Petcock failure?

[J V McLure]

For some reason my Petcock on my 99 has locked up in the opem position. Dang thing will not turn at all - feels like it is frozen. About an hour ago I discovered a big fuel spill on my garage floor. Not sure what is going on or what I need to do. Any idea what the problem may be or what I need to do?

[Chrisj CMA]

I would remove all the spark plugs and determine if any cylinder is full of gas before try starting it.  If the petcock is years old.....replace with a pingel and dont look back

[Disco]

Hey JV,

Here is a link to a recent thread on the TX board about Hyrdolock, the damage it can cause, and how to avoid the damage if you think you might be susceptible.  Given your symptoms, I would be very careful.  Backing it out.

I'm not an oem petcock versus pingle expert, but I rebuilt my petcock weekend before last and it was a piece of cake.  This link contains much discussion.  DFW Wrench Party

If all you need are the part numbers to rebuild your petcock, here they are: 
Petcock rebuild supplies from the Fuel Tank fiche
Reference #4, Screen Set, 16952-MZ0-003 - Some have gotten away without replacing this.  However, if you open one up, find that you need one and don't have one, you're fubared.  (and only +/- $16.00)
Reference #5, Cover Set, rooster, 16953-MBZ-B51

While you have the tank off, you might as well check the air filter.
From the Air Cleaner fiche
Reference #2, Air Cleaner, 17210-MZ0-000 

[rmrc51]

I would remove all the spark plugs and determine if any cylinder is full of gas before try starting it.  If the petcock is years old.....replace with a pingel and dont look back

I agree 100% with the Pingel for a replacement!

[fudgie]

I would remove all the spark plugs and determine if any cylinder is full of gas before try starting it.  If the petcock is years old.....replace with a pingel and dont look back

I agree 100% with the Pingel for a replacement!

+2  As one of the most common replacements why would you go back to it?

[Kilroy]

I did the petcock rebuild about a month ago, I thought it was a piece of cake too.  I was having the normal problem where the bike would act like it was running out of gas and wanting to go to reserve way to early, no consistant time frame after fill up.  Could be at 63 miles into the tank or 98.  I thought I was out of the woods, then last week, bam it did it again.  Is there anything else that you guys can think of that would cause this symptom or does it always turn out to be the petcock??  Thanks.
Kilroy

[bigdog99]

have you checked the vacuum hose from #6 carb, it may be leaking and not allowing the petcock to open. found this after taking it off carb, and clamp fell off.

[Disco]

I didn't have a problem with reserve, but I did replace all the vacuum lines and caps while I was in there.  I had gotten a tank of bad gas and after running several tanks of fresh gas + sea foam it still didn't feel as "crisp" as it should.  So, although it's low-miles, it's 10 years old.  BIG difference.

[Chrisj CMA]

I did the petcock rebuild about a month ago, I thought it was a piece of cake too.  I was having the normal problem where the bike would act like it was running out of gas and wanting to go to reserve way to early, no consistant time frame after fill up.  Could be at 63 miles into the tank or 98.  I thought I was out of the woods, then last week, bam it did it again.  Is there anything else that you guys can think of that would cause this symptom or does it always turn out to be the petcock??  Thanks.
Kilroy

I went through that whole thing too.  Rebuilt the vacuum side (cover set) because of fuel leaking, then it started that "running out of gas" thing.  I checked all the vacuum lines and finally just went and replaced the dang thing with a pingel and all the troubles went away.  I noticed that even before it was "running out of gas" early it was taking longer and longer to switch from on to reserve.....Im sure the valve side was wearing out, and theres no rebuild kit for that..........I cant stand Honda fuel valves, they are all the same pot metal and I dont trust any of them.

[J V McLure]

One other thing my Valk is doing - and it started with the petcock failure. Sometimes when I start to crank her up, she will turn over a few times and then stop dead with a "clank".....  Is this what you guys call the dreaded "hydrolock? With the petcock frozen open and the fuel flowing, overflowing and spilling everwhere, I can see how the cylinders might end up full of fule.

When messing with the dern thing last night, the hose came off of the petcock. Fuel was flowing everywhere and things quickly went from bad to worse. To save the house from a near atomic blast, I couclued the time had come to remove the fuel tank and get it out of the garage. Knowing that I was only one spark away from a modern day firey furnace, I pressed on with the tank removal.

I now have the tank off of the bike, out of the house and drained and a new Pingle fuel petcock on order. I think things can only get better from here - but you never know. Not inpressed with my progress, the air quality in the house and overall condition of the garage, the boss is telling me to put in on the trailer and haul it to the Honda house. The smart money might be on following her orders.

Few things are more embarassing then taking a mess like this to the shop and unlaoding the boxes of parts and peices......    

[Dave Weaver]

Have an extra key in your gas tank lock and the next time your bike seems to be starving for fuel, open the tank lid while bike is still running and see if it runs better.  If so, the fuel tank vent line either needs replacing or has a kink in it.  You may have pinched it when putting tank back on after serviving petcock.  It is the line that runs from rear underside of tank to down under bike.

[BrettB]

I had petcock problems and rebuilt it with the screen set and cover set.  Although I have not had any problems since the repair, I have no confidence in the stock petcock.  I would like to put in a Pingel, but I am a little confused.  I understand that it is a quality product, but I know that sometime I will forget to put it in the "off" position. Is there any way to insure that no fuel will flow with a Pingel if I forget to shut it off?  What model pingel is best?

[Rocketman]

One other thing my Valk is doing - and it started with the petcock failure. Sometimes when I start to crank her up, she will turn over a few times and then stop dead with a "clank".....  Is this what you guys call the dreaded "hydrolock? With the petcock frozen open and the fuel flowing, overflowing and spilling everwhere, I can see how the cylinders might end up full of fule.

When messing with the dern thing last night, the hose came off of the petcock. Fuel was flowing everywhere and things quickly went from bad to worse. To save the house from a near atomic blast, I couclued the time had come to remove the fuel tank and get it out of the garage. Knowing that I was only one spark away from a modern day firey furnace, I pressed on with the tank removal.

I now have the tank off of the bike, out of the house and drained and a new Pingle fuel petcock on order. I think things can only get better from here - but you never know. Not inpressed with my progress, the air quality in the house and overall condition of the garage, the boss is telling me to put in on the trailer and haul it to the Honda house. The smart money might be on following her orders.

Few things are more embarassing then taking a mess like this to the shop and unlaoding the boxes of parts and peices......    

That clank/clunk is a very bad thing.  Do not make ANY attempt to start the engine until you clear that fuel.  The fuel spill you saw under the bike was probably flowing through the engine and out the exhaust pipes.  Some stayed in, and is causing a lock.  You must clear it.  Remove the plugs, and roll the bike while in gear.  Prepare for a little fuel to come out of the plug holes.  (Do this on the driveway as to incur as little of the wrath of the boss as possible)

As for taking it to the Honda house- You're 90% of the way to complete.  They will want to replace the petcock with another stock one.  You've got the Pingel on order.  Put it on, clear the engine of the fuel that's already in it.  Then make a habit of shutting off the fuel.  Also make a habit of checking the fuel position before starting it.  If it's still on, check for a lock before you press that button:
If I ever think there's a possibility on mine, I put 'er in fifth gear, let out the clutch, and walk it forward a little.  It's easy to feel the difference between the compression of air vs. liquid.  If I feel too much resistance, I clear it as I specified above.
With this process, I feel that I never have to worry about a hydrolock.  After repairing three of them in rapid succession on my first Valkyrie, not worrying is a grand feeling.

[Rocketman]

I had petcock problems and rebuilt it with the screen set and cover set.  Although I have not had any problems since the repair, I have no confidence in the stock petcock.  I would like to put in a Pingel, but I am a little confused.  I understand that it is a quality product, but I know that sometime I will forget to put it in the "off" position. Is there any way to insure that no fuel will flow with a Pingel if I forget to shut it off?  What model pingel is best?

I try to resolve that by developing a habit to check it before I start up again.  It has not failed me yet.
Some folks have put in an electric fuel valve (would shut off flow when the ignition is off) as well.  This seems like a great idea, but I have not implemented it yet.
As for which model-
There's a vacuum op model, and a manual model.  I went with manual, preferring to be able to blame my own stupidity rather than a mechanical failure over which I have no control.  This is another case in which "best" is in the eyes of the rider.

[fudgie]

I had petcock problems and rebuilt it with the screen set and cover set.  Although I have not had any problems since the repair, I have no confidence in the stock petcock.  I would like to put in a Pingel, but I am a little confused.  I understand that it is a quality product, but I know that sometime I will forget to put it in the "off" position. Is there any way to insure that no fuel will flow with a Pingel if I forget to shut it off?  What model pingel is best?

I have the non vac type. I always shut mine off before anyway. There have been times I forget to and leave mine on a few days at a time with no problems....yet. 
You could get the vac type if you don't shut yours off.

[Larry]

You "Pingle" guys are as bad as Darksiders!  (Currently I am a darksider though. ) I've done my stock petcock a couple times now and have had no further issues. The original service was brought on by some problems with switching from main to reserve. It didn't seem to "click into place" real well. Took the ball valve apart and fiddled around a bit with things in there. I ride a 2000IS.

[Chrisj CMA]

You "Pingle" guys are as bad as Darksiders!  (Currently I am a darksider though. ) I've done my stock petcock a couple times now and have had no further issues. The original service was brought on by some problems with switching from main to reserve. It didn't seem to "click into place" real well. Took the ball valve apart and fiddled around a bit with things in there. I ride a 2000IS.

It doesnt really have to be a Pingel, ANY other valve is going to be better than that crappy thing Honda put on there.  If you want to keep "fiddling" with it and hope it doesnt leave you stranded.....by all means.....who are us Pingel guys to fault you.

[Rocketman]

You "Pingle" guys are as bad as Darksiders!  (Currently I am a darksider though. )

The difference being, spontaneous flaming death is a lot more likely when it involves fuel leaks.
 

[wildthang1949]

Is this a simple unscrew the old unit and screw in the pingle, or do you have to change gas line hose,any fittings, etc;

[Tropic traveler]

First hand experience here that I haven't seen mentioned yet. Make sure you change your oil. When my '97 hydrolocked it also put a considerable amount of fuel in the oil.
As a side note I replaced my petcock with a brand new Honda unit. The OEM did OK for over 10 years & 80,000 miles & I like the way the OEM petcock works.
And another side note.... I have a new OEM petcock in the parts stash, you know just in case!

[fudgie]

You "Pingle" guys are as bad as Darksiders!  (Currently I am a darksider though. ) I've done my stock petcock a couple times now and have had no further issues. The original service was brought on by some problems with switching from main to reserve. It didn't seem to "click into place" real well. Took the ball valve apart and fiddled around a bit with things in there. I ride a 2000IS.

A couple times?  You would have a Pingel paid for and no worries or down time since install!

[Larry]

You "Pingle" guys are as bad as Darksiders!  (Currently I am a darksider though. ) I've done my stock petcock a couple times now and have had no further issues. The original service was brought on by some problems with switching from main to reserve. It didn't seem to "click into place" real well. Took the ball valve apart and fiddled around a bit with things in there. I ride a 2000IS.

It doesnt really have to be a Pingel, ANY other valve is going to be better than that crappy thing Honda put on there.  If you want to keep "fiddling" with it and hope it doesnt leave you stranded.....by all means.....who are us Pingel guys to fault you.

Sorry to offend you ChrisJ, was only trying to be humerous. Need to work on that delivery I see.  Happy holidays!

[Larry]

You "Pingle" guys are as bad as Darksiders!  (Currently I am a darksider though. ) I've done my stock petcock a couple times now and have had no further issues. The original service was brought on by some problems with switching from main to reserve. It didn't seem to "click into place" real well. Took the ball valve apart and fiddled around a bit with things in there. I ride a 2000IS.

A couple times?  You would have a Pingel paid for and no worries or down time since install!

Twice in 9 years isn't bad, the last fiddling session was more off a maintenance thing having to do with the original fix. My fiddling worked out well and I had the tank off anyhow to do the annual spring air cleaner thing and other under the hood stuff. I like the way the OEM looks. I have the custom engine hanger covers in place and the OEM looks good there. He has new covers for a pingel setup as well though. (http://www.valkyrieblingandmore.com/rechromed-items.html) I'm currently working on a electric valve setup so the OEM switch will be totally manual.

[Rocketman]

Is this a simple unscrew the old unit and screw in the pingle, or do you have to change gas line hose,any fittings, etc;

The nipple on the Pingel is a little smaller than OEM.  When I did a straight swap, I had a slow drip from where the hose met the nipple.  I put a worm driven hose clamp on to secure it, and everything's great.

[Kilroy]

What is the part number for the non vaccuum model of the Pinge?  Thanks
Kilroy

[KY,Dave (AKA Misunderstood)]

What is the part number for the non vaccuum model of the Pinge?  Thanks
Kilroy

1311-CH

[asfltdncr]

Advice taken-And it makes it hard to blow off the de-smog thing while you're so close.
Thanks for opinions and experiences.

[Kilroy]

Thanks