the bike would run good then bog down then run good back and forth. its always made a knocking sound like somthing was loose in the engine, even before its promlems. now it wont go but a couple mins before it fouls the plugs. ive cleaned the carbs several times and no change also adujusted the pin inside no change. could this be a electrical problem or valve or somthing, or still somthing on the carb? i dont know its got me upset with all this nice weather. any ideas appriciated!

thanks,
spencer

i think ive stopped it from fouling the plug..... i hope. but what bugs me now is a rattle from inside the engine case. any ideas of what could come loose to rattle inside of the engine case? this is my second gs500 and both have had rattly gas tanks if you dont put somthing inbetween them. it sounds simmilar to that rattle but its internal i think inside the crank case area. any idea?

How old are the plugs? What kind of plugs are they? Have you checked out your airbox/airfilter? Have you checked your float level?

I can't think of much that could be intermittant. How old is the bike? How many miles are on it? What mods have you done to it? Have you done any mods/maintenance recently other than cleaning the carbs?

i just put new plugs in but ive had to clean them several times. never had an airfilter/airbox, i know thats bad but it has ridden fine for the last year minus the knock noise its always had. the bikes a first year 1989. with around 40,000 miles. its seen a few things i think in its day. the electrical has me wondering cuz it looks a little ratty and its all exposed. i just took it up the street and it ran decent, better then it has been cept didnt have much low end power as it did. ive been adjusting the pins so that could be that problem. i think the main deal now is just the knocking/rattle noise. the oil doesnt have any shavings in it.

clogged/dirty air filter will make it run rich and foul your plugs.  

Is it carbon fouling (from running rich), or is it oil?

its black fouling so i guess rich i think. no chunks or anything on it. i dont know the pressure of the cylinders, dont have a meter but it feels as strong as it should be.

Quote from: micron64i think ive stopped it from fouling the plug..... i hope. but what bugs me now is a rattle from inside the engine case. any ideas of what could come loose to rattle inside of the engine case? this is my second gs500 and both have had rattly gas tanks if you dont put somthing inbetween them. it sounds simmilar to that rattle but its internal i think inside the crank case area. any idea?

how long has the rattling been there? What voltage does your alternator put out?

It might be goat's syndrome (disintegrated alternator rotor magnets) but I hope not for your sake.

if the rattle is top end, and it only happens when warm it could be cam end play, depends what year your bike is, as they apparently sorted it later on, do a search for cam end play

KJB: You may have better luck searching for "camshaft endplay".  :dunno:

My goldwing knocked like it had thrown a rod..
Had the carbs sync'd and the knock went away.. :mrgreen:

I am a carb sync believer..      

Valve adjustment?

mmm i want a goldwing...

off the wall idea,   check the rotor/ ignition timing.  knock could be a ping from timing being out of wack (advanced to far)  this will also cause it to run rich as the valve opens during comustion and not complete the burn process..  just an idea

how did you get the plugs to stop fouling.  I just replaced my plugs, and it ran great, but now after maybe 10 miles it has done it again.  thanks

smell the plugs to see if it is oil that is fouling them, you should be able to tell the difference between oil and carbon.  check the air filter, and make sure the mixture is ok, there are plenty of threads explaining how to set your mixture.

Quote from: weaselnozemmm i want a goldwing...

No you don't..
I got endless grief for being a goldwing owner under the age of 50...

Save the road couch for your golden years..  

yeah i was able to get the plugs to stop fouling by playing with the mixture. carbs are still messed up tho