• Required reading for all forum users!!!

    Welcome!
    Register to access the full functionality of the GSResources forum. Until you register and activate your account you will not have full forum access, nor will you be able to post or reply to messages.

    A note to new registrants...
    All new forum registrations must be activated via email before you have full access to the forum.

    A Special Note about Email accounts!
    DO NOT SIGN UP USING hotmail, outlook, gmx, sbcglobal, att, bellsouth or email.com. They delete our forum signup emails.

    A note to old forum members...
    I receive numerous requests from people who can no longer log in because their accounts were deleted. As mentioned in the forum FAQ, user accounts are deleted if you haven't logged in for the past 6 months. If you can't log in, then create a new forum account. If you don't get an error message, then check your email account for an activation message. If you get a message stating that the email address is already in use, then your account still exists so follow the instructions in the forum FAQ for resetting your password.

    Have you forgotten your password or have a new email address? Then read the forum FAQ for details on how to reset it.

    Any email requests for "can't log in anymore" problems or "lost my password" problems will be deleted. Read the forum FAQ and follow the instructions there - that's what we have one for...

  • Returning Visitors

    If you are a returning visitor who never received your confirmation email, then odds are your email provider is blockinig emails from our server. The only thing that can be done to get around this is you will have to try creating another forum account using an email address from another domain.

    If you are a returning visitor to the forum and can't log in using your old forum name and password but used to be able to then chances are your account is deleted. Purges of the databases are done regularly. You will have to create a new forum account and you should be all set.

Possible petcock problem/taking off gas tank?

  • Thread starter Thread starter BBoh21
  • Start date Start date
B

BBoh21

Guest
Hey guys, super beginner here with a super beginner question. I started on a valve adjustment for my 79 550e yesterday. Started with taking off the tank. The guide says to unhook the vacuum and fuel line from the petcock in order to take the tank off. When I went to pull off the first line, which I believe was the fuel line (it ran from the petcock to the carbs), gas was coming out at a steady rate. The petcock was set to on, so this shouldn't be the case, right? With the line connected correctly, there isn't evidence of a leak anywhere that would lead me to believe that gas was constantly running into the carb bowls. No gas beneath the bike, oil level steady in the sight, etc. Am I doing something wrong? If the petcock was broken and it leaked fuel constantly into the bowls, wouldn't there be evidence of a leak?
 
Your petcock is indeed bad if it's providing fuel with it in the on position. The reason you don't have any leakage after the tank is because your float bowl valves are in good working order. The vacuum operated petcock is designed as an added safety measure incase of a leaking float bowl valve. You need to replace the petcock ASAP as it can create some big issues when (not if) one of your floats begins to leak.
 
Are you sure it was in the ON position? Should have the lever pointing DOWN.

JT is right, you are lucky that your float valves are in good condition.

There are "petcock rebuild kits", but the overall success rate seems to be about 10-15% on those, so rather than waste your time on money on one, then having to get a new petcock anyway, just bite the bullet and get the new petcock first.

.
 
Yeah the petcock was definitely facing down in the on position. I also moved it to both res and prim while leaking to see if it would stop it (surprise: it didn't).

The previous owner said he went through the carbs not too long ago, which I'm assuming is why the float valves are in as good a shape as you guys say. When I bought it off him a couple weeks ago it was running fine, but now won't start anymore. Would this be the problem for that?

With some help on here it seems it needed a valve clearance adjustment (where this fiasco started) and/or carbs cleaned. I didn't think he lied to me about him just cleaning the carbs, which it appears he didn't, so I don't think that's the problem.

Also, looking at new petcocks, if I were to order a "petcock assembly" (1-3 on the link) would that include the gaskets, rings, etc. as well, or do I need to order all those separate parts along with that?
http://www.partsoutlaw.com/oemparts/a/suz/50d3f5a0f8700230d8b4c700/fuel-cock
 
Last edited:
Item 1 should contain everything needed including the gasket between the petcock and the tank.
 
When you order your petcock, be sure to also get items #4 and #6. (Note that you will need two of #6.) Sometimes you will get #4 with the petcock, but it won't hurt to have a spare.

With regard to "carb cleaning", some people think that dropping the float bowl and spritzing some carb cleaner spray in the general direction of the jets constitutes "cleaning the carbs". As you might have guessed there is a little more to it than that. Click HERE for your own key to our library, then click HERE for the carb rebuilding guide.

While you are visiting the library, be sure to check out the valve adjustment tutorial. If you have questions (and you certainly will), be sure to ask.

.
 
So far every OEM petcock I've ordered has come with the item #4 gasket. It's part of the assembly #1. Aftermarket petcocks are a crap shoot on if they include that part or not. Agreed that #6x2 is going to be needed as well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top