80 gs550e project

[Track06]

I actually put a teaspoon of gas in all 4 cylinders but nothing happened so I tried it again thinking I put less than a teaspoon or I might have needed some more and I only did it in one and two and that's when it fired up

[Rich82GS750TZ]

I just didn't want you headed on a wild goose chase down the wrong rabbit hole. I only wish I had better advice for you. My knowledge of your problem is limited, and I'm learning along with you.

[Track06]

Cleaned professionally means nothing really and just because they look shiny on the outside does not mean all of the inside passages are clear. I would clean the carbs yourself using the tutorial that Nessism wrote which you can get either in the signature block of his post above mine or on Basscliff's site - https://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff

Unfortunately, all of the other changes done to the bike are out of my league as I haven't changed the jetting or switched to pods in either of the 550s in my garage. Do you have the ability to put anything back to stock to start with a good baseline?

ill go through them again but the carbs were really the only things that were extremely cleaned on this bike when i got it. they look brand new inside and out, all new o-rings and gaskets, and i believe were bench synced.

[Track06]

I just didn't want you headed on a wild goose chase down the wrong rabbit hole. I only wish I had better advice for you. My knowledge of your problem is limited, and I'm learning along with you.

haha, yeah thanks!!!! i was driving to work and thought... "wait a min. that isnt right!" i was really hoping it was right though. Well at least she fires up, so i know im on the right track!

[Track06]

You need to approach this methodically - keep a Journal on what's what.

Not to question your work or knowledge; but let's make sure the basics are covered. For combustion; one needs three things: Air, Spark and Fuel (and the correct mixture, but there's some leeway, which is exploited in the next step).

There's an old trick to get an engine firing: Drop a teaspoon of gasoline down the spark plug hole(s). Screw the spark plug back in, and try to start her. This should get you a few firings.
If she doesn't fire, you have narrowed down the probable causes to compression or spark timing. If she does fire, then the issue must be further 'upstream', i.e. carbs.

Go from there, and tick off the respective bullet points in your journal.

Ok so, now i have time to process this, i'm sitting at work on the computer... (not thinking about work obviously.) that gas i poured down the cylinders fired the bike a few times, playing with the throttle kept the bike running, and the extra gas in cylinder 1 and 2 fired her up. so does that mean there is no gas making it into the cylinders from the carbs? i know for a fact there is gas in the bowls, where do i go next? ill be at work for another 9 hours... so i wont be able to get to it for a while but i was very excited to finally hear her run! Thank you again so much!

[roeme]

The only thing this is telling you conclusively is that you don't have combustion on 3 & 4, since you managed to keep her running and the exhaust pipes stayed cold on these.

Now you need to rule out one-by-one what could be wrong on these. As said, be methodic, keep notes. Coils are likely to be good since you've got spark on 1 & 2. But...what about the high tension leads? What about the spark plug caps? The spark plug themselves after glossing over this thread should be good, cause they're new. Next; Compression?

After that, my guess would be on the the mixture being off; i.e. the carbs.

[Track06]

The only thing this is telling you conclusively is that you don't have combustion on 3 & 4, since you managed to keep her running and the exhaust pipes stayed cold on these.

Now you need to rule out one-by-one what could be wrong on these. As said, be methodic, keep notes. Coils are likely to be good since you've got spark on 1 & 2. But...what about the high tension leads? What about the spark plug caps? The spark plug themselves after glossing over this thread should be good, cause they're new. Next; Compression?

After that, my guess would be on the the mixture being off; i.e. the carbs.

well, that and the fact that she started after i added more gas to cylinder 1 and 2. when i get home from work im going to try and put gas in cylinder 2 and 4 and see what happens. Ill go through each part one by one and see if i can rule anything else out. Thanks for your help!

[roeme]

well, that and the fact that she started after i added more gas to cylinder 1 and 2. when i get home from work im going to try and put gas in cylinder 2 and 4 and see what happens. Ill go through each part one by one and see if i can rule anything else out. Thanks for your help!

Don't hydrolock your engine; this will destroy it. Don't put more than one teaspoon in between cycles...and even then; employ common sense.

The teaspoon of gas will only help for a few ignitions, after that it's gone. You had her running already; the other cylinders should've come alive after awhile. The fact that they haven't means that either you had her running only very briefly or the root cause for them not firing won't be helped with the teaspoon trick. It's very hard to diagnose remotely.

Don't rush things close to the end. You'll f!$k your hard work.

Oh and it's likely that 3&4 indeed had fuel going through them, just didn't manage to ignite. This unburnt fuel will have (or is going to be) collected in the exhaust. Prepare for a bang after the cylinders have run for a bit and the exhaust comes up to temp.

[cowboyup3371]

Follow the instructions on rebuilding the carbs

[Track06]

Follow the instructions on rebuilding the carbs

alright ill go back through the carbs tonight, ill pick up some dip on the way home. Thanks!

[cowboyup3371]

Here's the link to the instructions; if done properly it will take you about 4 days (24 hours per carb) in which time you can get new Orings from Robert Barr (www.cycleorings.com)

http://zeus.mtsac.edu/~cliff/storage/gs/Mikuni_BS-CV_Carburetor_Rebuild_Tutorial.pdf

You will want the Berryman's in the gallon can that you can find at OReilly's or Autozone as it contains a basket to hold everything as it sits.

[Track06]

Here's the link to the instructions; if done properly it will take you about 4 days (24 hours per carb) in which time you can get new Orings from Robert Barr (www.cycleorings.com)

http://zeus.mtsac.edu/~cliff/storage/gs/Mikuni_BS-CV_Carburetor_Rebuild_Tutorial.pdf

You will want the Berryman's in the gallon can that you can find at OReilly's or Autozone as it contains a basket to hold everything as it sits.

So the the PO has assured me that the carbs are indeed cleaned and rebuilt very well.
He has taken dozens of sets of carbs to this guy and has never had to go behind his work. Everything is cleaned with a 600 ultrasonic then he pulls vacuume on every set to make sure fuel valves seal. With that said i noticed the pods seem to push the carbs down at an angle, and they touch the frame quite, causing either the pods to disconnect from the bottom and or pull the carbs right of the engine.... I disconnected the pods and ground them down where they touch the frame... Still touch... Think i just ruined a set of K&N dual pods
So that got me thinking, maybe it wasn't starting cause there was too much air, i shoved some rags in the carbs and she roughly started right up... Idled for a little while then died, cylinders 2 and 3 are still cold. Guess I'm getting some ape pods cause i can't afford another set of K&N since I've ruined them, not to mention i don't know which ones will actually fit. :/

[Track06]

Ok, 3 and 4 leads were switched.. Doh!!!! No more 3am nights drinking and wrenching for me!!! Fired right up after putting rags in the carbs and starving it for air, actually idles rather well too... Cylinder 4 is still not hot it's a touchable warm.... So no combustion in 4... That's better than not starting at all... Also noticed when i turn on the headlight the motor shuts right off... Again another 3am night( actually when i was doing the wiring i was out there from 9am till 3am, barely ate any food too, but had some cold beers... Again at least I'm getting somewhere... Might call it a night it's almost midnight and i have not eaten anything all day. I'll putz around with the wiring tomorrow morning before i go into work. Also need to order those Ape Pods!

[Rob S.]

...Also need to order those Ape Pods!

Nothing but good things to say about the APE pods on my 11E.

[Track06]

Nothing but good things to say about the APE pods on my 11E.

Really? Do they fit well? I just about pulled the trigger on the rc-0884 set. I put my other ones ( rc 2382) up on eBay for half the price since i modified them... I've heard K&N or nothing even APE( though some people swear by APE). I'd love not to have to drop $140 on some pods... Especially after i already paid $90 for the first set :/