Puddle of gas....why...

[criticman]

Alright, tried starting up the bike today, no luck. It has been a while, has been cold, etc.

Well, I called previous owner, gave me some things to check, tried them, ran the tiny battery down too much. He mentioned checking to make sure the gas was on. So, I looked at the knob on the left side just forward of the seat and did my best to read the painted over raised words.

It appeared to be:
9 o'clock: Fuel
12 o'clock: PRIM (furthest counter-clockwise it would turn)
3 o'clock: RES
6 o'clock: ON or NO (depending on how facing) (furthest clockwise it would turn)

I went ahead, put it up at 12 o'clock on to PRI for the Primary tank. I put the Battery Tender on the battery and walked away.

Well, fiance gets home, says it smells like gas out there. Sure enough, puddle of gas on the ground and left side of bike from tank-down is drenched in gas.

So, what is the deal? Did I do something wrong? Did I mis-read the knob? Or is there a bigger problem than a minor mistake of turning a knob the wrong way?

EDIT: Prev-owner says was b/c was left on PRI, flooded carbs, leaked out. Question is, where the hell in those options I gave above is the off position?

[robertbarr]

EDIT: Prev-owner says was b/c was left on PRI, flooded carbs, leaked out. Question is, where the hell in those options I gave above is the off position?

With a properly functioning petcock, any position other than 'PRI' is off, as long as the engine isn't running. You only need the PRI setting to prime the carbs, after the bike has been sitting a while.

With properly functioning carbs, there should be no leakage, regardless of the petcock setting.

[criticman]

Good to know. The Clymer manual only talked about putting it on PRI when removing the tank to drain it....so yeah.

He's coming over anyway to remember where he used to have it, so that'll clear things up the rest of the way.

[Boondocks]

Yes, you did something wrong. The Prime position should not be used unless the bike has been sitting long enough for gas to evaporate from the carbs, or if the carbs are rebuilt and need to be filled with fuel. It should never be left on Prime, because the petcock is then directly gravity fed to the carbs. If a float is sticking and the innards of the carbs are not sealing the gas pressure, it will cause an overflow leak as you have experienced.

The 6 o'clock position is probably NO (off), and the 9 o'clock is probably the normal operating position. If your petcock is like most GS's of that era, the petcock won't flow fuel from the normal operating postion (or reserve) unless a diaphram is opened by the engine vacuum. In other words, if the engine isn't running, no fuel can flow. If you have a vacuum petcock, it should be left in the same position when the bike is turned off. If you don't have a vacuum petcock, it should be manually turned off when the engine is stopped for any length of time.

[earlfor]

Prime is straight through/gravity feed. That is only used to fill the float bowls if the tank has been emptied and the carb float bowls are consequently empty. Usually turning to prime for about 20 seconds is all that is needed to fill up the float bowls. Then you should turn the petcock to the run position.
Run position opens the fuel valve when vacuum is available, i.e. when the engine is being turned over (either to start or running) Reserve is the same as the run position except that the pick up tube for res is lower in the tank and consequently allows the engine to draw fuel after the point of running out of fuel when set on the run position. (thats why they call it reserve) LOL
Run and reserve are both vacuum operated, so when the engine is shut down, fuel flow is automatically shut off.

Normal position is run.

You're leaking gas from the carb overflow tubes with the petcock left in the prime position. Normally this should not happen if the fuel inlet valves and seals are in good condition and the float heights are set correctly. You probably need to replace seals, general clean up and check float settings.

Earl

Alright, tried starting up the bike today, no luck. It has been a while, has been cold, etc.

Well, I called previous owner, gave me some things to check, tried them, ran the tiny battery down too much. He mentioned checking to make sure the gas was on. So, I looked at the knob on the left side just forward of the seat and did my best to read the painted over raised words.

It appeared to be:
9 o'clock: Fuel
12 o'clock: PRIM (furthest counter-clockwise it would turn)
3 o'clock: RES
6 o'clock: ON or NO (depending on how facing) (furthest clockwise it would turn)

I went ahead, put it up at 12 o'clock on to PRI for the Primary tank. I put the Battery Tender on the battery and walked away.

Well, fiance gets home, says it smells like gas out there. Sure enough, puddle of gas on the ground and left side of bike from tank-down is drenched in gas.

So, what is the deal? Did I do something wrong? Did I mis-read the knob? Or is there a bigger problem than a minor mistake of turning a knob the wrong way?

EDIT: Prev-owner says was b/c was left on PRI, flooded carbs, leaked out. Question is, where the hell in those options I gave above is the off position?

[criticman]

Thanks for the input everyone. We (previous owner and I) switched it over to ON, cranked it and BAM, ran just fine...well, idled a bit harsh being cold out and a while since it ran.

Thanks for the info on the proper petcock operation. I'll look into working on the seals, check things out there, etc. Clymer manual has that covered! :-)

[txironhead]

Before you ride it too much, check your oil level to make sure you did not get gas in the oil. Also, pull the fill plug and smell the oil. If it smells like gasoline, CHANGE IT!

[criticman]

How would gas have made it into the oil? I mean, more than willing to check it when I get off work, but how would gas have made it into the oiling system? As far as positioning, the bike was on the side stand (need to steal the center stand off of the parts bike).

I tossed water at the side the gas had dripped down to dilute it and get it off of the paint. No fluids on the ground when I left for work this morning, so no remaining leaks, was only due to leaving it on PRI.

[txironhead]

It hasn't happened to me personally, but it's happened to several people here. Apparently it's possible for gas to work it's way into the cylinder and "seep" into the oil if the petcock is left on prime or the vacuum mechanism fails. I'm not saying it has happened to your bike, but I'd hate to see you ruin your engine.

[criticman]

What kind of oil is best then? Any reason not to run a full synthetic? I'm thinking maybe Royal Purple or at least a name brand option. What about the oil filter? Will I have options in terms of brand, or not? Best place to get one locally? (or will I have to order online?)

[SqDancerLynn1]

Unless it is a fresh rebuild I would use dino oil

[txironhead]

The oil debate has been going on here for a while. Some people say use only motorcycle-specific, others run regular Valvoline. Do a search here and you'll find a ton of opinions. I personally prefer Kawachem, available at almost any motorcycle shop, in whatever weight oil is specified for your bike (should say in your manual).

[Tom MLC]

What kind of oil is best then? Any reason not to run a full synthetic? I'm thinking maybe Royal Purple or at least a name brand option. What about the oil filter? Will I have options in terms of brand, or not? Best place to get one locally? (or will I have to order online?)

I use a synthetic blend (Castrol) on my 1100, and full synth (Rotella) on my 1000. I ALWAYS use the factory oil filter & o-ring. There are some aftermarket filters that cost less. Some come with the o-ring. You'll save a few bucks, but will not be happy. The filter is poor quality and the o-ring is too thin. It will leak. Spend a little more moola & get the factory stuff. It'll be worth it.

[criticman]

Where would one find the OEM filter? I don't see it on Dennis Kirk...I do see a Fram and K&N filter there though.

[Tom MLC]

Local Suzi shop should be able to get 'em.

Try www.bikebandit.com.

By the way, just for the record. I have had the challenges that I spoke of (poor quality & thin o-ring) with the Fram product. I have no experience with the K&N parts, so I can't speak badly of them.