1988 Honda GL 1500 Gold Wing Logo
Anonymous Posted on Dec 05, 2009

Why is my 1988 1500 so hard to start new plugs , new fuel pump ,new filters , and carbs redone

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  • Master 4,565 Answers
  • Posted on Dec 05, 2009
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Without the benefit of actually being able to look at a few things on the bike, I can only give you an idea. Since everything is new, there are two areas that could be a problem. The areas are in the fuel and compression areas.

I see you said that you had the carbs redone but the Gold Wing carbs have a reputation for not holding up very well. The carbs may have be rebuilt but they still might not be in the best shape. One other thing, since the bike uses an enricher system to start the engine instead of a choke, try starting the bike with the enricher on and the throttle fully closed. Some people try to "crack" the throttle when using the enricher circuit and this negates the purpose of the enricher. Leave the throttle completely closed and try that. Make sure the enricher works on both carbs too.

Next, you didn't say how many miles you have on the bike. Did you have a compression test run on the engine? If you have worn rings, a cam timing belt that is stretched, or valves that are not seating very well, you could be suffering from low cranking compression. This is cranking compression down around 50 psi or so. This is caused by the compression leaking down at the slow piston speeds when you're trying to get the engine started. Once started, the engine will run rather well but getting it started is a job. It might be time for a top end rebuild with new rings, cam drive belt, and valve job.

Testimonial: "thank for the info , the bike has 32,000 on it "

  • Anonymous Dec 06, 2009

    With that amount of miles on it, I'd definately run a compression test on the bike. It may be time for a top end refresh.



    What happens is at the slow piston speeds associated with starting the engine, the compression leaks down as the piston is traveling upwards resulting in a low compression by the time the spark plug fires. This leakage could be caused by several things. The rings could be worn, the valves not seating as they should or even the valve adjustment holding the valves slightly open. I've seen this latter problem many times on the early model Harly Sportsters that had solid lifters in the engine. During the summer when ambient temps were high, the valves were adjusted correctly. But, when the temp got cold in the winter, the bike would not start due to the contracting of the heads and cylinders causing the valve to stand open ever so slightly. Now your Gold Wing would not be subject to this same problem due to the fact that it has overhead cams but the valves could have worn enough so that they are standing open just ever so slightly, maybe as little as 0.001 inch. That's all it takes to cause this problem however once the engine is fired, it will run fine or at least it seems to as the piston speed is much higher when it's running. Do a compression test or a leak down test and you may find your problem.



    If that checks out fine, go back to the carbs. Like I said, the Gold Wing carbs are noted for not holding up very well. If they are allowed to sit up for a long period of time, the inside of the carbs will literally rot away. I've seen this on Gold Wings and bikes equipped with Dellorto (Italian) carburetors. If you take the float bowls off and the inside of the carb is very pitted or covered in a white powder looking mess, the carb is questionable.



    Make sure both of your enricher circuits are working as they should. The enricher circuits usually draws it's fuel from the very bottom of the float bowl through a very small hole. If this hole is plugged up with a piece of trash, you won't get any fuel to that enricher circuit.

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