THE SYMPTOMS OF PETCOCK FAILURE
Like any other malfunctioning part, there are a few different symptoms.
One is that the engine will run for a short time and then die. It will not immediately restart but will restart in a minute or two.
Another is the engine bogs down while traveling along in fifth gear and just will not accelerate. But, if you down shift and then crank on the throttle it will pick up and run great at high RPM's but then bog back down again shortly after you up-shift.
Another indication is there will be fuel collecting in the cavity where the fuel cap is but you probably can not see where it is coming from
There are other symptoms but to troubleshoot the petcock, there is a procedure in the service manual to follow. It involves using a small hand held vacuum pump like the Mity Vac. The procedure is in section four of the manual. The petcock is called an Auto Fuel Valve. It is a simple process and should take only a few minutes of your time to test it.
(special thanks here to mike b . for the above paragraph .)
THE VAC - TEST METHOD - 1 )
first remove the top shelter to gain access to the petcock - once the top shelter is removed you should be able to see the petcock - remove the vac line at the top of the petcock - and fit the vac pump via a rubber tube to the end of the petcock as shown in the pic 2)- below follow instructions in the picture to the letter
Top shelter removed petcock now showing
The shop manual method
THE POOR MANS METHOD 2)
PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A PETCOCK REBUILD KIT TO HAND BEFORE ATTEMPTING THIS METHOD !!
Remove the top shelter - disconnect the fuel filter pipe - just where it connects with the top of the filter - Then disconnect the second pipe at the petcock end - ( I left the fuel pipe on the petcock end mainly because of the tight bend found it easy then too refit later doing this way) .
Next - remove the vac tube from the top of the petcock - Then remove the gas cap and place a clean shop rag in the hole ( This is to prevent any objects falling into the tank ) carefully lift up the plastic tray away from the top of the petrol tank pull it to the right it should fold over - remove the rag and replace it back in the top of the gas cap hole .
Next find a good fitting Philips screw driver that fits snug into the bottom two screws on the petcock body one screw is easy to get at the other is a little harder but is do-able with care - when these two screws are out the petcock will be released in one unit leaving the bracket behind .
You could just remove the bottom screw which sit underneath the plastic tray - however I found it hard to get at and a very big chance of it dropping down into the engine bay not good at all .
Once you have removed the petcock unit - Take the unit to a clean well lit area - holding the petcock firmly in one hand loosen up the top two remaining screws - hold the two half's together as there is a spring inside carefully remove the last two screws and release the top off the petcock - lay the parts out on a clean surface inspect the rubber diaphragm for rips or tears and check the weep hole at the bottom of the petcock mine was goo'ed up with muck and stuff .
Next - clean all the parts up - I used brake cleaner on mine -
REBUILDING THE PETCOCK -
PLEASE WATCH THIS YOU TUBE VIDEO - BELOW :-
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LASTLY REFITING TO THE BIKE IS DONE IN REVERSE ORDER TO DISASSAMBLY ...
GL1500 Petcock Rebuild Kit
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