disassemble tank petcock? (now with pictures)

[Mandres]

I removed the in-tank petcock to begin the de-rustifying process on the tank it seems to be completely clogged.  The rubber piece is dark brown in color and no fuel runs through it.  Is it possible to disassemble and clean the petcock?  I don't see any screws holding it together and I'm stumped as to how to get it apart.

Thanks

[Mandres]

just a little update:

I found there is a metal clip holding the adjuster screw inside the petcock body.  Removing the clip with a screwdriver allows you to pull out the screw and the nylon actuator in the valve.  The actuator was BADLY gunked up; both fuel passages were clogged with black residue. 

I haven't been able to remove the rubber/plastic chamber that extends up into the fuel tank.  I'm going to pick up some pipe cleaners and do the best I can to clean out the passages.  I wonder what the purpose of this piece is.  Is it acting as a filter for the gas in the tank?  Or maybe it meters the flow of gas through the petcock? 

I'll get new batteries for the digi-cam tonight so I can show you all what I'm talking about.  It might be a good idea for anybody with fuel starvation issues to remove their tank petcock and give it a good cleaning too.  This bike is only 5 years old and the valve was filthy.

-M 

[DerekNC]

That plastic piece allows extra fuel to remain in the tank until you switch to reserve. If you look closely you'll see that one outlet is higher than the other. It is also the tank filter.  You should be able to find something that will clean the filter assembly without damaging the plastic. I cleaned mine back last winter and can't recall what I used.     

[Mandres]

well crap, I was afraid of this.  The filter unit was in terrible shape, when I tried to clean it it basically fell apart.  I figured I would just leave it as is and install an inline fuel filter downstream.  Unfortunately, when putting the petcock back together the o-ring that seals the on/off lever shredded on me   

I guess my best bet now is to find a replacement petcock with the filter element in decent shape.  Why suzuki opted to make the filter non-removeable is anybody's guess.  If anybody knows where I can find the size of the o-ring I guess I can make do with what I have though. 

this sucks

[scottpA_GS]

As we talked about in the other thred.. I had the same problems.. I took that crapy old filter thing out of my bike.. Now I have no reserve, but who cares I just put an inline fuel filter in.. that little screen in the tank petcock will never come clean if it was like mine.

Once I had most all the gsa out, i took the tank down to the local car wash booth and stuck that flexible wand down in the tank and blasted all kinds of crap out.. I think I went through like 8 washes before clean water started comming out.

Then I went to the dealer and got some "Kream" to reline the tank.

Now.. no problems

[Mandres]

That's a good idea on the pressure wand, I think I'll do the same.  I'm going to hit the hardware store tonight to look for a replacement o-ring.  If I can find one that fits well enough to seal the selector switch then this valve should be ok. 

I'll have toose pictures up this evening so everybody can see what I'm talking about.

[Mandres]

Ok, I was finally able to get pics.  You can see here how the valve comes apart, starting with the metal clip.  The piece circled in red is the actuator that I referred to; it has two grooves in it to allow fuel to flow when the petcock is in the 'on' position.  Both passages were completely clogged when I took it off. 

Unfortunately, when I was putting it all back together the switch o-ring (blue circle) was damaged.  I went to the hardware store and found a replacement that I think will work.  I ran water through the valve in both the open and closed positions and the switch didn't leak at all.  I'm going to put the petcock back in the tank, fill the tank with a water/UV dye mixture and check for leaks with a blacklight.  If it holds overnight it should be ok forever. 

You can also see how I removed the damaged sections of the filter unit.  I'm going to leave this as-is and install in-line filters with quick disconnects on both the main and reserve lines upstream of the frame petcock.  The q/ds will make removing the tank a snap in the future.  Anyway, if you have any questions or tips fire away.

thx