[whitehat89]

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Ok, details first. I have a 1976 GL1000 that I just recently purchased for the bank breaking price of $500. Anyhow, I was told that it needed a tune up, and had an exhaust and oil leak. Exhaust leak has been traced down to a really shoddy welding job on what looks to me like Kawasaki pipes, not sure tho. Oil leak is coming from a banged up place on the left side Valve Cover and also the left side of the Timing Cover somewhere. These I know how to fix. However, this is the first time I've had to deal with multiple carbs. I will have my hands on a couple of "snails" (syncers) in a few days, but is there anything I can do with the carbs without them in the mean time?



Here's what I've gone through so far.



1. New Plugs

2. Fresh oil

3. Put Seafoam in the tank ( a little overkill on the dosage but it should be ok).

4. Discovered that the temp switch for the fan was shot, so I hard-wired it on.



The Symptoms:

1. When I go to start it, I have to really gas it and hold the started for a good 10 seconds. Sometimes it will start, other times it will fire so long as the starter is turning over.



2. When I do get it to start, it runs really rough, smokes and backfires occasionally.

~I do realise that the smoke is probably rings or valve seals. The backfire could be attributed to the exhaust leak, but it may be more than that.



3. It flat out doesn't want to idle. Looking at the right side of the carb, I can see that the Idle Adjustment Screw is turned up quite a bit also. (the spring is almost completely compressed.)



These are all the symptoms that I can think of off the top of my head, but if I run across anymore tomorrow, I'll update ya'll.





Ok. Now, in lieu of all that, is there anything other than syncing the carbs that can be done to improve how this darn thing runs? I'm anxious as all get out to get this thing in running shape cause my truck is getting 4 MPG and it's falling apart at the seams... Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!



Thanks,



Whitehat89 (Evan)

 

[Hatchetman]

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Hi Whitehat, welcome to the forum! Your wing will most likely run quite well once you get it out of "Expensive care"! Do you know if this bike has been sitting for a long time? Sea foam does help the majority of fuel related issues but some carbs need to come apart. It would not hurt to throw half the can in your tank & run that bike at idle & higher rpms so the sea foam can travel into all circuts.

You must also look at your air filter located under your false tank, they can make a wing run like crap if they are plugged.

Carb sinc is most important for idle & bottom end rpm. anything over 1500 rpm runs on the high speed circut. Take a screw driver handle & gently tap all 4 float bowls while running the engine. If you can keep it running, get it out on the highway for an hour and wake that bike back up. the sea foam will have a chance to disolve what it can

If your running points, check the gap & dwell because that is critical for a strong running bike.

Keep us posted, The more info you can send, the better we can help to get it purring again!

 

[dingdong]

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Grit your teeth and get on with re-building the carbs. Syncing won't cure all the problems you've described. The Seafoam might help a little but eventually you will probably have to do it. The smoke is normal for the old Wings if it is on start up usually the left side from sitting on the side stand or if the carbs are flooding it will also smoke. When you are trying to start the bike are you using the choke and is it working properly? Check out this site for good info on the gl1000 carbs.

www.randakks.com

 

[whitehat89]

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Gentlemen, thank you both for your help. Yes, the bike was sitting for a while. I've discovered that the tank will need a good cleaning out. I poured half a can of SeaFoam into half a tank of gas ( according to my gauge ). As for rebuilding the carbs, as soon as I can afford a rebuild kit, that's on my to-do list.

Hatchet-
I wasn't aware that syncing the carbs only affects 1.5kRPM and below, but that makes sense cause my bike seems to run great once you get it over 2k. It's like turning on a big switch.

DingDong-
Yes, it mainly smokes a bit out of the left side. Since this is the first cycle I've owned, I didnt take into account that the bike was leaning all night... *smacks self on forehead*

Anyhoo, today's treatment shall consist of checking timing, setting points and running a crapload of SeaFoam through the old girl. She could also probably use some new gas, judging by the smell...

 

[whitehat89]

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Also, DingDong, using the choke doesn't help the bike start, but I have verified that it is working properly.

 

[whitehat89]

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Well, the air filter looks almost brand new, so that's one thing I don't have to worry about!

 

[RB]

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You can pull the carbs and just clean the jets..idle especially and reinstall it may solve your problem..better to replace all the rubber parts..but they may be OK..

No cost except your time..

If you do buy a carb kit don't use the jets clean your old ones a lot of the replacement jets aren't quite right.....only the rubber stuff and if you want the best buy Randall's kit $200 note the cheap ones..are only $50.

Also when reinstalling I always route the throttle cables outside the frame makes it easier to pull the carbs the next time..you'll see when you try to get the cables off the crank..what I am, talking about.

Read through http://www.nakedgoldwings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2952&start=0

and here... http://www.nakedgoldwings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3372


Have fun???

 

[whitehat89]

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Well, upon pulling the points cover off, it has become apparent that I have a Dyna S ignition. Similar to Pertronix or Perlux? It appears to be a magnetic-style trigger.

 

[rgbeard]

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When are you getting your hands on some gauges to sync the carbs?

 

[morriscatt]

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Welcome Whitehat,
If that gas is old, I would consider draining it out the bottom of the tank. The plug is on the bottom right side of tank. I took my sending unit out Fill cap off, bottom drain out and blew lots of air in there. If rust is real bad you may need to do something for that. Also may need new fuel filter. I learned on this site about he drain plug on the gl100 and it really helped me out. Also there is a guy (petybug) on another site, who sent me a fuel pump diaphram and I rebuilt my pump. That's later hopefully.

 

[whitehat89]

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Rg-

Well, after looking at how the carbs mount, the guages I have won't work. I have the old snail type that sits on top of the carb intake. Won't work here. Where's a good place to get a set? I'm hesitant to go get gouged by Honda...

 

[whitehat89]

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Also, funny thing is, the exterior of the motor looks like it was rebuilt recently. It's got a clean silver paint on it. The pump appears to be functioning great!

 

[TKM]

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Congratulations on the bike--Have you downloaded the manual for this bike ? , i believe it is on this site !--if the gas smells bad , change it all , inspect the tank , i would think it needs cleaning and perhaps resealing--if it has been sitting for any length of time, new gas filter a must,new fuel hoses
I would pull the carbs, Randakk's sell a excellent CD on Carbs
Again the Randakk site for bringing back to life old wings is very helpful

 

[rgbeard]

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I really like the gauges from MotionPro. The model is SyncPro. I know a lot of guys on here HATE the liquid vacuum gauges, and prefer dials.

Whatever you get - you need the 5mm metric screw adapter that puts a tube in place of the screw on the side of the intake. The SyncPro comes with a set of these "Honda adapters" included at no extra charge.

I bought mine from BikeBandit.com

 

[whitehat89]

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Is there any way to remove and clean the fuel pickup filters? I'm looking at both of the manuals that I downloaded and unless I'm just bat-blind, I don't see how you do it.

 

[whitehat89]

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Also, since it has a Dyna S, how do I check the ignition timing on it? I know how to do it normally. Anything different?

 

[TKM]

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Hello White hat
if you are refering to the screens at the bottom of the tank, no to properly clean the tank it should be removed from the bike--a lot of work --but the bike is worth it
The Dyna web page is very helpful with most questions