How to fix your motorcycle petcock without a rebuild kit
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- Опубліковано 5 вер 2024
- This is a very simple procedure detailing how to restore a petcock without having to purchase any new parts. This procedure can be almost universally applied to any motorcycle petcock, and very often results in a lasting repair. In theory, this repair should not be necessary if your floats are adjusted properly and your float needles are in good repair and make good seals, however there is a lot wrong with this bike, and honestly I just sort of want to get it running at the moment as quickly as possible. If you have any questions about this procedure, please do not hesitate to contact me. Also, check out all of my other backyard motorcycle how-to videos!
This is the best petcock video on UA-cam.
Bike quit as I was riding it down the freeway... Engine turned over, but wouldn't start. Thought it was the carbs, so I pull off the tank to see whats up, and find out my petcock wasn't delivering fuel to the carbs. This video got my petcock fixed and my bike running again! Thanks so much!
So I still had a steady drip, but thanks to this video I was able to finally completely understand a petcock, and so I had the idea at the hardware store to get a small rubber washer to use to 'shim' the spring and give it more force. Worked like a charm.
Thanks again.
dude..cutting out your own petcock gasket out of an innertube is freakin hardcore and awesome. extremely helpful vid, I buy and flip bikes and this has allowed me to confidently address petcock issues where they were always pretty frustrating before.
Just bought a kit for the petcock on my GSX600F because it was trickling. Took all the old pieces out and the new ones in. I'll be damned if it wasn't worse. So I found this video and saw the "trick" for the diaphragm return spring (not sure why I didn't think of it.) Also my kit did not come with that spring. So I did exactly as you said and tested to see if it would work with vacuum applied, and it did. Thanks for your help I was about ready to buy a brand new one which go for about 110 bucks
Thank you for this tutorial. I had ordered a rebuild kit that arrived today and was just seraching for a little how-to but your explanation of the theory of not just how to do things but why they should be done really helped me wrap my brain around the process. I'm going in to this repair knowing a lot more than I did 15 minutes ago. Thanks.
I had a problem with fuel starvation with my 30 year old Honda NV400, the symptoms were high r.p.m. misfire and hot start problems, even stalling when hot. Turned out to be a blocked vacuum tube within the petcock, a quick blow out, job done. Thanks for the strip down video, very good. Free repairs are very useful for the reasons you suggest.
Have had an 89 Virago sitting in my garage for 15 years now. Today I have decided to start bringing her back to life, first issue is a leaky Petcock. Blown away by the fact that the first search on Petcock's lands on your video which just so happens to be my exact fuel system... :) I am taking it as a sign that she wants to be fixed and road again... :) (yes, I know it is the first of many issues I will run into after so long sitting)...
+Vincent Giddings Glad to help feel free to see my other videos as your project progresses
Just got a2004 Honda 750 cc shadow, fuel leek. Got your information On how to fix thanks. You were a great help, I will buy a Pingel vac.power- flo. 200 bucks will hurt but the RIDE! tomorrow your class work in action. Thanks again, peace out!
Another top instructional video fella, without guys like you a lot of us wouldn't have ever tried to do stuff on our own bikes.. keep them coming you would be surprised how much money you save the rest of us in labour charges :)
Thats what its all about dude
I almost did this today, now I'll be doing this in the next few day's. It all looks like I assumed it would. Thanks for the clip!
Absolutely AMAZING breakdown of the leakage, repair and functions of the fuel petcock! Thank you SOO MUCH...you helped me pinpoint and repair the exact same leak I had in my 2002 Kawasaki Vulcan 800 Classic...and didn't have to take it to the shop! Very grateful!
orionmusicinc Glad to help
Very nice vid. And I like the end, we should ALL be cheapos and learn stuff and curb the mentality of "buy another, take it to the dealer".
But my favorite part = "Juuuust a little bit....ohkayy". Bob Crane of Motorcycles!!
Stay gold.
Tonight I checked the plug wires and caps.....I found that the spark plug wire was not securely fastened to one coil...Also the clamp that keeps the air fastened was a little bit loose. I took it for a 10 minute ride and it seems a lot better! Tomorrow I will check the bowls, I sure you are right. Thanks Max, your diagnosis appears to have been right on target, If you' d lived near me I would buy you some beer and pizza...Thanks man!
Thanks bro, been getting gas into one of my cylinders and it wont fire gas leaking from my headers. Gonna scrub the carbs and utilize your methods on my 81 gs450t. Your videos helped me alot a few years back to bring life back to my old 450l and will probably help for my 750L project. Miss your bike vids but I guess you've already covered it all. Just know people appreciate what u doing man
What a legendary DYI badass this guy is!
This video was great! Lol. "Just a little, little, little, more... OK that's good. Perfect. Perfect. Perfect.... Little bit more." Very educational, seriously. I'm about to attempt most of this.
Daniel Atkinson Good luck
Thank you mrmaxstorey! Your video helped me greatly while fixing my Kawasaki Zephyr 750's petcock. It is built almost exactly the way you show in your video, and in my case the cause of the leak was the small washer that is being pushed by the spring that you so perfectly extended. My bike wouldn't start, or even rotate because the left cylinder was full of fuel that it spat out after removing the spark plug. Your videos are extremely practical and helpful. Thanks!
yes bless up thanks i live far from u guy here in Jamaica and i can hardly get parts for my xj750 but i know that your video will help me fix a lot of my problems
Craziest thing happened to me trying to rebuild my petcock after watching your video. It was stuck on open (only other settings are off and res). I attempted to open it and found that someone had used grey caulking or sealer to stick the face plate and valve solidly, in the open position, to the main part of the petcock. It was all squeezed down into all the moving parts and completely solid. I had to pry off the front plate and then scrape it all off just to remove the valve and then pry it out of the back part. Was a nightmare to clean! Maybe it will work properly now!! ha ha Just thought I'd share, it made me shake my head! :)
Crazy!
.
this video fixed my drip problem. "drip" lol full flow problem. realized the previous owner removed the diaphram spring for some reason. found a random spring and I'm working perfectly. thanks for the video.
My vacuum gasket in my fuel petcock broke on my 1979 Suzuki GS750 while on a road trip Boston - LA. I simply removed the o-ring from the vacuum actuated needle in the petcock so that fuel could flow around it while it rested permanently in the fuel-off position. Of course, you need to kink both the vacuum hose from the carb and the vacum hose from the petcock. It helped me out in a jam, and all you need is a screwdriver.
Outstanding. Thanks for the video. My tank won't quit filling my air box with fuel. I'm going to make sure I rule out the petcock as being part of the problem and this is the exact info I was looking for.
I picked up a 95 Vulcan a few weeks back it has been sitting since 96 I had to reline the tank from rust I tried to refurbish the pet cock from watching your video but no luck the rubber was to far gone so I broke down and got the rebuild kit but this video was very useful thanks for the info
Great job man! I just brought a 2001 V-Star 1100 home with a leaky petcock. I ran what little fuel that was in Reserve out of it last night, and today I'm going to try out your method (though mine isn't vacuum operated). Thanks, and keep up the great work!
Good luck bud
This video just helped me a lot, which is good because my bike uses one of the most expensive petcocks Yamaha ever produced... the electric reserve solenoid for the 86/87 FJ 1200. Cheapest price online? $175.
Aside from saying thanks, I also have to mention that it wasn't quite enough. I had a steady drip after replacing my plunger o ring and stretching out my spring (this petcock has no faceplate, no 'selectable' reserve or prime, so the first two tips don't apply to me...) cont...
Great vid man, heaps helpful for those times you need repairs but can't get to a kit in time!
Thanks for the walkthrough, it's always nice to see it and know how before jumping into another bike tweaking adventure.
Thanks - that's the exact issue I am having on my '04 DR650. Ready to try your fix tomorrow... feeling optimistic this will take care of it.
Great video. I'm kind of stupid so it took me awhile to figure out my problem. My buddy always left the petcock in the Prime position to shutoff the petcock on a Suzuki GR650 Tempter. So after I bought the bike from him, I noticed the gas smell but could find no leaks. Finally one day the engine wouldn't crank over. I knew I had a good battery but double checked it and charged it up more. Then, I added two batteries in parallel and it would slowly turn. On a hunch, I checked the oil level sight glass. It was way over the top as the crankcase was filled with gas. I drained out six quarts of oil/gas from the sump that holds 2.5 quarts. The bike was hydrolocked. So I drained everything out and refilled with new fluid and the bike ran great on the "ON" position of the petcock - until I had a guy come over to buy the bike and he fussed around touching everything. I had to explain vacuum operated petcocks and all. But just on a hunch after we made a deal for the bike, I went out the next morning and checked the oil level and once again way above the top of the sight glass. Now I don't know whether to just trash the bike and get rid of the aggravation or maybe put in a normal, non-vacuum petcock. Beware of all bikes with those vacuum operated petcocks. They compensate for the stupidity of guys too dumb to turn off their gas line but they cause more problems than we need as they can so easily go bad.
Your crankcase is filling up because one or more of your float needles in your carbs is worn or dirty, allowing gas to leak past it when the bike isnt running. They should stop the gas even if the petcock is left on prime. It would be a shame to trash the bike over a $1 part. These vacuum petcocks are a pain on 40 year old bikes with 40 year old gaskets, but they have saved a lot of lives, because in theory they will stop the gas somewhat in the event of an accident and at least keep it contained in the tank.
@@mrmaxstorey You've got me thinking. So even if I had a manual shutoff, as the engine is running with the petcock in the ON position - the carburetors would be overflowing with gas because the float needles wouldn't be stopping the flow of gas. That would explain the running rich condition my bike has now. Seems like I should first drop the fuel bowls and replace the float needles. There may be nothing wrong with the petcock. Thanks.
@@mrmaxstorey This is going to be an interesting mystery to solve. Another fellow said that gas is getting into my crankcase if the diaphragm in the shutoff valve is torn. He said that would allow gas to flow into the vacuum port and into the crankcase. Before I pull out the carbs (especially if I don't have to) I wonder if there's a way to test them. Maybe I could hang a bag of gas above the carburetors and let the gas flow into the carb(s) and see if there is a point where it shuts off from flowing out. Good idea, Tony. Give it a try. And thanks to you, Max, for putting me on the right track.
@@STBRetired1 Hes not wrong, its simple enough to test. Take off the tank and put it on your bench, and suck on the vacuum hose connected to the petcock. If gas pulls through, the diaphragm has a leak. You can also bench test your float needles by pulling the carbs, placing them lower than your tank on the bench, hook up the gas line and put petcock to prime. If it overflows out the overflow tubes or through the throttle body, then your needles are leaking
@@mrmaxstorey Excellent suggestions. Today we have a heat index of the high 90's. Tomorrow, it will be in the 70's. I'll get started tomorrow. Thanks for your help.
Thanks for taking the time to make this video. Useful, audible and clear. Much appreciated.
Nice job. I find value in you showing me the simple design and the parts I can expect to find when I open the back of mine. I'm doing the one from my '07 Suzuki DR650 now. I did buy a rebuild kit but it only contains the parts for the front of it. I will have to test it to see if I need to do the spring stretch too but I don't have the gaskets for that in case I tear one.
This type of practical engineering is unfortunately disappearing to overpriced garage services that are actually pathetic. How refreshing to see mr Max do the business - Marvelous brother.
I have a troublesome GL1500 that I believe could well be the Petcok and not necessarily the Carbs - I will defintely strip and rebuild. Cheers Mr Max - more power to your elbow and I am a sworn-in subscriber God Bless Sir.
You rock dude!!!!.. This video gave me a little direction.. I have a 96 gsxr srad that will not start and there is more fuel than oil in the crankcase...after having the carbs cleaned out I'm having same issue.. So I will give petcock another look to make sure its properly working...thanks man I will continue to watch your videos ....
Great video. Max is the Burt Munro of our generation.
Thank you for the tip on the stretching of the spring as has sorted the spitting back on my gs500e . In my book as no one all shops friends did not find this problem.
You are a STAR mrmaxstorey:) Kind regards Steve:)
Hey bro, spent some time watching your channel last night and learned a lot. I've been trying to figure out why my air box on my 96 EN500C1 has been leaking fuel when standing (also bike is often hard to start). Saw this video and figured... hmmm, it could be the petcock flooding the carbs. Petcock on this bike is vacuum op. I discovered fuel was pouring out of the petcock no matter what position. Rebuilt it w/o any parts and stretched out the spring... voila, fuel no longer leaks so far. Thx!
Thanks Bro! Really appreciate you taking the time to create this. You are excellent at explaining how things work! Cheers from Ohio.
Thanks for posting this! I was having problems with my virago and squared it away thanks to your video
Indeed, you get this overflowing problem with a simultaneous failure of the float needles and the petcock. They are redundant failsafes which only cause problems when both get dirty and fail.
Thanks for the info man, love your videos. I just bought this bike last night, so I still in the process of troubleshooting why it wont start. I know its a fuel problem so maybe this will get me on the right track.
Awesome & funny illustration & narrating. Thanks
this is a great no BS video.my 2001 Bayou is leaking from the same spot...ill attempt it tomr.jus got my new oem rings and gasket..thanks again
dude...your videos are a fucking godsend. soooooooo helpful. I've taken apart carbs and petcocks and all that jazz but your providing me with an understanding and confidence I've never had, I've just been kinda confused trying different things. Thank you!!!!!!!
I started cracking up when you stretched the spring. "just gonna bend ya out just a little bit... ooookay. Just a little bit moreeee... ooookay"
The needles should be able to withstand the weight of the gas. What it sounds like may be happening is for some reason your petcock can shut off when on RES but it is wide open on ON, and you have a float/needle overflow problem. The petcock is therefore able to hold off the gas but when you fill it above the little ON hose (the taller one) the gas pours into the carbs, which overflow. You need to fix the petcock and the overflow problem with your carbs
i fixed it with only 4 dls i bought two manual cut off valves for 4 bucks at orileys and placed it right after the petcock and vuala, problem solved i dont have to worry about it ever leaking in, definetly cheaper than having to buy new oil everytime it leaks, so now its i just shut it off manually and works great
usednthis method on my kawasaki zl900, worked perfectly, thanx for the great vid, now to clean the carbs.
had that spring washer on my kawasaki z500 , gave it a bend and works perfect , many thanks
Yes if you are getting overflowing carbs you must repair the floats as well. I have a video up on leaking carbs. And absolutely you must change your oil before you ride the bike again. It is very important not to have gas contaminating your oil
thanks for this video you showed me exactly what i needed to see to repair my bike.
Thanks! I realized later that the seals and the pressure button are around the plastic spacer. The plastic spacer has a hole in the middle that allows you to pull the seal through the spacer.
@Michiganborn1969 You probably have a vacuum actuated petcock, like in the video. This design takes advantage and vacuum from the motor to open a valve and let the fuel flow. These types of petcocks dont typically have off settings because when it is working properly, when the motor is off, the petcock is off. The prime setting is the exception, this allows fuel to flow when the engine is off. It can flood your carbs if you leave it on, but is useful for filling them up after service.
Great Video.... Worked for my Kawasaki Eliminator
Great video! I was having problems with my petcock leaking. I couldn't find a replacement so I was clamping the fuel line with a vice grip whenever I parked.
After coming across this video I was able to repair my petcock and be back on the road within an hour.
You Rule!
I will usually just fill up the bowls and crank it up. If yours will stall after a minute, sounds like something is still dirty, damaged, or otherwise dysfunctional. First thing I would check is the petcock, make sure there is sufficient fuel flow
This is such a helpful video to help those of us who aspire make ourselves less dependent on commercial repair shops. I am not opposed to paying a mechanic but most of them are covered up in work. I would definitely prefer to keep costs down AND minimize riding down time, when possible. You point out all of the pitfalls of what turns out to be a pretty easy fix. The one thing I wonder is whether there is a recommended torque on the screws? Anyone else know? Thanks, mrmaxstorey!!
There probably is, but I just tighten until gas doesnt leak
There should be a hose running from the carb-engine rubber boot to the petcock. If there isn't, you will have to install one, and connect it to one of the little brass nipples. Take a look around there and see if you can find it
@zzzlt Ideally, it should. However as a bike ages that needle does not make as great of a seal. The petcock represents what is called a redundant system, or a backup, meant to extend the reliability and utility of the bike by preventing excess fuel flow in the case of a minor float needle failure.
Thank you so much! I've been trying to figure for the longest why my pw80 wouldn't start. Turns out, I had a slow fuel leak just like you said and needed a new fuel petcock. Now I'm off to see how the engine held up... >_>
Brilliant, repair rather than replace, love it.
MacGyver just liked your video.
Great common sense repair by a very skilled guy
@sknmtt88 Sounds like your petcock is either damaged or dirty, take it apart and take extra care to inspect the diaphragm within the vacuum part of the petcock. If it is ripped, there isn't much you can do, gotta buy a rebuild kit. However if it is dirty, you can clean it. Don't be afraid to take it apart and clean it, they are pretty simple components.
@bubster1981 Indeed they should, but on old bikes, often they get crusty with scum. The reason we have vacuum actuated petcocks is to stop flooding in case the needles get crusty, so its good to have.
thanks to your reply..it will do it either on res on full....but if less then half a tank it wont flood.
Thank you from Australia - Loved It
thanks for the vids..i replaced the needles in the carbs and cleaned then,,cleaned the tak out..it seems if i put over a half tank of gas in it it will fill the carbs up and over flow though the top and fill the cylinder with gas..now with my petcock not shutiing of gas couls the weight of the gas pressing down cause the neeld to open and cause this from flooding..anything less then half a tank does not do it,
Yeah they are probably right. The vacuum actuated petcock and the float needle are somewhat of a redundant system, if your petcock leaks or fails then you should still be ok so long as your needles are clean and closing properly. If you have gas coming into the airbox, chances are they both are in need of repair. Also dont forget to change your motor oil before you start up your bike again, gassy oil can be very harmful to your engine
Yes I would recommend an oil change, after you fix the leak. This is a symptom of leaky petcock and float needles, id recommend a carb cleaning too
@frankamartinez No but you can bend it to make it wavier, then it will press a little more tightly on the rubber. You also may need to clean up the rubber gasket inside or replace it if it is really bad.
Your petcock is similar to the one in the video. The video shows all of the parts in the typical petcock, unless your parts are badly corroded then there is no need to replace them. However if your parts are pretty bed off, then you can find a petcock rebuild kit on ebay. There is one on there right now for $19.99
Nice job! Well explained...THANKS for posting!
Good vid. Im having the same problem a slight leak. Im on my third petcock (used) in 4 years and will definitely try this. I have a shutoff valve $12 on the way that i am going to hook on between the petcock and fuel filter and use it to prevent future leaks into the engine. Why cant they have an off setting anymore lol
@ifuckbunny Yeah get yourself a good battery and make sure the connections are really tight. If it still doesn't work, check the condition of your fuses and wires.
@dlmzg Right, you may need to get in there and do some scraping, check out the vieo again and try the spring trick, and clean up the faceplate side of the petcock (the side w the lever), you basically need to get the whole thing apart and clean both sides really well
Okay I will try that when I get off work. The petcock knob is not labeled so I had to look up what direction to point it at. Again, thank you for your help. And if you ever have any questions about videography, technology, or building things, I will be glad to help if I am capable. Thanks for your responses!
man you're so fucking awesome giving us all your knowledge for free.
Great video, copied your moves now ER5 runs without petrol running into engine @ no cost.Also set float heights as per another one of your clips.Ta.
It can, if you foul the plugs, create an overly rich mixture, or even fill up the cylinders and possibly hydrolock them
I'll take you up on that sometime. Good luck on the project
Sounds like a quality repair. Good job
The YICS systems actually is a remarkably good idea, its only a little more complicated but supposedly it does give increased hp and efficiency. Ive never cleaned one, never had to, because I found that it didnt introduce any further problems into a motorcycle's intake system than a normal bike would have, beyond a slightly more complicated sync process. That is to say, all running problems on YICS bikes that I have repaired were petcock, carb, vacuum leak etc related
Thank you for the video and good explanation.
Max, love your videos. Keep coming across them and I subscribed.
I have a 2000 Kawi kl250 super sherpa. 5k miles. Its leaking gas from vaccum petcock (top or face of it) in all positions and also some drips out of.drain hose at the bottom. I drained the tank and then removed the petcock. Oil level didnt change that I can tell. No oily looking leakage. Should I replace the petcock with new and see if it fixes or have someone remove and open/clean/possibly rebuild the carb? I am a noob and want the bike ready asap so not sure I want to try messing with the carb.
I am not too worried about the expense just want to waste minimal time. I will have a look.at the gasket behind the face. You are the first one to have this valuable info in a vid like this.
Thanks for any info!!!
Well if the problem is with the petcock, then I would go ahead and repair that and see how you do. If the bike runs well otherwise chances are the carbs are ok
If you are referring to the vacuum diaphragm, Id say probably not. But pretty much any other rubber gasket in here could be made with a careful hand
Cool video...I just fixed my seal and it works!
thanks for the video, very helpful. (by the way, the intro music you were doing made fall out of my chair. i loved it!!)
@AcuraDude44 Indeed it should but floats and needles also go bad and leak. These two systems are designed to be redundant and compliment each other should one of them partially fail, however in bikes of this vintage it is all too common that both of them are gunked up by the same rust/old gas varnish
You can take it apart and assess the quality of the gaskets, try to tighten up the bolts or whatever, but if they are especially bad then you might need a rebuild kit for this one
A piece of rubber from the broken petcock seal is probably stuck in your float needle.That's why it is over flowing the float chamber causing it to leak gasoline all over the driveway. A new seal will cost you about 2 bucks.If you get it from J.P.Cycles It won't take you two weeks to get it.
Thank you for the feedback but that repair is covered in another video. This is just the petcock repair video
Exactly what happened to my Kawasaki ZRX1200R . My whole tank of gas leaked into my case. She’s in my mechanic’s shop right now. Carbs cleaned,new jet kit and petcock rebuild.
first take it back apart and make sure it is all assembled correctly, and that the rubber part is not pinched or misaligned. if you have to, you can put a small film of grease on the rubber part
hey thx a bunch man totally fixed my 250 ninja with this
@dlmzg No its not glued it just gets stuck from old gas turning into varnish, what I do is I work a razor blade in there and really gently pry it off, be super careful not to rip the diaphragm tho or else you will have to buy a rebuild kit
thanx. i just ordered new petcock.
Well if the carb bowls are full, teh floats should be blocking off the fuel flow so you wouldnt be able to blow any air in there. If you ever doubt whether you have gas in the carbs just loosen off the bowl drain screw and see if anything comes out. Have you tried starting the bike on starter fluid? Perhaps you have wet/dirty plugs and the carbs are no longer the problem
Thanks for making all these videos, they're really great! I have a question; if the petcock is bad and letting fuel by, how would the fuel get into the motor? Shouldn't the floats/needle valves in the carbs stop the gas? Thanks again, keep up the great work!
Yep
Yeah, he should have pulled that front carb, and checked the needle and seat. Gas can't get passed the carb if the needle and seat/float are working properly. Gas in the motor (thins the oil like he said) and can ruin things in a hurry.
Thanks, man! This video helped me big time!
Very simple to follow! Nice sir!