[navymm1swaw]

Hello and thanks for looking. I have an '82 gl1100. It has a knocking sound only when starting out (if not enough gas is given) or in too high of a gear for the speed. Higher RPMs, cruising and idle is fine. I have read info on the net and I think it is a fuel or carb sync issue. Is that a good assumption?

 

[detdrbuzzard]

you are just lugging the motor, older wings like to be reved. my 1200 wing likes 2200rpm and up

 

[navymm1swaw]

TY

I was told by a honda mech that that was normal. It just doesn't sound normal. What would a carb out of sync sound like?

 

[ronzilla]

... HOWDY ... IF IT IS MORE OF A PING THAN A KNOCK IT'S THE GAS YOU'RE USING ... DR.DET.BUZZARD IS CORRECT ... MY 85 1200 DOESN'T LIKE LOW RPM's ... AND I DOUBT IF A CARB. CAN MAKE A KNOCKING NOISE ... HAPPY TRAILS ...

 

[detdrbuzzard]

most people don't realize that their carbs need a sync, performane suffers but i've never heard a knock from out of sync carbs except maybe after a rebuild

 

[ronzilla]

... William ... Sorry About Reversing Your Title ... It's An Old Timers Thing ... Det.dr.buzzard ... Thats Better ... Happy Trails ...

 

[navymm1swaw]

getting worse

Just rode for about 2 hours and the knock seems to be getting worse. I have heard to not use anything other than 87. With all the ethanol in gas now, should I switch to 89 or 93?

What would a main bearing going out sound like? Also not sure if it was the rain I went through, but seems to be sputtering/ misfiring now. Checked plugs when I got back and they seem to be gapped in tolerance and had good color. Should I look into a different motor or should I try to salvage this one? It really isn't too difficult to swap them out.

are GL1100, GL1100I and GL1100A engines all interchangeable?

 

[detdrbuzzard]

are GL1100, GL1100I and GL1100A engines all interchangeable?

yes they are

 

[detdrbuzzard]

... William ... Sorry About Reversing Your Title ... It's An Old Timers Thing ... Det.dr.buzzard ... Thats Better ... Happy Trails ...

i promise you that i didn't take iot the wrong way ronzilla. maybe he got a tank of bad gas, i got a tank of bad gas when i first got my 1200, it was sooo bad i thought i needed a tuneup.

 

[detdrbuzzard]

but if you have bad gas in the tank like i did it won't idle right either. as more fresh gas got mix and run through the engine i got my 900 - 1000 rpm idle back all the knocking and all the hesitation went away and if you can find some seafoam put half a can with a tank of gas, it will help clear things up

 

[navymm1swaw]

Thanks for the info. I will try the sea foam. I appreciate all of the responses. I would like to get it running like new again and it embarrassing when I am at a light or stop sign and go to take off. It just sounds soo terrible. It is like the engine just wants to fall apart. Loving Goldwings, I do not wish to give them a bad reputation...even if it is a 27 year old bike.

 

[detdrbuzzard]

Does the clutch need tightening or is it about to fail? it also makes this noise in neutral at low RPM.

Just tested the stator. getting 53, 50 and 2.6 ac. So..I have a bad stator. I know this effects the charging system. Does it also effect the spark in the plugs?

yes it will as the spark will be weak and gets worse with higher rpm's

 

[navymm1swaw]

I put some Seafoam in the tank (half can worth) and it sounds A LOT better. Thanks. Now that it is quieter, it seems like I have a misfire in one of the cylinders. Looked at plugs and all seem good. Guess i need to get a timing light and test spark to each plug and might get around to compression testing and carb sync.

Anyone ever done a carb sync? Doesn't sound too difficult (if I only had the gauge set). Local shop says it takes 2-4 hours at $75/hour. Looking at the repair manual, it seems like it should take, at most, an hour. Is that about right?

I am ordering a new stator and going to throw it in. Hopefully that fixes my electrical system problem.

 

[2580]

you have 1 or 2 partially blocked carbs. the low speed or pilot jets are the culprits. ?try a little sea foam but you must ride slowly or idle for this to work in the slow speed operation of the motor. a proper carb clean would be the better choice. an 1100 gw should not knock at slow speed. they do have a chatter sound if starting out in gear without the proper rpm's.

 

[navymm1swaw]

I thought that might be a problem (Carbs). Since I have used the seafoam, it has started to sound like a misfire or improper air/fuel mixture in one of the cylinders. Haven't been able to check spark yet.

I had gotten a used pump out of a yard and I forgot to clean it before putting it on because I was anxious to get home after mine failed 120 miles from home. It might have had something in it that made its way to one of the needle valves. Bike seems to run fine at high RPMs. I will try the idle and seafoam mix to see if that cleans it up. Would you recommend that I NOT ride it at all??

 

[2580]

if your stator is bad you should replace it before anymore trouble shooting is preformed. while the motor is out it would be a good time to clean the carbs. any good GW tech should be able to snyc carbs in 1 hr or much less, this is not a hard or difficult job.

 

[navymm1swaw]

Got'er Done!

OK. here is what all was done...

I knew I had a bad stator ($118) so when I pulled the engine, I had the carbs looked at ($150). EVERY Pilot Port was clogged so tight, a drill bit had to be used to open them up. Got them sync'd when all was done (included in the $150). I had checked the timing and it was dead on. I did retention the timing belts, they had gotten a little slack. I also replaced all brakes ($40), oil ($23 with filter), fuel filter ($7) anti-freeze ($8), patch a hole in the exhaust pipes ($75), replaced battery to a gel state battery ($81) and redid the wiring (had wires, switches and connectors on hand so free of charge). I also added a cigarette lighter/12V outlet ($7). A little tid bit of info... If you have an 82 GW and to have the engine guards, I HIGHLY recommend doing what I did. I added some aftermarket 55w fog lights ($23) to the GW. I hose clamped the light mounts to the engine guards. I know it sounds like it is rigged and looks bad, but it is a hardly noticeable mounting job. I am telling you, these lights add SO MUCH MORE visibility (about 4 times the lumen from what I had without them). I am able to see and be seen better; both of which is very important of a motorcycle rider. I have taken some photos and I will be posting them on www.dropshots.com/mmkids2 if you would like to see the bike log of pictures. I will be adding more when I find my other camera. I recommend taking pictures of the bike during breakdown for reference, especially the wires and hoses for where they go.
After getting the stator back in (changed the Phillips heads bolts out with hex head bolts($3) and lock-tited in ($6)), I started the tedious task of getting it all back together.
This is my first bike to work on and a buddy of mine, after seeing the pictures of parts everywhere, thought to himself, he ain't getting that bike back together. I do do a little with cars/trucks, so I figured not too much different.
I wanted to throw that in because if you have the repair manual, a friend (for actual engine removal for it is heavy) and a VERY LITTLE mechanical knowledge about motorcycles, then you should be able to pull the engine. I say very little because I know how to ride one and the automobile experience. I asked the guy that redid the carbs, how much I saved by doing this myself and he said about $3000. Yes the bike was down for about a week because I could only work on it part time and needed to wait on parts ordered online, but it is worth it to do it. The GW is SO much more enjoyable to ride. I have a 600 mile test run this weekend. I'll keep you posted. If you would like some information on what I did or If I can help you in any way with your GW rework, please feel free to e-mail via posting to this tread.

Thank you all for your help! I look to try and spread the knowledge to another winger.