Fuel leak

Have the 550C3-LTD that belonged to that little lady (see Cott1 # 251758) have gas leaking all over lower part of motor, looks to be coming from 1. center v/c tower, or 2. from rubber boot on carb , gear side.have put petcock in all 3 positions, leaks in all, over past 2 days has leaked out over gal of gas. last bike i had was a norton commando in 1969, so i really don't know what the H i'm doing , any and all HELP would be greatly appreciated...Thanks the Duke

Well, I am not too familiar with that particular bike, but, it might be a vacuum actuated petcock that is faulty causing the gas to leak. They typically have settings that say--ON--Prime--Reserve. In the short term, you could get a pair of vise grips and clamp the fuel hose to stop the leak, then, drain the tank and either rebuild the petcock, or replace it. I had one of those on my old Kaw and just replaced it with an old school one. Hope this helps.
Oh, and you should check your oil and see if it smells like gas in case the gas leaked down that far. If so, you need to change the oil and filter.

Duke, You have at least 3 problems. 1st petcock is leaking. while not familiar w/your bike, (both vacumn & manual petcocks have 3 positions). 2nd, float valve/s are leaking, and 3rd, you now have a shit-pot full of gas in your' crankcase. I would 1st, remove Key, "til probs are resolved.",2nd, disconnect fuel tank from carbs,and stopper. 3rd,change oil & filter.and clean mess. then. address probs in order. petcock should turn off flow from tank. Your's is probly vacumn, and should seal unless in PRI position.manual, should seal in OFF position. float valve problems fall into different classes. 1st, NONE, float valves weren't designed to hold up 30 lbs of stnding fuel pressure. thus on/of valves, petcocks which sealed when not running. float valves and floats are techincaly a jetting issue, controling the height of fuel to be raised to ingestion circuits.. 2nd, float valves which seal erratically, and 3rd, float circuits which just pee. hope this helps, don't torch the garage, luck G

Too many folks expect the float valves to shut off gas when the bike is parked and the petcock is flowing gas. They work OK IF the tank is absolutely clean but any sediment or crud in the tank and they WILL leak. This is the reason that a vacuum petcock was installed on this model. So that gas is SHUT OFF when the bike isn't running and because past models with a manual petcock had the operator forgetting to turn the gas off. The fuel valves are intended to meter gas when the bike is running... not become shut off valves when the gas is left on and the bike parked. Almost any bike will leak if there is a bit of stuff in the tank and the petcock is left on. A 30 year old bike almost ALWAYS has a bit of stuff in its gas tank. Fix or replace the petcock and install a fuel filter. THEN change the oil/filter as it is fouled, as has already been mentioned.

Oh yeah, Iron Duke, Please try and use some simple language when asking about carburetors. I have no idea what you are talking about when you say:

1. center v/c tower, or
What is a center v/c tower??? The only thing I know of that v/c stands for is viet cong.

2. from rubber boot on carb , gear side
Which side is the gear side? Gears are down below under the carburetors???

Hey Wiredgeorge, thanks for your input, im like Tonto when it comes to cycles , to me v/c is valve cover tower the taller part in center ? ? the gear side to me is where you shift the foot peg sorry bout the lingo for not knowing S bout bikes im trying est i can been 40 years duke

To the guys who gave me some input on my fuel leak prpblem, thanks for the help Gane, Bokannon, Wiredgeorge. Took tank off cleaned petcock checked diaphragm(O K),cleaned tank, checked 1/4 , 3/8 hoses for vac & fuel, fuel hose was deeply cracked (very old). Vac line was loose no wire clamp at all. Replaced both & new clamps(checked all other hoses)then changed oil and filter,ya all think i might have solved my fuel leak problem ? ? ? weather got bad, and ran out of time so awnser will have to wait Thanks again all yous guys The Duke

Hope that you got it fixed. Just
my humble opinion, but, I switched my vacuum operated petcock to a manual after the same thing happened to me, because, after having to go through cleaning up all the gas on the floor and changing the oil and filter, I will never forget to turn off my petcock. It is automatic now, I do it before I turn the ignition key off.

Having done what I have done, and because of weather shutting me down, giving me PC & time to think I shall put on a manual petcock! If I can find a place to order it from, have looked for four hrs can't find a place.
It is a budget XS650 Universal Petcock and adapter, from Bikers Choice/Tucker/Rocky found on 650 motorcycles.com.
Any help yous can give me would be very welcome, thanks again Bokannon, Wiredgeorge, and all others...think you guys were right.

i got a really inexpensive petcock(they have nicer ones also) from z1enterprises.com and it has been the solution to my gas leaks...i turn it off at any time the bikes not in use...and yes these guys helped me thru my problem then too....i can not say enough good things about the folks i ordered from above....i got3 xtra in line filters(two types) fuel line and they stood behind for any help i've needed....try them if your still looking...plus as has been pointed out before they support this site with adds and advice...mine was great quality too....good luck