why am i leaking gas?

[achim1313]

have a 80 gs850g.i was leaking some gas, getting about 80 miles a tank. so i took the carbs off and tried to clean them according to some guides around here. checked the petcock. now the hose from the petcock to the middle of the carbs is not sealing and leaking from there and I can't get it to stop. any suggestions? i'm sure they are some other things wrong so anyone around eastern indiana who wouldn't mind coming and looking at the bike? i'm leaving for college on monday and need to get it done asap. anyways thanks for any advice.

also just got the bike couple of days ago and went on a 500 mile ride and absolutely love this bike. reminds me of my 80 cb750 but on drugs.

[cowboyup3371]

Is the petcock on prime?

[achim1313]

no its on on. but it's just not sealing down there by the carbs and not quite sure why.

[cowboyup3371]

You'll get a welcome visit from Basscliff with a ton of information but you may want to check your hose connections first, floats second, and then even verify the petcock itself is operating correctly.

Here's his website - http://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff/

And welcome to the site.

[Planecrazy]

I was going to guess "bladder problem," but then I realized you were talking about the bike ... In all seriousness, I would investigate the petcock more closely. The 1980 petcocks are vacuum operated (unless, of course yours has been retrofitted with an aftermarket replacement) and don't even have a lever. If the petcock is no longer closing when there's no vacuum it could be flooding the carbs and causing leakage.

Do you see where it's leaking from, specifically? That might also help identify the cause... Good luck with it! Hopefully somebody else is close by that can lend a hand.

Regards,

[DanTheMan]

have a 80 gs850g.i was leaking some gas, getting about 80 miles a tank. so i took the carbs off and tried to clean them according to some guides around here. checked the petcock. now the hose from the petcock to the middle of the carbs is not sealing and leaking from there and I can't get it to stop. any suggestions? i'm sure they are some other things wrong so anyone around eastern indiana who wouldn't mind coming and looking at the bike? i'm leaving for college on monday and need to get it done asap. anyways thanks for any advice.

also just got the bike couple of days ago and went on a 500 mile ride and absolutely love this bike. reminds me of my 80 cb750 but on drugs.

The drugs it should make you think it's on is some sort of an amphetamine, not 'ludes. When you get it running right and crank it up to about 5500 RPM you'd better be hanging on to the bars, and whatever you do, don't armor all the seat! Welcome to the addiction, by the way.

[Larry D]

Where in eastern Indiana ? It's going to tough to get any of us Indy guys there this weekend because of the MotoGP.

You say you "tried" to clean the carbs as per this site. Did you run into some troubles ?

Welcome !!!!

[BassCliff]

Greetings and Salutations!!

Hi Mr. achim1313,

Fuel hose and vacuum line is cheap. Just replace it. All the rubber on your bike is 30+ years old and should be replaced. CLICK HERE for other sources of leaky carbs and stuff. CLICK HERE for hose information. And please visit my website for lots more GS850G lovin'.

I just stopped by to welcome you to the forum in my own, special way.

If there's anything you'd like to know about the Suzuki GS model bikes, and most others actually, you've come to the right place. There's a lot of knowledge and experience here in the community. Come on in and let me say "HOoooowwwDY!"....

Here is your very own magical, mystical, mythical, mind-expanding "mega-welcome". Please take notice of the "Top 10 Common Issues", the Carb Rebuild Series, and the Stator Papers. Now let me roll out the welcome mat for you...

Please click here for your mega-welcome, chock full of tips, suggestions, links to vendors, and other information. Then feel free to visit my little BikeCliff website where I've been collecting the wisdom of this generous community. Don't forget, we like pictures! Not you, your bike!

Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[achim1313]

really didn't look dirty at all so i was like yeaaaa these are clean enough for now.

new castle, 20 mins south of muncie, 40 mins east of indy

[cowboyup3371]

If you are talking about the carbs not looking dirty you will still want to soak them for a few hours if not a full day. When I did mine I was told about the small passages you can't see that can get clogged up very easily. Get some Berryman's.

[achim1313]

alright well the petcocks not leaking, the hose isn't leaking anymore but it's still leaking a bit out of the bottom of #4 carb (closest to the clutch right?) alright the exhaust smelled a bit like smoke. i don't remember my other bikes doing that. anyways thanks for all the input guys

[oldgsfan]

I think you have the same bike I've got. I had a leaking fuel issue a few weeks back that turned out to be the petcock.

I've got a vacuum petcock and it does have a valve on it that can be set to on, prime or reserve.

I was told the way to test if the petcock is bad is to simply pull the fuel line from the petcock with the bike turned off. If fuel comes flowing out despite there being no vacuum (because the bike's not running) then you've got a bad petcock.

I did that test. Gas came gushing out. I replaced the petcock and had no more problems with fuel leaks.

What I did have, afterward, was bits of rubber in my carbs from the failing petcock, so after I replaced the petcock, if you end up with bogging problems while your riding, it's likely because some of the bits of the petcock seals ended up in your carbs.

If you're leaving for college on Monday, that doesn't give you much time to do the work.

I got an OEM petcock from bike bandit, for a little less than $100. I liked it 'cause it was a straight swap for what was on the bike.

Good luck. Bass Cliff's site is hugely helpful and he also has a 1980 GS850 so you'll find a lot of info specific your bike.

[Steve]

have a 80 gs850g. ... now the hose from the petcock to the middle of the carbs is not sealing and leaking from there and I can't get it to stop. any suggestions? ...

My suggestion is to get the correct hose.

The correct hose for the fuel line is 7 mm inside diameter. What you will find at Auto Zone and other places is all American measurement, 1/4" and 5/16". The 1/4" is 6.25 mm, which will be very hard to stretch over the fittings. The 5/16" is real close to 8 mm and will be very loose on the fittings, requiring a clamp. The proper hose is also of a thin-wall construction, so it fits very well.

... The 1980 petcocks are vacuum operated (unless, of course yours has been retrofitted with an aftermarket replacement) and don't even have a lever. ...

Not quite true, Mr. Planecrazy.

I was rather dreading the acquisition of a bike with the "dreaded '80 petcock" when I got Junior.
I was very pleased to find that the G models have a 'normal' petcock, it's only the GL models without the lever.

.

[achim1313]

I


I got an OEM petcock from bike bandit, for a little less than $100. I liked it 'cause it was a straight swap for what was on the bike.

cycle recycle 2 about 40 mins from me has them for $60

i'm only leaking gas now on that 4th carb. think it needs rebuilt? if so what's a good kit to get?

[Steve]

The best "kit" to get is NONE.

If you are going to take the time to open up the carbs, do yourself a favor and do it completely and do it RIGHT.

After the carbs are COMPLETELY cleaned (not just spritzed a bit), put them back together with new o-rings from cycleorings.com.

.