86 XJ700 petcock fuel filter

Well the bike runs so that is good. I rebuilt and setup the carbs and fired if up with an auxiliary tank. I had some very slight flash rust in the tank so I pulled the tank and removed the petcock and fuel sender. The filter was laying loose in the tank.

Questions is installed on way it will not stay in the petcock. The other way it gets tight so is there a correct orientation? Otherwise is there a way to hold it in place if the orientation is the loose way?

Thanks for comments

 

The tower in the tank isn't really a filter......it sort of is, but it's actually the part that gives you the "reserve". The top part is your 'run' leave. When you get to the bottom of that, and you s witch to 'reserve', the fuel flows through the rest of the lower screen til you run out for real.

It's just plastic.....warm up the bottom and expand it til you have to really squeeze it to get it to seat in the petcock again. Or buy a new one...... Or glue it in with a gas-proof adhesive.....etc.....

Or just ride with out, but always keep in mind that when it says you need to switch to reserve, you're about 100 yards from being EMPTY

 

You can also dimple the mouth of the petcock with a center punch, so there's something to grab on to the stand tube (the plastic bit).
You'll want to fit a fuel filter on the fuel line, between the petcock and the carbs. The general preferrnce is a sintered bronze filter (Chacal carries them) as many paper filters will not flow enough fuel.

 

I would get a new petcock. Wouldn’t rely on a fix. Running out of gas ain’t fun.

 

The petcock isn't the issue. No need to replace it.

 

I thought the tower was attached to the petcock. Wasn’t aware that a replacement tower could be bought.

 

They just stick into the top of the casting.

 

Sometimes, very very tightly.

And sometimes, a PO has glued it into the petcock.

 

When I rebuilt the petcock on the number two seca the base of the filter tower would not fit though the opening in the tank. So in my opinion the filter is held into the petcock by the tank. Kind of sandwiched in place.

 

Then something was wrong one your bike. Some had two separate towers, but they still pressed into the base. Here's how the majority of them are---

 

Well at 13,000 miles this bike was pretty well taken care of. Petcock and filter do not look like the above. I think some glue will work. Always place an additional filter in the line. Thanks for the comments

 

I would hope that it didn't look like above… That was just a picture to show you how it fits. That's all