Does petcock need rebuilding?

So I went to check my valve clearances this weekend and do a bunch of other things while the valve cover was off but the petcock was leaking the whole time!

I used my warehouse garage at work, and it stunk pretty bad. Anyways, I propped the tank up overnight so it wouldn't leak everywhere. I get in this morning and gas EVERYWHERE.

Would a rebuild fix the leak coming out of the fuel nipple on the petcock? I don't exactly know how these work, but I'd like for it to stop spewing gas when I set it to "on".

When the line is connected to the carbs everything seems normal, I don't have any leaks anywhere. The moment I take the fuel line off and remove the tank, it just drips, drips, drips.....

Would a rebuild fix this? Is it difficult to do?

 

Not hard to do and it will help. There is a how to on doing the rebuild. Just make sure you get the rebuild kit from chacal. I say this as most of the rebuild kits from other sources do not fit these petcocks.

 

Some folks say get a kit and rebuilt it.

I'm done recommending rebuilding Petc0cks!
Yon might follow every detail in the BigFitz DYI Pictorial and still have the darn thing leak.
Maybe not.
Depends on how close the Kit resembles the one the Maker supplies to Yamaha.

The Labor Rate at Motorcycle Shops surrounding Metro Boston is now up to $95.00 per Hour.

You're going to spend an hour and a half to two hours prepping and doing the Kit.
That's close to 2-Bills.

Buy a New Petc0ck. Save the receipt.
If there's a problem with it, ...
Bring it back.

 

Here's the rebuild "how to" http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=25058.html

Not all petcocks are rebuildable, the article explains what to look for. If the petcock is viable, then yes it can certainly be rebuilt.

 

Thanks guys. Thing is, it's not leaking when connected up to everything. When I pull the fuel line to remove my gas tank, that nipple just drips constantly.

Would a rebuild actually fix that? What is the cause of the dripping? Or is that considered a leak? Even though it doesn't "leak" when connected to the bike...

Rick, a new petcock is close to 150 bucks man... I don't have that kind of scratch with all the other things I need to do....

 

Reading your post Fitz, this can happen when the spring loaded diaphragm isn't working properly? works fine when connected and dribbles fluid when not connected...

It seems to be working at least somewhat because when I turn to prime, it flows freely..

 

Like bigfitz52 said, remove and check the howto to determine if your petcock is rebuildable.

You don't need the exact replacement, can install a manual on-off-reserve non-vacuum style petcock. Here's an example of one: http://bit.ly/12OVALk

 

Whatya guys think of this? The price is right!

 

sektor, you read my mind man! Would that be just a swap out and I'm up and running?

 

"Thing is, it's not leaking when connected up to everything."
Oh yes it is
it's not supposed to drip, that means it leaks

 

I replaced my original with an aftermarket on-off-res valve. I had a hard time getting it to seal to the tank property and I'm pretty sure that the positions are mis-labeled. Once I got it to seal it works great. Remember, you get what you pay for.

 

Well, you're lucky your float valves work properly, or you would have a crankcase full of gas!

 

Interesting! Ok I'm going to order the on/off petcock from Len today along with the shims I will need for the valves.... Brakes will have to wait till next month.

I have the SS lines and pads, but I need to rebuild the MC and Caliper and I just don't have the money for everything at once.