TOPIC:

Working on it this weekend, I took a close look at the carbs, the boots, and the petcock & plumbing. What I found is that the tubing going to the petcock is full of gas residue and crud. I'm pretty sure I have a leaky petcock, or perhaps one of the gas lines. Or the petcock is leaking internally and gas is getting into the vacuum line. In any event, I'm going to need to rebuild or replace the petcock.

What a good way to get the gas residue stains off the top of the crankcase, breather cover, and starter cover? Most of the discoloration is on the starter cover.

New development- went on a group ride (a bunch of HD bikes, a Goldwing, and me!) and everything was ok until the ride home. The trip was about 2-1/2 hours, including malts at the halfway point, and about 3/4 of the the way home, I suddenly became aware of a strong smell of gas, Not sure how long it was going on before I noticed it.



I discovered there was a pretty noticeable flow of gas from the petcock dribbling down onto the engine. Ran it right straight home and shut it off, and the dribble stopped, and what had puddled on the engine drained and/or evaporated off, so that only a few drops actually made it to the tarp I stuck under the engine.

Arrrrrrg.

Think I can get a whole new petcock? I hear some people around here are not very big on rebuild kits.

Check the diaphragm and o rings inside the existing petcock. There is a spring on the inside of the petcock that you can pull and extend a couple mms. If you put it back together and it still leaks you can try slightly bending the metal gasket that presses on the outside of the on/off switch.

The fitting on the side of the petcock, the fuel output one, seems to be a friction fit into the body of the petcock. It's a right-angle fitting, with a smaller diameter that fits the I.D. of the rubber fuel line, and a larger side that fits the I.D. of the hole in the petcock.

It isn't called out as a separate part, but it's visible here on the side of the petcock facing the viewer, on the right side, a little above and right of the drain bolt (22) and gasket (21) here:

Hope that image link works. I'll try to post a copy if it doesn't.

Doesn't seem as snug as it used to be. Should I be putting a little liquid gasket on it before I insert it?

I don't think that the leak point, or maybe it's not the only leak. But it might be part of the problem.

Are you saying the brass fuel port nipple has been pulled out of the petcock body?
If so, I reinstalled mine w a little Permatex Liquid Metal. I just applied a little on the nipple, then reinserted it & let it cure overnight.