Rejuvenate Gasket ring for fuel cock?

[Guest]

I took my 81 400L apart in the fall so I could spend the winter repainting some of the parts, tank included. I took the fuel cock off, obviously. I had a look at it the other day and noticed a black gasket ring around the top where it meets with the underside of the tank, similar to the O-ring that goes around the cover for the oil filter.

The fuel cock gasket seems to be in good condition, not cracked or broken or anything, but I was wondering if there's something I can spray in it or soak it in to rejuvenate it and make it a bit more fresh before I put the fuel cock back on the tank come summer time.
Mineral oil?
Petroleum jelly?
Belt dressing?

Any info is appreciated.

Thanks!

[eil]

If it sealed fine before you took it apart, it should seal fine when you put it back together.

There's been talk about refreshing rubber bits via wintergreen oil, if you search the forum for just 'wintergreen,' you should be able to find some threads about the process. My non-expert assumption is that the effect is probably somewhat temporary, though.

Worst case scenario, you can buy a new gasket. I believe these are still available new for (almost?) all GSes. No guarantees they'll be especially cheap, however.

[fyarl666]

Worst case scenario, you can buy a new gasket. I believe these are still available new for (almost?) all GSes. No guarantees they'll be especially cheap, however.

Yeah that's the problem, I imagine that a new gasket is going to be either quite pricey or hard to track down. I'm mostly concerned that the gasket won't make a nice tight seal an fuel will leak from the tank.

I've heard that smearing a dab of petroleum jelly on parts that will have gasoline on or around them is an effective way to seal them. Does anyone know if this is correct?

[tom203]

I've heard that smearing a dab of petroleum jelly on parts that will have gasoline on or around them is an effective way to seal them. Does anyone know if this is correct?

Hmmm, gasoline is a good solvent- the jelly might last a few minutes- perform an experiment and find out!
That oval o-ring is less than $4 at suzuki dealers; get a pair of sealing washers for under bolts too. Those can be had at hardware store for about 35 cents- you want the 1/4 inch ones (good enough for 6mm bolts).
Best to not have gasoline dripping down on hot engine .

[MrFreeze60]

When I need a good O-ring, I always go to my local Tacoma Screw warehouse and get them. They have a great selection, and have both metric and SAE sizes.
If there isn't one nearby, go to any supply store and get them. I haven't bought an O-ring in probably 20 years for any of my bikes, unless it is a specialty size or has more than 1 or 2 bends.