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Petcock

1K views 13 replies 7 participants last post by  swifty2014 
#1 ·
Well I think I goofed. When I bought my 07 Shadow the PO said he hardly ever rode it. Even though it ran fine I ran some Sea Foam in the gas and rode it for a few miles. I parked it for about a week and today when i went to go for a ride fuel was leaking out of the seep hole. I guess the sea foam ate the rubber O ring, the bad part is this petcock is not rebuildable. I ordered one and it should be here Wednesday or Thursday. Live and learn I guess.
 
#3 ·
Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of SeaFoam......but I doubt it was the SeaFoam that caused the the petcock to leak.
It was probably from not being used much (or maybe not at all) for the first 10-years of it's life with the previous owner.

You'll be good to go when you get the new one installed.

Phil
 
#5 ·
Thank you for the reply. I know a lot of riders use it on their Gold Wings. I know some manufacturers say not to use any thing in the fuel so I was just curious. I guess now I can ride worry free for awhile. Thanks again for the answers
 
#8 ·
That depends on which blend of ethanol you're referring to.....
E-10 blended fuel (which has been around in the U.S. since the late 1970's) is completely safe to use in any vehicle manufactured in the last 30-years or so. At 10% ethanol and 90% gasoline, the ethanol is too diluted to cause any damage. If it were true that E-10 eats older seals and o-rings, you'd be seeing cars all over the country on the side of the road stranded with bad seals or o-rings.

E-85 (Flex Fuel) is a different story altogether. At 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline, yes that will damage engines that weren't designed and engineered to burn flex fuel.

I personally have never had an ethanol related problem; or ever had a mechanic tell me that any of my vehicles were damaged because of ethanol. My opinion is that E-10 ethanol gets falsely blamed for certain engine problems without any proof or backing.

And if you take a look at the MSDS sheet for SeaFoam, you'll find that it's made up of 20% Isopropyl Alcohol. That can't be good for rubber seals?

Phil
 
#11 ·
YAH back in the good old days of the 1960's it was common to get a tank of gas with a few gallons of water and then you were towed to the nearest garage to get the fuel system cleaned out.
Then in the 1990's they were trying Methanol and MTBE concoction, and that was eating up different parts of the fuel system.
It seems like ethanol is the least of the trouble makers. Corn liquor is not that bad !
 
#12 ·
Corn liquor is not that bad !
There was an old timer where I used to work that claimed he could tell the percentage of alcohol by shaking the bottle and watching the bubbles.

Once a year he'd bring back a Mason jar full of clear liquid from his relatives in Tennessee.
Before pouring us all a drink, he'd shake the bottle to display the results, as if we knew what he was doing. I didn't care what the bubbles did, I just liked the way it made me feel.

That was a great job, we had a liqueur bar right in the office and when the boss would announce "The Doctor Is In" we all knew we were in for a treat. But he was very responsible, only one shot per customer; it was a great motivational tool and it worked.....

Phil
 
#13 ·
I checked with Honda Motorsports and they said that the recall was done on my shadow in 08. But have the dealer check to see if the replacement part was faulty. I doubt after 9 years if they will say the part is faulty.
 
#14 ·
Phil great story about the Doctor Is In ! Reminds me of the old Beverly Hills shows with Granny and her "Rheumatiz Medicine" !
 
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