1979 GL1000 Won't Turn Over

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Joined
Sep 14, 2016
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Location
Baltimore
I picked up a '79 GL1000 earlier this week. Decent cosmetic shape, ran 11 months ago. When the previous owner rolled it out for this season, it turned over but two of the cylinders weren't firing (maybe, the report of this was vague). He suspected a bad head gasket on the mystery side, but didn't have the desire to fix it. I picked it up for very little money and I love a project, so here we are.

After taking possession of it last night, I tried to get it to start up to take the temp of the exhaust manifold/observe the smell, color and density of any diagnostically relevant smokes and vapors coming out of the exhaust. I didn't have much time to pour over it last night, but here are my thoughts on trying to get it to start:

CURRENT STATUS:
Petcock set to ON, full choke. Battery is charged. Engine cranks and makes some promising noises, but doesn't turn over. Smells like old, stale gas with some slightly sweet notes. Carbs were rebuilt two years ago. Oil, filter, spark plugs, 12251-371-306 gaskets are en route.

THINGS TO DO:
Drain the tank and carb bowls, replace with fresh gas. Test spark plug wires for continuity, inspect condition of spark plugs, confirm that they're all firing. Check compression. Change oil, inspect old oil for anything that isn't oil where oil ought to be. Replace head gaskets with shiny, new OEM gaskets.

What else should I probe? Are there any common issues I should be looking into?

Thanks!
 
First things first. Drain the tank and bowls and put in new gasoline. Remove all the spark plug and ground them to the motor. Open the crank case oil fill cover and smell. If you smell gasoline change the oil. Leave the fuel turned off and hit the starter and check all plugs are firing. If they do and gaps look even. Reinstall them. Turn on the fuel choke off. Try to start it.
 
[url=https://classicgoldwings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=180719#p180719:uc29y03w said:
slabghost » 4 minutes ago[/url]":uc29y03w]
First things first. Drain the tank and bowls and put in new gasoline. Remove all the spark plug and ground them to the motor. Open the crank case oil fill cover and smell. If you smell gasoline change the oil. Leave the fuel turned off and hit the starter and check all plugs are firing. If they do and gaps look even. Reinstall them. Turn on the fuel choke off. Try to start it.

We're on the same page, excellent!
 
Old gas is out of the tank. The oil smells a bit like fuel, I have 4 litres of ravenol and a fresh filter en route from. Spark plugs are intact but a little rough. I'm going to test for spark tomorrow just to establish continuity on the wires and then replace them. Did a compression test (cold, for what it's worth).

Cylinder 1 right forward
PSI 155
Cylinder 3 right rear
PSI 155
Cylinder 2 left forward
PSI 164
Cylinder 4 left rear
PSI 155

2 came out 10 points higher than the others, but no one was catastrophically low.

So tomorrow, we move on to the plugs, the oil change, and then try to fire it up.
 
Small pet peeve detail, but helpful when describing problems:

If the motor spins, it's turning over. If it spins and won't fire, that's a whole different animal. Compression: Check. Fuel: Check. Spark??

Those are all necessary ingredients. Aside from stale gas or poor delivery, spark is a likely suspect. A quick shot of WD40 into the intake would eliminate fuel delivery if it tries to fire.
 
[url=https://classicgoldwings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=180970#p180970:331u358y said:
desertrefugee » Wed Sep 21, 2016 7:26 am[/url]":331u358y]
Small pet peeve detail, but helpful when describing problems:

If the motor spins, it's turning over. If it spins and won't fire, that's a whole different animal. Compression: Check. Fuel: Check. Spark??

Those are all necessary ingredients. Aside from stale gas or poor delivery, spark is a likely suspect. A quick shot of WD40 into the intake would eliminate fuel delivery if it tries to fire.
+1 :good:
 
[url=https://classicgoldwings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=180983#p180983:1wlc4tm8 said:
desertrefugee » Yesterday, 9:53 pm[/url]":1wlc4tm8]
Well, actually, I misspoke. (typed). It would eliminate bad spark if it tries to fire with the shot of juice. It would indict bad gas or deliver/carb issues.

Before I start the GRAND UPDATE, thanks for the nomenclature correction. I'm self taught and I work on and enjoy motorcycles as a mostly solitary activity. If it wasn't for forums and manuals I would have invented a secret language all my own to describe this shit.

9/21/2016 - Flippin carbs.

I get home from work and get myself situated in the back yard.

IMG_20160921_163130.jpg


I test the plugs for spark, everyone is firing. I gap and install new plugs, as the old ones are pretty gross. Drain the oil, pull the filter and inspect. the oil is dirty, but unremarkable. No water or coolant is present. I'm beginning to rule out the head gasket as the culprit.

IMG_20160921_165953.jpg


While I'm waiting for the oil to drain, I cut some new fuel line to length and removed the old. Two old inline filters were installed. Both are disgusting. I replace them with a clean, larger glass filter I had in the garage.

IMG_20160921_174227.jpg


Once the old oil is out and the new filter and oil are in, I try to start it up. Choke out, petcock set to on. It turns over but does not start. Open up the fake gas tank, open the air filter and hit it with some carb cleaner. Try again, it almost starts and then gives up. A few more attempts, same result.

So with this result in addition to the state of the fuel filter today and bowl drain screws earlier this week, I'm leaning in the direction of the carbs needing a serious cleaning. What do you guys think?

Thanks!
 
Chances are very good you are correct. Time for a thorough carb cleaning. Or if you prefer. A change to a single carb. I think there is one for sale here.
 
:sensored: Clean tha Flippin carbs. :sensored: I lived in Baltimore for 30 :sensored: years so I speak fluent :sensored: Baltimoron :sensored: :sensored: :BigGrin:
 
Okay folks. This is an adult forum. But is viewed often with family members present. Many get offended by use of profanity. Up to a point I do not. If you want to drop the F bomb in conversation give me call we can cuss and discuss whatever you like. But I'm asking you not to use it here.
 
Try a little starting fluid (ether) instead of carb cleaner. I've had even the most stubborn engines fire up with the stuff. If it runs on the spray, but not on its own, pull and clean the carbs. The 1000 carbs are not difficult at all, and there's only one air cut-off valve.

Nice looking bike!
 
I used the Randakk kits. Conventional wisdom has it that they are the best and I have yet to have an issue with mine. Truth is I wasted some money on some cheap eBay kits with poor results and ended up finding out I had mismatched needles and seats. Spend the money and then operate the machine regularly and you will be amply rewarded.
 
I used the Randakk kit on mine and was pleased with the result. But even more important was making sure EVERY single fuel passage was clear. After boiling the carbs out, I used a nasal bulb and made sure water would squirt through each fuel circuit. They work beautifully now.
 
The randakk carb kits are worth every penny when it comes down to trying to do the job right on the first try. Ive used 3 of them on different bikes with perfect results each time. Take your time and go through them and you will be a happy guy. The video is a nice option as well if your a first timer and just want to boost your confidence.
 
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