Petcock is moist/wet - fuel dripping slowly

[cometa]

is it normal for my petcok to be moist/wet? also, a little drip of fuel drops from the front most screw connecting the petcock to the fuel tank every 10-15 seconds. i don't think the drip can cause the moisture build-up which seems to be all over the petcock.

what can i replace/clean to stop this leak?

is the moisture on the petcock okay?

thanks!

btw... i don't have clamps to hold down the two tubes connecting to the petcock, but i ordered some today - are they crucial?

[Redman]

You will want to do something about this.

You say it is dripping from the flange up against the tank as opposed to leaking from the lever area. There is an oval o-ring that is suppose to seal between the petcock body and the tank. I'd say you might want to inspect that.

You decide if you think it would be easer to drain tank to take off the petcock. Or maybe easier to remove tank so you can turn tank over to get better inspection.

Taking off tank is not that hard, and is something thath has to be done before can do lots of other things, so is something you will want to learn to do before to long anyway.

[cometa]

thanks for your reply,
i actually took off the gas tank today. i needed to check how much rust was in my tank (a different post). i noticed the "o-ring" you spoke about, because i'd seen it mentioned elsewhere. however, the o-ring looked fine - i don't know what a bad one would look like. there was certainly some rust along the edges of the o-ring, and some other places. i didn't take the o-ring out because it seemed to be in there pretty snuggly. what should i look for exactly?

btw... the washers in between the screw and petcock seemed pretty bad. they looked kinda deteriorated. could that cause a leak?

thanks again for your help!!

[cometa]

update...

just went out to start the bike and it after about 2 minutes of warm-up. tuned petcock to reserve, bike started again for about 5 seconds then turned off. i think it's out of gas completely. if my petcock is leaking would that leak the reserve as well as main reservoir?

i just ordered a new o-ring, bolts, and gaskets for the petcock. should this remedy the problem?

thanks!

[chef1366]

That's not going to fix your petcock. A rebuild kit or new one will. Try Georgefix on Ebay for both. I don't know your year and model of bike.

[cometa]

thanks...

sorry, i have a 1980 gs550et, do you know if this will work (says '80 gs550lt): http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1980-...spagenameZWDVW

thanks!

[chef1366]

I bought the same one for my 80 and it works great.

[cometa]

I bought the same one for my 80 and it works great.

it says on the ebay description that it works for your model... don't suppose you know if our models are the same. or do you know if the 550e and 550l are the same? the pic on ebay isn't good enough for me to tell if it's exactly the same.

thanks for your help!

[chef1366]

If you have the petcock without the position lever but just a slot it is the one you need.

[cometa]

okay, thanks... i have the one with the lever, so i'll keep looking. bikebandit has one, a bit more expensive. are there any other places you can recommend.

[chef1366]

Do you have two lines coming out of it. One for Vacuum leading to your carbs and the other a fuel line leading to your fuel T

[cometa]

yes, it seems this one (ebay) won't work - seller just respond explaining that. it's $70 from bikebandit, kinda pricey...

[cometa]

is there any point in waiting for the new petcock o-ring, screws, and gaskets
that i already ordered to see if they help before ording a new one? or are you sure that that won't work?

thanks,

[justin caise]

You may want to try using the search feature here with the word 'petcock'. I think it was here that I read about a petcock rebuild being difficult and inadequate to the point of "better to just replace it".

Anyway, here are pictures of mine removed. http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e8...0/DSCN5546.jpg, the yellow stick thingy is the fuel tube and filter. http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e8...0/DSCN5548.jpg
GS1000 by the way.
I can get a better shot of the o-ring if you need one. It is still disassembled. I have a problem with mine in that when I unbolted it the nuts inside came loose from the tank, I had to retrieve them with a magnet, and I need to find a small Japanese guy to put his hand inside the tank to hold the nuts while I tighten it down. (I'll figure something out.)
Oh, and I don't yet know what the other opening in the tank is for. (?)
Anyone else know?
But note the two lines coming from the petcock itself; the one in the center uses suction (vacuum pressure) from the carb to open a rubber/plastic diaphram - think bathub drain plug - to allow gas to flow through. No suction no gas. Unless it is in 'Prime' position. Or if the diaphram is broken. I learned that all here folks!
It's a rite of passage they say. I hope there aren't many more.

But I'd say gas seeping to the outside is an o-ring problem.
I'll be watching this thread though, because I'd like to know if o-ring and common tank sealer (red-kote or something) is adequate, or if one needs to 'glue' the o-ring or something.
And where did you order the hose clamps from?

Justin.