SuzukiSavage.com - Petcock issue! Help!

robb+

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Petcock issue! Help!
05/28/12 at 16:25:50

Hey my name's Rob, and I'm new to the forum! I've got a '95, and I'm pretty sure my stock petcock has failed or is failing. I've read the thread on the testing it. In multiple different ways, I've plugged up both the vac line from the petcock and the port on the carb, but it seems to run worse that way. I do have the petcock set to prime as well. The symptoms are really rough starts, cutting out in traffic when I slow down (real scary), and I can't really go much faster than 70 unless going down a slope. Just to test while riding, I've put my finger over the vac port of the carb, and every time it starts to sputter and run worse. Any suggestions? I was gonna go grab a raptor petcock from Babbits by me tomorrow but I'm not so sure that is the complete issue anymore. Help?!

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Dave YaBB Moderator ModSquad Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 18092 Camp Springs, Kentucky Gender:	Re: Petcock issue! Help! Reply #1 - 05/28/12 at 16:30:32 It sounds more like you have dirty carb issues.....than a petcock issue. The engine should run very badly with the port for the petcock open - as that would be a serious vacuum leak.
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arteacher Serious Thumper Offline Ride as if your naked and invisable! Posts: 2581 London ontario Gender:	Re: Petcock issue! Help! Reply #2 - 05/28/12 at 16:31:25 Sounds to me like the screens on your petcock are plugged up. Drain the gas, remove your petcock and clean the screens.
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robb+ YaBB Newbies Offline Posts: 36 Muskegon, Michigan Gender:	Re: Petcock issue! Help! Reply #3 - 05/28/12 at 16:34:21 That's what I had originally thought too. But before I even thought petcock, I pulled the drain plug on the float bowl to only find clean gas. I also have a run a few full tanks with seafoam in it, and it still runs awful.
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Routy Serious Thumper Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 2280 Winston Oregon Gender:	Re: Petcock issue! Help! Reply #4 - 05/28/12 at 16:47:46 You are suffering from "petcock paranoia" that is more than abundant on this forum. Get over it,.....pretend you never read about all the problems that were supposedly caused and not solved by "Raptorizing", and get after the real problem, which as was said is probably dirty carb related.
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robb+

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Re: Petcock issue! Help!
Reply #5 - 05/28/12 at 17:40:38

But if the carb was the issue, the bike shouldn't just turn off ya know? It should definitely sputter like it's running out of gas, but it doesn't. I'm all for a dirty carb being the problem. One another note, the petcocks have failed on enough of these bikes that there are several threads about it, and it's a '95 with the stock part. I'm not being paranoid. I'm being realistic. Don't get mad.

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robb+ YaBB Newbies Offline Posts: 36 Muskegon, Michigan Gender:	Re: Petcock issue! Help! Reply #6 - 05/28/12 at 17:42:07 arteacher wrote on 05/28/12 at 16:31:25: Sounds to me like the screens on your petcock are plugged up. Drain the gas, remove your petcock and clean the screens. I'm gonna try this right now!
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Serowbot

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Re: Petcock issue! Help!
Reply #7 - 05/28/12 at 19:24:41

Routy wrote on 05/28/12 at 16:47:46:

You are suffering from "petcock paranoia" that is more than abundant on this forum. Get over it,.....pretend you never read about all the problems that were supposedly caused and not solved by "Raptorizing", and get after the real problem, which as was said is probably dirty carb related.

Routy,.. I didn't put the petcock test in the Tech Section to fool anybody...
It is a test...
It should be done when there is a fuel problem, to rule out possible petcock problems, before messing with the carb and throwing everything off... I'm sure you agree, that wouldn't be a good thing...
robb+ did the sensible thing in checking it... Now,.. he can more confidently track down the problem...

robb+,.. good job so far... Before tearing in to the carb... also check that your gas tank is venting properly... Cali models have a vent tube, all other US models vent through the cap...
Listen for hissing when you remove the cap (it shouldn't)... and if you catch it when it's stumbling, try taking the cap off, and see if it smooths out after a minute...

Welcome,.. and good luck... Wink

...

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Ludicrous Speed !... ... Huh

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Arizuno Full Member Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 227 Prescott, AZ Gender:	Re: Petcock issue! Help! Reply #8 - 05/28/12 at 19:47:20 I no longer have petcock paranoia. I have a Raptor. Which means I no longer experience spontaneous silence at inopportune moments. I suppose that makes my longer rides relatively boring, but that's kinda like a "boring flight", if you get my drift...
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Oldfeller--FSO

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Re: Petcock issue! Help!
Reply #9 - 05/28/12 at 20:30:15

Long Distance call from Oldfeller, currently vacationing in 5th circle of Dante's imagination thanks to the jokers who want to attach "hater" labels to people and then chuckle about it.

Hey guys, this River Styx place really really has a bad pollution problem and way too many ugly naked angry people floundering around in it trying to drown each other. Think of it as pig wrestling where the pigs pooped.

Pew !!! Eau de toilet fer shure.

Robb+, Routy wants you to diligently work on your stock vac petcock and your carburetor until you can manage to fix both of them.

If you listen to him, you will eventually get there .... it will be longer and more time consuming and alas somewhat relatively temporary as other problems may well come to see you later on.

The amount of work he wants you to put into this very first step of his plan (remove petcock and clean the screen) would also COMPLETELY INSTALL A RAPTOR PETCOCK and then you wouldn't have any petcock step two to deal with after that.

So, you can follow along with Routy or go ahead and hop ship and end your vac petcock problems completely with a Raptor.

Remember, there are 5 failure modes to a standard vac petcock and Routy iis having you to deal with just one of them now -- the others will come around in due turn even if you do manage to "fix it this time".

Routy, please don't be angry --- and don't hate

(this is not a spa down here, it sucks really really bad)

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Routy

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Re: Petcock issue! Help!
Reply #10 - 05/28/12 at 22:36:27

Serow,
Did I ever say that your test was to fool anyone,...or that it was not a good test to do before going elsewhere ?? So don't pretend I did !

The only problem is,......not you near as bad as OF,.....have everyone so paranoid of that vac petcock, that even after the test......proving it not to be the problem, they don't trust it, and still go out and spend the $30 raptorizing, only to find it money wasted. He even has them all believin (imagining) that the bike must be running better after raptorizing, just because that horrible dreaded vac PC is no longer attached to the bike in any way shape or form.

And OF,.....why would you think (say) I'm mad,...or hate ? I'm only warning the new guys here of the PC paranoia that exists here whether you see it that way or not. If they want to believe you, fine, its their money.

And to the new guys to this bike, if the conveinence and saftey factors of the vac PC are worth giving up for knowing that the vac PC will never give you trouble, go and raptorize it, its your money. But when you don't turn the valve off and your gas tank runs into your crankcase, you'll remember what I said ! Roll Eyes

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Rich
'07 S40 Blvd stocker, except drilled OEM exhaust and white spacer mod...1/2 (.055)

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Serowbot YaBB Moderator ModSquad Offline OK.... so what's the speed of dark? Posts: 28625 Tucson Az Gender:	Re: Petcock issue! Help! Reply #11 - 05/28/12 at 23:26:55 OF,.. Styx looks nice, remind's me of Tucson... Expect to see you floating by soon,... room for one more?... I'll be bringing coins and cold beer with fresh limes... ... Don't come .... we aren't the ones in the boat. Your legs will get tired from treading water.
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Dave

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Re: Petcock issue! Help!
Reply #12 - 05/29/12 at 04:54:44

To the Original Poster:

What happens if you disconnect the fuel line from the petcock, and then attempt to run fuel into a jug? My good petcock took 7 minutes to flow a gallon of gas in the prime position. (If yours flows at a similar rate - it is not a filter or flow problem.

What happens if you put the petcock in the ON or Reserve position and then pull a vacuum on the vacuum line that connects to the intake manifold? If the petcock flows fuel at a steady rate......that may not be the problem?

When you pull a vacuum on the petcock - does it bleed off indicating there is a hole in the diapragm?

If you put the petcock in prime and then open the drain screw on the carb float bowl - do you get a steady flow of fuel draining out? If so - the petcock should not make the bike hard to start?

I belive a faulty petcock could cause the following symptoms:
1) If the diaphragm is stiff - Intermittent flow, low flow, no flow.
2) If the diaphragm is broken - Intermitent flow, low flow, no flow, fuel in vacuum line.
3) If the petcock is dirty - Low flow, no flow. Engine should start and run at low throttle settings, but lose power at higher power use....or if there is enough junk it could cause the flow to be so low that it could start hard and barely run.

I am confused by you comments about the bike running better with the vacuum hose unplugged? Have you been running the engine with the vacuum line off and unplugged?

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robb+

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Re: Petcock issue! Help!
Reply #13 - 05/29/12 at 18:09:56

Routy, I didn't mean to be a thingy. I just didn't like my testing being chalked up to paranoia.

I drained the tank (took about 7-10 minutes, it was almost full) and pulled the petcock. The screens looked clear, but I stilled blew some carb cleaner through it.

When I said it ran better with the vac port on the carb open I meant this. I started the bike with the vac port plugged with a like plastic molding, and it slipped off. The idle sounded better and it wasn't sputtering nearly as much so I took it for a ride! The petcock was on the on position and it still turned off when I pulled up to a light. I switched it to prime and it didn't cut off anymore. Still couldn't get it above like 65 down a straight-away. I know the carb could use cleaning but after researching on here I thought the PC would be the easier thing to try and fix first.

Serowbot, did you mean the gas cap? I'm not sure how I'm supposed to check it while riding Wink

Thanks for all the input guys!

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Re: Petcock issue! Help!
Reply #14 - 05/29/12 at 18:26:14

robb+ wrote on 05/29/12 at 18:09:56:

I drained the tank (took about 7-10 minutes, it was almost full) and pulled the petcock. The screens looked clear, but I stilled blew some carb cleaner through it.
When you drained the tank - did you do it by putting the petcock in the PRIMEW position? Does it flow any fuel in ON or RESERVE when the engine is off? (The petcock should not flow any fuel when the engine is off and in the ON or RESERVE positions.....only when the petcock is in the PRIME position.

When I said it ran better with the vac port on the carb open I meant this. I started the bike with the vac port plugged with a like plastic molding, and it slipped off. The idle sounded better and it wasn't sputtering nearly as much so I took it for a ride! The petcock was on the on position and it still turned off when I pulled up to a light. I switched it to prime and it didn't cut off anymore. The petcock should not flow fuel when the vac port is not connected and the bike should stop running as it will not get any fuel in the ON or RESERVE positions - but the bike should not run better with the vac port open to the engine......that is an air leak and should make the engine run badly.

Still couldn't get it above like 65 down a straight-away. I know the carb could use cleaning but after researching on here I thought the PC would be the easier thing to try and fix first. If your petcock flows fuel when in PRIME, and the engine still runs badly with the vac port plugged.....and you get fuel flow when you put a vacuum on the vacuum line to the petcock.....then the problem is not the petcock.
Thanks for all the input guys!

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