Clicking Petcock Noise-- ANNOYING!!

[Anonymous]

1980 GS550e

I am getting a very stange clicking sound coming from my tank. Put your ear up to the thing and it definitely comes from the petcock region. When the fuel level gets around half and lower, the sound becomes really loud as the tank gets more reverberant. Now i have the vaccum kind of tap so maybe it is a valve that is making the sound. Otherwise the darn thing works fine. Has anybody heard of this? Is there a fix?

[focus frenzy]

very strange, I have never heard of anything like that.
I suppose that it may be possible that it is the petcock vacuum plunger slapping open and closed due to extreme pressure changes on the vacuum supply line.
how long has it been since the last time you adjusted the valve clearances?
check the vacuum line to the petcock for any cracks or leaks.

[Anonymous]

I would have to say it sounds more like a problem with the fuel gauge sender... It does have a fuel gauge I assume ? Does it happen at all times or only when it gets tht low? If it is only below a certain level, I would not belive the petcock.. Like Leon said though, there is not much to the petcock assembly.....put it to prime and see if it still happens. That bypasses the need for a vaccuum all together. Let us know what you find out !!

[Anonymous]

The gs550e doesn't have a fuel gauge... I think only the L version did. The sound comes when the fuel level is lower. Usually just below half. I don't understand how I can change my existing petcock to prime when it is a vaccum kind though.

Travis

[Anonymous]

Travis, simply putting the petcock to prime will not stop the sound if it is caused by the vaccum unless you remove the vaccum line as well. If your petcock has a prime setting, put it to prime, remove the vaccum line, then start the bike and listen, if the sound is gone, then that means it is something to do with the vaccum, if the sounds still there it's something else. If you don't have a prime position I'm not sure how you could check it. Good luck.