petcock problem

Ok. Went to pull the tank, turned petcock to ON so that gas wouldn't come out and it ran all over. ON and RES just let gas run out. it looks like there's goop around the edges of the petcock like someone took the diaphram out and just permatexed it so it wouldn't leak. Is this really important? the bike runs, but not well, it's really lazy at low RPMs. could this be why?

Turning the petcock to on or reserve WILL allow the fuel to flow.You have to turn it to ,"Off"

What bike is this on,btw?

If he's got a diaphragm he doesn't have an off position. Yeah I'd get that lil thing fixed. Your carbs might stand in check of it flooding over but I'd want the petcock doing it's thing.

Yeah. Its a diaphram... would that make it lazy in the lower rpm?

tyhoppy wrote:

Yeah. Its a diaphram... would that make it lazy in the lower rpm?

Nope.

No but being lazy does make the petcock more important. Cause you most likely already have some carb issues. Ya need to fix the petcock. Then ya heed to clean them carbs cause if a float sticks and the gas is free flowing you will have a mess of gas on your floor or a mess of gas in your crankcase. Neither scenario is ideal.

so you're saying that the diaphram doesn't do anything?

tyhoppy wrote:

so you're saying that the diaphram doesn't do anything?

In the vacuum petcock, there's a spring and o-ring supposedly blocking a fuel port thereby preventing fuel flow in the "ON" and "RES" positions, when the engine is not running (i.e., when no vacuum is being administered to the petcock).

When the engine is running, vacuum from the running engine is supposed to operate the diaphram against the spring and o-ring to thereby open the fuel ports in the "ON" and "RES" positions.

Am thinking the diaphram doesn't do much at all when the engine isn't running, because it's not being activated by the vacuum from a running engine.

In "PRI" (prime) position, fuel flows through another port which is independent of the diaphram, spring and o-ring.

Good Luck!

And here's a pic from kawasaki.com parts diagram:

[click on image for larger view]

Ok.. I'm just going to buy an inline valve to shut off gas and use the res and on so I don't run out of gas.