Help diagnose by listening to my sick 1982 Goldwing GL1100

[CreatorsDream]

I bought a beautiful 82 GW GL1100 last year with 39,000 miles on it. Tuned it up and put a new rear tire on it and ran it all summer with no noticeable problems. At 43,000 miles and my last ride for the year I had a VERY STRANGE incident. After eating breakfast at the Cracker Barrel, I went to start up and the engine turned over and simply FROZE! New battery and tuneup didn't help. The starter simply would not turn it over. I had it in neutral so being in gear was not the culprit. Seems almost as if I had a vapor lock so I put it in gear and rocked it until I noticed the engine turning. I was then able to start it up, but something was not right any more so I drove back home - a 40 mile return. I noticed the smell of unburnt gas on the trip home. Every time I stopped and started, I notice it was hard to get going, but once I got up to cruising speed, things seemed to normalize.

So now that spring is back, I went out and put new plugs in and reconnected the spark wires to the plug caps by cutting off a quarter inch off the cable and re-screwing the caps. Thought this might fix my problem, but it didn't! I have no idea what has gone wrong, but my Baby Jane is sick and I sure would love to hear what some of you on this great forum may have to say by listening to my bike. Here is a url to a 3 minute sample of what my bike is sounding like.

https://enriquevega.com/video/temp/MySickGL1100rev1.mp3

Notes on what I think may be the problem...
1. Timing belt should be replaced at 40,000 miles
2. Clutch/gears somehow are no longer engaging properly
3. Vacuum advance?

Even though I use to be a blacksmith, I have no knowledge of working on bikes. If you know of any reputable mechanics in the Raleigh, NC area that know how to work on these older GW's, I would appreciate a heads up. I just ordered the manual and will work on the bike as long as I don't get in over my head. I do love my GoldWing and am proud of owning one. I know Baby Jane is young since she only has 43,000 miles on her, so I'm very hopeful I can get her running again without rebuilding/replacing the engine. I just don't know how to diagnose this problem. Please help...

NOTE: This is my first post on this forum. Please be gentle :thanks:

 

[dan filipi]

Nice looking bike and welcome to the forums!

Sounds to me like the carbs are gunked up.
May also need a valve adjustment. Too tight maybe.
That will cause the spitting.

Have you checked the compression?

Just realized, your first post and figured out how to attach a pic :salute:

 

[CreatorsDream]

No, haven't checked compression because of the abruptness of the change. The bike has been running great and then all of the sudden it froze up like a vapor lock. Everything after that incident has knocked the engine off whack. Doesn't compression have to do with leaky cylinders/valves worn out over time?

QuiQue

 

[joedrum]

it could be it jumped timing on one side ....like in a backfire or something while starting .....when you rocked it back and forth you may have unstuck it and it got back to moving but a tooth off or maybe two ....this will make it run like crap and cause the gas smell ....if i were you id take those belt covers off ita pita to get the bolts out and check the timing ......let other speak they might think im crazy ...but if it happen the waty you said it most certainly sounds like that to me....if you want to check that post again and we can instruct you on how to go about it .... :mrgreen:

 

[WindNWing]

My two cents....

could the first locked motor be from a leaking float causing a hydraulic fuel lock? Once it was running at low speeds he had unburied gas and it cleared up at speed.
Could the trouble now be from a Leaking, very rich mixture? Mine sounds somewhat similar with over choking.

 

[CreatorsDream]

it could be it jumped timing on one side ....like in a backfire or something while starting .....when you rocked it back and forth you may have unstuck it and it got back to moving but a tooth off or maybe two ....this will make it run like crap and cause the gas smell ....if i were you id take those belt covers off ita pita to get the bolts out and check the timing ......let other speak they might think im crazy ...but if it happen the waty you said it most certainly sounds like that to me....if you want to check that post again and we can instruct you on how to go about it .... :mrgreen:

Okay, so I'm leaning towards the timing belt issue because it needs to be replaced anyway due to the 40,000 mile Honda recommendation. I ordered new timing belts and am wondering if I should also get new bearing adjusters while I'm changing the timing belts. Are there any HOW-TO'S on changing/adjusting the timing belts? Should I consider replacing any other parts while I have the front cover at the timing belt off? Am I going to have to remove the radiator to access this stuff?

:thanks:

 

[MSGT-R]

My two cents....

could the first locked motor be from a leaking float causing a hydraulic fuel lock? Once it was running at low speeds he had unburied gas and it cleared up at speed.
Could the trouble now be from a Leaking, very rich mixture? Mine sounds somewhat similar with over choking.

+1, I think we have a winner! From the description, you have a stuck float or a dirty needle & seat.

 

[dan filipi]

My two cents....

could the first locked motor be from a leaking float causing a hydraulic fuel lock? Once it was running at low speeds he had unburied gas and it cleared up at speed.
Could the trouble now be from a Leaking, very rich mixture? Mine sounds somewhat similar with over choking.

+1, I think we have a winner! From the description, you have a stuck float or a dirty needle & seat.

I agree that's what happened initially but there's something else going on now.

Belts jumping is possible if they are loose or worn so that's also a possibility.
A quick and simple compression test will reveal that.
When doing a compression check;

1. Start switch to KILL or OFF
2. All spark plugs removed.
3. Throttle wide open
4. Choke open wide
5. Fully charged battery

Crank it until the gauge does not climb any more then repeat on the other 3.

A low cylinder will tell us a lot.

 

[mike in idaho]

Just hope you didn't bend a rod by flooding one of the cylinders with a load of raw gas. A bent rod will lower the compression buildup in that cylinder(that piston will no longer go up as far as the rest of them) a drop in pressure in one hole will change how the engine runs. A compression check, followed by a belt timing check is in order.

 

[dan filipi]

As a reminder, ALWAYS turn the fuel off when parked.

I know a lot of guys don't but hydro lock is like dropping the bike. There are those that haven't yet but will eventually.
Hydro lock is the same thing. It will happen eventually.

 

[danf]

Maybe the mechanical advance dowel pin broke..

 

[AApple]

I was thinkin hydrolock also, since it locked up, and wouldn't crank at all, then once you got it running, you could smell raw fuel... :crying:
IF that happened, it could have bent a rod, as has been mentioned, and it could also have bent a valve. I agree that a compression test needs to be done first.
What did the plugs look like when you took them out?
I'm at home, on dialup, so I won't be able to view the video until tomorrow... :fiddle:

 

[danf]

I was thinkin hydrolock also, since it locked up, and wouldn't crank at all, then once you got it running, you could smell raw fuel... :crying:
IF that happened, it could have bent a rod, as has been mentioned, and it could also have bent a valve. I agree that a compression test needs to be done first.
What did the plugs look like when you took them out?
I'm at home, on dialup, so I won't be able to view the video until tomorrow... :fiddle:

If it's hydrolock how does he fix it?

 

[joedrum]

well im hoping theres no bent rod .....its already running bad ....its a good idea to check compression but if your like me my compression tester is my thumb :smilie_happy: the belt tensioners hardly ever go bad ...i wouldnt buy them before hand you probably dont need them....there are some good write ups on the belt change some i did but idont know how to find them .....but first all you need to do is take the timing belt covers off ...you dont have to take the radiator out you just have to take out all four bolts that hold the radiator so it can be pulled forward some for clearence the hoses dont have to come off .....once the covers are off go to the back of the motor and on top of it in the center is the timing mark cover ...looks like a big sloted screw ...take it out ...and then turn the motor clockwise with the crank bolt in the front of the motor in the center where the belts meet till you see the T1 mark in the back in the timing mark hole ...line it up with the marks in the motor case.....then go to the front and check the cam pully marks they sould be pointing stait out ....if there pointing in toward the motor turn the crank one more round till you get to T1 possision again ...the pully marks sould line up with the marks on the back timing belt covers ....3 oclock right side and 9oclock left side this will tell you if the timing has jumped....they will still run one tooth off but not well ......while you do this and from the start all the plugs need to be out and i would at least check the compression by hand or thumb or do the real compression check with a gauge .....hopfuly it dosnt have a bent valve ...idont think it has ......

as others have said could be all carbs but im thinking the gas smell is after it was running bad ....i hope this helps some and you can understand my ran together sentenses.... :mrgreen:

 

[CreatorsDream]

that link I can not open I even googled that site and could not open the site Chasrogers

Yea, just my luck that the server which my site is on has gone south! They say they are fixing it so, if all goes well, the link should work again in the next few hours.

 

[CreatorsDream]

......while you do this and from the start all the plugs need to be out and i would at least check the compression by hand or thumb or do the real compression check with a gauge .....hopfuly it dosnt have a bent valve ...idont think it has ......

as others have said could be all carbs but im thinking the gas smell is after it was running bad ....i hope this helps some and you can understand my ran together sentenses.... :mrgreen:

Thank you Joe for your suggestion. It can be other things as mentioned, but I think I am going to start with your suggestion because it seems to be a good place to start. I'm also going to do the compression test, but I'm going to have to go buy the gauge. Any suggestions on what brand or where to pick one up? Will a standard car compression tester work? I think I was 18 years old the last time I checked the compression of an engine. Now, I'm 58 and I feel like a newbie...

 

[CreatorsDream]

...What did the plugs look like when you took them out?

#2 looked wet. All others looked dry.

 

[joedrum]

i think the car ones will be fine ....just go slow and dont get fustraited it dosent do any good anyway.....hmmm you must have understood all that ....if you have any problems just post i will be checking in quite a bit as others do too.... :builder: :mrgreen:....that number two is the one to suspect .....dont forget to put the plug wires in possition after taking out plugs as a cover while working or somting dont want any thing falling in there .... :mrgreen:

 

[CreatorsDream]

As a reminder, ALWAYS turn the fuel off when parked.

I know a lot of guys don't but hydro lock is like dropping the bike. There are those that haven't yet but will eventually.
Hydro lock is the same thing. It will happen eventually.

Great tip Dan! I'm guilty of not turning off the gas! Geez, I never thought about a continued leak after the engine is off. If this is the original cause of the gas lock, then what else should I be looking at fixing?

 

[aslatk]

I think joedrum is right. Off a tooth or two on one side. This may have caused a piston to hit an open valve. Maybe it jumped a tooth right at start up when the piston didn't have much momentum and ended up against an open valve locking up the engine. Rocking the engine back and forth freed it up only by putting a hole in the piston or bending a valve. Without a compression gauge, use your kill switch to keep the engine from starting and crank it over. Listen to the cranking rhythm. Should be nice and even. If not, low compression. Using a compression gauge is the best test. Getting the two bolts in the center of your timing cover is really difficult. At least on mine (80 GL1100). First glance at my timing cover I didn't see the center bolts. Not much clearance between the center bolts and radiator. I ended up removing the radiator. You do need to check the timing marks like joedrum described. That may give you a cause of the problem and if valve timing is off, the result is kinda major. I've been wrong before and the guys here are pretty experienced on the Goldwings, a lot more than I am for sure. Maybe it was hydrostatic lock caused by fuel. Maybe that caused a worn belt to then jump a tooth. Man, that sure is a nice looking bike. Regardless, seems to me worth fixing up. Hope its a relatively easy fix for you. Time for me to get my beauty sleep. I need lots!
:lazy: