Instructions for OEM Petcock conversion from vacuum to manual?

[Valkhound]

  I know I've seen it on here before and I thought I saved it but can't find it now.Anyone have or know where to find the details on how to convert the OEM petcock from vacuum operated to manual? Did a search on here and can't seem to find it either.
Thanks in advance for any help or info. 

[fstsix]

http://daughertymotorsports.com/howto/tankvalve/tankvalve.html

[Bone]

The petcock on my 98 Tourer failed. I ordered the rebuild kit and then someone posted the same link as fstsix posted. That was what I wanted to make mine manual. I did the conversion the same afternoon and it is manual. I have the rebuild kit in a parts drawer if needed.
I've been turning off petcocks for many years.

[Gryphon Rider]

A week ago I just converted mine to eliminate the shut-off-without-vacuum feature, and what I did required no cutting of rubber parts.  My large diaphram had a slight leak that caused the bike to be fuel-starved when the tank was 1/4 full or less, but the small diaphram was in good shape.

All I did was:
1. Remove the vacuum hose, four screws, and the cover.
2. Remove the spring (to be used later) and the black plastic disk that separates the spring from the large diaphram.
3. Push the middle of the small diaphram so that it is away from the valve body hole that it is designed to seal against.
4. Reassemble, being careful to have the edges of the diaphrams in their proper positions, and with the spring in position between the small diaphram and the valve body.
5. Reattach the vacuum hose so you don't have to think of another way to seal the vacuum nipple on the carburetor.
6. The leftover black plastic disk can be used as a shim to stop something on your Harley from rattling.

[Mr.BubblesVRCCDS0008]

Did mine about 3yrs ago. I just took the rubber parts out and placed a thick piece of gasket material between the two metal pieces. Put the screws back in it a sandwhiched the gasket material to seal the manual side of the valve from the vaccum side. I did away with the vac line (plugged it).  Now it is just a manual valve.

[my12by60]

I have a 2000 Tourer with 19K miles and an OEM petcock that has never had any service as far as I am aware (I have owned the bike for 5 years).  The operation of the petcock lever seems to be getting a bit "sticky" as I move from off to on.   I have noticed a bit more of a fuel smell than I recall as soon as I open the petcock to go out for a ride.  I don't notice any strong fuel smell in the garage when the bike is just sitting nor do I feel any fuel on or around the petcock.  If I stick my nose right down where the petcock selection lever is I can smell some fuel, but that may be normal being that close to the gas tank and carbs.  The other day I thought I was running out of gas too soon based on mileage based on how the bike was behaving, so I switched to reserve and rode to a station and refueled.  Could have been my imagination since I have been reading about petcock issues.

Anyway, after doing a bunch of reading here about Pingel valves, Golan valves, new OEM petcocks, OEM rebuild kits, fuel filters, and electronic fuel valves, I have decided to try the easiest fix first.  I am going to try to eliminate the vacuum feature of the OEM petcock.   I have a strong habit developed over many years of turning the fuel valve on an off with each stop, so I think this solution will work for me. 

I am going to follow the steps outlined by Gryphon Rider in this thread.  My mechanical skills are a work in progress, so I have a few questions that may inspire some laughter:

Does any petcock work require that the tank be removed?

If no to the above question, can I turn the petcock to the off position and take the petcock apart as outlined by Gryphon Rider without the need to drain the fuel from the tank or will fuel leak all over the place once I take the petcock apart?

Thanks for any help or tips.

[gordonv]

I have noticed a bit more of a fuel smell than I recall as soon as I open the petcock to go out for a ride.

Does any petcock work require that the tank be removed?

If no to the above question, can I turn the petcock to the off position and take the petcock apart as outlined by Gryphon Rider without the need to drain the fuel from the tank or will fuel leak all over the place once I take the petcock apart?

My petcock leaks a little fuel every time I touch it. I just removed the tank, and didn't notice anything wrong with any of the lines or connections. It doesn't leak any other time.

Does the tank need to be removed? I would say no, but why not, there isn't enough room in there to work on it.

BUT you will get fuel leaking out if you open the petcock up, so you need to remove the fuel anyways. So you do need to remove the FUEL to work on it.

Wasn't there another post where the person just flipped one or both of the diaphrams around, thereby makeing it manual?

[Yellow99]

Excuse my ignorance, but what are advantages / disadvantages of converting the peacock to manual as discussion in this tread. Thanks

[my12by60]

<<Wasn't there another post where the person just flipped one or both of the diaphrams around, thereby makeing it manual?>>

Yes.  That post is a few posts above mine in this thread.  What I am trying to figure out is if I can do the diaphram flip without needing to remove the fuel tank or drain the fuel?


<<what are advantages / disadvantages of converting the peacock to manual as discussion in this tread>>

DO a searches for petcock and pingel and you will have plenty to read on this topic.  The petcock seems to be a relatively minor part that when it fails (alllows gas to leak to the carbs even when the valve is in the off position) can possibly cause a condition called hydrolock which can lead to a very expensive repair that involves removing the entire engine from the frame.  Eliminating the vacuum function of the valve eliminates the possibility of fuel getting past the valve while the valve is in the off position and also seems to eliminate many fuel delivery/performance problems associated with a failing petcock.  The only negative is that you must remember to turn the valve to the off position when the engine is not running or you are exposing yourself to the same problems posed by a failing petcock.  So eliminating the vacuum function is not a perfect solution for many, but it does have the advantage of being cheap and relatively easy to execute.

[gordonv]

Then there is also the addition of a fuel  shut off valve solenoid, to stop the flow of fuel while the engine is off.

[Bone]

The petcock on my 98 Tourer failed. I ordered the rebuild kit and then someone posted the same link as fstsix posted. That was what I wanted to make mine manual. I did the conversion the same afternoon and it is manual. I have the rebuild kit in a parts drawer if needed.
I've been turning off petcocks for many years.

I'm still running my Valk in the manual mode. The large diaphragm was leaking. The bike was starting to run rough. I found the #6 spark plug black from a rich mixture. I cleaned the plug off and rode the bike. Had my plug socket handy. Rode for 50 miles or so and the roughness returned the plug was wet. I wasn't sure what the problem was because it ran great until the plug couldn't keep up with the mixture. One or two replies to my post told me to check the petcock if it was the #6 plug the gas can leak down the vacuum line when the diaphragm failed. That was the problem and the post about the conversion got me back on the road.
I just keep learning on this board I knew the carb had to fail for a Hydroloc. This problem I had is another possibility, the ball that stops the flow in the the petcock can leak and that would be a big problem.
The OEM petcock is a mess.

[Hoser]

Solution in a word. "pingel"  hoser

[Bone]

Signature:
I don't want a pickle, just wanna ride my motor sickle
 
  Some Arlo Guthrie 

[Hoser]

Correct, sir, from Alice's restaurant album   hoser

[my12by60]

Ok.  I took off the tank and removed the vacuum function from OEM petcock as outlined above.  Took out the #6 plug and took a look.  I have not looked at enough plugs to know what I was looking for.  Maybe there was a bit of gas on the plug.  I pulled out the #5 plug and it looked drier and cleaner, but again I don't have the experience to make a good evaluation.  Put things back together and went for a ride.  Seemed a bit more responsive with no apparent fuel starvation signs throughout the range of gears.  Will try it this way for a while to see how it does.  I also put some TriLube spray on the petcock selector mechanism by the engine hanger and a quick spray where the selector spindle meets the valve body.  The mechanism works more smoothly now.