Leaking Gas

I came home from college this weekend and found my bike with a pan and oil dry underneath it. when i asked my old man he said it was leaking gas, and i have no idea where to start looking for gas leaks. Is this a common problem? Also the gas selector was switched to prime at the time (not sure why). Maybe that had somthing to do with it. If you have any ideas i'd love to hear 'em

Thanks

 

Setting the fuel petcock in the PRIME position allows the fuel to flow unchecked into the carburetors. So long as your float valve and seat are good, you should be ok. Fuel getting past them will fill up the crankcase with gas. This is the XJs way of letting you know you need to rebuild the carbs (or at least clean out the carbs).
Best of luck with your future efforts.

 

You have a stuck float or floats; and you may also have a crankcase full of gasoline as well.

DO NOT run the motor until you check: stick your nose right in the oil filler hole and give a whiff. It should smell like slightly crisp oil; if it smells like gasoline you need to do an oil change right away.

If the petcock is working correctly it should not flow when in "ON" but the fact you had a leak when set to "PRI" tells us your carbs need attention.