' DR-Z400E and a few other 'bits and pieces'
              Are you on the GSR Google Earth Map yet? http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...d.php?t=170533

              Comment


                #8
                electrolysis fail?

                well i checked the tank after another 12, 15 hours.

                i'm using a nokia phone charger (5v dc) with the wires stripped for my power source. i know some folks have used battery chargers or just batteries, so i might try next with something with a bit more juice.

                the top of the tank looked like it was filled with sea foam. the anode had a layer of that whitish green crap on it again, much more than anything else. after draining the tank there were whitish specks on the hump inside, probably more throughout but who knows. it comes off easily enough but i think something isn't working quite right with the electrolysis.


                the waste water coming out of the tank is a greenish white


                here's the rod after spraying it down with some water to get most of the whitish green scum off of it

                i did rinse the tank thoroughly and shook it out (just water) and got all this crud out, so that's something.

                Comment


                  #9
                  ok. 5 months later

                  ALMOST got around to using my POR 15 kit on the tank today. not going to do electrolysis after all; i bought the kit so it's spent money and it should take care of the insides of the tank just fine.

                  i know i have to seal the gas filler hole and the petcock hole. question: what about the fuel gauge sensor? does that have to come out before i start tossing chemicals in there?

                  Last edited by Guest; 01-27-2013, 11:00 PM.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    If you ever want it to work again it has to come out.

                    Electrolysis takes a lot more power than a phone charger, and regular steel is needed. Stainless makes poisonous gases, makes the water into a hazardous waste, I can't remember exactly about the galvanized stuff but it's not good. I have an old box spring I cut pieces off of, bare steel, it works well.
                    http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...tatesMap-1.jpg

                    Life is too short to ride an L.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      the fuel float is probably pretty rusted up also, it will be a good opportunity to clean it up real good
                      82 gs1100e FAUX Skunk
                      80 gs1000s

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by Gregory View Post
                        the fuel float is probably pretty rusted up also, it will be a good opportunity to clean it up real good
                        It's plastic. Couldn't find a pic for one for the GS1000,
                        but it's similar to this.


                        sigpic
                        Steve
                        "The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page." :cool:
                        _________________
                        '79 GS1000EN
                        '82 GS1100EZ

                        Comment


                          #13
                          The float is plastic but that is not what rusts.

                          he will need to open that metal box up and clean out the rust and gunk and grunge on the copper contacts etc.....if it looks anything like the one in my rusted tank did.
                          82 gs1100e FAUX Skunk
                          80 gs1000s

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by Gregory View Post
                            The float is plastic but that is not what rusts.

                            he will need to open that metal box up and clean out the rust and gunk and grunge on the copper contacts etc.....if it looks anything like the one in my rusted tank did.
                            Most definitely.
                            sigpic
                            Steve
                            "The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page." :cool:
                            _________________
                            '79 GS1000EN
                            '82 GS1100EZ

                            Comment


                              #15
                              what rust?

                              you guys clearly don't know what you're talking about



                              what should i even do to this thing? *dremel wire brush?

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