Petcock problem

[Old Geezer Richard]

 I bought a cover set to rebuild my petcock and during the re-assembly I got distraced by my other half with 47 questions and I might have put it back together wrong .... went for a ride Sat. and if I went over 55 mph the engine started to loose power , like no gas , but it idled fine but on the hwy it was a pain  ....  there are no kinks in the vacume hose , because I checked .....  but that back plate that has a short nipple , I don't remember if it pointed up or down , I got the vacume nipple pointing horizontal towards the front  Maybe I can find a blow-up of a Valk petcock MAYBE ......  Does Anyone know of a VRCC member parting out his Valk for parts  ....  I would rather find a used petcock rather than keep taking my tank on and off and not figure out the problem ..... Thanks the Geezer

[BigM]

The vac. nipple is same direction as the fuel out nipple side by side. Also is a good idea to change out the screen and don't forget the small o-ring that goes to the tank nut. Theres a Newly rebuilt one on the classifieds now if haven't sold already.

[fudgie]

Or get a pingel. If not, you will be doing it again in a few years.

[Westsider]

hey geeze..make sure the _vent_ tube isnt kinked...its a pretty tight fit right above the center cover where the seat lock is...dont ask......you can search petcock in the tech archives and you will have enough to read for a day or two,,,i decided to go with a pingle ,,,the bikes i used to ride //if you didnt shut off your gas when you stopped,,you probabaly wouldnt be going any where right away when you went to start up...so  turning off the gas all the time is pretty easy for me to remember...wont mention any names here but they were usually 2 cyclinder air cooled type.....good luck keep posted...geetter dooon pose to be 65 here saturday

[Hoser]

Or get a pingel. If not, you will be doing it again in a few years.

+1  Hoser   
http://www.pingelonline.com/fuel_valves.htm

[Tundra]

Or get a pingel. If not, you will be doing it again in a few years.

+1  Hoser  
http://www.pingelonline.com/fuel_valves.htm

+1 Tundra...or like me, several times in one year I didn't have a problem with mine until I did. Then it was a continuous problem. I got sick of pulling the tank and messing with it. Pingel

[Blackduck]

The short nipple should face down, it is a drain. This is to prevent fuel going into the No 6 cylinder if the diaphragm fails
As above the vacuum nipple is horizontal.
Cheers Steve

[Thunderbolt]

It should point down.

[BIG--T]

I've heard a lot about the petcock being a weak link. Geezer said it idled fine but lost power over 55. Are there any other symptoms of one going bad other than leaking gas. When I cut mine on or off, I noticed it moves in and out a little like it's loose. Is that normal?  I's running fine so far but sure ain't gonna brag!

Thanks

[Old Geezer Richard]

 What part number is the non-vacum Pingle petcock for the Valk and about how much ?  Will a petcock from an Interstate interchange with my Tourer by chance  .....  And Paul , I always turn off the petcock when I'm coming up my street before I pull in the garage as a matter of habit habit    And Tundra the petcock turn knob is not loose on mine  ....  I really don't want to be farting around with that petcock and yanking that damn tank off anymore than I have to , you know ..... Thanks again the Geezer

[John U.]

I've heard a lot about the petcock being a weak link. Geezer said it idled fine but lost power over 55. Are there any other symptoms of one going bad other than leaking gas. When I cut mine on or off, I noticed it moves in and out a little like it's loose. Is that normal?  I's running fine so far but sure ain't gonna brag!

Thanks

It's a good idea to turn the petcock off while riding once in a while to see if the gas flow stops. The bike will continue on for a few miles then lose cylinders gradually. If it doesn't do that, time for a rebuild or replacement.

[Mr.BubblesVRCCDS0008]

You can also just make the stock petcock into a non vac model by removing the diaphram and just turn it on and off manually. I just used a piece of thick gasket material between the two pieces where the diaphram was located.  Be sure to plug vac line too. I did mine about 3 years ago and it still works perfectly.

[Blackduck]

If turning the petcock off does not stop the fuel flow it may not be a bad petcock but side load on the valve stem.
This is caused by the petcock not being aligned correctly and when you tighten the screw in the selector knob it causes side load on the petcock which forces the valve off it's seat.
Always leave the fuel line off the petcock and with the petcock in the off position apply vacuum to the petcock and check for no flow. Then wriggle the selector to see if it is staying seated.
There is very little allowance for misalignment so it pays to double check anytime you move a petcock.
Cheers Steve

[Willow]

....  there are no kinks in the vacume hose , because I checked .....  but that back plate that has a short nipple ,

The kink you should be looking for for that behavior would be in the vent line rather than a vacuum line.

A vacuum leak in the line would also give you those symptoms.

[BigM]

Sounds like you have the vac. part of the petcock wrong. Idle but won't accel. The diap. tits have to seat into the spacer sleeve holes. With the Pingle is vac. also, As some have said same problem can occur.

[BigM]

Also if go with the pingle i would add in the elec. fuel shutoff by Dan Marc. That in my opinion would be the safest way of preventing hydrolock.Gas off and on with the switch power.

[Hoser]

What part number is the non-vacum Pingle petcock for the Valk and about how much ?  Will a petcock from an Interstate interchange with my Tourer by chance  .....  And Paul , I always turn off the petcock when I'm coming up my street before I pull in the garage as a matter of habit habit    And Tundra the petcock turn knob is not loose on mine  ....  I really don't want to be farting around with that petcock and yanking that damn tank off anymore than I have to , you know ..... Thanks again the Geezer

1311-CH $94.50 at the pingel site (see link above)  Hoser

[Chattanooga Mark]

You can also just make the stock petcock into a non vac model by removing the diaphram and just turn it on and off manually. I just used a piece of thick gasket material between the two pieces where the diaphram was located.  Be sure to plug vac line too. I did mine about 3 years ago and it still works perfectly.


The above from Mr,Bubbles is about the best advise you can get regarding your petcock. Why spend money on the Pingle when you don't have to. That just means more money for the important things like safety chrome. I suspect that by turning the oem petcock off and on as needed once the diaphram is removed will alsokeep it clean and lasting longer.

Mark

[Old Geezer Richard]

 Hey Chi town Mark , I have called some auto parts here in San Antonio for some neoprene like gasket material and they don't have anything like that just mostly the cork stuff ... where did you get your gasket material at or from ..... what exactly did you use ? Thanks the Geezer

[Chattanooga Mark]

It wasn't my suggestion but that of Mr. Bubbles. I installed a repair kit for my leaking petcock last year. That was before I read so many ongoing issues with the original design. You could always use the old (bad) diaphram as the gasket and simply cut out the inner circle and remove the spring and plunger. If my petcock gives me issues in the future, that's what I'd do. It's been years since I looked but NAPA used to sell gasket material in sheets.

I know many have had great success with the Pingle and that's great. I wish the users and Pingle themselves continued success. But I like the look of the oem system much better than reaching in to turn the Pingle off and on. By using Mr. Bubbles suggestion above, you get the same functionality of the Pingle while retaining the ease of operation of the oem 'On', 'Off' 'Reserve' knob.

All the best,

Mark

[Old Geezer Richard]

 I was just thinking the same thing because I too like the OEM look with the existing petcock ... so what your saying is simply just take out all the guts and just use the one diaphram for a gasket and just bolt it together , seal off the vacume nipple and point the other short nipple down and I good to go .... I had installed the rebuild kit already , so would it be an over kill to double up the diaphrams to form one gasket between the two halves or just one diaphram ? I wanna get on this tonight so I'll be ready to ride this weekend because the weather is going to clear.

[Bone]

Here is what happened to my petcock. It started fouling #6 plug. The diaphragm had a tear and the gas would run straight into the cylinder. I like the OEM too so I had to order the kit. Didn't want to park it so I experimented and found that when the plug started fouling I could switch it with the plug in the next cylinder and it would run cleaning the fouled plug at the same time. It would last 60 miles or so and that was perfect for my daily transportation.
Meanwhile someone on the board posted the link below. Exactly what I wanted. I followed the directions and was back riding. My kit came in and is still laying on the shelf, 1.5 years now + a cross country trip.
This worked for me


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

[Old Geezer Richard]

 Hey Bone , thank you so much my friend Problem solved !!!!! its amazes me why other Valk riders have not gone this route instead of messing with this petcock   ...  I myself have been used to riding older bikes in the past with a gravity flow petcock and it does not bother me to reach down and turn the damn gas off before I park it ...  so simple   Thank you again ... Thanks the Geezer         PS. I did finally find that neoprehene gasket material finally.

[Bone]

It's a easy solution. Your turning the diaphragm into a large O-ring.
Check your e-mail.

[fudgie]

As a Pingel user, I also liked to oem look. Was not keen on reaching under the tank either. I figured function over form. I can look good rolling down the road or look good stranded along the road.  I had the pingel before the oem mod was around. If I had to choose I probally would still go the pingel route.

[Old Geezer Richard]

 Hey Bone , I had heard that my good friend Hard 6 in Louisiania uses O rings to accomplish the same thing instead of re-using the diaphram .... doing it tonight now that its finally warmer in the garage .... Hey Fudgie , like they say different strokes for different folks I understand where your coming from and I'll post on a later date after I see how this works  .... I guess what ever suits each individual needs and I choose not to spend $97.00 right now .... ride safe ...Thanks the Geezer

[Hoser]

I pingeled and mounted my air horn where the stock controls were.  hoser

[fudgie]

I pingeled and mounted my air horn where the stock controls were.  hoser

Can ya get your hand in there ok?

[Hoser]

without looking and on the go, gloves on. I am left handed also. it helps.     Hoser

[Old Geezer Richard]

 Hey Hoser , thats a real slick looking mod you did ... no wasted space on your Valk , I'm not too crazy about having to reach under the tank for the shut-off , I like the OE design the way it looks ..... I'm gonna try that suggestion from Bone , Mr Bubbles and Chi Town Mark .... Thanks the Geezer