79E Petcock spring

[nzemke]

So as I'm finding and resolving all of the little problems on this bike and I have found one more. I had the gas pour from the front of each petcock when switching from reserve back to On. I decided it was time to take apart the petcocks and see what I needed to do to get this working right. As I started to fiddle with things right off the bat I noticed that the port on the back side of the petcocks had a two tube over it with a bolt in the end. After some research I know now that I will need to get some more tubing to run them to the exhaust manifold. I thought it was a little weird that they were capped and then found out why....one side was missing the spring from the back. I went done and tried to find a replacement at home depot but that was a failure, Does anyone know of a replacement that can be ordered?

[cajun31]

the best thing to do

Is to just purchase petcock rebuild kits. What spring are you specifically talking about that is missing?

[D0wn5h1ft]

So as I'm finding and resolving all of the little problems on this bike and I have found one more. I had the gas pour from the front of each petcock when switching from reserve back to On. I decided it was time to take apart the petcocks and see what I needed to do to get this working right. As I started to fiddle with things right off the bat I noticed that the port on the back side of the petcocks had a two tube over it with a bolt in the end. After some research I know now that I will need to get some more tubing to run them to the exhaust manifold. I thought it was a little weird that they were capped and then found out why....one side was missing the spring from the back. I went done and tried to find a replacement at home depot but that was a failure, Does anyone know of a replacement that can be ordered?

Gas should not pour out the front of the petcock even if that spring in the back is not there. The spring is what keeps the petcock "closed" until a vacuum is applied and the force overcomes that of the spring and allows gas to flow out of the fuel tap at the bottom of the petcock.

Gas pouring out of the "front" (and by front I assume you mean where the lever is) means that the seal that goes around the rotating level has gone bad OR that the spring washer that keeps the whole lever and front assembly tight is bad or simply not there also.

I'm assuming you have disassembled the petcocks and put them back together once already. If you did both at the same time check to make sure that you put the correct levers with the correct petcock. If you look at the back of the circle on the levers you'll notice that they are mirrors of each other and not interchangeable between the left and right. I say this because every. single. effing. time. I put my petcocks back together I get it wrong at least once...if not twice...and gas starts flying every where!

Spend the money on a rebuild kit. $45 is a tall order especially because that's EACH but if you hunt a bit and ask around usually people will have a set for $25 or a set they only used one piece of (I got a set for $20 through the "for sale" section because a guy bought it and never used it). You will never appreciate how badly those rubber pieces shrink and stiffen up over time until you have a new set sitting next to an old set. You'll think, "how did this thing ever hold gas back???"

[jetmechmarty]

Item #34 is a wave washer and NLA. Part #1J7-24518-00-00 Any of the vacuum petcock bikes have the same part.

Mike's XS offers Sudco kits, but there's no indication whether or not the washer is included.

Z1 Enterprises has the K&L kit and shows the kit broken down. The wave washer is not included.

Is your bike a '78 E or a '79 F? It can't be a '79 E and it could make a difference what kit it needs.

[nzemke]

I'm looking for

And Really hoping that I can find just the spring >.< I went through and replaced the gasket on the lever. And when taking them apart and I dismantled one and worked through it and then completely reassembled it before moving on to the next one. I think I have the leaking portion resolved but now I'm just working towards getting things running how they were supposed to run. So spring and then cables should be all I need

[cajun31]

do you have

a picture of the entire petcock? I have never seen that spring in any stock petcock I have ever taken apart. You may well have an aftermarket set of petcocks. Post a picture if possible.

[donebysunday]

Here's a spring from a vacuum operated XS650 petcock, it seals the valve in the back of the petcock to stop the gas flow when the engine is not running/turning by pushing a small O-ring that is attached to the diaphragm. The O-ring and seating surface must be in good shape for it to work. This one measures about 3/4" long and 5/16 across. Let me know if this will work for you ? If it does I'll pack it and send N/C ASAP. This one seems to have more turns than yours ?

[donebysunday]

Here's a spring from a vacuum operated XS650 petcock, it seals the valve in the back of the petcock to stop the gas flow when the engine is not running/turning by pushing a small O-ring that is attached to the diaphragm. The O-ring and seating surface must be in good shape for it to work. This one measures about 3/4" long and 5/16 across. Let me know if this will work for you ? If it does I'll pack it and send N/C ASAP.