Hi, I have a petcock that is leaking badly in the on position and dripping slowly in the reserve position. I also have sone drips from the carbs in certain spots. I am going to fix the petcock first and then see what problems are gone. How many other problems can my leaking petcock cause and any tips, tricks, and advice to help when I drain and remove my fuel tank? I am kinda a backyard mechanic and know a little bit but any help would be great even if its something I might already know! Thanks, Jeff PS the bike has only 4,750 miles on it.

 

Hi and welcome aboard. Rebuild kits are readily available to rebuild your petcock.



The usual suspect is that round disk lookin' thing with the five holes in it...they disintegrate over time, and allow leakage. That's the least of your worries. That lil' disk becomes little particles that jams up your carb floats, causing your engine to flood out while rolling down the road. It can be miles and miles later and the addition of seven new colorful descriptors to your vocabulary before you figure out what is sabotaging your bike.

Tank removal is pretty straight forward......First, remove the seat. At the base of the fuel tank where it meets the frame there'll be a bolt securing the tank to the frame....remove it. Put your fingers under the tank below where the bolt you removed was and gently lift up. Once you have it raised a few inches, jam a rag under the tank to support it. You should now have enough clearance to disconnect the wiring connector to the fuel level sending unit on the right side. Next, disconnect the two hoses from the petcock. One is a vacuum line, the other [larger in diameter] is the fuel line. You should be able grasp the tank from the bottom and top, lifting up and back and it's all yours.

The petcock is vacuum actuated.....gravity won't have much effect on things once you have the tank off. You can set the tank in a spot that will allow you to remove the petcock and catch the gasoline in a container. Having the petcock in the "ON", "OFF" or "PRI" or whatever it says on your petcock won't mean much as long as there isn't any vacuum available to open the petcock.

As far as the carburetor leaks.....is this a running bike, a project......let's get some history and current status out there so we aren't blindly stabbing in the dark, killing the patient with good, misguided intentions. Kinda like calling in a gunshot wound on yer buddy....one to the foot can seem bad. One to the chest is worse and deserves another level of attention. Think of this as describing things to the EMT's that are comin' to stop the blood flow. If you have access to a camera, pictures are worth thousands of words. There are trouble shooting methods and diagnostics to help you with all this, we just need to get on the same page as to what we are dealing with.

Motor sickle wrenching skill might best be described as a progressive acquirement...through time, experimenting, study, tool possessing [leading one into all seven of the deadly sins, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, and the worst...Pride]. It all begins with the purchase of usually two screwdrivers and spirals out of control from there.

Most begin their foray into wrenching by tackling maintenance issues.....oil change, filter cleaning and replacement. In time, the tires...

Going straight for the carburetors right out of the chute might not be a good idea at this stage of your mechanical development. I hate to be a wet blanket, but there ain't much of a learning curve in taking apart the carburetors and repairing them and re-assembling them and syncing them.....kind of like letting the Nurse's Aid that started yesterday do open heart surgery tomorrow. I can foresee some problems. A lot of this depends on if the carburetors have gasket / seal problems or sticking floats. And if the bike has been sitting for an extended period of time. That's why it helps to know a little more about the history and current running status.

 

Hi, and thanks for the excellent info! According to the second quick flip owner of the bike, he purchased it from a widow whos husband was the original owner of the bike. He died, the widow stuck it in a barn and there it sat until her grandson had some sort of carb service done on it to get it running. I test drove it before purchase it started and still starts right up when I want. It idles good and runs good at higher rpms as well. I will take some pics later so I can get you details on where the drips on the carbs are coming from so you can help in more detail. And I greatly appreciate your willingness to help my man. If it wasn't for the internet I wouldn't have learned half of what I have already. No leaks of any kind under the bike , just carb drips and petcock. Sorry if my thoughts aren't organized and my typing is bad , I am using swype on my smartphone and waiting for my rig to get loaded, I, work as local p and d for a freight company in the Chicagoland area. Thanks again!

 

Btw , you had me laughing a lil bit as well, lol

 

I'm thinking the petcock issue is related to your carburetor dripping issue. That packing / lil' round disk thingy with five holes in it in the rebuild kit picture crumbles into tiny little pieces and they make their way into the carburetor float bowls where they work perfectly to hang up the float needle and let gasoline overflow from the carburetors and instill fear and regrets for buying the bike in the owner. Stay brave.

Hopefully, fixing the petcock leak, doing a good job of cleaning out the fuel tank and lines and finally flushing the carburetor float bowls [Sailors and Neanderthals can do this] will make you whole and happy. And remember.... you are not alone....at any given time, day or night, rain, cold and even flu season, there are underwear clad, half drunk, unshaven men sitting at keyboards somewhere competitively waiting to offer expert guidance and advice. For some, it is life itself.

 

Lmao, thanks. I certainly had a thought or two about what I might have gotten myself into when I saw the leaks other than the petcock. I will sleep a lil better tonight. I will do exactly what you recommend and send some pics soon. Thanks my friend!

 

Hi, Hopefully these carb pics are useful. I tried to point at the fuel moisture and drip areas to specify the problem areas. I can get specific on which number carb each picture is if it is necessary for diagnosing anything. Time to make the doughnuts now......Thanks!

 

...."It all begins with the purchase of usually two screwdrivers and spirals out of control from there."

OMG; more true words were never spoken. Well-said, Fuller.

 

[QUOTE]And remember.... you are not alone....at any given time, day or night, rain, cold and even flu season, there are underwear clad, half drunk, unshaven men sitting at keyboards somewhere competitively waiting to offer expert guidance and advice. For some, it is life itself./QUOTE]

lmao, I am still trying to figure out which one to omit in my seasonal life pace.....lol

great info fuller

 

So I pulled the tank, and I am in the process of replacing all the vacuum lines and the fuel line/filter out of the petcock. Remarkably the fuel was nice and clean and I didn't see any signs of rust in the tank. I took apart the petcock via a video on utube and to my surprise the gasket with the 5 holes was remarkably in excellent shape. I performed a trick on the backside of the petcock via the video and gave the spring for the plunger some more springiness, inspected the paper thin gasket as well cleaned up the sealing surfaces and put the petcock back together. I need to replace the gasket where the petcock enters the tank (which will be here today) and add my new lines/ hoses and hopefully my issues with fuel leakage will be gone. If not I will purchase a manual petcock and go from there. And then, if all elses fails I will beg Mr. Malarkey to make me wise!