Reserve does not work

[clcorbin]

Before I take the next step and modify the filter towers, I figured I would see what anyone else has found. My problem: Reserve doesn't draw fuel down any lower than on mode due. Here is what I know:

• 1979 Standard with stock tank and petcocks
• Both petcocks has been cleaned and rebuilt
• Both petcocks flow gas in "On", "Res" and "Prime"
• When it stutters and hits the out of gas in "On", switching to reserve makes no difference.

Here is what I have done so far:

• Cleaned and rebuilt both petcocks
• Cleaned the filter screen with a light scrub brush and ligh solvent
• Visually inspected the screen and fuel ports
• Blew out the ports with compressed air while rebuilding the petcocks.
• Cussed.
• A LOT!

So far, nothing I have done has made a bit of difference. When I hit the 4.0 to 4.1 gallon used mark, it starts to stutter and try to run on two cylinders. Less than five miles after that, I'm pushing! And it makes no difference if the petcock is in "On", "Res", or "Prime" mode, it behaves the same. I THINK the Standard has a 5.5 gallon tank, so only getting 4 gallons usable is a bit ridiculous.

What I am planning on doing is modifying the screen so it can draw fuel from just above the bottom of the tank. I run inline filters, so I am not too worried about crap in the tank (and the tank was cleaned with electrolysis last year). This should give me closer to 5 gallons usable, which is a 25% increase in range over what I have now.

Before I do that, has anyone else fought this battle and won? If so, would you be willing to share your tactics? I would REALLY rather have a working reserve...

[XS1100_OEM4ME]

Special

Sense I have a Special, this may or may not be helpful. The filter screens on the petcocks are also fuel delivery systems, meaning, the resurve / run feed is a taller tube inside the filter screen, It sound like both run and resurve are feeing from this tube/ prime also feeds from this tube on my bike, thus, you are not able to accsess the lower "resurve" port that is built into the screen filter. As to why, that is imposabule to guess on line Do you have two lines comming from each petcock

Before I take the next step and modify the filter towers, I figured I would see what anyone else has found. My problem: Reserve doesn't draw fuel down any lower than on mode due. Here is what I know:

• 1979 Standard with stock tank and petcocks
• Both petcocks has been cleaned and rebuilt
• Both petcocks flow gas in "On", "Res" and "Prime"
• When it stutters and hits the out of gas in "On", switching to reserve makes no difference.

Here is what I have done so far:

• Cleaned and rebuilt both petcocks
• Cleaned the filter screen with a light scrub brush and ligh solvent
• Visually inspected the screen and fuel ports
• Blew out the ports with compressed air while rebuilding the petcocks.
• Cussed.
• A LOT!

So far, nothing I have done has made a bit of difference. When I hit the 4.0 to 4.1 gallon used mark, it starts to stutter and try to run on two cylinders. Less than five miles after that, I'm pushing! And it makes no difference if the petcock is in "On", "Res", or "Prime" mode, it behaves the same. I THINK the Standard has a 5.5 gallon tank, so only getting 4 gallons usable is a bit ridiculous.

What I am planning on doing is modifying the screen so it can draw fuel from just above the bottom of the tank. I run inline filters, so I am not too worried about crap in the tank (and the tank was cleaned with electrolysis last year). This should give me closer to 5 gallons usable, which is a 25% increase in range over what I have now.

Before I do that, has anyone else fought this battle and won? If so, would you be willing to share your tactics? I would REALLY rather have a working reserve...

[bikerphil]

Did you rebuild both fuel taps at the same time, possibly mixing up parts from the left and the right?

[ViperRon]

I read what you have done and it appears that you covered everything with the petcocks but since I was sure I had it right and did not, I suggest that you take the petcocks off and check them again in the reserve position. If you hook a small hose to the vacume and suck on it the valve should open and you should be able to hook a line to the output and flow out to the filter. If not you may have the rubber valve in the wrong position. I had to hand check it off the bike to see what I had done wrong.

[clcorbin]

I read what you have done and it appears that you covered everything with the petcocks but since I was sure I had it right and did not, I suggest that you take the petcocks off and check them again in the reserve position. If you hook a small hose to the vacume and suck on it the valve should open and you should be able to hook a line to the output and flow out to the filter. If not you may have the rubber valve in the wrong position. I had to hand check it off the bike to see what I had done wrong.

To answer a previous post first, yes, I rebuilt them one at a time and only tore into the second one after the first one was back on the tank, so I am 100% sure there are no swapped parts. Plus, they both work correctly in normal, which I would assume would NOT be the case if parts where swapped.

I have done the test with the vacuum line a couple of times. It works exactly the same in both reserve and on. This whole thing has me very irritated.

[DGXSER]

Ok, 1st time caller long time listener.....just because I invented the concept of the Mr. Obvious show (not really, but I AM the REAL Napster dang it!!)

Seriously, yeah this is a stupid question, but your at that point, you do know that the Reserve and ON will function exactly the same until the fuel level gets down below the level where ON should function. I believe you stated your letting the fuel drain out till ON stops working and then trying RESERVE and getting nada....just making sure though.

When trying ON until empty then trying reserve, have you verified the RESERVE gas is still in the tank...ie....you have 1/2 to 1 full gallon of fuel still in the tank? Just will not come out the petcock?

Again, just shooting the obvious things first.

[clcorbin]

Ok, 1st time caller long time listener.....just because I invented the concept of the Mr. Obvious show (not really, but I AM the REAL Napster dang it!!)

Seriously, yeah this is a stupid question, but your at that point, you do know that the Reserve and ON will function exactly the same until the fuel level gets down below the level where ON should function. I believe you stated your letting the fuel drain out till ON stops working and then trying RESERVE and getting nada....just making sure though.

When trying ON until empty then trying reserve, have you verified the RESERVE gas is still in the tank...ie....you have 1/2 to 1 full gallon of fuel still in the tank? Just will not come out the petcock?

Again, just shooting the obvious things first.

I've drained it down from about 3 gallons of gas down to nothing on "On", then switched to reserve to see how much more would come out. And got nothing. But when I have more than about 1 gallon of gas in the tank, the reserve operates exactly like "On". It acts like it is draining from the same section of screen as "On", but I don't see how that can be.

[DGXSER]

Just to be thorough, have you confirmed that when ON is empty, there is still some fuel in the tank? The question being does ON drain the tank dry like PRIME would.

[DAVINCI]

I'm following what I THINK DGXSER is thinking, you do know that it's the end of the HANDLE, not the center POINTER that indicates the position the petcock is in?

In other words, on your standard (like my 79F), if I were standing on the left of the bike, next to spark plug #1, to PRIME I would turn the handle fully counterclockwise. To RESERVE, fully clockwise

[old_skool]

Really, his sig says he bought the bike in 89, do we think he hasn't figured that out in 24 years

[DAVINCI]

From where I'm standing, anything could be possible. Crazier $hit than that has been posted here.

[DGXSER]

Old Skool, I will admit that I have pushed my bike 1/2 mile or so after it died on me just after I left the house, before I realized I had forgotten to turn the petcocks on. Try not to wear an "I'm Stupid" look on your face when you realize that. There is a reason that the cable company starts every trouble shooting call with "is the TV plugged in?"

Meaning, that far smarter and more intelligent folks than I have overlooked much simpler things. So it is not to suggest someone is not intelligent, just being sure they have eliminated these things. Every problem is resolved by the same process, find out what it is not until you get to what it is.

[XS1100_OEM4ME]

+1

+1 DGXSER, like I just posted, I rebuilt my carbs 5 times just to learn it was the OEM fuse box causing all the problems.Eliminate the obvious till you find the problem

Old Skool, I will admit that I have pushed my bike 1/2 mile or so after it died on me just after I left the house, before I realized I had forgotten to turn the petcocks on. Try not to wear an "I'm Stupid" look on your face when you realize that. There is a reason that the cable company starts every trouble shooting call with "is the TV plugged in?"

Meaning, that far smarter and more intelligent folks than I have overlooked much simpler things. So it is not to suggest someone is not intelligent, just being sure they have eliminated these things. Every problem is resolved by the same process, find out what it is not until you get to what it is.

[old_skool]

Really again, I'm the bad guy here, he was being asked after 24 years of owning the bike if he knew HOW the petcocks worked, not if he accidently was leaving it in the wrong position, this was a seemingly new problem, not one he's had since he owned the bike, I wasn't trying to advacate he was being called stupid, but that maybe it was overlooked he's owned the bike as long as he has, now, we're not doing him any help bickering, and I liked the way now I'm the one wearing an I'm stupid look when I run out of gas....BTDT, but come on, An I'm stupid look, was that necessary, everybody loves to take things out of context.

[XS1100_OEM4ME]

Jimho

No one is stupid here, I just admitted in anouther post, I had R/I and cleaned my carbs 5 times before I found it was an elec problem Not cuz I wanted to look stupid, but because I wanted to save anouther member from feeling my pain if I could I can't tell you how many times I have looked and looked for something complacated, when it was something simple, that's "simple" not "stupid"

Really again, I'm the bad guy here, he was being asked after 24 years of owning the bike if he knew HOW the petcocks worked, not if he accidently was leaving it in the wrong position, this was a seemingly new problem, not one he's had since he owned the bike, I wasn't trying to advacate he was being called stupid, but that maybe it was overlooked he's owned the bike as long as he has, now, we're not doing him any help bickering, and I liked the way now I'm the one wearing an I'm stupid look when I run out of gas....BTDT, but come on, An I'm stupid look, was that necessary, everybody loves to take things out of context.