My left cylinder keeps fouling... I'm out of options... please help... the left plug is black when I get back from a ride and after 30 minutes or so it rides terrible and bucks
Ok... I have done the float hight check... adjusted the floats... all is well.... so it would seem
I pulled out the plungers for the choke and make sure they were closing and sealing... the rubber on them was fine... I mildly lubricated the plunger rod... double checked it afterwords... it is sealing fine
I removed the slider support... looked at the o-rings... they weren't the best... kinda hard...
I dont think this is my problem but I could be wrong... 2 questions
1. I tried replacing the slider support o-ring... but the closest o-ring I could find was too large... WHERE HAS ANYONE ELSE GOTTEN THIS O-RING AND WHAT WAS ITS APPLICATION SO I CAN FIND IT?
2. Is there ANYTHING else that could cause this problem? Please Srinath, scratch, any of you guru's ... i need help
Since there's an obvious asymmetry: Have you synched the carbs? What about valve clearance? (Another thing that can differ from left to right.)
Check to see if your carbs are in synch. If not:
1) Replace both spark plugs with new.
2) Disassemble and overhaul both carburetors. It sounds like they're due, and sometimes it's easier to nuke it all than try to fix every little symptom individually. Replace every O-ring, all the gaskets, and carefully check the diaphragm for hardness and cracks. The diaphragm should be soft and supple. Spray the hell out of all the passages with carb cleaner. Work clean and leave no sediment behind.
3) If you find sediment in the carb bowls rinse out the tank and fuel hoses.
Re: The O-ring. It's not listed in the IPC because the slide support is "an integral part of the carburetor body" according to my dealer. Go to google and search on "metric o-ring". Choose your poison. O-rings are measured by the Inside Diameter, Outside Diameter, and cord diameter. They will ask what kind of compound you want. Tell them you want Buna-N, which is designed for hydrocarbons.
Little trick - Place the O-ring over a tapered mandrel like a big drift punch to take the OD measurement. This removes out-of-round error. Then measure the cord diameter both in the "squashed" short dimension and in the "long" extruded dimension. The original diameter of the cord will be somewhere between those measurements.
Your problem is a little vexing, and I can think of several things that could cause it. All would require disassembling the carburetor to check for various problems, then reassembling and testing. Since it sounds like you recently bought the bike, or recently removed it from storage, the carbs should get a thorough going over. If you don't already have the manual, now is the time to get it. :)
I have the manual... I replaced all o-rings , cleaned the carbs completely 2x, I have assymbled and disassymbled the carb 2x, there are no setiments, the diaphragms are in good shape (nopin holes, approptiate texture and softness), jets are new, the emulsion tube has been cleaned, the slide supports have been cleaned, the slides have been cleaned and oiled, i'm running 1 #4 washer on each side with 40 pilots and 127.5 mains, I have v&H slip on and a lunch box,
Most carb issues (ie diaphragms, setiments, clogs) cause bikes to run lean not rich... I am so clueless... is the slide support o-ring one that woudl cause it to run rich or lead if it were to malfunction? Anyone know the size of o-ring needed if I were to find it online? I've been to advanced autoparts already and bought one. It was the smallest metric they had... Almost the right size... when I tried to seat the slide support and emmulsion tube it broke the slide support.... I bought more used ones (broblem existed prior to the break)
Everything has been checked... Would carb syncing cause rich/fouling plugs?
This is just a thought, I know little about carbs or motorcycles, but could it be an ignition problem? In my experience with cars, things like poor running off idle and 1 or 2 cylinders running rich are often caused by an ignition miss. Think about it; when a cylinder doesn't fire, some gas stays in there, making it run richer when it finally does fire. Misses are hard to pick up on because they're often intermittent and aren't total failures.
In an earlier thread you said you replaced the plug and it ran fine for a little while, that definitely sounds like a weak coil or bad wires. A fouled plug should still spark. I know very little about the GS's ignition system; are there 2 coils? From what I've read it looks like the ignition system is triggered by a couple of hall sensors on the crank shaft. (is that the crank shaft? is this bike wasted spark?) Hall sensors are notoriously fragile in the automotive world, maybe one of them is bad? Could also be a bad ignition module. Did anything get wet? Ignition parts don't like water for some reason.
Too bad the GS doesn't have OBD2...
I really hope it isn't an ignition problem... that would suck...
I just synced my carbs... i also noticed that not only is my left cylinder running rich.... my right spark plug is white..... not tan... that equals lean... I'm so pissed... could this be a valve clearance problem? I know mine prolly aren't perfect....
help... i need to dump this bike... i'm tired of working on it
Quote from: AnOleGS4me on April 01, 2006, 11:30:07 AM
I really hope it isn't an ignition problem... that would suck...
I just synced my carbs... i also noticed that not only is my left cylinder running rich.... my right spark plug is white..... not tan... that equals lean... I'm so pissed... could this be a valve clearance problem? I know mine prolly aren't perfect....
That's how mine is too right now... I hope you get it fixed!
no luck with yours either I take it... man... i have a week before this guy comes... i need to get it running
Both of mine were black when I replaced them, it runs for 30 seconds with the choke on and then dies. I'm in the middle of reading the gas tank removal FAQ and pulling the carbs and airbox for the first time. Should be fun...
Good luck everybody!!!
Before you go pulling everything apart to check your valve clearences, I would check your ignition system over. Pull out the plugs, reconnect the wires, ground the plugs to the engine, and crank away watching the spark. (Obviously don't hold the spark plug or the wire) You should have a consistantly bright spark. Do it for each cyclinder seperately and see how they compare.
Also check the resistance of your wires with what the manual says spec is. Probably should be less then 4k ohm per foot.
checked my plugs (bought new ones)
Switched ignition coils... when I switched them it ran like CRAP
I tightened all the plug wired (at coil and at plug)
My left cylinder still seems to run rich/black
My right plug seems to be fine now though
If I switch them and it runs crappy does that point to bad coils?
If swapping the coils causes it to run differently, there is most likely a problem there. Also, if it runs crappy one way, and crappier another, that points to a compound problem. Have your coils checked. A dealer with a decent service dept can probably do it, and I'm sure they would gladly sell you new coils if they're in fact at fault.
Also check all your wiring harnesses. Make sure there is no corrosion and there aren't any broken wires. Use a multimeter to check for breaks and hose all your connections down with some WD40.
Depending on what year your bike is, I'd also get new wires. They deteriorate with age and usually go ignored for the life of the vehicle. I find on older engines running well a new set of wires makes a world of difference.
I am speaking out of my ass, someone with more experience with the GS's ignition system should chime in.