Woke up to the house smelling of gas!

[adelii]

I woke up tonight of the house smelling of gas. So i go out to garage and literally see drops coming down one of the pod filters and to the floor.

so stupid... when i bought bike guy told me to always put petcocks in the closed position or it might leak. I just forgot today after a small ride.

So petcock in off position, no leaks. Petcock in the on position it leaks

are there numerous problems about this that i haven't read about? or is this a common problem easy fix?

[IanDMacDonald]

Well, with all due respect, I guess you are not reading at all, lol. Petcock rebuilds are almost a MUST with this bike, right along with carb cleaning, and everything else.

[natemoen]

Your crank case is quite possibly full of gas too.

Problem is that either the needle seats are wore and can't seal anymore or there is something holding them open. A carb cleaning is in order......

Do you still have the octy as well? If so that is not functioning either.

[adelii]

I was hoping it was rebuilding but o well.

are their kits that are recommended? i see k&l kits on ebay for all 4 carbs going for $100 bucks and petcock kits going for $30 bucks for each.

should i be looking somewhere else?

[natemoen]

Most of the time you don't need anything, just a good cleaning is needed. Once you get in there you might find you need something, but then you can get just what's needed instead of a bunch of extra junk. Plus K&L jets are not measured the same as genuine Mikuni jets and just don't work right in the carbs. Genuine Mikuni parts are the way to go!

[IanDMacDonald]

I was hoping it was rebuilding but o well.

are their kits that are recommended? i see k&l kits on ebay for all 4 carbs going for $100 bucks and petcock kits going for $30 bucks for each.

should i be looking somewhere else?

Hey Adeii- I went with "Georgefix" on ebay, who I have done much business with. He's out of Florida. I'd rebuild the petcocks whether they look okay or not. Money well spent, and you'll never need to fuss with them again.

[motoman]

I woke up tonight of the house smelling of gas. So i go out to garage and literally see drops coming down one of the pod filters and to the floor.

so stupid... when i bought bike guy told me to always put petcocks in the closed position or it might leak. I just forgot today after a small ride.

So petcock in off position, no leaks. Petcock in the on position it leaks

are there numerous problems about this that i haven't read about? or is this a common problem easy fix?

Glad to hear diasaster was avioded! FWIW, there have been at least 4 instances on here in the last 7 of 10yrs. I've been on here that folks have ignored(or thought they knew best) the advice of ANY fuel drip/leak IMMEDIATLEY needing dealt with. One of which, as 3Phase referanced to, that burned the whole front enclosed porch, and partial house due to this. The advice given associated with fuel leaks, no matter how minute they may be IS to taken seriously, and dealt with as number ONE priority above ALL other of the bikes issues.

[adelii]

oh yea. i lost sleep over it. its going to get dealt with. Im thinking it is just the petcock. its totally fine in off position.

[motoman]

oh yea. i lost sleep over it. its going to get dealt with. Im thinking it is just the petcock. its totally fine in off position.

lol....only partially the petcock. Natemoen's advice IS correct. Like I stated, DON'T second guess our advice here when it comes to fuel related issues thinking YOU know better, or you WILL be #5....sooner than later.

[adelii]

lol....only partially the petcock. Natemoen's advice IS correct. Like I stated, DON'T second guess our advice here when it comes to fuel related issues thinking YOU know better, or you WILL be #5....sooner than later.

Yes you guys are right. i will start with the petcock, because i can do that.

carb rebuild might be out of my range of mechanical abilities.

[kevxs]

a carb rebuild isn't that hard on these. none of us wanted to but we have all done it and after its done you realize how simple it is.

[kevxs]

also after working on these, fixing a lawnmower will feel like your playing with a kids toy, so easy!

[natemoen]

Natemoen's advice IS correct.

Wow, you feeling alright Brant? Never thought I would hear you say something like that!



In theory your float needles should hold back the fuel even if the petcocks are always left on. They are not designed to due that permenantly so it is not something that you should rely on. So you need to first look at your carbs here and fix that.

You second need to look at the octy if you still have that on the bike. It again should stop all fuel from getting to the carbs when the bike is off. It is vacuum operated so if the vacuum line is unplugged or the diaphragm is bad it will not work. You can also get rid of the octy if you so desire.

Third you need to look at the petcocks.

These are listed in order of importance and must be completed in that order and must all be fixed, not just some of them.

[adelii]

Octy? I have no idea what that is.

[DiverRay]

You have a "Special" and they have a vacuum device to close the fuel when the petcocks are in the "on" position and the bike is not running. The petcocks each have 2 fuel nipples, the front is prime, and the rear goes to the octy before going to the carbs. A search should give you a LOT of info.
BUT, fix the carbs FIRST, then the octy if you have one, and then the petcocks.