noob mistake: tried to loosen the drain nut the wrong way and lost the threads

[Suzuki mad]

Sort the fuel leak first. Pull the pan cover off, get a gasket and have the hole time certed, refit and your then sorted.

If you look very close at the drain plug you will find a very flat crushed washer. If you tighten them up that tight they will only give you a little lip on the edge of the bolt as a give away.

 

[loud et]

Damn thats a lot of oil ! ( and gas) lol . We really need to UPGRADE the READ THIS BEFORE POSTING ANYWHERE thread. Need to make it more obvious to get new members INSTANTLY guided to a list of some sort with some top issues like petcock function (especially leverless) and that its a vaccuum system, explaination or what a real carb cleaning is V.S. a spray can, airbox v.s. pods explanation, why to get your bike running right before chopping it to make the baddest cafe anyones ever seen, etc....while they wait and hopefully read Cliffs page.
I downloaded my FREE manual and READ the thing and learned a lot about my bike. I ask noob questions too but I hope not at the ignorant level that many new guys do. I ATTEMPT to do the research, usually.
I consider myself a regular on here although not super active I am on a lot.
Dont take this personally RAM, its not directed at you. I know your pride is hurt enough with your plug mishaplol It does happen . I have snapped more bolts(when I know better then to force it), stabbed myself with screwdrivers, sprayed PB Blaster right into my eye....Bullseye! ouch!
Hang in there and read up on BikeCliffs welcome page for TONS of GS info...I think there is even a stripped drainplug tutorial to show you how to fix it. Good luck

 

[ram]

http://www.z1enterprises.com/searchresult.aspx?All=True&KeyWords=petcock

I think this one might work.
http://www.z1enterprises.com/Petcock-vacuum-Suzuki-1715.aspx

Thanks Billy !

Thanks Loud et! I usually keep searching., but today I was getting a lot of error messages while searching (website issue I guess).. thats why I posted this one!

 

[Billy Ricks]

I think this one might work.
http://www.z1enterprises.com/Petcock-vacuum-Suzuki-1715.aspx

Thanks Billy !

Thanks Loud et! I usually keep searching., but today I was getting a lot of error messages while searching (website issue I guess).. thats why I posted this one!

Looks like the right one. It's only about double what a kit cost so it's money well spent.

 

[loud et]

I think this one might work.
http://www.z1enterprises.com/Petcock-vacuum-Suzuki-1715.aspx

Thanks Billy !

Thanks Loud et! I usually keep searching., but today I was getting a lot of error messages while searching (website issue I guess).. thats why I posted this one!

No biggie man....I have trouble with the search function too

 

[ram]

Update

Update

I removed the fuel tank and removed to petcock for inspection. It seems to work fine. the parts look good and rubber seems in good condition.

After removing the tubes, I set the knob in ON position and it did not leak. I resumed to collect the gas on PRI position and changed it back to on when I had to empty my 1 gallon jug into my car (Canadian tire was selling this one at $4.99 , the 5 gallon one was around $19).

I opened the petcock and things looks fine. I just mouthed and the diaphragm seemed to do the work. spring looked clean.

I remember I had earlier turned the knob into PRI when the bike was off just to start it. I could be that the carbs could have dumped this into the oil chamber.

So Now I suspect that the carbs will have to be cleaned. Glad that I have the manual and BikeCliff's website handy. I will take photos and see how that one goes.

I just have one question about the drain pan. In order remove them, is it necessary to remove the exhaust so that the drain pan could be removed? I will be working with bike on the ground.

 

[DannyMotor]

Where is your vacuum valve spring?

 

[tkent02]

I removed the fuel tank and removed to petcock for inspection. It seems to work fine. the parts look good and rubber seems in good condition.

That's a good sign, but make sure it's not leaking, even slowly.

I remember I had earlier turned the knob into PRI when the bike was off just to start it. I could be that the carbs could have dumped this into the oil chamber.

It actually takes a long time to fill the crankcase with fuel. If it was only on Prime for a short time, it must be leaking slowly when it's on with the engine shut off.

I just have one question about the drain pan. In order remove them, is it necessary to remove the exhaust so that the drain pan could be removed? I will be working with bike on the ground.

Not sure about the pan coming off without the pipes. Some fit, some don't. Try it and see.

I would leave the gas tank off and lay the bike over on that stack of tires if it were me. I'm too old to work underneath something like that..

 

[ram]

Where is your vacuum valve spring?

Its not in the photo, I had cleaned it and kept it aside along with the screws.

 

[ram]

It actually takes a long time to fill the crankcase with fuel. If it was only on Prime for a short time, it must be leaking slowly when it's on with the engine shut off.

Question: If it leaks slowly, is it possible to see it dripping when you take the pipe out from the petcock?

I also spoke to the PO and he told me that carbs need to be cleaned and Petcock should be fine. I am not going to take his words completely, but atleast now., if they leak, I would be replacing it.

From what I have heard, this bike has been sitting and the floats on the carb could be stuck. I had taken it for a ride (10kms) after tire change and saw fuel leaking from the carb# 1.

Not sure about the pan coming off without the pipes. Some fit, some don't. Try it and see.

I would leave the gas tank off and lay the bike over on that stack of tires if it were me. I'm too old to work underneath something like that..

I might be able to push it down, but I dont have the muscles to get it straight again. This thing is massive!! I am going to go to the local salvage shop and see if they have one available.

 

[tkent02]

Question: If it leaks slowly, is it possible to see it dripping when you take the pipe out from the petcock?

There are two paths for fuel to get through the petcock into the crankcase.
One is a holed diaphragm, fuel flows down the vacuum line into the #2 carburetor, and into the intake port. The petcock will still function normally as far as shutting off the flow of fuel when the engine is off, and unless the hole is very big, it will still turn on the flow of fuel when the engine is running. To test for this, check for fuel in the vacuum line. You should be able to suck on the vacuum hose and not get any fuel.

The second path is by the rubber o ring not sealing properly, so the fuel cannot be shut off. It just leaks all the time. When it is on the bike, full tank, and with fuel in the line to the carburetor there is a vertical drop of over a foot, this creates quite a syphon. If the petcock can't seal perfectly fuel will flow slowly the whole time until the tank is emptied into the crankcase. If you take the hose off to look you lose the vacuum of the syphon, it is possible that it won't leak while you are watching it. A good test is to run a fuel line from the petcock down a few feet to a container with some fuel in it, go to prime to fill the hose, move it back to ON, mark the fuel level in the container, and go away for a while. If you come back and there is more fuel in the container than there was, you have a slowly leaking petcock. It only takes a few drops a minute to put a gallon or so onto your oil over time, very hard to detect a slow leak just by looking at it.

If you want a decent reliable motorcycle, just skip all the testing and buy a new petcock. The old one did it's job for thirty years, get a new one and forget about it for another thirty.

 

[BassCliff]

Hi,

Sorry I'm late with this. In addition to the "oil change" guide on my little website, you'll also find this:

Stripped Oil Drain Plug Repair

Yes, I stripped mine too and had to repair it. I thought it would be a good idea to replace the crush washer on the drain plug. It didn't get the right one at the auto parts store and I ended up stripping the plug. Oops.

Definitely sort out the leaky petcock/float valve issue. Gas in the oil is not a good thing. This might help:

[FONT=Trebuchet MS, sans-serif]Overflowing Carbs[/FONT]

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[ram]

Hi,

Sorry I'm late with this. In addition to the "oil change" guide on my little website, you'll also find this:

Stripped Oil Drain Plug Repair

Definitely sort out the leaky petcock/float valve issue. Gas in the oil is not a good thing.

Thanks BassCliff. I found a canadian company that sells the drain plugs online. I was not able to find anything in the stores. I was thinking of using the oversize 14MM - 1.5 with Piggyback so that I dont have to worry about messing it in future ( unless I get disoriented again..! )
http://www.cgenterprises.com/drain_plugs_oversize_repair.htm

Regarding the Petcock, I am not going to take chances., I will order a new one from links that I got from search. Can you tell me what is the mounting distance for a 1980 Suzuki GS850 GT?

 

[Guest]

For permanent fix, pull the oil pan and have a steel insert installed by a trusted bike or machine shop. Buy a new drain plug and a copper crush washer to fit. Make sure the new pan gasket is the thick one. Oh once you get it back make sure the slots on the insert are even with the bottom on the inside of the pan, this will insure all the oil will drain out. Just use a file or a dremel tool on the slots. I went with the oversize self tapping plugs for awhile, though those threads will eventually strip out the pan even more as well, mine did. So I did the steel insert, wished I had done that in the first place. No more stripping worries.

 

[BassCliff]

Hi,

For permanent fix, pull the oil pan and have a steel insert installed by a trusted bike or machine shop.

Yes. Or pick up a good used oil pan from eBay or one of the good members here.



Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[chuck hahn]

Hey Frank!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LMAO buddy.

 

[7981GS]

Thanks BassCliff. I found a canadian company that sells the drain plugs online. I was not able to find anything in the stores.
I was thinking of using the oversize 14MM - 1.5 with Piggyback so that I dont have to worry about messing it in future
( unless I get disoriented again..! )
http://www.cgenterprises.com/drain_plugs_oversize_repair.htm

The problem that I don't like, besides not fixing it correctly, is that with those piggyback plugs,
not only does it take forever to drain but, it leaves some dirty oil in the pan as the outer plug threads are taller than the bottom of the pan.

Eric

 

[ram]

UPDATE: plugs obtained

UPDATE: plugs obtained

The problem that I don't like, besides not fixing it correctly, is that with those piggyback plugs,
not only does it take forever to drain but, it leaves some dirty oil in the pan as the outer plug threads are taller than the bottom of the pan.

Eric

Thanks Eric, that brings a good argument also. Currently I am only going to drain it when engine is cold. So that could leave some pretty messed up oil there.

I am going today to local Salvage store (Toronto Cycle Salvage Inc) and see if they have something with them.

After searching at Canadian Tire and NAPA and returning empty handed, I went to Part Source and they had the Dorman M14- 1.5 oversize as well as the Piggyback one in stock. I am going to hold on to them until I find out if I ever will use them or not.

Today, I am going to remove the Carbs.

 

[tkent02]

The problem that I don't like, besides not fixing it correctly, is that with those piggyback plugs,
not only does it take forever to drain but, it leaves some dirty oil in the pan as the outer plug threads are taller than the bottom of the pan.

Eric

That can be fixed easily enough with a file.

 

[ram]

Finally I was able to remove the drain pan. I had to remove the Exhausts and lower them down to remove the pan.

I am getting another pan from the forum and will probably fix this pan for future use or give it to someone.