petcock question

[Surly]

the saga of the petcock continues....

78 GS1000E is the bike. i took the petcock apart because the stopper appeared to be hanging up. here's the question: in the back plate where the vacuum nipple is, there appears to be a small diphragm inside. this is not servicable. mine appears to have a small hole in the middle, so i can suck and blow thought the nipple, allowing air to both come and go. anyone know if that hole is supposed to be there?

now this isn't the main diaphram, this one is captive in the plate with the vacuum nipple, underneath the small brass pug with the hole.

assembled, the petcock holds air. so the diaphram is good to go.

i know one of you has been right where i am now. hoping to save $65 by rebuilding instead of buying. for those who have replaced one and still have the old one around, i'd appreciate a quick check.

thanks.

[Guest]

Spend the $65 and forget about it.
I've read one too many bad experiences with the rebuild kits.

[twr1776]

Second the new petcock. Flatout has them for 54.00 and you can worry about it in another 29 years.

[gswanna]

i just bought 1 for 1982 650 gl from the dealer it was $61.24 --you will only save $30-$40 if you rebuild -- for that kind of savings its well worth it to buy the new 1

[bucketsofgs1000]

I rebuilt my petcock and it still seems to leak through with the bike off and the petcock on run or reserve. And no it does not leak through the diaphragm. I read a post on here that discussed a method of modifiying the stock petcock to fill in some of the internal ports making it a off-run-reserve instead of prime-run-reserve petcock. I plan to do that modification this summer.

[ron bayless]

i bought one for my 80 gs 1000l and it costs 85.00.i now can ride my bike.how much is that worth?

[bwringer]

Hey, has anyone mentioned that it's not worth rebuilding a petcock? :-D

Look at it this way -- you're farting around with half measures on a critical component that controls the flow of a highly flammable and explosive substance just inches from your crotch. Not smart.

A petcock failure can also fill your engine with gas and cause hydrolocking and massive internal engine damage.

Standard Suzuki petcocks are high-quality items, but they only last about 20-25 years. Get a new one so you don't have to think about it again until about 2027 or so.

http://flatoutmotorcycles.com/fiche_select.asp

[Surly]

thanks for the advice

Okay. I am ordering a new petcock. However!

I am going to throw the old one back on one more time to see if the bike will now run (See my earlier post "out of action since september").

I have no doubt there is an issue with the petcock, but i think when i made that left turn last summer at almost full lock that my clutch cable did in the vacuum cable (which was old) by ripping into it at the petcock nipple. I didn't notice the tear because when I removed the hose, I didn't inspect it. I just noticed it the other day after the bike wouldn't start and I was disassembling the bike again.

A word of caution to everyone when you install lower bars, quadruple check your cable routing.

Of course, that is just my hypothesis. But we'll see. I'll post an update.

[jm_foote]

I rebuilt my petcock with no problem. But my diaphragm was in perfect condition.

If the diaphragm is involved, I agree, get a new one.