Petcock woes and solution

[Guest]

My fuel shut off--factory vacum style-- would leak by after a half tank. I purchased a rebuild kit to no avail. I then tried to stretch the spring thinking that it was weak but still it leaked by. So I disassembled the front of the shut off, put the lever in a vice and heated and bent the lever outward slightly so it would not hit the tank and ground off the nub on the face plate that prohibits the lever from turning all the way around and reassembled. Now the upward position of the lever is OFF, no more filling my engine with gas.

[bwringer]

Sorry, but the only safe solution to petcock problems is replacement.

Go to your favorite source for genuine Suzuki parts (not the idiots on fleaBay), spend the measly $40 - $60 for a completely new one, and forget about petcock problems for another 20 - 25 years.

Also, the rebuild kits are a complete waste of money and time. It's simply not worth taking any chances with an inexpensive and easy to replace valve that controls a deadly flammable substance six inches from your testicles.

[stain]

gas was not leaking EXTERNALLY but INTERNALLY. Now there is no way for the gas to get by

[Nessism]

Sorry, but the only safe solution to petcock problems is replacement.

Go to your favorite source for genuine Suzuki parts (not the idiots on fleaBay), spend the measly $40 - $60 for a completely new one, and forget about petcock problems for another 20 - 25 years.

Also, the rebuild kits are a complete waste of money and time. It's simply not worth taking any chances with an inexpensive and easy to replace valve that controls a deadly flammable substance six inches from your testicles.

I'm not doubting you but could you please explain why the petcock is not rebuildable? It seems to me that it "should" be possible to replace the seals/diaphragm shouldn't it?

[speedzter2000]

The only thing that went bad on mine is the diaphragm..it shrunk...

BWringer, what's wrong with the ones on e-bay??

[Nightmare]

I was lucky enough to find an "aftermarket" petcock that looked and functioned identical (down the the cut off for the casting) for 30 CDN$
I should get them to order a bunch more of them... only prob is it works ONLY for the 80 850L and it has no reserve

[bwringer]

Rebuilding is a crapshoot because the parts are often incorrect and/or low quality, and because the metal in the petcock housing often contains hidden corrosion that makes it impossible to achieve a good seal even with new rubber parts. Once in a while it works, quite often it doesn't, and then you're out half the cost of a new petcock. Why bother?

eBay is also a crapshoot simply because many sellers list incorrect application data. A lot of GS folks have been burned by this. They also charge the same prices as a reputable seller like CRC2, so there's not much reason for buying petcocks from eBay. And used petcocks are an extremely bad idea for what I hope are obvious reasons.

A petcock is a maintenance item like a battery or tires. It has a limited lifespan (about 20-25 years) and must be replaced when it wears out and begins to malfunction in any way. In my opinion, modifications are playing a dangerous, pointless game. With the time and ingenuity wasted on petcock hacks, you could easily earn the few bucks to buy a new one.

[speedzter2000]

Rebuilding is a crapshoot because the parts are often incorrect and/or low quality, and because the metal in the petcock housing often contains hidden corrosion that makes it impossible to achieve a good seal even with new rubber parts. Once in a while it works, quite often it doesn't, and then you're out half the cost of a new petcock. Why bother?

eBay is also a crapshoot simply because many sellers list incorrect application data. A lot of GS folks have been burned by this. They also charge the same prices as a reputable seller like CRC2, so there's not much reason for buying petcocks from eBay. And used petcocks are an extremely bad idea for what I hope are obvious reasons.

A petcock is a maintenance item like a battery or tires. It has a limited lifespan (about 20-25 years) and must be replaced when it wears out and begins to malfunction in any way. In my opinion, modifications are playing a dangerous, pointless game. With the time and ingenuity wasted on petcock hacks, you could easily earn the few bucks to buy a new one.

Wow. Now that you put it into words...it makes a lot of sense...
Thanks

[SqDancerLynn1]

The petcock rebuild kits THE O ring is too small also you need to clean the O ring contact area good with something like a pencil erraser

[onchiman]

You could also do as I did and just get rid of the silly petcock altogether. I bought an adaptor plate from z1 enterprises for my GS850. Then screwed a fitting with a 5/16 nipple into the plate, short piece of fuel line, a 12 volt solenoid valve (rated for gasoline of course), small fuel filter, then more hose to carbs (don't forget to plug the now unused vacuum port from the carbs). I wired it to go on and off with the ignition switch key. No more petcock to leak or fiddle with, it's all automatic. If you need to prime, just turn on the key, wait for 10-15 seconds then hit the starter. Works flawlessly. The only drawback is that you lose reserve, but on my bike I have a fuel gauge so it's no big deal. I had enough frogging around with those expensive and almost useless petcocks.