Petcock fuel filter clogged?

[GDOG_PITBULL]

So I am out on the bike yesterday with probably 1/4 of a tank and taking of from the light I get hesitation and only intermittent power. I pull off and sit for a couple of minutes and then restart the bike and I am good to go. Enjoy a beverage or two for about an hour at a little place, then back on the bike. Everything is fine for about 10 min. of riding then boom, it's like I ran out of gas. Sit for a few min. and again I am good to go....for 5 min. or so. Get the bike started again and get to the gas station and fill the tank. The problem disappears! Stop at a local bike hang out and talk with a couple guys that examine the inside of the tank with a flashlight. I did not really get to see inside, but one guy says it looks like the tank may need to be re coated. Great! So, what should my course of action be now? I have not had an issue all summer, had a major service 2 weeks ago and this problem had appeared.
Headed to MB this weekend and want to have a dependable machine! Whats the smart move here guys?
Thanks
G

 

[Gas Man]

I have no idea how these guys established you needed to be re-coated with a flash light. You can check your petcock... I did on my chop... you can see from this thread on the "other board". Are sure its not a electrical problem?

 

[Gas Man]

Also, consider a fuel filter... get a Pingle from Vickie...
Fuel Filter

 

[GDOG_PITBULL]

I have no idea how these guys established you needed to be re-coated with a flash light. You can check your petcock... I did on my chop... you can see from this thread on the "other board". Are sure its not a electrical problem?

99% sure that it is not an electrical problem. I would like to eliminate the fuel filter inside the tank and replace it with an external one. Not sure if this is a big job or even possible. As for the tank needing a new coat of whatever, I have no idea.
Thanks
G

 

[Gas Man]

Well... you can see in my thread... its not hard to remove. Then dump the contents of the gas tank into a pan... see what you have.

You can buy kits that give you the new epoxy and all. Usually do the marbles or nuts trick. You basically put them in your tank and shake the shit out of it. Then the kit comes with the new epoxy. Just be sure to count the marbles/nuts that you put in so you know.

 

[GDOG_PITBULL]

Well... you can see in my thread... its not hard to remove. Then dump the contents of the gas tank into a pan... see what you have.

You can buy kits that give you the new epoxy and all. Usually do the marbles or nuts trick. You basically put them in your tank and shake the shit out of it. Then the kit comes with the new epoxy. Just be sure to count the marbles/nuts that you put in so you know.

Cool, one of the guys said to put something like marbles and kerosene in the tank and shake hell out of it. I think it just needs a good cleaning like you said.
G

 

[Raywood]

The screen above the petcock inside the tank is not a filter. It is just a screen to catch big stuff. I would not remove it. You can add a filter if you want but leave the screen.

If you are sure it's running out of gas then I would clean out the tank (lots of bad gas around) and blow the screen clean with air. Then drop the carb bowl and clean it out and make sure the jets are clear.
Then I would remove my gas cap and take it apart (easy to do) and ensure that vent is clear. If it's clogged it can cause a vacuum in your tank as the fuel goes down giving you the impression you are running out of gas. You have a Pitbull so the right side cap is vented and the other is not!

These three things should eliminate any fuel problems you may have.

Good luck,
Ray

 

[GDOG_PITBULL]

The screen above the petcock inside the tank is not a filter. It is just a screen to catch big stuff. I would not remove it. You can add a filter if you want but leave the screen.

If you are sure it's running out of gas then I would clean out the tank (lots of bad gas around) and blow the screen clean with air. Then drop the carb bowl and clean it out and make sure the jets are clear.
Then I would remove my gas cap and take it apart (easy to do) and ensure that vent is clear. If it's clogged it can cause a vacuum in your tank as the fuel goes down giving you the impression you are running out of gas. You have a Pitbull so the right side cap is vented and the other is not!

These three things should eliminate any fuel problems you may have.

Good luck,
Ray

Thanks Ray,
Drained the bowl, removed and cleaned the petcock (crap in the gas when I drained it) what should I use to reseal the petcock? Teflon tape vs. gas????? I am heading to get paint filters to glean the gas before pouring back in. Going to flush the tank with clean gas just in case. Anything else guys?
Thanks
G

 

[Raywood]

Teflon tape but get the kind that you can use with fuel. It's a different colored container I think. Don't use the plumbers tape it will just desolve.
I think my dealer used putty but it's always a mess if you ask me!

 

[GDOG_PITBULL]

Well after filtering the fuel, flushing the tank and draining the bowl, adding new fuel from the station and running the shit out of the bike, I think its fixed. Installed a couple of magnets
under the tank for any metal that may end up in there. After it cools off, clean and polish and I am off to Myrtle Beach Friday morning. Thanks for the help guys!
G

 

[alhall88]

While we are on this subject it seems I have read this somewhere before but I can't find it. I really only ran out of gas one time and I remember when I switched it over to reserve it still wouldn't start. So a couple months back when I was having issues with my carb I decided to drain the tank. So i disconnected the fuel line from the carb and drained the fuel into a gas can and while it was draining I was playing with the shutoff valve and noticed when in the res. position the fuel would stop flowing. So after I get all the fuel out and pull the screen out I noticed its all bunched up at the very end. Kinda like its too long, so I wonder if its the wrong screen in there or if it has anything to do with me not having any reserve.

 

[GDOG_PITBULL]

While we are on this subject it seems I have read this somewhere before but I can't find it. I really only ran out of gas one time and I remember when I switched it over to reserve it still wouldn't start. So a couple months back when I was having issues with my carb I decided to drain the tank. So i disconnected the fuel line from the carb and drained the fuel into a gas can and while it was draining I was playing with the shutoff valve and noticed when in the res. position the fuel would stop flowing. So after I get all the fuel out and pull the screen out I noticed its all bunched up at the very end. Kinda like its too long, so I wonder if its the wrong screen in there or if it has anything to do with me not having any reserve.

Not sure. I could not determine if the screen was removable from the petcock, so I did not push the issue. It is really the first time I have worked on my bike and I am glad to have learned my way around the bike a bit. As long as I am turning wrenches in the garage and not on the side of the road!
G

 

[Gas Man]

Here's a good shot of the petcock..

I simply used some pipe dope on mine. That is what they had on it from the factory. And for the record, even gasoline rated plumbers tape is white. We use it at work all the time.

But I don't think I would clean out the gas tank with anything but gas. No water, no kero, nothing but gas. Cause you can never get all the liqued out of these things.

 

[GDOG_PITBULL]

Here's a good shot of the petcock..

I simply used some pipe dope on mine. That is what they had on it from the factory. And for the record, even gasoline rated plumbers tape is white. We use it at work all the time.

But I don't think I would clean out the gas tank with anything but gas. No water, no kero, nothing but gas. Cause you can never get all the liqued out of these things.

Agreed, I used filtered gas. I am really starting to wonder about the vented gas cap. If it happens again at low tank levels, I may leave the cap a little loose to see if there is any effect on the symptom.
G

 

[Raywood]

G, you still having the issues then? Clean the vent in the cap. It's easy to take apart just be careful. It's all plastic.

Later,
Ray

 

[Gas Man]

Here is my vent removed cap..

 

[LDO]

The screens are removable from the petcock and they snap right back on. I've done this a few times when cleaning them out. Sounds like you may have built up some pressure in the tank. This has happened to me on my 03 Mastiff shortly after replacing my stock caps. Seems they sealed too good! Popped open the caps and it sounded like you had just opened up a pepsi. Gives the same symptoms as running out of fuel (because you are i guess) or more accurately, starving the motor of fuel.

As for filtering out your fuel, I've always just used those white face masks. You can get a bag of them at Lowes for about a buck nuthin' and they're already sort of cone shaped.:2thumbs:

Hope you got it fixed.

 

[GDOG_PITBULL]

The screens are removable from the petcock and they snap right back on. I've done this a few times when cleaning them out. Sounds like you may have built up some pressure in the tank. This has happened to me on my 03 Mastiff shortly after replacing my stock caps. Seems they sealed too good! Popped open the caps and it sounded like you had just opened up a pepsi. Gives the same symptoms as running out of fuel (because you are i guess) or more accurately, starving the motor of fuel.

As for filtering out your fuel, I've always just used those white face masks. You can get a bag of them at Lowes for about a buck nuthin' and they're already sort of cone shaped.:2thumbs:

Hope you got it fixed.

Ahhhhh, got the same sucking sound (reminds me of....oh nevermind her) when I removed my cap yesterday. Sounds like I have a bit more to do!
Thanks!
G

 

[GDOG_PITBULL]

Here is my vent removed cap..

So I took the cap apart and worked the center spring loaded mechanism a bit and it seems ok??? Not real sure how the venting action works on this thing from looking at it. Must be between the metal receptor in the tank and the plastic mechanism. The spring seemed to move easily enough.
Not sure if this is the issue or not. Oh yea, where is the rest of your cap Gasman? Mine has a big threaded piece in the middle.
G

 

[Gas Man]

My dealer removed mine from the start... never had it but that way... have never had no problems without.