Leaky gas fitting - VM Carbs

[Sandy]

I just got the GS1000 back together, primed the carbs, pulled the choke hit the starter and WOO HOO back to life. I did notice a faint smell of raw gas however, OH OH! Turns out the fuel inlet t-fitting between the number 2 and 3 carbs decided after 26 years to retire and is now slowly dripping fuel. Guess I should have bench tested the carbs first. Neither that fitting nor the straight ones between carbs 1 and 2 and between carbs 3 and 4 are available anymore. Checked Alpha, Bike Bandit and Suzuki Canada, no parts. These particular fittings have a molded rubber sleeve and not O-rings. Does anyone out there know where these are available from or know of a way to repair the old ones. Part numbers in question are, T-fitting 13685-45040 1 required, Straight fitting 13685-45030 2 required. If I soak it in ATF or fork oil for a week it'll probably swell enough to use but really would like to fix it. Please, please please help, I got insurance and the sun is shining.

[Jackrp]

Re: Leaky gas fitting - VM Carbs

I just got the GS1000 back together, primed the carbs, pulled the choke hit the starter and WOO HOO back to life. I did notice a faint smell of raw gas however, OH OH! Turns out the fuel inlet t-fitting between the number 2 and 3 carbs decided after 26 years to retire and is now slowly dripping fuel. Guess I should have bench tested the carbs first. Neither that fitting nor the straight ones between carbs 1 and 2 and between carbs 3 and 4 are available anymore. Checked Alpha, Bike Bandit and Suzuki Canada, no parts. These particular fittings have a molded rubber sleeve and not O-rings. Does anyone out there know where these are available from or know of a way to repair the old ones. Part numbers in question are, T-fitting 13685-45040 1 required, Straight fitting 13685-45030 2 required. If I soak it in ATF or fork oil for a week it'll probably swell enough to use but really would like to fix it. Please, please please help, I got insurance and the sun is shining.

I was looking at my 79 GS850 manual (same type carbs) and I would be 99% sure that your carbs have orings on those tubes(even though not shown in diagrams) in question,as Suzuki would and has always just list the part(tube) and not the oring on it, unfortunately you'll have to seperate the carbs to gain access, I had my carbs apart and there was orings on those tubes, a good auto parts store should have a selection of orings you could use at pennies a piece,Those orings do get tired after 25 years or so. you will need an impact driver to seperate or remove the carbs from that fitting they are screwed to.

[Sandy]

Thanks for your response Jackrp, but I have mine part again and it has a molded rubber sleeve with two raised bands on the parts that slide into the carbs, not o-rings as one would assume. That would be too easy to fix. LOL.

[bgk]

Sandy,

I had this problem about a year ago, and got the replacement part at my local Suzuki dealer (Bettencourt Honda/Suzuki, West Bridgewater, MA, USA). As I recall, both types of T-fittings were/are available: the O-ring type and the raised-ridge type.

Look up Bettencourt's phone number or web address, email, etc. via internet search engine, and they should be able to help you out. As I recall, the cost was about $30 per T-fitting.

[SqDancerLynn1]

I was under the impression they have been discontinued for some time ???
You can have a replacement made not cheap! check with www.motorcyclecarbs.com

[Sandy]

I was under the impression they have been discontinued for some time ???
You can have a replacement made not cheap! check with www.motorcyclecarbs.com

Yeah, I phoned a few more places that might have NOS stuff and no luck. Called the guys at motorcyclescarbs.com and they wanted $39.95US plus $6.95US shipping and said it would take about three weeks and I had to send them a sample. What's chances of my only part getting lost plus all the extra charges and time to get the part in and out of Canada. Needless to say I passed on that one too. But necessity being the mother of invention I found a real easy cheap and what looks to be permenant fix. The inner T-fitting and the straight tubes between the other carbs have a shoulder on them that fits up fairly snug up against the carb bodies, not real tight. So I did a small chamfer on the opening of the carb bodies, about a 1/16", installed a small diameter O-ring at the shoulders of the fuel tubes, put the whole thing back together and as I tighten the carbs onto the rack it compressed the O-rings into the chamferred area giving me a nice tight new seal. Just make sure the T-fitting is pointing the right direction when you tighten everything up because if you move it afterwards there could be a chance of tearing the O-rings. Oh yeah make sure you use good quality o-rings that gas is not going to affect. I got mine from a buddy who runs a local transmission shop. It's being sitting on prime now for about thirty hours and not a drop. WOO HOO!

[SqDancerLynn1]

Thats a fix that should go in the carb repair series

[Sandy]

Thats a fix that should go in the carb repair series

I unfortunately didn't take any photos when I had it all apart. It is fairly basic though so maybe in the next couple of days I'll work on it in a little more detail. Thanks for the idea.

[KEITH KRAUSE]

Glad you got it fixed Sandy. That darn "T" fitting has given me trouble in the past too. I don't know why they ever made that rubber coated design. The one's with o-rings are the way to go.

[Sandy]

Glad you got it fixed Sandy. That darn "T" fitting has given me trouble in the past too. I don't know why they ever made that rubber coated design. The one's with o-rings are the way to go.

Yeah it's a real stupid design. Do you know of any of the newer fittings that take the o-rings that will work as a retro fit? The parts diagrams for the all the GS1000's with the VM carbs only show this fitting.

[KEITH KRAUSE]

Sandy, I'm not sure what other bikes have carbs that use the better "T".
I rebuilt BGK's carbs and had problems with his rubber coated "T". He found a shop (he mentioned) that sold him the o-ring type and it worked fine. Before that, I installed two other seemingly good condition rubber coated "T's" and they both felt looser than his.
If we couldn't locate the better fitting, I was going to try to modify the stock part. One idea was to remove the rubber coating and replace it with the correct thickness of rubber tape. Another idea was to carefully melt a groove(s) into the rubber and install the o-rings from Robert Barr's kit into the new grooves. Didn't need to find out how that would have worked.
I seem to remember many years ago finding the o-ring "T" at a salvage yard from a Kawasaki KZ650 if that helps.

[Sandy]

I think the fix I found will be a permanent one and it was real simple. It's good to have something else up my sleeve though just in case it's not. Guess I'll know for sure a year fom now. I live out in the boonies so it's not easy to just go try different parts to see if they fit. Thanks for the info.

[KEITH KRAUSE]

I think your way of repairing the leak was a good idea. Like you said, as long as you don't try swiveling the "T", you'll be fine.