1979 GL1000 Won't Turn Over

[joedrum]

carbs are old first is get them off and check to see how aged they are ....there are some so corroded they are not worth rebuilding .....it is always best move to check them first....once off there are several ways to check for leaking float seats ....as mention cleaning is everything ...and way above what kit you have .....if you have parts broke....the randakk kit has very few parts and is mostly the rubber parts...some of the other kiys have parts with them you may need.....and maybe all you need is good cleaning of what you have

 

[bronko37]

joedrum » Thu Sep 22, 2016 7:27 am[/url]":29fkdrju]
carbs are old first is get them off and check to see how aged they are ....there are some so corroded they are not worth rebuilding .....it is always best move to check them first....once off there are several ways to check for leaking float seats ....as mention cleaning is everything ...and way above what kit you have .....if you have parts broke....the randakk kit has very few parts and is mostly the rubber parts...some of the other kiys have parts with them you may need.....and maybe all you need is good cleaning of what you have

A solid point. A randakk kit does not come with new floats, needles, jets, or any of those things. It only comes with all the orings and gaskets that you need for a good seal and to stop leaks. I purchased an entire second rack on ebay for like $40 for some of the internal parts. Disassembly and assessment should be done first. Odds are all the jets and emulsion tubes will be fine, just need to be cleaned. The float needles do have rubbery ends and are more often than not just fine. Just make sure when you are soaking and cleaning all the brass parts that you do not get the needles in the mix. Carb cleaner and brake parts cleaner will destroy the rubbery end of the needle.

Good lookin out Joe.

 

[nickbiddle]

Ultrasonic cleaner is on the way, now begins the trial by carburetors. I'll start a new thread when I crawl into the carb cave next week.

Thanks everyone!

 

[nickbiddle]

Cross post update: broke the carbs down completely, cleaned and reassembled. Bike started straight away and ran for 20-30 seconds. exhaust pipe 1-3 had a huge plume of thick, white smoke pouring out of it the whole time. after 30 seconds it died and we're back to square one: bike won't start, likely head gasket issue.

 

[joedrum]

seems so sheesh....

 

[nickbiddle]

The good news is that I'm neurotic enough to have already ordered the Genuine Honda gaskets. After I finish infodumping youtube videos and reading the relavant sections of the shop manual i'm going replace it.

So how much of the top end of the entire can I leave intact while replacing the gasket?

 

[joedrum]

most all of it ...head gaskets not bad on oldwings at all ...only belt timing is main thing in getting set right

 

[desertrefugee]

Well, I'm not saying you don't have a head gasket issue, but at least a couple of things would give pause to consider "other" things before pulling the heads:

1) Your compression numbers do not suggest a head gasket failure.
2) Bike ran 11 months ago with no reported issues. Unusual for a gasket to fail just sitting around.

Strange that it won't run now. Even with a blown head gasket, it should still fire up. If you pulled the plugs, what would they look like? And olfactory senses could very quickly tell you the nature of the noxious vapors...if it fires back up.

Worst case, gaskets on the old wing are pretty easy. Leave the carbs on the bike (hang them from the frame). If you're determined, you don't even need to pull the radiator. You could do them both on a Sunday morning and still have time for football in the afternoon.

 

[nickbiddle]

So I think the "bike dying" thing was correlation and not causation. I think the fuel line may have gotten slightly kinked when I was putting the carbs on and wasn't feeding the carbs properly. It fired back up today and did the same thing, thick white smokescreen. Smoke smelled a bit sweet. Once the weather allows me to get out of the garage I'm going to start it up and see if it will run for 10-20 minutes.

 

[joedrum]

sweet is head gasket failure in most cases

 

[slabghost]

Try removing the exhaust and hang it up to drain any fluids out of it. Sweet smell is the smell of coolant for sure.