hello, i have a 1991 gs500e and my bike is having some trouble starting. i am running a line straight from the tank to the carbs (bypassing the petcock), the problem is that it will only start if i spray a little starter fluid into one of the spark plug holes. with the starter fluid it starts right up but i have to give it alot of throttle for about 30s to keep it running ( there is alot of small backfires and such during this time) but after that it will idle and run pretty much perfectly. as long as it stays warm it will start back up instantly and run fine but if let it sit for a few hours or overnight ill have to go through the starter fluid thing again. as you can imagine it is a little inconvenient to have to do this every time i want to ride! does anyone know whats going on here? any help will be greatly appreciated. thanks
clean your carbs out and check your choke cable while you are doing this. You might have some gunk built up on the flaps or the slides.
If it were bad gas it wouldnt run right even after you got it warmed up.
If it was a bad electrical problem it wouldnt right to begin with.
So tear into the carbs spray them down with some carb cleaner or brake cleaner. put them back together and hope it all works out
I don't recommend spraying the carb down with carb cleaner unless it is FULLY dissembled.
EIther way you have an issue with the carbs, and tehy need to be cleaned, its pretty simple check out the wiki, GSTWIN main page and search to find out how to do it.
ive been through the carbs at least 50 times. i dont mind giving it another go, any suggestions on what to look for?
post some more info.
where did you set the mixture screws.
what mods are on the bike.
what size jets.
look in the tank, is there rust?
i like to use clear fuel line, and a clear fuel filter. that way i can visually be sure fuel is getting through.
remember you basicly need 3 things. fuel, air and spark. you are obviously getting spark, and if you can get it to start by putting carb cleaner in the cylinder you are getting air. so for some reason, fuel is not getting to the cylinder.
just some ideas:
can you check with the carb drain plug to make sure your getting fuel down into the bowl?
that might be a good place to start. also, next time you do the carbs, print out the microfiche for your carb, make sure everything is in there that is supposed to be!
ok, ive got the mixture screws at 2.5 turns out, there are no mods, everything is pretty much stock, i do have the airbox off now while I'm screwing with the carbs (if that matters). i dont know what size the jets are, ive never rejetted (but there was a previous owner). the tank is good and ive got fresh gas in it and the fuel is making to the bowls just fine. Like i said once the starter fluid gets it started it will run perfectly all day as long as it remains warmed up. I'm just trying why it wont start up by itself after the bike has cooled down.
Your choke jets may be clogged. They're on the floats themselves. Look at the float. Find the o-ring. At the other end of the L that the o-ring is on, there is a jet. It needs to be clear for the choke to work. It's easy to miss when cleaning the carbs.
lol. ^ sounds like that is your problem. that or move away from antarctica. :laugh:
oh, just a second thought. once the bike is warm, does the choke work? wondering if maybe the choke cable is stuck inside its coating. if so replace the choke cable.
another question: when i first got my GS running, i just sprayed carb cleaner into the airbox. worked pretty good. after that i realized i didnt even need to do that. you can just spray it onto the air filter. for that all you have to do is take the seat off, and aim well... :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
not an ideal solution, but it might be easier than pulling a spark plug out every time. at least until you get it fixed the right way.
i will definitely check those choke jets to make sure they aren't clogged. but the actual choke mechanism seems to work fine, it even brings the idle down from about 3000-4000 rpm to around 1500 rpm when it is off. thanks for all the help, ill probably give the carbs a good cleaning sometime today or tmr.
i gave the carbs a good cleaning the other day but it still didnt fix my problem! it would just keep turning over with no signs of starting. then i sprayed a little starter fluid in and it starts right up, i again had to give it alot of throttle to keep it going but after that (approx 30-45s). it ran completely fine and would start up fine by itself as long as it stayed warm. i went to start it by itself today and nothing! any other reasons why this would be happening?
bump
Have you checked valve clearances? I was having the same problem with my bike....had to really crank on it to get started, sometimes backfiring, etc. All this and then it would run fine. I also went through the carbs about 50 times and bypassed the petcock.
Then I took the valve cover off and saw that the exhaust valves were extremely tight (couldn't even turn the buckets). Swapped some shims and it starts easier now. But still hesitates a little when cold...
You have air, spark, and fuel right. But compression might be hindering startup. The only reason it runs ok after warmed up is because the valve clearance increases after warm up.
hmmm... i got the valve kit and checked the clearances, changed some shims and everything a few months ago, it hasn't been driven much at all since then (been away at school). i dont know, any reasons why starter fluid would cause it to start instantly if the valves or compression is not right?? i really want to get this bike working right!
would adjusting the mixture screw fix my problem?
The reason nobody's replied is that it still sounds like a non-operational choke. If I were to describe the symptoms of a choke not working, they would be exactly what you describe. I'd keep looking in that direction. Check the cable operation. Check the plunger operation. Make sure that every orifice going from the float bowl tubes to the choke at the top is clear. That's about all we have. :dunno_white: Anything further would require a look at your bike.
thanks alot for that, im pretty sure that the cable is working properly, but ill check the plunger's and everything out when i get the chance. the only reason i didnt really think it was the choke was because after i get the bike started, turning the lever to the off position lowers the idle like its supposed to, right?
ok, im still having the same problem. ive completely disassembled the carbs including the whole choke assembly and cleaned everything thoroughly, i even sprayed carb cleaner through the choke tubes. the tube that is in the float is also completely clear. the choke cable moves freely and completely opens/closes the choke. the only difference that i noticed that this cleaning made is that i don't have the hold the throttle open as long after spraying the starter fluid (now only 5-10s). and like i said, i do believe that the choke works because the idle drops down when i turn it off. i really dont know what else to do at this point!!
bump!! :dunno_white:
sorry that you are having so much trouble with your bike man. Im not sure what to tell you.. Maybe one of the gs gods can help you .
I owned my Shadow for 8 stinkin' years before I realized that the enrichers were not working :icon_rolleyes: :icon_rolleyes: :icon_rolleyes: :icon_rolleyes: :icon_rolleyes: :icon_rolleyes: :icon_rolleyes: "D'Oh!"
The problem was- I was not pushing the handlebar knob hard enough to pull the enricher pins off their seats. I sprayed some lube into the handlebar mechanism, which helped it turn, then I could actually use the enricher.
I relate this because I could not get the damned thing to start when the temp was below 70, unless I used STARTING FLUID, sprayed into the air box. Now it starts right up, and even has a fast idle!
Your problem just HAS to be the "choke" circuit somewhere.
hmmm... maybe it is the choke/enricher but i have no idea where the problem could be. since i first started this thread ive been through the carbs/choke at least 5 times!!! and everything SEEMS fine, and the choke SEEMS to be working After i use the starter fluid!! i just don't know what else to look for. could this problem be electrical??? i have spark but it doesnt look quite BLUE it has a little bit of a Purplish color to it, is that bad? either way i think im just going to go out and buy new spark plugs wires ect. (i have NGK's right now, should i stick with them or try a different plug?)
ok, i have another clue, yesterday i went and i tried to start it (without the fluid) i got nothing, it just cranked and cranked, so then i go and see if jumping it will do anything... nothing it just cranks away like before. so finally push it up a small hill and decide to push start it, next thing i know it fires up and runs like normal (without any starter fluid). this did nothing but confuse me even more!! please guys any idea whats going on?
nobody's ever had a problem like this? i have ABSOLUTELY no clue what to do Next!!!
i guess im going to have to start carrying a can of starter fluid with me from now on :cry: :cry: :cry:
hey man, when you say youve " been through" the carbs, did you completely dis-assemble them, clean ( via soaking overnight) in carb cleaner ( sold in 1 gal cans) re assemble tehm, install FRESH plugs re- sintall the carbs, then try it? or , umm can you elaborate what your procedure for teh carb cleaning is?cause mine did the exact same thing. ( both of them) the 97 NAD the 94. both corrected after a thorough cleaning
well, ive disassembled them completely except for that big plastic part, they seem to be stuck in the carb. i haven't soaked the carbs, mainly because im not sure what it will do to the plastic part. but ive shot carb cleaner down every tube/hole and used wire, and im pretty sure nothing is clogged. i did put in brand new spark plugs and that didn't seem to change anything. did i miss something, is soaking overnight essential?
hey man sounds like we had the same problem...well kinda. My bike would only start when I put fuel straight into the carbs. My bike is also a 91 and I had a lot of problems with it to. My fix was playing with the air/fuel mixture screw and my idle. Everything ran great after that. Also putting your carbs in a bucket of gas is a good thing since its only like 3 bucks for a gallon. Good luck with your bike though and I hope everything goes well.
thanks alot for the info, how many turns out did you finally set the mixture screw to? does my problem sound like the mixture needs to be richer or leaner? also can anybody tell me why it would start when bumping it down a hill but crank and crank with no signs of starting even when jumped?
p.s. i think my mixture screws are set to 2.5 turns from the bottom