Petcock Pain

[cicone]

Anyone have this problem? It was leaking out of the back side hose connector, but sealed the compessed fitting with JB Weld--it's rock solid. Replaced the rubber gasket and o-ring. Now it still leaks fuel to the carb--peeing. I'll be taking the tank off and flushing the grit out this week and will disassemble the petcock again. I'm thinking that the groove in the fuel tap lever has worn. Will try adding some JB to each end of the semicircle groove to effectively shorten it--as it may be overshooting the sealing surface of the rubber seal w/the 4 holes in it(that direct the fuel flow). Any other ideas?

 

[ZKDX]

if the carb is peeing then it's your needle valve that is worn (i believe that to be correct)..

 

[Matt90GT]

I think what he is saying is that the petcock is never fully off. Common issue on the Kawis. Same thing like the cracked gas cap!

Just bit the bullet, order a new one. Cost is like $20 for a dealer, so see who is willing to give you a good price.

 

[ZKDX]

probably right matt. I had to replace my needle valve after several failed attempts to stop the peeing. Don't forget to check out ebay..i found an entire gas tank and petcock for $30 that included shipping!!!

 

[KelvinKDX]

try www.ronayers.com - best prices i've found for Kawasaki factory parts.

Go to www.buykawasaki.com first and get the part number that you need.

 

[cicone]

Yeah, I don't mind a little peeing when I'm riding 'cause the jetting is to good to mess with the float. Just interested in getting the gas tank shut off so it's not necessary to collect gas in a metal bowl all week. Went back and found some good ideas from threads WAY back in time. As Ccarver noted in one of them---if the search function worked better you could avoid so many repeat questions. Sorry about that. I'll take the time to read the anthology over the weekend! ;-) P.S. Have installed new float and needle valve. Also sanded the brass seal---now it just drips intermittantly---used to pee like me after a twelve pack!

 

[cicone]

Fingers crossed--problem solved. Disassembled petcock and cleaned thoroughly. Checked seals for wear--none. Examined lever--very tight tolerance to align seals to shut off flow. Per previous post, lightly sanded sealing side of lever with 1000 grit wet with WD40. Once polished the problem was apparrent. The end of the C shaped recesses were worn down considerably, which in effect created a longer circuit which overlapped the fuel intake holes no matter what the position. Whipped up some JB Weld and built the surfaces back up and slightly shortened the circuit as well. This morning gave it some light sanding on a flat surface(whetstone)with the 1000 grit WD40 treatment. Did the install---No leaks!! Repairing things beats the heck out of buying new parts. Hope this helps someone.

 

[Matt90GT]

The problem there is that JB weld does not hold up very long in fuel. So some day you may find a big chunk of that in your petcock restricting gas flow. or small pieces finding their way into the jets and clogging them. That would really suck in the middle of no where!

 

[cicone]

Matt---Don't want to PO someone who has had experience with the product, but they tell me once it's cured(15-24hrs)that it is impervious to gasoline. I hope they're right.