Petcock leak NO MORE

[feelergaugephil]

I have posted this a few times, so here goes again.....

Tired of the petcock leaking into the carbs/airbox/crank, easy fix for $3.00.
Go buy a in line fuel cut off switch, My GS1000 leaked, so I bought the petcock rebuild kit, what a waste of $$ that was, so I installed the cut off switch, never had a issue yet, been installed 3 years now, all I do when I have finished riding the GS, is turn the switch off, it doesn't leak EVER...

[Nessism]

This kind of repair sounds like a cheap getto repair - good to get you home if you are away on a trip or something. Unfortunately, adding a fuel cut off like you suggest is sidestepping the root cause of problem so I don't recommend this kind of repair as a long term fix.

Carbs overflow because the float needles are not holding back the fuel. If your float heights are set properly, and the needles and seats are in good working order, gas should not overflow out of the carbs even if the petcock is flowing all the time - such as it will if left on the Prime position.

If the petcock has failed and will not stop the flow of fuel when the vacuum source is removed, you are further at risk of fuel flowing backwards down the vacuum line and back into the engine. The proper long term fix is to replace the petcock.

[jed.only]

why dont you just turn the petcock off for FREE?

[tkent02]

why dont you just turn the petcock off for FREE?

Because it doesn't have an OFF position.

[feelergaugephil]

OK here's the deal, if your petcock leaks overnight, which they do give out on occasions, if you try to crank it with a crank case full of gas, GUESS WHAT! your buying a new or another crank, cos you just bent the conrods on 1-4 or 2-3.
I swear by them, cos the GS pet cock is useless........

Happy rider of a GS for 23 years................

Oh. and many years ago, I bent 1-4 conrod because the petcock failed.

[burp reynolds]

This kind of repair sounds like a cheap getto repair -

You're right, but it's the one I'm settling for until I find a source for new needles and seats...speaking of, where would you go for seats? I've seen needles a-plenty, but never any seats. And I'm not buying a whole four pack of rebuild kits.

[Nessism]

Not much cheaper than the entire kit... http://z1enterprises.com/detail.aspx?ID=2556

[burp reynolds]

Not much cheaper than the entire kit... http://z1enterprises.com/detail.aspx?ID=2556

13.30 X 4. For a bike with 60,000 miles. Unreal. I always ask myself, "W.W.T.D.I.A.F.F.S?" Or, "What Would They Do In Africa, For F***'s Sake?" So, there has to be some kind of hack that the ultra-remote desperate mechanic used when the nearest parts store was 2000Km away and the internet was merely the plaything of MIT students and The Wheelchair Guy. What was that hack?

If one were to mount a sacrificial needle into a drill and spin the tip around in the valve seats, one would run the risk of galling the seats, our would one? Perhaps the hardness of the needle and the softness of the seat would suspend galling, at least at first. What if one were to fashion a 'driver' for the needle out of a thin tube with an inner diameter just larger than the spring loaded rod at the back of the needle? And what if one were to use that driver and a very light hammer to gently seat the needle into the seat?

Oh, I'm mad, am I? ...Or am I the sanest man you've ever met?!!!

[tkent02]

If one were to mount a sacrificial needle into a drill and spin the tip around in the valve seats, one would run the risk of galling the seats, our would one? Perhaps the hardness of the needle and the softness of the seat would suspend galling, at least at first.

Use lapping compound, no galling. Spin the needle into the seat, like an intake valve.
It works sometimes.

I swear by them, cos the GS pet cock is useless........

They have worked fine for me for thirty years now on untold numbers of Suzukis.
If you are worried about the crank thing put an overflow in the float bowls like the pre EPA bikes had, so the gas can go someplace besides the crankcase.
Easy stuff.

[silverhorse47]

I don't think this is a "cheap ghetto repair" at all. If the needle valves in the carbies were meant to completely hold back the gas, why is there a petcock at all? And I think all bikes have a petcock.
If the diaphragm is leaking and not holding the gas back, what is wrong with an inline valve to shut off the gas? It serves exactly the same purpose as the diaphragm, is mechanical and not liable to failure, and is easy to install without dismantling the tank or carbs.
IMO there is nothing wrong with this type of sensible repair for an elderly machine. In fact, I think it is good mechanics, especially if the inline valve is of good quality and is capably installed.
It's kind of silly to insult realistic and affordable solutions to common problems on a forum for motorcycle repair.
S.

[feelergaugephil]

I don't think this is a "cheap ghetto repair" at all. If the needle valves in the carbies were meant to completely hold back the gas, why is there a petcock at all? And I think all bikes have a petcock.
If the diaphragm is leaking and not holding the gas back, what is wrong with an inline valve to shut off the gas? It serves exactly the same purpose as the diaphragm, is mechanical and not liable to failure, and is easy to install without dismantling the tank or carbs.
IMO there is nothing wrong with this type of sensible repair for an elderly machine. In fact, I think it is good mechanics, especially if the inline valve is of good quality and is capably installed.
It's kind of silly to insult realistic and affordable solutions to common problems on a forum for motorcycle repair.
S.

Ah! someone in agreement........ We used to use them on the older cars we had, and have it on the gas line under the drivers side, if someone stole the car, it would go maybe 2 blocks and then cut out......... and the thief would have no clue whats wrong with the car he just stole!

[argonsagas]

"cheap ghetto repairs"?

Sorry, but I fail to see anything wrong with simple solutions to surmountable problems.

Let's see.... just a few.....

The Bandit has a large staple taped in place between the wire ends on the clutch switch which failed, and the local Suzuki dealer could not find a replacement.

When the throttle cable failed on my year-old Celica I used bicycle cable .....$3 instead of $45. It performed flawlessly for the 7 years that I had the car.

My 1100G ignition switch sports a BB as a bearing, because on original bearing was lost.

The GK windshield is Lexan....cut and fitted in my garage.

Bent Guzzi crash bars were formed from stainless tubing and welded to the original plates after the originals had done their job in a crash.

The Guzzi clutch cable was fabricated from galvanized aircraft cable.



And the one that allows me to talk to you today:


Early 60's model cars came with no seat belts.....I bought aircraft lap belts, drilled the floors and installed them, using reinforcing plates.

When a large Chevy drove into us head-on, and the Mini-minor folded, pushing the steering wheel upwards against the roof, the belt held me in place, instead of being crushed to a certain death between them, and the friend who was with me was kept from going through the windshield, although his head did bump against it.



If any simple repair works, and especially if it works well, is there really anything more that you should reasonably ask of it?



.

[Nessism]

If your float needles are leaking to the point where gas is winding up on the floor, or in the crankcase when the bike is parked, you can be assured that the fuel level in the carbs will be too high for proper running while you are on the road. Time to fix the float needle problem if you care about feeding your engine the proper mixture.

Getting back to the petcock, if budget forces a fuel shutoff repair like the one proposed by Phil, make sure you remove the vacuum line and plug both ends. One of the classic failure modes for these petcocks is for fuel to flow backwards down the vacuum line and into the engine. If the petcock won't shut off the fuel flow it very likely could start leaking internally very soon; basically the petcock is a ticking time bomb waiting to dump fuel directly into the engine. Again I say, adding this fuel shutoff valve is not addressing the root cause of the problem but hey, do what you want.

[jwhelan65]

Agreed

I have to agree with Nessism, I had this same issue with my 1100. I had a mechanic talk me into adding a cheap shut off valve. It worked for awhile but I ended up replacing the petcock. Certainly a shut off valve is effective, but honestly its like trying to stop internal bleeding with a band-aid. If your carbs and petcock are fuctioning properly this would not be necessary.

[hampshirehog]

I tend to agree with both sides (nothing like sitting on the fence). Yes, the float valves should be sorted. Often just a bl**dy good clean up and a spin between your finger / thumb is enough to seat them nicely again.

But the Suzuki petcocks are pretty cr*ppy as well and having an extra tap in line gives a bit of extra comfort.

And Ed is bang on about fuel finding its way down the vacuum tube. I've just had to sort this out on a mate's CBR600 though fortunately the fuel was only being pulled down when the motor was spinning. In this case it was squirting out of the pipe where it met the intake as the pipe wasn't a real tight fit and petrol was pouring over his motor - he's a real lucky boy it didn't burst into flames. Replacement diaphragm was expensive too - just under £40.