Have you Seafoamed it? That stuff is amazing for gummed up carbs. It may take several tanks of fuel treated with Seafoam to get it all cleaned out but it will usually do the trick.

As for Oil in the air box, it is possible this was caused by too much oil in the crankcase. I would clean it out good and run it a while and monitor the air box to see if it continues.

 

Sounds like gas is leaking into the crankcase. That needs to be fixed.

Look at the floats, float needles and the petcock. Seems like they all need repair.

 

Too much crankcase pressure can cause the oil in the air box issue. Do the spark plugs get fouled with oil by chance?

 

The overfilling is not causing the problem, and cleaning the outside of the carbs is not going to fix it either. There is nothing you can get to from the top side that will have any effect.

 

I'm not sure what Dave is "hinting" at, , might be nice to hear a decent idea about how to fix it (which is why the OP joined this site in the first place).



It seems like you're confident that the oil level is OK now, so just keep an eye on that airbox (maybe every other tank full).


The "rough" running sounds fuel related, , so I would check/replace the fuel filter and the fuel petkock (sp) first to make sure the carbs get fuel as required. NEXT, the seafoam (2 oz. per gallon) is the BEST way to get a "glitchy" fuel problem fixed. It won't fix the problem overnight, but give it 3 or 4 tanks to evaluate any improvement. The crappy ethanol fuel is really causing havoc with most carbs. Good luck and keep us posted how it goes.

 

I'm not sure what Dave is "hinting" at, , might be nice to hear a decent idea about how to fix it (which is why the OP joined this site in the first place).


.

I'm hinting at don't waste your time. If you have clogged arteries you can't fix it by taking a bath. Fuel additives might help in time but the only real fix is to take the carbs out and go through them.

 

No gas in the crankcase. Previous owner just overfilled.

The bike ran perfect and then did not. Pulled the air box and cleaned the oil, cleaned the carb throat and intake exposed jet pass throughs and it runs good again. checked and cleared vacuum hoses. bypassed petcock and replaced fuel filter with the much larger napa 3030. I have not done the fuel pump yet but bench testing has plenty of fuel coming through. Saefaom is getting the oil contaminate out of the lower portion of the jets but not the top exposed ports. I have not checked the plugs again, I replaced them when I first got the bike.

First ride was 60+ miles getting home from purchasing. Ran 100%. Second ride to work ~10 miles, bad idle, no power under 3K. Took it apart at work, replaced plugs and fuel filter. Cleaned external carb parts from intake side. Ran a tank of seafoam and bike was running good again.
Rode for a month mainly communiting to work. Rode again about 80 miles, Lots of highway and some small towns. Ran great. About 30 miles into the return trip while overtaking a car in a passing lane on a steep hill I lost all power again. Running like crap. Tried a few things at next stop. Limped another 15 miles to the interstate. Refuled 93 oct, and it ran better. Not 100% but smoother and idled better. Got it home. Pulled the intake off again and cleaned puddles of oil off the bottom of the A/F box. The intake throat was coated in a thick layer of oil. Cleaned it all up and it ran good again for another 3-2 weeks, about 500 miles. And thats where I am now.

Anyone know the best replacement fuel pump for these? There is a great how to somewhere here but all the listed pump options are no longer available.

I am going to start digging in this weekend.

 

Have you checked in the fuel tank.

It is possible there is something in there that is getting on the fuel pickup causing a loss of fuel flow, then it falls away when the fuel pump quits trying to pull fuel. Not likely but possible.

 

GL1500 Fuel Pump

Are you looking for this:

http://www.berrysweb.com/1500_fuel_pump.htm

GL1500 Fuel Pump
(Automotive Fuel Pumps That Work)

Posted by Jerry W. in Arizona in May 2010:

Automotive Fuel Pumps that will fit a GL1500 Gold Wing.

1984 Chevy Celebrity: Spectra part number 2517-20 with
adjustable fuel regulator, set to 4 lbs.

1986 – 1989 Honda Accord LX or DX: Airtex E-8371

Posted by Big Dave on April 25, 2013:

Ok nwflorida, here is the parts numbers you will need for your fuel pump project, the pump will be a AirTex E8371, the filter will be the AirTex FS9, I paid $57.74 for the pump and $10.59 for the filter, all parts purchased from Advance Auto Parts on 4/22/2012 very easy installation, don't be scared to cut the wires on the old pump add the needed ends, also get a new rubber tank seal from the dealer cost at the time $7.00 bucks, my 1997A has 7,000 plus miles on new pump and running great good luck have fun.

***********************************************************************

Posted on Steve Sanders message board in February 2014.

I did some research and found that the Napa P72190 fuel pump ($60) runs at 15 GPH and about 2.5-3.5 psi which is closer to the stock 10 GPH. The Delphi and Airtex pumps listed in other posts are running at +/- 20 GPH.

I bought the Napa pump today along with a fuel strainer for the inlet Napa FS0009 ($8).

I followed the instructions on*http://www.berrysweb.com/1500_fuel_pump.htm

 

Some other items to check

A couple of things that might sound out of scope that you could check are the following:

1. Make sure the drain hoses for the crankcase vent system are drained and the collector bottle is cleaned up. I had a great deal of sludge in mine when I first started cleaning/repairing my bike. With overfilled oil it could have clogged/filled the collector. it could account for the extra fluid in the air box. I cleaned mine out with air and cleaner. Sludge collection in the collector container could also account for a bit higher crankcase pressure.


2. I was out one day and realized my alternator was not charging. It was intermittent. The brushes were stuck and different rpm's could force it to work better. The symptoms made it seem like it wasn't getting fuel because battery was getting low and then it would kick in and start charging as I revved it trying to get past the "Fuel" issue.

Just a couple of extra items to make sure aren't the problem.

 

jpay42,

When I got my 98se last December it had 72K on it. The air box had some oil in it and the carbs looked oily and really tarnished. It was very very hard to start but mostly ran ok once warmed up. My first thought was to have the carbs rebuilt. The Honda shop quoted me $900 labor plus parts. I decided to try cleaning as best I could with out removing them. I bought a can of throttle body cleaner and cleaned everything up nicely. There are about four small ports/holes in the top of each carb. With the motor running I sprayed the cleaner into each of those holes reving up the motor as needed. To my great relief that cured it. It now starts before you can get your finger off the button and runs great.

 

my '98SE developed a starving for fuel problem.


I replaced the OEM pump with Napa P72190 fuel pump ($60)



required a minor bit of surgery, I used a 90° brass T-fitting to keep the fuel line to the top from kinking. worked great.

 

If you want to check the inside of the tank for rust or something else that might be clogging the strainer, its best to carefully remove the fuel pump, (gas tank has to be less than half full to get the pump out without overflowing when you loosen the bolts). You'll be able to see the inside very clearly then. Do a "bench-test" on that pump while its out to see if it is within acceptable "flow-rates" for your bike.



My fuel pump was shot and I followed AZgl1800's (john) lead and put in the Napa/Carter pump. IT WORKS GREAT NOW!!!! If you choose that route, RockAuto has the pump for about $35, strainer for about $5, and hose just over $10 (Best price I've come across!!)


UPDATE: I just double-checked RockAuto and I cannot find the Carter Pump anymore. I have no idea why its not there unless they've stopped supplying it to RockAuto. Only 1 left on Amazon ($47), , ,

 

UPDATE: I just double-checked RockAuto and I cannot find the Carter Pump anymore. I have no idea why its not there unless they've stopped supplying it to RockAuto. Only 1 left on Amazon ($47), , ,

Rock auto seems to be turning toward lesser quality parts on everything and closing out the name brand stuff. You can get a deal on the stuff they are closing out, if they have what you need.

 

Yep that one, The spectra part number is just a regulator, not a pump. and the airtex is no longer made. The Bosch and Delphi equivalents are not available ether. At least locally. I am checking Amazon.

 

The Airtex and Delphi pumps had a higher than recommended GPM's and caused a few problems for GL1500 owners. The Napa/Carter was closer to the recommended rate and is a slam-dunk installation.



You're right about the RockAuto "inventory" Dave, , too bad though, they were a decent resource for some parts.


UPDATE: I double-checked my previous post about RockAuto having the Carter P72190 pump, , FOUND IT ($30.79 ONLY ONE LEFT THOUGH). Its listed for an '89 Honda Accord 2.0L. Good price and I can confirm it fits the GL1500 "bracket" nicely and runs great.

 

The Airtex and Delphi pumps had a higher than recommended GPM's and caused a few problems for GL1500 owners.

The GPM rate shouldn't matter at all. Even the OE pump puts out a much higher rate than needed, all fuel pumps do. It's the pressure that's important.

 

According to the Manual (from another post), the OEM FP pumps a "volume"(10GPM) of gas to the carb bowls without consideration of pressure, (although a member checked one and guesstimated it to be about 2.0PSI), , the Carter P72190 provides about 15 GPM at 2.5PSI. Its possible the Airtex and the Delphi put out more volume AND pressure which might cause problems. Its a moot point though, because the Carter seems to be the closest aftermarket replacement.


HighFlow #HFP 360-ST (with installation kit, hose and strainer) for $69+ on Amazon says its a "drop-in" replacement for the GL1500 Fuel pump. Corrosion resistant housing, meets or exceeds OEM specs. This might be another option but I haven't seen any reviews yet.