Hi All
Wondering if anyone can give me suggestions ,
I have a 2008 GS500F
I was riding yesterday, bike started to loose power so i thought I was running out of gas, switched to res. bike died right away. pulled over, bike started fine and idled fine, but as soon as I gave throttle it would bog down and die, was able to get it to gas station filled up, but same thing. was able to get it home on the choke alone.
But now it won't even start. Any idea's ? or should I just take it in ?
I don't mind getting my hands dirty , but I have no idea about bike's ,
thanks
"Bike won't start" is a pretty broad term. What is actually happening? Does it turn over but not start, just click or nothing at all? Does the headlight still come on, horn work, indicators flash?
Lots of reasons bikes sometimes won't start...
Try starting with petcock in PRI position
Check plugs
Check battery
Clutch switch
Sidestand switch
Kill Switch
Michael
Sorry About that
Battery Is strong
Bike turns over, I can press the starter for 20 sec or more, starter turns i can hear it cranking but it just won't start up.
I'm in neutral so kickstand is not it, I hold the clutch in while trying to start, as I said it turns over but won't start. without clutch it won't even turn over.
not the kill switch oh forgot the choke is fully on as well. even tried giving it throttle while trying to start - but it just cranks.
sorry I was just typing too fast so basically the bike will crank but it just won't start.
thanks for any suggestions.
Try starting with petcock in PRI
If won't start in PRI then
Check plugs - visually and then for firing
Michael
Starting the throttle use different jets, and maybe the choke is a completely different one, I can't remember. It almost sounds like the main jets got clogged, but the pilots were clear so you could still start it and run it with choke, but eventually the whole thing clogged up, so now it won't even start.
I don't really know, anytime anyone has a problem on here I always assume that it's the carbs needing cleaned.
Thanks Michael
I did try to start it in all three positions , PRI did not work still just cranks,
I was going to check the Sparks and Drain the Float Bowls when i got home tonight , but I have no clue, how to take apart the Carbs. and clean them
i was just wondering if there where any other suggestions to what a noob could do
thanks
taking apart the carbs really isnt hard at all. the hardest part of cleaning the carbs is getting the airbox back on. but it doesnt take a bike genious to do it, its just a pain sometimes. but as far cleaning the carbs, your gonna need some carb cleaner, phillips screwdriver that fits good becuase you dont wanna strip the screws, and an airgun would help but isnt necessary. once you get the carbs off the bike and the cables disconnected, you just gotta flip them upside down and unscrew the 4 bolts on the float bowls. then the floats just come out with a little bit of force, but very careful not to bend the plastic float units. You need to spray some carb cleaner in the plastic tube attached to the float unit. once those are out of the way (be sure not to lose the needls which can easily slide off the float tabs) spray some carb cleaner through the main jet, (center hole in the brass jet) and some in the all the other holes you see. Be sure to wear glasses because you never know when the the spray hits a clog and come back at you or which direction its going to come out of. also spray through the two holes that face the airbox when the carbs are attached to the bike. also spray in the top of the carb face where there a hole that is kinda ( shaped but turn that ( shape 90 degrees to the right. basically look everywhere on each carb for holes, and spray cleaner threw it, and and air gun if you have one. once you finish that check the diaphrams under the top plastic caps of the carbs and dont loose the two tiny O-rings that will be under those.
Quote from: freefrall on December 22, 2009, 02:51:15 PM
Thanks Michael
I did try to start it in all three positions , PRI did not work still just cranks,
I was going to check the Sparks and Drain the Float Bowls when i got home tonight , but I have no clue, how to take apart the Carbs. and clean them
So we're on a ride. Pull up for a bite to eat. Time goes by. Night falls. Some of our group opt to camp the night, others figure the 1.5 hour ride home in the dark is doable, as a small group - six bikes to ride in the darkness (no street lights where we are). Now one of the bikes will not start.Takes out spark plug and it will not spark on the block. Changes plugs - just cause it looks ok doesn't mean it is. Same result. It's the coil - he said he had previous coil issues. So another camped for the night.
Might turn out to be the carbs. But it's easier to eliminate the simple-&-easy-to-check items first. Cause it'd just be really annoying to take off the carbs only to find it wasn't them and turned out to be loose spark plug leads or something simple.
Michael
Yeah I would say check your plugs, make sure you have a nice spark. I've had this problem before and for me it turned out to be water in the tank. Drain your carbs (easy), put the petcock on prime, and try to start it.
If it won't start at all, then I have no idea, and sorry. If it does start, then you likely have contaminated gas with either water or rust.
This has got to be a record. It only took two riding seasons to pour enough dirt and/or water into the tank until the engine won't run. Amazing. It usually takes about 7 to 10 years. His plugs should still be good. The bike's practically new. Everything should still be good. This is a problem that old or neglected bikes have, not a 2008.
Thanks for all the help guys.
I Drained the float Bowls and she started right up, just like new. Took her for a ride and all was perfect like it should be.
I ride year round in Vancouver BC , in all weather except snow and ice. So I'm Thinking it was water in the tank, since I switched to Res. and it died.
Now A question for you all, I very rarely use the Res. but i was thinking if I don't use Res. much is it possible that all the water and gunk stettle on the bottom and when I really need the Res it'll send water / gunk into the Carb. Should I be using the Res. more often ? or doing something else
thanks
I try to take care of it as best as i can, lube the chain every two weeks or so , oil change every 4000 - 6000 KM , And just had a 12000km service done on it last month, I have over 18,000 km on it. not to mention that I have already changed both brakes.
Water is more dense than gas, so if water collects in the tank it will sink and stay below the gas, so if you collect enough, it would cause you problems, most likely rust in the tank. You don't need to worry about using the RES if you don't have to. When you dump new gas it, it will all slosh together when you're riding. You most likely just had some old gas that had gotten into your carbs or something a long those lines. The thing that still leaves me a little confused, is why draining your carbs would have fix anything that might have had any effect from what was in your tank. I would recommend draining your whole tank and filling it with new gas, but you said you ran it pretty low and filled it back up. If you're concerned with water you may want to completely drain the tank anyway. Otherwise I'd assume something must've been clogging your jets. Give it a couple rides and see if it starts acting weird again.
Just wondering if something was blocking the jets, could draining the float bowls have dislodged it ?
I use STA-Bil every 3 - 4 tanks just to keep water and rust to a minimum, I'm not worried about old gas as I fill up once a week the longest about 2 weeks. I use my bike as a commuter so as I said unless there is snow or ice , I ride
Is there a better product I can use for water and rust prevention ? I ride in the rain quite a bit, and during work hours , the bike sits out in the rain, but at night it is in a heated garage.
again thanks for the help guys
all sta-bil does is keeps gas from breaking down. i dont know that it prevents water or rust. water could be kept at bay with a very small amount(like a cap full)of dry gas in the tank and for rust well no water = no rust. i would worry more about electrical in the eliments more so then your gas if your running a tank a week through it.
The only reason water would be getting in your tank is if that little vent hole was clogged. The hole is there to let water drain from the well where your gas cap sits. If you life up the gas cap you can see an little hole there, that tube runs straight down through the tank, and is what that long hose connects to on the bottom of your tank. I think based on what you've told us about your problems, none of it has anything to do with possible water in the tank, and you really don't have any reason to worry about water in the tank. I've also used bikes to commute year round, rain or shine with my bike being parked outside while I was at work, and I've never had any kinda problem with it.
welll since you drained the cards and it ran fine, my bet is still water. the carbss will collect water over time, because it is heavier, and eventually there will be too much to run. if you had any water, my guess is you still have more. I would say drain the tank, and throw in some seafoam. good stuff
water can get in the tank through condensation on the inside of the tank, if you let it sit for a while with less than a full tank of gas water will condense in the air space and sink to the lowest point (the carbs). that is why when you winterize your bike you should store it with a full tank, other wise you will eventually get rust on the inside of the tank.
Quote from: joshr08 on December 23, 2009, 12:20:06 PM
all sta-bil does is keeps gas from breaking down. i dont know that it prevents water or rust. water could be kept at bay with a very small amount(like a cap full)of dry gas in the tank and for rust well no water = no rust. i would worry more about electrical in the eliments more so then your gas if your running a tank a week through it.
Don't have a bottle in front of me but I believe Stabil has some sort of dry gas additive in it.
-Jessie
Quote from: BaltimoreGS on December 24, 2009, 07:17:35 AM
Quote from: joshr08 on December 23, 2009, 12:20:06 PM
all sta-bil does is keeps gas from breaking down. i dont know that it prevents water or rust. water could be kept at bay with a very small amount(like a cap full)of dry gas in the tank and for rust well no water = no rust. i would worry more about electrical in the eliments more so then your gas if your running a tank a week through it.
Don't have a bottle in front of me but I believe Stabil has some sort of dry gas additive in it.
-Jessie
I couldnt remember but i was thinking not. I too do not have a bottle here in front of me. I wouldnt run it in my bike ever 3-4 tanks tho either. The sta-bil that is.