How screwed is my engine? - Motorcycle-Journal Forums

Madura · 08-12-2004, 07:04 PM

1985 GV1200GLF. Got it a couple weeks ago. Ran like a scalded dog. Then yesterday it bogged and died. Won't crank. Tries to fire and then won't. I had just bled the brakes. That's all.

I smell gas in the oil. How %%%%ed is my Madura?

Drake · 08-12-2004, 07:36 PM

1) Check your air filter and intake and make sure it isn't clogged.
2) Try starting it with a relatively open throttle (allowing more air in will help if you're possibly running rich).
3) Make sure you have spark to your plugs. Easy way to tell is just pull the cover plate off of your contacts and make sure you're seeing juice going through the contacts when you try to turn the engine over.

It really sounds more like you have a fuel/air mix problem because of the description you gave of it bogging down and dying, and then not starting.

You usually lose 1 cylinder at a time if it's an engine prob. Same if it's an ignition problem...

Quick question... how full is your tank? Try switching your petcock to reserve and starting her up. I don't mean to be pointing out anything that you might think as obvious. I don't know your experience level etc. so I'm trying to not make assumptions.

Let us know how you progress.

GL

Madura · 08-12-2004, 09:32 PM

I don't mind obvious suggestions, and I am a new rider.

My engine is a 1165cc V4. The choke slide on the left was working fine. The choke slide on the right (I just found out today) was stuck closed... for how long I don't know.

I believe I will change the oil and see how she does.

Drake · 08-12-2004, 09:43 PM

Sounds good.

I was thinking it might be choke, but my bike seemed to still turn over and run on 2 cylinders when I was having a bad deay with my air/fuel mixture on my right 2 carbs.

Hope it all works out nicely for you. It would definitely explain the suddenness to it not running well.

GL

Madura · 08-12-2004, 09:53 PM

What about the oil smelling like gas? I imagine it should have SOME gas smell, but I don't know how much.

TL chris · 08-12-2004, 10:25 PM

Might have bad piston rings, letting some of the gas get past the piston. Thats definately not good.

Madura · 08-12-2004, 10:26 PM

I think I may have fouled the plugs.

TL chris · 08-12-2004, 10:35 PM

Maybe. Pull em out and if they look scorched, burned, or white, change them. They probably need to be changed anyway. But, if they're ok, blow them off with forced air. If you don't have access to a compressor, use fine grit sandpaper and check the gaps just to make sure they're where they're supposed to be.

dirtyfingers · 08-12-2004, 10:47 PM

Maybe your petcock isint working right, letting gas flow all the time. Now the engine is full of gas, hydraulicaly locking your motor. Disconnect coils, remove spark plugs and crank. If gas shoots out everywhere then you've found your problem.

Madura · 08-12-2004, 11:12 PM

I'll do that tomrrow. Thanks for the insight.

And just so you know, it's frustrating hearing the bikes rolling by outside. It's PERFECT weather for riding.

TL chris · 08-12-2004, 11:16 PM

Just stick with fixin it. You'll get it fixed and be out there riding in no time. Thats half the fun of fixing something yourself and reaping the benefits.

Drake · 08-13-2004, 07:31 AM

I little gas on the plugs won't foul them badly. Starting it cold with throttle held relatively wide open, will evaporate and burn up any extra in there. When you choke your engine off oxygen, it's still getting fuel flowing into the cylinders and so it will naturally mix in with your oil. If you let it sit there for a while, it will definitely breakdown your oil. So, might as well change up the oil and not worry about it.

If you had problems with your piston rings, you'd be losing compression and you'd likely be getting "Blow-by" where you'd start seeing wisps of smoke coming out your crankcase vent (and smell burning oil). This would be because upon ignition, a portion of the expanding/exploding fuel-air mixture, would "blow-by" the head of the cylinder, down into your oil pan, and would vent itself out your engine via your cam-chain slot up to your crank case vent. It's not something that would develop suddenly. Plus, you would still have reasonable compression, just not as much power as full compression.

Hopefully you get her back on the road in no time.

Madura · 08-13-2004, 09:55 AM

Yea... I changed the oil. It smelled heavy of gas. So that was, what, 70 miles I put on almost 4 quarts of synth? That's economical!

Looks like I fouled the crap out of the plugs. The right carbs had the choke stuck shut. I could see the slide move for the front and back carbs on the left, and I didn't se anything move on the right side. But, being new to the bike, I thought maybe that slide wint down the center for some reason. Oh well.

As an aside, this bike is a real beast. It's fun to sit beside a "rocket" bike at the light knowing he could never catch me on my heavy cruiser. I really don't have to switch out of second until past 70 mph. Suzuki knew what they were doing when they made the Madura. Too bad it didn't last.

saleemas · 08-16-2004, 10:47 AM

Shane I didn't know what a Madura was so i looked it up. you might wanna check out this site:

http://www.lk3000.com/madura/stories.cfm

And I'm not too sure you wanna go slapping me with a Gauntlet, just yet!

Peace
G-

Madura · 08-17-2004, 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saleemas

And I'm not too sure you wanna go slapping me with a Gauntlet, just yet!

Yea... I'm on that site and the corresponding forums. Thanks for the info, though.

I have never owned a bike before and didn't realize I was getting one that was so powerful. I'm certainly not one to race on two wheels; I'll do that in a cage. I do know that she's a bad cruiser and I'm happy so far... if I could just get this damn battery problem worked out. It seems that mine was probably dead. I just got a new one and charged it overnight here at school. I am taking it home now to see if it will work.

Oh yea... I'm in Orlando and still don't have power yet.

saleemas · 08-17-2004, 01:07 PM

Right on! Keep the black side down and have fun

Madura · 08-17-2004, 05:09 PM

Ok... all 4 plugs have spark. Next comes a compression test that I know won't prove anything. I know I have good compression.

Then I'll tear down the carbs and that won't fix anything.

Then, after 2 months of cursing, I will find some tiny little wire that is unplugged and causing the whole problem and someone with experience would have taken 30 seconds to remedy.

No one turns a wrench in Orlando. This sucks.

Drake · 08-18-2004, 08:17 AM

If you have spark to your plugs. Then work on your fuel/air mixture.

Try taking your air filter off and just spraying some starter spray into the carbs and turning it over. If it cranks up, then you know that side is working fine.

If you broke down your carbs and replaced the jets and checked the diaphragms etc., did you check your floats on your bowls? Too much fuel into the carb could be a sign of your floats no long floatin properly and thus just allowing fuel to flow in. Granted, you should be seeing some sign of this on your overflow tube. You should actually have a slight amount of gas coming out of it when your fuel petcock is on.

Keep pluggin. Forget about that compression test... work on your fuel-air mixture.

Madura · 08-18-2004, 12:39 PM

Thanks for the interest and the recommendations. I got her running last night.

As a recap, here's what I figure happened:

1) Choke on right side was stuck shut and fouled all the plugs.
2) Cylinders still full of gas would not fire.
3) When I pulled the plugs to check for spark, the extra fuel was blown out.
4) She cranked, ran awful and then the gas evaporated from the last cylinder and she runs.
5) I used half a bottle of Gumout carb cleaner and that's made the idle a little funky right now.
6) When one needs to switch to the reserve on a Madura, one had better be within sight of a gas station.

Madura · 08-29-2004, 02:58 PM

UPDATE: Rebuilt the carbs last night; they were full of goo. There was also a metal shaving in the number 3 needle seat. Sweet. How the hell did that happen?

Anyway, she's in good shape now.

Also, before testing a recently tinkered bike, make sure there's gas in the tank. It sucks thinking you screwed something up just because your tank is dry.

I'm just sayin', is all.

08-12-2004, 07:04 PM	#1 (permalink)
Madura Puddle Runner Joined: Aug 2004 Location: Orlandon't Posts: 384	How screwed is my engine? 1985 GV1200GLF. Got it a couple weeks ago. Ran like a scalded dog. Then yesterday it bogged and died. Won't crank. Tries to fire and then won't. I had just bled the brakes. That's all. I smell gas in the oil. How %%%%ed is my Madura?

08-12-2004, 07:36 PM	#2 (permalink)
Drake Clunked into first gear Joined: Apr 2004 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 208	1) Check your air filter and intake and make sure it isn't clogged. 2) Try starting it with a relatively open throttle (allowing more air in will help if you're possibly running rich). 3) Make sure you have spark to your plugs. Easy way to tell is just pull the cover plate off of your contacts and make sure you're seeing juice going through the contacts when you try to turn the engine over. It really sounds more like you have a fuel/air mix problem because of the description you gave of it bogging down and dying, and then not starting. You usually lose 1 cylinder at a time if it's an engine prob. Same if it's an ignition problem... Quick question... how full is your tank? Try switching your petcock to reserve and starting her up. I don't mean to be pointing out anything that you might think as obvious. I don't know your experience level etc. so I'm trying to not make assumptions. Let us know how you progress. GL __________________ If at first you don't succeed, then maybe skydiving is not for you....

08-12-2004, 09:43 PM	#4 (permalink)
Drake Clunked into first gear Joined: Apr 2004 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 208	Sounds good. I was thinking it might be choke, but my bike seemed to still turn over and run on 2 cylinders when I was having a bad deay with my air/fuel mixture on my right 2 carbs. Hope it all works out nicely for you. It would definitely explain the suddenness to it not running well. GL __________________ If at first you don't succeed, then maybe skydiving is not for you....

08-12-2004, 10:25 PM	#6 (permalink)
TL chris Tater Salad Joined: Jun 2004 Bike: 1999 TL1000R Location: NorCal Posts: 1,926	Might have bad piston rings, letting some of the gas get past the piston. Thats definately not good. __________________ 1999 Suzuki TL1000R, Yosh RS-3, TRE, PC II, Custom Paint, OEM sweetness

08-12-2004, 10:35 PM	#8 (permalink)
TL chris Tater Salad Joined: Jun 2004 Bike: 1999 TL1000R Location: NorCal Posts: 1,926	Maybe. Pull em out and if they look scorched, burned, or white, change them. They probably need to be changed anyway. But, if they're ok, blow them off with forced air. If you don't have access to a compressor, use fine grit sandpaper and check the gaps just to make sure they're where they're supposed to be. __________________ 1999 Suzuki TL1000R, Yosh RS-3, TRE, PC II, Custom Paint, OEM sweetness

08-12-2004, 09:32 PM	#3 (permalink)
Madura Puddle Runner Joined: Aug 2004 Location: Orlandon't Posts: 384	I don't mind obvious suggestions, and I am a new rider. My engine is a 1165cc V4. The choke slide on the left was working fine. The choke slide on the right (I just found out today) was stuck closed... for how long I don't know. I believe I will change the oil and see how she does.

08-12-2004, 09:53 PM	#5 (permalink)
Madura Puddle Runner Joined: Aug 2004 Location: Orlandon't Posts: 384	What about the oil smelling like gas? I imagine it should have SOME gas smell, but I don't know how much.

08-12-2004, 10:26 PM	#7 (permalink)
Madura Puddle Runner Joined: Aug 2004 Location: Orlandon't Posts: 384	I think I may have fouled the plugs.

08-12-2004, 10:47 PM	#9 (permalink)
dirtyfingers Ditch Magnet Joined: Mar 2004 Location: Chicago Posts: 167	Maybe your petcock isint working right, letting gas flow all the time. Now the engine is full of gas, hydraulicaly locking your motor. Disconnect coils, remove spark plugs and crank. If gas shoots out everywhere then you've found your problem.

08-12-2004, 11:12 PM	#10 (permalink)
Madura Puddle Runner Joined: Aug 2004 Location: Orlandon't Posts: 384	I'll do that tomrrow. Thanks for the insight. And just so you know, it's frustrating hearing the bikes rolling by outside. It's PERFECT weather for riding.

08-12-2004, 11:16 PM	#11 (permalink)
TL chris Tater Salad Joined: Jun 2004 Bike: 1999 TL1000R Location: NorCal Posts: 1,926	Just stick with fixin it. You'll get it fixed and be out there riding in no time. Thats half the fun of fixing something yourself and reaping the benefits. __________________ 1999 Suzuki TL1000R, Yosh RS-3, TRE, PC II, Custom Paint, OEM sweetness

08-13-2004, 07:31 AM	#12 (permalink)
Drake Clunked into first gear Joined: Apr 2004 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 208	I little gas on the plugs won't foul them badly. Starting it cold with throttle held relatively wide open, will evaporate and burn up any extra in there. When you choke your engine off oxygen, it's still getting fuel flowing into the cylinders and so it will naturally mix in with your oil. If you let it sit there for a while, it will definitely breakdown your oil. So, might as well change up the oil and not worry about it. If you had problems with your piston rings, you'd be losing compression and you'd likely be getting "Blow-by" where you'd start seeing wisps of smoke coming out your crankcase vent (and smell burning oil). This would be because upon ignition, a portion of the expanding/exploding fuel-air mixture, would "blow-by" the head of the cylinder, down into your oil pan, and would vent itself out your engine via your cam-chain slot up to your crank case vent. It's not something that would develop suddenly. Plus, you would still have reasonable compression, just not as much power as full compression. Hopefully you get her back on the road in no time. __________________ If at first you don't succeed, then maybe skydiving is not for you....

08-13-2004, 09:55 AM	#13 (permalink)
Madura Puddle Runner Joined: Aug 2004 Location: Orlandon't Posts: 384	Yea... I changed the oil. It smelled heavy of gas. So that was, what, 70 miles I put on almost 4 quarts of synth? That's economical! Looks like I fouled the crap out of the plugs. The right carbs had the choke stuck shut. I could see the slide move for the front and back carbs on the left, and I didn't se anything move on the right side. But, being new to the bike, I thought maybe that slide wint down the center for some reason. Oh well. As an aside, this bike is a real beast. It's fun to sit beside a "rocket" bike at the light knowing he could never catch me on my heavy cruiser. I really don't have to switch out of second until past 70 mph. Suzuki knew what they were doing when they made the Madura. Too bad it didn't last.

08-16-2004, 10:47 AM	#14 (permalink)
saleemas Kickstand Operator Joined: Nov 2003 Location: Philadelphia USA Posts: 273	Shane I didn't know what a Madura was so i looked it up. you might wanna check out this site: http://www.lk3000.com/madura/stories.cfm And I'm not too sure you wanna go slapping me with a Gauntlet, just yet! Peace G- __________________ Just tryin to get it off the kickstand

08-17-2004, 01:07 PM	#16 (permalink)
saleemas Kickstand Operator Joined: Nov 2003 Location: Philadelphia USA Posts: 273	Right on! Keep the black side down and have fun __________________ Just tryin to get it off the kickstand

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Engine cut-off problem	cmm552	Marauder M50 Secret Hideaway	5	11-15-2005 10:19 AM
I really screwed up	Pinhy	The Paddock	30	03-14-2005 06:03 PM
Engine RPM	md2lgyk	Cruisers	2	10-27-2004 06:34 PM
Engine Oil	KATMAN750	Sportbikes & Sport-tourers	4	06-03-2004 05:25 PM
engine	flimboyz	Mechanics Corner	6	05-21-2004 12:05 AM

08-17-2004, 05:09 PM	#17 (permalink)
Madura Puddle Runner Joined: Aug 2004 Location: Orlandon't Posts: 384	Ok... all 4 plugs have spark. Next comes a compression test that I know won't prove anything. I know I have good compression. Then I'll tear down the carbs and that won't fix anything. Then, after 2 months of cursing, I will find some tiny little wire that is unplugged and causing the whole problem and someone with experience would have taken 30 seconds to remedy. No one turns a wrench in Orlando. This sucks.

08-18-2004, 08:17 AM	#18 (permalink)
Drake Clunked into first gear Joined: Apr 2004 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 208	If you have spark to your plugs. Then work on your fuel/air mixture. Try taking your air filter off and just spraying some starter spray into the carbs and turning it over. If it cranks up, then you know that side is working fine. If you broke down your carbs and replaced the jets and checked the diaphragms etc., did you check your floats on your bowls? Too much fuel into the carb could be a sign of your floats no long floatin properly and thus just allowing fuel to flow in. Granted, you should be seeing some sign of this on your overflow tube. You should actually have a slight amount of gas coming out of it when your fuel petcock is on. Keep pluggin. Forget about that compression test... work on your fuel-air mixture. __________________ If at first you don't succeed, then maybe skydiving is not for you....

08-18-2004, 12:39 PM	#19 (permalink)
Madura Puddle Runner Joined: Aug 2004 Location: Orlandon't Posts: 384	Thanks for the interest and the recommendations. I got her running last night. As a recap, here's what I figure happened: 1) Choke on right side was stuck shut and fouled all the plugs. 2) Cylinders still full of gas would not fire. 3) When I pulled the plugs to check for spark, the extra fuel was blown out. 4) She cranked, ran awful and then the gas evaporated from the last cylinder and she runs. 5) I used half a bottle of Gumout carb cleaner and that's made the idle a little funky right now. 6) When one needs to switch to the reserve on a Madura, one had better be within sight of a gas station.

08-29-2004, 02:58 PM	#20 (permalink)
Madura Puddle Runner Joined: Aug 2004 Location: Orlandon't Posts: 384	UPDATE: Rebuilt the carbs last night; they were full of goo. There was also a metal shaving in the number 3 needle seat. Sweet. How the hell did that happen? Anyway, she's in good shape now. Also, before testing a recently tinkered bike, make sure there's gas in the tank. It sucks thinking you screwed something up just because your tank is dry. I'm just sayin', is all.