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GL1100 clunk clunk at idle, fine at +2k rpm

6669 Views 20 Replies 12 Participants Last post by  The Big Dog, 
S
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Fired up the '83 GL1100 wing tonight after sitting for a month - on warm-up i noticed a distinct clunking/knock sound from the engine. Hard to hear it when sitting on the saddle, i had to put my head down beside the engine. When putting my hands on the engine guard, i could feel a vibration when the clunk was heard. Sort of like someone hitting the case from the inside gently with a mallet. This may have been going on for some time and i just noticed now.



The knock occurs every 1-3 seconds and is random, i.e. not at a certain frequency. Wierd thing is that it goes away completely at higher revs, and returns at idle.



Any ideas? I thought of pre-detonation of mixture but truthfully i dont know how this would sound.



Any danger in riding the bike in this condition?



Other than the knock at idle she runs smooth once warm.
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wda-83wing
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a couple things come to mind---chech your stator bolt for tightness---carb syc out caseing chain rattle at idle . just my guess`s .
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Nightrider1
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Been sitting for a month? Try adding some seafoam to the gas to clean out the carb system. Might solve the problem. Please keep us posted.
Thanks,
Nightrider1
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S
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Seafoam - not a big fan, my bud used it and blew a headgasket same day. Maybe unrelated, but I wont chance it.

How could carbs create this? Poor running at idle fo sure, but I wouldn't think this knock/clunk would occur.

I may try high octane gas to see if that helps.
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redbaron
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:waving: Shaw, I just found my "clunking" noise quite by accident....My stator bolt had pushed out the back of my engine !!!!..The threads on that bolt were stripped and it also pushed the threaded plug out too....The washer was just "floating" around in the stator case, making this noise....I had mentioned it to some members before and they had no answer for my "clunking" sound.....I had to spend over $100.00 plus now I have to pull my engine to replace stator shaft and rear case.....It shouldn't take but a few minutes to pull that threaded plug and check that stator bolt..Honda Service manual says that stator bolt should be torqued to 62 ft lbs...And hey if that's not it...No harm done just one less item to worry about....I just hope that it is nothing serious....Keep us informed as to what you find...

Claude....
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S
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Your stator bolt just worked itself loose? Wow i would not have guessed. If I was in there before that's one thing, but i haven't touched the stator bolt.

I will check it and report back!
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AZgl1800
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The Sea Foam didn't have anything to do with the head gasket going bad.

It may have dissolved some varnish that had been sealing a bad head gasket and it became noticeable at the same time.

That is not the fault of the Sea Foam, the head gasket being bad was just waiting to show its' head at the wrong time. Pun intended.
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rgbeard
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Yeah - your bud blowing a head gasket certainly negates the 100s of us here that use it all the time and swear by it.

I LOVE your logic. :D:p
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S
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Hey rgbeard I take it you like Seafoam, that's cool. I gather from your sarcasm I should try it. Unfortunatly I can`t buy it in Canada. Not sold here. If you know of any alternatives do share.

off to check stator bolt...
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AZgl1800
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Maybe I am wrong, but I thought that NAPA in Canada stocked it? They do south of the line.
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rgbeard
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shawzy wrote:
Hey rgbeard I take it you like Seafoam, that's cool. I gather from your sarcasm I should try it. Unfortunatly I can`t buy it in Canada. Not sold here. If you know of any alternatives do share.

off to check stator bolt...
Click to expand...
In the absence of Sea Foam, Marvel Mystery Oil does similar things for the oil system. Sub out a half qt of motor oil for a half qt of MMO.

Oh - and we have rocket scientists on this site that have proclaimed they won't use this product either - because it has the word Mystery in its name.
[sub]
Yes I can be sarcastic, but I can take a jab back at me, and can admit when I'm wrong too!! (And I'll be the first one to buy you a [beer, soda, tequila, etc.]) All in good fun![/sub]
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S
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Does it quiet down when you pull in the clutch? If so, it might just be the normal primary chain noise that can be made worse if some cylinders are pulling more than others. Make sure everything else is correct before synching carbs to avoid trying to compensate for a different problem by synching the carbs. My 77 still has the factory dabs of paint on the adjusting screws, the carbs have been checked many times and they are always within an inch of mercury.
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S
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I plan on running some fuel system cleaner through the next tank of gas to blow out any crap that may be in the carbs, etc.

Is there any cleaner that is unsafe for the neoprene tipped needle stop valves in the carbs? I have burned these out before using the wrong spray cleaner when carbs were off.

I have Pennzoil Fuel System Cleaner - the bottle makes no reference to materials to stay away from.
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redbaron
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No my stator bolts threads were stripped and the threads inside the stator shaft were also stripped out too..I think that since my stator is charging OK the PO just tried to Gorilla it in ...The torque as I said is only 62 ft lbs...... Not stand on a 24 torque wrench.....So that bolt finally decided to come loose, and in the process it pushed the threaded plug out and stripped the plug threads too......Now I'm looking for the gaskets,"o" rings etc, to put that "new" rear cover on.....When I do get to putting bolts back in where they go, I'm going to use the old red lock tite trick.....Bet it don't happen any time soon after that.....

Claude.....
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Dusty Boots
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Shawzy :waving: ...... your Bud's head gasket must have been going and adding the Seafoam was just coincidence, as well as unfortunate.

Seafoam(do a search here and on Google to read about it's many benefits)is available at NAPA up here

I've heard 1100 and 1200s that knocked/rattled some at idle and was fixed once the carbs were synced. Before syncing, the knock/rattle would disappear around 2000 -25000 RPM, once they are on the main jets and off of the idle circuits. I'd also check out the stator bolt as Claude and Waynehave suggested.

Dusty
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C
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check your plugs, if you are dropping a cylinder due to low spark you can get a knock or what sound like a knock.
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S
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Man I love this board. It rocks! Thanks guys for all of your input.

Napa Canada carries Seafoam? I will go grab some. If the headgasket blows hope you can help me fix it :0)

Carbs have not been synched in ages, so hopefully this is the culprit. I will check the stator bolt today if time allows.
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artmann
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That clunk is coming from the carb sliders. Sync the carbs and it'll go away.
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S
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Update - clunk is gone.



I added the beloved Sea Foam, topped up with 89 Octane and went for a 50mile ride. Idle is smooth now. In fact, rollon is smoother also.



The thing that gets me is what was causing the distinct clunk, I have been around lots of poor running engines but hesitation and stumbling never produced a knock. Wondering if there was some detonation going on.



Whatever the case - thanks for all of your help
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dan filipi
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You had a pretty mild knock, probably from a cylinder running weak from restrictions in the idle passage. I've heard pretty bad sounding knocks when just the right cylinder drops out, even then the engine has been running many thousands with no troubles.

These bikes like to be taken out for excercise regularly, sitting just a month or 2 with gas in the bowls will clog them up.
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