leaking petcocks

[brownbear1000]

The petcocks on my xs1100 special are leaking when i turn them off.
How can i fix them?
and where can I get the repair parts?

[Rasputin]

I use georgefix on ebay to get those rebuild kits. fast Cheap shipping and he knows his stuff. Very easy to do once you see the kit it is pretty much self explanatory. You may have to recurve the spring a bit and maybe polish the end of the diverter, but not much to them.

[Larrym]

Here's another option:

http://www.oldbikebarn.com/Yamaha-XJ-XS1100-Petcock-Rebuild-Kit?sc=12&category=74213

I had only one original petcock when I got my bike. Had to replace them both with aftermarket units. Not exactly pleased with the clearance issues.

For the record, if you have the original petcocks/fuel system then the fuel shut-off is done by means of the vacuum operated shut-off valve/diaphragm (Octopus...) But if you say your petcocks are leaking then I guess we'll have to believe you...

[DGXSER]

You know Larry, if for some reason you need to pull the tank off, say to work on something underneath it, that little octy device does not do crap to stop fuel from flowing out the petcocks when you pull the gas lines off them.

I just happened to rebuild my petcocks and the octy valve from my special last night and did another photodocumentary of it. It is pretty self explanatory really. I did not get a chance to download th epics and do a write up yet though. Had to drive halfway across the US today. Sitting in a hotel in Rockford Ill.

And I have bought two sets of th petcock repair kits form Georgefix. Good kits and he is quick on shipping and fair on price. He does know his doodoo about the XS11 as well.

[dontlikeoc]

Please excuse me for a sidetrack.

Mine was probably a rare case but, afrer replacing O-rings with the petcock overhaul kit and oblong O-rings at the base of the petcocks, the right side petcock is still leaking gas. The only reason I can think of is the paper gasket around the screw at the base of the petcock.

I just have found out that those gaskets are no longer available...No luck at Autozone or Home Depot(plumming). Is my only choice cutting out from a gasket sheet? Did anybody find a slap on fit of readily available gasket?

[Larrym]

Semantics?

You know Larry, if for some reason you need to pull the tank off, say to work on something underneath it, that little octy device does not do crap to stop fuel from flowing out the petcocks when you pull the gas lines off them.

Brownbear1000 reported that his petcocks were "leaking" but didn't provide the details of how he came to that conclusion. Not known if it was due to seeing gas flow out of the airbox or seeing the fuel seep out around the petcock levers.

Maybe I might have said, "The automatic fuel shut-off to the carbs is done by the vacuum diaphragm/shut-off valve."

I've always clamped the fuel hoses before removing them as well.

Sorry about any confusion...

[DGXSER]

Larry, sorry if I was critical of you personally, not intended to be. Just the nit picky engineer in me coming out.

Dontlikeoc, I did not find those gaskets anywhere. I happen to have a spare sheet of gasket material on hand so I just cut them out. REALLY easy to do, just use a standard hole punch to poke some holes in the gasket material, then cut out roughly shaped pieces, put them on the screws and trim off. I used two layers of gasket material on each screw.

[dontlikeoc]

DGXSER,

Using a hole punch makes the whole cut out process so much easier. You are saving my aXX so many times. Thank you again.

[digitalsam]

I have intermittent leakage. I think I have traced it to one of the two tubes that comes out of Petcock. It is loose and wiggles a bit.

Any ideas on how to fit the wiggle?

[Rasputin]

I have intermittent leakage. I think I have traced it to one of the two tubes that comes out of Petcock. It is loose and wiggles a bit.

Any ideas on how to fit the wiggle?

I had a loose one. They are a pressed in fit. I pulled it out, cleaned everything up and put a small amount of JB weld around the outside of the tube. I then pushed it back into place, wiped off any excess tha squeezed out and let it dry. My repair is 2 yrs old and so far it is holding great.

[XSokieSPECIAL]

I have intermittent leakage. I think I have traced it to one of the two tubes that comes out of Petcock. It is loose and wiggles a bit.

Any ideas on how to fit the wiggle?

One of mine pulled completely out once. I tapped it back in with a small hammer and haven't had a problem since.

They're just pressed in.

[Larrym]

A little "OFF"....

DGXSER,

Understand about "nit-picking"/engineer POV. I see that as a good thing. Sometimes the difference between success and failure is some small trivial detail which can trip us up. My background of problem solving/analytical troubleshooting makes me comfortable with my info or ideas being criticized. Critical thinking is just part of the process. Some folks don't react well to having their stuff criticized and do take it personally. I'm not in that category but thanks for considering the possibility that I might have been..

In Brownbear1000's first posting he states that the petcocks leak when he turns them "off." Please correct me if my understanding is flawed, but there is no true "OFF" position on the factory special petcocks. (That is unless the petcocks have been modified to have an "Off") Instead, the settings are prime, on, and reserve. This leads me to question whether or not brownbear1000 really has a problem with the petcocks which merits a rebuild. Also it is still unknown if the bike has the original "octy"/shut-off.

Brownbear1000, if you are going to pull off the petcocks and install the kits before DGXSER posts his "How-To" with pics, then here are some tips: 1.) The left and right petcocks are not identical...more like mirror images of each other. Either one will fit in the other's side of the gas tank but then the prime and reserve settings will be backwards. 2.) The plate which identifies the petcock lever position can be swapped between the two petcocks resulting in a mismatch between what the plate says the petcock is doing and what is really happening.

Both of these problems can be prevented by keeping each petcock labeled and separate from the other. Plus if the idea of having a true "OFF" setting is appealing, there have been semi-recent posts here on the site which show how others have done it.

[Ken Talbot]

In Brownbear1000's first posting he states that the petcocks leak when he turns them "off." Please correct me if my understanding is flawed, but there is no true "OFF" position on the factory special petcocks. (That is unless the petcocks have been modified to have an "Off") Instead, the settings are prime, on, and reserve. This leads me to question whether or not brownbear1000 really has a problem with the petcocks which merits a rebuild. Also it is still unknown if the bike has the original "octy"/shut-off.

Actually, the petcocks on Specials have four positions - off, on, reserve, and prime. The "off" is a true off.

The petcocks on Standards have three positions - on, reserve, and prime.

Standards petcocks are vacuum controlled so they stop fuel flow from on or reserve if the engine is not running. The vacuum control of fuel for Specials is done in the octopus, not in the petcocks.

[Larrym]

Thanks Ken!

I'll look at the single original special petcock I still have with renewed interest.

[DGXSER]

Ahhh...Now I see the reason for the confusion. Like Ken stated, special petcocks DO have a true off position. Which is why alot of the special owners nix the octy and just turn the petcocks off.