88 GL1500 cranks no start


Information and questions on GL1500 Goldwings (1988-2000)
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GregSki
Posts: 12
Joined: Wed Feb 22, 2017 4:40 pm
Location: Bangor, PA
Motorcycle: 1988 GL1500A Aspencade
1982 CB900C Custom

88 GL1500 cranks no start

Post by GregSki »



OK - I did SO MUCH to this thing!

I was planning to take a trip from Pennsylvania to Florida, so I gave the bike a really good once-over. I pulled the heads, pulled the valves out and polished the valve seats with some grinding compound. I put everything together with new gaskets, got new timing belts, and got ready to go.

On the day I left, everything seemed fine. I went from Allentown PA to Frederick MD and the lights started blinking and then shut off. Then the bike shut off.

I knew right away my alternator had died and I sucked my battery dry.

So I had roadside assistance tow me to Walmart where I bought a new battery, poured in the acid, bought a charger, and limped to a hotel where I charged both batteries overnight. I was about 60 miles from a friend's house, so I ran on battery only to get there. (pulled the fuse for the headlight)

Stayed there a couple days waiting for my new alternator, and put it in when it arrived. Back on the road again!! FOR ONE DAY!

Anyway, I stopped for the night. Next day I got up and the bike wont fire up. The starter cranks. I pulled a plug and I have spark. I pulled ALL of the plugs and I see spark on all of them. I pulled the main hose off the fuel pump and turned on the key. Gas everywhere, so the fuel pump works. I put my finger over each cylinder plug hole and cranked the engine. My finger is forced off the hole for each cylinder, so I'm getting compression. New timing belts didn't break.

So, my question is: If I'm getting compression, spark at the right time, and fuel, what should I look at for a 'no start' condition? The bike will fire 1 or 2 cylinders the first time I try it, but I get nothing after that.


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Rambozo
Posts: 4036
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Location: Disneyland
Motorcycle: 1992 GL1500 Aspencade
Ducati Monster

Re: 88 GL1500 cranks no start

Post by Rambozo »

If you do have compression, fuel at more or less the right amount, spark at close to the right time, the only items you haven't mentioned is that you need are airflow both intake and exhaust. A rag in the intake or the old potato in the exhaust are great ways to keep an engine from starting. While not likely, since you didn't mention them, I did.
GregSki
Posts: 12
Joined: Wed Feb 22, 2017 4:40 pm
Location: Bangor, PA
Motorcycle: 1988 GL1500A Aspencade
1982 CB900C Custom

Re: 88 GL1500 cranks no start

Post by GregSki »

WOW. F'n WEIRD!!

OK, so I pulled another fuel line, one AFTER the filter. some air came out, and then the fuel started coming. I reconnected the line and it fired up.

11:30 at night, I have poked and prodded everything and it just fired up.

OK, well I guess I am fired up again.
GregSki
Posts: 12
Joined: Wed Feb 22, 2017 4:40 pm
Location: Bangor, PA
Motorcycle: 1988 GL1500A Aspencade
1982 CB900C Custom

Re: 88 GL1500 cranks no start

Post by GregSki »

...AND I harvested the tailpipe potato garden I had planted.
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landisr
Posts: 1123
Joined: Tue Jul 28, 2009 12:18 pm
Location: Gilbert, AZ
Motorcycle: 1994 GL1500A 208k miles All miles are mine
2004 Honda Silverwing 600

Re: 88 GL1500 cranks no start

Post by landisr »

FWIW: If it unfortunately repeats this behavior, and the alternator fails to charge, check the dogbone fuse CLOSELY.

Feel free to ref my horror story here:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=66360&p=387733#p387733

In a nutshell, my bike died as a result of no charge from the alternator. I won't go into the gory details of the overal experience, except that the symptoms were unreal as in flakey to me. Bottom line, the dogbone fuse had blown so the alternator wasn't getting a "feed" to charge. The bike would run with a blown db fuse once it was started. Silly me; I thought that fuse was a "MAIN" fuse that ran everything.

Oh well, hopefully you have everything ironed out.

Ron in AZ
I'm not so sure about an inner child, but I have an inner idiot that surfaces every now and then.. :mrgreen:

Avatar taken at the Pine Breeze Inn, famous from Easy Rider.
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WingAdmin
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Posts: 23881
Joined: Fri Oct 03, 2008 4:16 pm
Location: Strongsville, OH
Motorcycle: 2000 GL1500 SE
1982 GL1100A Aspencade (sold)
1989 PC800 (sold)
1998 XV250 Virago (sold)
2012 Suzuki Burgman 400 (wife's!)
2007 Aspen Sentry Trailer
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Re: 88 GL1500 cranks no start

Post by WingAdmin »

landisr wrote: Tue Jul 16, 2024 10:46 am FWIW: If it unfortunately repeats this behavior, and the alternator fails to charge, check the dogbone fuse CLOSELY.

Feel free to ref my horror story here:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=66360&p=387733#p387733

In a nutshell, my bike died as a result of no charge from the alternator. I won't go into the gory details of the overal experience, except that the symptoms were unreal as in flakey to me. Bottom line, the dogbone fuse had blown so the alternator wasn't getting a "feed" to charge. The bike would run with a blown db fuse once it was started. Silly me; I thought that fuse was a "MAIN" fuse that ran everything.
If you suspect the dogbone fuse, REMOVE it and inspect it. They can crack almost invisibly, and you won't see it until you remove it (at which point it will break into two pieces). This can also cause intermittent problems as the crack can open up with heating/cooling cycles.


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