Carburetor Woes GL1100

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Eengers
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Carburetor Woes GL1100

#1

Post by Eengers »

Having some trouble with the set of carbs on my bike, more specifically getting the bike to run on all 4 cylinders and not on full choke.

The details: bike is an '81, carbs I think are '82 as all the jets screw out for cleaning. I've pulled them, cleaned them multiple times and replaced all gaskets, ran carb cleaner and compressed air through all passages, etc. Backed the idle adjustment screws out 3 turns, and set the floats to 15.5 mm. The bike will start and run rough on full choke, but only on cylinders 1 and 4 at first, did this all over again and got it to halfway run on cylinder 3, but nothing on cylinder 2. Compression checks out on all of them. When it runs I can grab #2 exhaust header so I can tell its not firing, and #3 header is hit and miss. There is gas in the bowl. When I let off the choke, it runs rough and almost immediately dies. When I hit the throttle it immediately dies. I put a new set of resistor plugs in it last weekend when I worked on it, and am running the neon coils with copper core wires. I will reconfirm compression and spark but am confident it's all good.

Now I'm stumped on where to go from here. I obviously need to adjust the idle screws to fix that, but what else to make it fire on #2 also? More compressed air and carb cleaner? These have been out 3 or 4 times now, getting good at it but tired of having no luck each time.
My Bikes:
1982 GL1100 Interstate - Daily Driver
1980ish GL1100 - Project consisting of '80 frame, '81? engine, and '82-83 carbs
2 - 1978 GL1000 Project Bikes (haven't started yet)
1981 CB650 Project Bike (up next)
redglbx
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Re: Carburetor Woes GL1100

#2

Post by redglbx »

Eengers, 2 things in my opinion, since it runs on choke I would bet you have plugged idle circuit, if you taper the carb cleaner straw to fit the idle jet and spray carb cleaner in the idle jet, it should easily flow out of the idle mixture screw holes with the screws removed (be careful not to lose the tiny o’rings & tiny washers in there, they are there right ?) ,, also need to check that the idle discharge holes in the carb bodies are clear.

Also need to check the spark plug cap resistance, if you have the oe plug caps they should be less than 5k ohms when you measure across just the cap.
Red 1976 oe owner
1976 LTD restored
1980 CBX , in the que, to fix the ignorant heavy handed owner
1981 CBX
1977 CB750 K7
2014 FJR OE owner, sold
1980 GL1100
1984 GL1200 naked
1969 CL350, in the que
Eengers
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Re: Carburetor Woes GL1100

#3

Post by Eengers »

I will disassemble the carbs again this weekend and run some more carb cleaner and compressed air through everything to make absolutely sure I don't have anything still clogged in there. I do have all the small washers and o-rings on the idle adjustment screws.

I don't have oe plug caps, this is just a generic copper core wire set I used on my other '82 until I swapped last year for another set.
My Bikes:
1982 GL1100 Interstate - Daily Driver
1980ish GL1100 - Project consisting of '80 frame, '81? engine, and '82-83 carbs
2 - 1978 GL1000 Project Bikes (haven't started yet)
1981 CB650 Project Bike (up next)
toomanybikes
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Re: Carburetor Woes GL1100

#4

Post by toomanybikes »

In case you didn't already know this ...

If you're taking the carbs off the bike to run compressed air thru the idle passages, there are four possible outputs: the mixture screw mount, the port in the engine side of the carb throat, the air cutoff valve, and the idle jet itself. (One of the carbs may have a fifth output, that little tube in the float chamber, but I'm not sure what to call it or if it's part of the idle circuit.) To block ports off I put a rubber stopper over the mixture screw mount since it was the only circuit that's a straight shot. You can run a guitar string through it into the throat to verify that passage is clear. The other passages are all indirect, so I used multiple fingers to cover the other various ports while shooting air into the idle jet.

Accessing the cutoff valve for carbs 2&3 is difficult when the carbs are off the bike but still fully assembled. Difficult, but not impossible, if you have a very small ratchet wrench and JIS inserts. Much easier if you fully disassemble the carbs from each other.

All this leads to another question, did your inspect and/or update the various parts of the cutoff valves during the last cleaning? Some people just disable them rather than buy new diaphragms. Mine were OK, so I left them functional.
Greater Boston MA, USA
Stable as of 26Dec22: '81 GL1100, '10 Bonnie SE, '86 Yamaha Radian, '83 Suzuki GS650L, '14 Moto Guzzi California, '85 Honda V30 Magna
Eengers
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Re: Carburetor Woes GL1100

#5

Post by Eengers »

Thank you for this detailed description, this is not how I cleaned them, but will absolutely clean each and every idle circuit now. I wasn't aware there were so many passages, thanks for the explanation.

I got these things from a guy who said they were "rebuilt" but as I discovered not very well rebuilt at all. I pulled one cutoff valve out to inspect it and it checked out, but I probably need to take them all apart and inspect/clean everything around those cutoffs.
My Bikes:
1982 GL1100 Interstate - Daily Driver
1980ish GL1100 - Project consisting of '80 frame, '81? engine, and '82-83 carbs
2 - 1978 GL1000 Project Bikes (haven't started yet)
1981 CB650 Project Bike (up next)
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gltriker
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Re: Carburetor Woes GL1100

#6

Post by gltriker »

Cliff (74yrs ;) )

Keep your eyes and ears open and you'll learn something new, everyday. tumb2

New users please visit our "Shop Talk" for common tips and help: <---jdvorchak
http://www.ngwclub.com/forum/page/ST
^^^^^^^click up here^^^^^ :oldies

RE: a thorough fuel tank cleaning
"And your carbs will thank you. They no longer live down stream from a sewage plant." -gregforesi tumb2
"Can't see the paint when your looking thru the handlebars..........." -Oldewing ;)
"I'd rather Ride than Shine" -RAT tumb2 Me Too!!

Cliff

'75 GL1000 home built trike; http://www.ngwclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=39996
October,2017 BOTM :shock: https://nakedgoldwingsclub.com/forum/page/Welcome

previous rides:
1953 H-D Servi-car, naked, 1969-1978 (serial#53G1559 committed to memory!)
1980 CB900 Custom (triked) 1997-2003 .... R.I.P.
MattMcCoy
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Re: Carburetor Woes GL1100

#7

Post by MattMcCoy »

Something quick and easy is to compare the idle jets from the firing cylinders to the dead ones. The hole is tiny, but you should be able to see light through them.
1983 GL1100A Aspencade
1977 GL1000
1978 GL1000
1979 GL1000

“I see Angels on Ariels in leather and chrome,
Swoopin' down from Heaven to carry me home."
redglbx
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Re: Carburetor Woes GL1100

#8

Post by redglbx »

Many years ago I redid the carbs on my 80 CBX and had many of the same issues (the cbx carbs are almost identical to 1100’s) anyway I couldn’t get it to idle w/o the choke on. So I was lucky that I had a mentor in Tim Ware (Tim’s CBX) that took the time to help me get them right and several things have stuck. The tip of blowing carb cleaner through the idle jet and verifying that the circuit is clean & comes out of the idle mixture screw hole. He was adamant that you couldn’t clean things enough.

One other thing he gave me was a tip that the spring loaded pin on the float valve does lose tension/gum up and doesn’t allow the needle to keep a proper fuel level in the bowl, so I usually change them. My .02.
Red 1976 oe owner
1976 LTD restored
1980 CBX , in the que, to fix the ignorant heavy handed owner
1981 CBX
1977 CB750 K7
2014 FJR OE owner, sold
1980 GL1100
1984 GL1200 naked
1969 CL350, in the que
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5speed
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Re: Carburetor Woes GL1100

#9

Post by 5speed »

when I rebuilt my gl1000 carbs I sprayed carb cleaner in every hole I could find and if I didn't see it come out of the carb somewhere else I checked that passage really good..
1982 1100 standard. (sold)
1986 Yamaha FJ1200
2000 Yamaha Roadstar
1976 GoldWing. running but not on the road
1978 Goldwing. future cafe project.
2019 Can-Am ryker (boss's new ride)

2002 Shadow American Classic(sold)
1983 Shadow 500. (sold)
Eengers
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Re: Carburetor Woes GL1100

#10

Post by Eengers »

Ok, I pulled them apart again Friday and spent a good hour running compressed air and carb cleaner through everything backwards, forwards, etc. In each direction. Another question, the 4 little holes in the carb body behind the idle mixture screw hole, what role do those play, and how can I ensure those are clear and clean? While I'm fairly certain everything is clean, I had a hard time seeing stuff come out of those, depending on what role they play and where they're connected to. I'm considering getting a fine guitar string to go through stuff one more time on the inside of the carbs to make darn sure they're good to go before I hook them up again.
My Bikes:
1982 GL1100 Interstate - Daily Driver
1980ish GL1100 - Project consisting of '80 frame, '81? engine, and '82-83 carbs
2 - 1978 GL1000 Project Bikes (haven't started yet)
1981 CB650 Project Bike (up next)
Gc33
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Re: Carburetor Woes GL1100

#11

Post by Gc33 »

Recently I took my balancing kit ofer to a mate who had just finished putting his wing together and needed to balance his carbs. It would only run half decent on choke. I said to him that it has a massive air leak somewhere..
He disassembled the carbs and found that one of the intake tube rubbers had come loose. The vulcanising To the tube had failed. He got hold of some sealer and hose clamps and reassembled it.
He then ran the bike and it ran perfectly.
So check for air leaks too... His no 1 cylinder intake was culprit...
Eengers
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Re: Carburetor Woes GL1100

#12

Post by Eengers »

Update 3/6: I spent the whole day yesterday messing with this again. I could get it to run on all 4 cylinders when I shot carb cleaner into cylinder 2. I thought carb 2 might be bad, so I ended up taking another carb from an 80-81 rack I had, cleaned it up and rebuilt it, then reinstalled it and stuck it back on and tried starting the bike. Same thing again. It would run with carb cleaner but not on its own. Tried messing with the idle screw, basically same result. Sometimes when I hit the starter it would immediately rev up to 3k-4k and I would shut it down as to not damage the engine. Needless to say I'm frustrated and don't know that I can fix this one myself. With as much time as I have invested in this set now, I'm thinking about going single and messing with these another day when I have more motivation and time.
My Bikes:
1982 GL1100 Interstate - Daily Driver
1980ish GL1100 - Project consisting of '80 frame, '81? engine, and '82-83 carbs
2 - 1978 GL1000 Project Bikes (haven't started yet)
1981 CB650 Project Bike (up next)
MattMcCoy
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Location: Fort Worth, TX, United States

Re: Carburetor Woes GL1100

#13

Post by MattMcCoy »

If the cylinder fires when you spray carb cleaner through the plenum, it’s likely a clogged circuit or idle jet.
1983 GL1100A Aspencade
1977 GL1000
1978 GL1000
1979 GL1000

“I see Angels on Ariels in leather and chrome,
Swoopin' down from Heaven to carry me home."
Bloodhound
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Re: Carburetor Woes GL1100

#14

Post by Bloodhound »

Hi , I am having the same issue with my 76 gl1000 , number 3 carb half the exhaust temp and the hard bit is testing on the bench ,as the bowl needs to be on , now I haven't tried this yet , right here goes , carbs assembled on bench hang up a fuel supply , have you got a mtyvac and the brake bleeder bottle ? , I thought if I put a loose plastic hose over the idle discharge nozzle, not much room I know , and make it seal on the carb bore by holding it , and pulling vacuum on the mtyvac I could see fuel discharge from nozzle, if this works it could be compared to a working carb , and see if mixture screw will stop fuel flow .also my intake boots are rock hard so I am trying the rubbing alcohol and oil of wintergreen oil only submerged about 18mm , hoping not to affect the bonding . Less vacuum leaks more suck :-D Cheers
76 GL1000 ,73 Norton mk5 , 75 Triumph T160 , 49 Matchless G80 500 rigid ,and
X4 76 HondaTL250s
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Dirty Dave
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Re: Carburetor Woes GL1100

#15

Post by Dirty Dave »

So many carburetor woes. If I had hair I wouldn't have any by now.

Finally did a total disassembly and invested in an ultasonic cleaner.
Had all 4 cylinders working but in a senior moment had made a stupid
assembly error (79 Wing)

I had a blocked air passage that was finally resolved with the cleaner in
the beginning. Bike had been down 4 years (stator again). Damn that
ethanol. (Can't really say that as I'm enjoying a martini as I write)

YMMV
1978/9 GL1000
1997 Honda Valkyrie
2018 Kawasaki Z900 RS
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