Stupid Ass Question???

[sedelen]

does the petcock HAVE to be made for the 1979 and prior to work or can i buy one that fits on a newer GS from the 80's?

it seems difficult to find a new petcock for the 79.

True, the levered petcocks can be hard to locate in serviceable condition.

[gmoore]

i guess if the petcock is bad i'm looking at rebuild and crossing my fingers.

[cowboyup3371]

OK, i just realized that he thought maybe the petcock failed and that is why there was 7 quarts of oil.

that theory is vaguely possible but, the tank has been off the bike since i bought it and was only put on to start it. i also tested the petcock when i cleaned the surface rust out of the tank before i gave it a paint job.

so though it is possible and i will try to rule it out as a cause i still believe that the PO still had oil in the bike.

i will also try to test the petcock again, any good tests for the petcock to see if it's leaking?

If the "he" you refer to here was me, then yes that is what I thought only because I was taking him at his word. I would think that if you just overfilled it with a full 3 to 3 1/2 quarts it would have come back out on you as you filled it but I don't know that for a fact either.

[gmoore]

no disrespect cowboyup, i am very thankful for your input.

gregory

[gmoore]

soooo, cowboy up was right, it was gas in the oil.

luckily i have an extra one on the parts bike that seems to be working well enough to use until i give the other one a rebuild.

thanks guys!

[TheCafeKid]

soooo, cowboy up was right, it was gas in the oil.

luckily i have an extra one on the parts bike that seems to be working well enough to use until i give the other one a rebuild.

thanks guys!

Keep an eye on it anyway. A petcock that is bad may not necessarily run all the time. I've had a couple that were fine until the pressure in the tank changed from heat or whatever and then they gave out. Chased my tail for a while on that. Spring was weak, Oring weak. But still just strong enough not to flow freely.
Fill the tank, let it sit in the sun for a while and shed leak like a sieve.

Drain that gas, change the filter immediately. Then do it again in 50 miles.
I dunno about gas and oil becoming corrosive, but gassed out oil will not lubricate worth a crap, and will wash your important bits of much needed oil which could cause permanent damage. I think you'll prolly be ok here though.

[SVSooke]

Ran Old Yeller when I first got her with 7l of gassy oil in it a few times.No harm done that I can tell.While not a great thing to do these engines pretty tough so you should be fine.

[chuck hahn]

It may not need a full rebuild..maybe just some crap from the tank got thru..