[SparxMacGyver]

I finally got around to working on my bike. Since the tank is off the bike, started with cleaning out the tank. It's been sitting for awhile with a full tank of vinegar. Man, a load of rust chunks came out, including some grey gritty/sand-like chunks. there's still some sloshing around, but less so each time I rinse and shake. Water/rust mix just pours out of the main fuel hole, but nothing is coming from the reserve line. My understanding is that, with the petcock off, whatever is in the tank should come out of both holes. So, assuming it's just a bit of rust/junk blocking up the reserve pipe, then the next cleaning should take care of it.

 

[CoreyP]

I would take the petcock off and clean it along with any lines. Could be crap all in that stuff. You have a screen filter on the petcock right? Make sure that isn't plugged up either.

 

[SparxMacGyver]

The petcock is gone. The back half is missing, so it's not on the tank at all.

 

[steelhorse_rider]

It sounds like you need to clean the tank with phosphoric acid and possibly seal it. The last kit I used was POR15, comes with chemicals to clean and seal corroded tanks. The peacock would need cleaning also at minimum, possibly rebuilt or replaced. Corrupt fuel systems will plug the carbs forever unless dealt with.

 

[SparxMacGyver]

Thanks. I'm planning to do an actual cleaning with chemicals (although the vinegar did an amazing job on it's own). Just didn't wanna start poking around in that pipe and break a screen on something.

 

[jpr1968]

The petcock is gone. The back half is missing, so it's not on the tank at all.

If the petcock is gone, how do you know that the reserve isn't flowing?

 

[SparxMacGyver]

It's not flowing. I filled the tank with vinegar, which seems ot have removed a large amount of junk. However, due to the garbage weather we had here, I ended up forgetting about it for a bout a month or so. Noticed the storage tote I had it in, was filling with vinegar. Found the back of the petcock was missing. There's a nice hole in it now - it wasn't like that before I filled it. The vinegar did not drain from the reserve, nor did the water flush after it. I tried some air from my compressor, no dice.

Both vinegar and water only drained out of the fill hole, or from the main fuel hole (where the petcock goes), depending on which way I hold the tank.

Unless there's a screen or something I don't know about in there.

 

[Kenstone]

It's not flowing. I filled the tank with vinegar, which seems ot have removed a large amount of junk. However, due to the garbage weather we had here, I ended up forgetting about it for a bout a month or so. Noticed the storage tote I had it in, was filling with vinegar. Found the back of the petcock was missing. There's a nice hole in it now - it wasn't like that before I filled it. The vinegar did not drain from the reserve, nor did the water flush after it. I tried some air from my compressor, no dice.

Both vinegar and water only drained out of the fill hole, or from the main fuel hole (where the petcock goes), depending on which way I hold the tank.

Unless there's a screen or something I don't know about in there.

The petcock screen can easily/gently be pulled off the petcock exposing the on and reserve ports.
The lower hole/port is the reserve and fuel/vinegar or any other liquid will not flow thru that port unless the petcock lever is turned to the reserve position.
Adding something to the vinegar, I use 1/4 hex nuts or BBs, to knock the rust off will speed up the cleaning of the tank.
Something small made of steel so you can get anything left it the tank out with a magnet.
.

 

[ABQ-Jammer]

I thought the way this worked was the petcock just switched to pulling in fuel from the lower part of the screen on "reserve" and from the top part on "regular"/"main", but it was still just in the petcock and tube in it that stuck up into the tank. Am I mistaken? I know that's the way it is on my '03 Spirit 750, but there's an air intake tube as a "vent", which can get plugged, causing the fuel not to flow out, making it seem like it's clogged.

 

[jpr1968]

I thought the way this worked was the petcock just switched to pulling in fuel from the lower part of the screen on "reserve" and from the top part on "regular"/"main", but it was still just in the petcock and tube in it that stuck up into the tank. Am I mistaken? I know that's the way it is on my '03 Spirit 750, but there's an air intake tube as a "vent", which can get plugged, causing the fuel not to flow out, making it seem like it's clogged.

That is the way that it works. That's why I asked how he knew it isn't flowing if his petcock is gone.