help with old storage unit!

[blazerize]

I got an 1985 GL1200 on a trade this winter, and immediately figured out that from sitting for what I'm told for 8+years. The carberators needed to be rebuilt. Bought carberator kits and had friend rebuild for me. Reinstalled them today and fired her up, and was sadly greeted by a motor that was smoking so bad it filled my garage! I'm assuming its burning oil...not sure if the rings are siezed??? Please help!

[jeffandsharon]

Was it sitting on the side stand for a really long time? If so it is possible the engine oil migrated past the rings over time to the left bank and is the source of the smoke. It takes some time to clear the oil out to the point it stops fogging the garage.

It is a possibility that the rings have collapsed over time also. When we restore or reserect older cars that have been sitting for years and they smoke like a tire fire when we fire them up after years of sitting we normally do the following in this order.

1. Drain fuel system, rebuild or replace carb(s), drain crankcase and change the filter.
2. Replace the engine oil with a good quality engine oil and add 2 onces of Seafoam ler quart of oil and 1 once of Seafoam per gallon of gasoline.
3. Install new, properly gapped sparkplugs of the correct type
3. Start the engine and run it up to normal operating temp. Once up to normal temp, we continue to run the engine for 60 to 90 minutes at temp, all the while keeping an eye on oil pressure/oil level.
4. After 60 to 90 minutes of run time, we shut the engine down and pull the engine oil drain plug and remove the filter and allow it to drain until it stops dripping. BE CAREFUL, the oil will be approximately 200 degrees!
5. Install a new oil filter, fill the engine with the required amount of engine oil and drive the vehicle if it is indeed in suitable condition to do so. We normally drive our project cars for an hour in combined highway and city situations, and, if the rings are going to come back, you should see the smoke deminish to very little to none. A lot of the time, if it tapers back to very little, more drive cycles will finish re-sealing the rings. NOTE: Do not suspect the rings if the smoke does not stop, as valve stem seals may be the culprit, and they can be changed with the heads on!

Try the above and see what happens, then you can go from there. I am not a Goldwing tech, but where I have worked, we have reserected many cars, trucks and tractors that have been parked for 10+ years and have had good luck in 90% of them. I hope I have been of some help!

[f1xrupr]

Good advice above. Be careful and don't loose the big washer on the oil filter. Please be advised; running timing belts that are that old is extremely risky-if one breaks, it will ruin the engine. It's a good chance that that engine is ok. How many miles is on it?

[jeffandsharon]

My bad! I meant to include timing belts too.... Glad someone caught that!

[dingdong]

How about a little more history. What else have you done other than rebuild the carbs? Such as, have you changed the oil etc.?

[blazerize]

How about a little more history. What else have you done other than rebuild the carbs? Such as, have you changed the oil etc.?

No, have not changed oil yet. Planning on doing that next. Wanted to hear run first, which it does. Wondering about the timing belts? Not sure how much $$$ I want to throw at the ole girl! She spent the last year's under a tarp under a pine tree for who knows for how long. The guy I got from wasent sure how long it sat?? The chrome is pretty bad, the windshield is really bad ( no see thru . Wondering if my $$ would be better spent on something that runs and something that has some service records? Should I Atleast change oil and filter and run for an hour or so? Should probably call fire dept and let them know that my garage isn't burning down this time tho!! My wife came into garage and was not impressed with me new mosquito fogger!!! Lol.
Thanks for any and all info!

[f1xrupr]

Soap (awesome cleaner from dollar tree for green stuff and tree sap) and water, sos pad or wet aluminum foil on chrome,Meguiar's PlastX on windshield (walmart)...then" reconsider. It takes patients to mess with a oldwing, and, don't keep up with the cost-it's more about owning one of the best bikers ever made, and a antique at that. If one of the timing belts breaks, it will be easier to make your decision. I think they are about $20.00 each at parts store (gates belts) x 2. Check this site for cross reference part#.

[auctioneeral]

Timing Belts Gates T070 Timing Belt

[dingdong]

You really need to, at the least, change the oil. After sitting that long there could be coolant in the oil, water in the oil or even fuel in the oil. May be why it is smoking.....

[blazerize]

Well....changed the oil with new filter and fired again and "hell yes . It stopped smoking and runs amazingly well!! Thanks again for all the advice, it helped a lot someone asked how many miles on my bike. #37000. Which is not alot as I've learned. Still wondering about putting new timing belts? Probably should! My next BIG hurdle is clutch and brakes. When I drug into garage, the front brake had the front tire locked up! Talked to a couple different bike mechanics, and got two different diagnoses. First--- the calipers and rubber lines are bad. Asked if caliper rebuild kits where in order? Was told to and found new front and rear calipers on eBay for less than rebuild kits cost.( good seller reviews)
Second-- " it is just you're master cylinders ". Was told to empty out system of all old fluid and use air pressure to blow back up to master cylinders to blow out reservoirs. Onto the clutch... Took cap off of reservoir and inside is what looks like brown jelly!!! Not sure where to go from here on my latest issues??? You guys have been an AWESOME help! Thanks again

[f1xrupr]

Hey...ya might want to be sure and keep your gas off while not in use-those carbs are unpredictable, and a hydrolock can do damage. You might research that ...

[HawkeyeGL1200]

Timing belts are about $12 each. You can order them from RockAuto.com

Brakes aren't hard to rebuild... calipers I mean. Best to drain and flush the fluid in the brakes anyway, from sitting under a tarp for so long. I would also NOT ride on tires that had been sitting stationary outside, as they're probably unsafe... so, you probably need 100-200$ in parts (plus tires which I always expect to change on ANY bike I buy) and a few hours labor to get the bike up and running by the sound of it.

[dingdong]

Good going. Don't put off changing the belts. That would be a top priority for me. Be careful when ordering after market parts. There is a seller out there that I don't recommend called Saber Cycle. Many horror stories about their service and the quality of their parts.

[WingAdmin]

With the state of the brake fluid, I would probably rebuild all master cylinders, clutch slave, and brake calipers. By the time you finish, you'll be quite good at it, and you will know your brakes are in top shape.

As for timing belts, they should be a top priority. I wouldn't run the bike without first changing them. Sitting in storage is about the worst thing possible for timing belts, and if one goes, it will damage - or destroy your engine.