How do you seal up the petcock hole if its an irregular shape.

[sham]

Sorry, many questions this weekend, and most of them seem pretty stupid. So I was trying to clean out the rust of my tank - a KZ250, and had read that people have had success using rubber stoppers to fill the petcock hole. However, my petcock hole is an elongated oval, so my dad convinced me that I could just electric tape it and then seal the edges with silicone...


That worked for a while, but the vinegar ended up gushing out after about an hour, and by the time I noticed it there was quiet a bit of flash rust lol. So my tank is now in a worse off...


So is there any ways of sealing off these holes? The "O" ring (?) around my fuel cap is also broken, so the vinegar was leaking out when I had that upside down as well...


Thanks.

 

[Swapmeet Louie]

ma ke a temp plate that mounts the same as the petcock. I've done it. Pain in the ass, yes... But it's the only way I found to do it. And now I have amother honda specific tool. One for suzuki pet cocks now too.

 

[cyclefreak]

You can make a template just like Louie said out of metal or even wood. Drill holes in the template to match the mounting holes for the petcock and use rubber gasket material between the template and tank. Run bolts or screws through the mounting holes and snug it up and you shouldn't have any leaks.

 

[cyclefreak]

To seal up the gas cap hole try to find some cone shaped rubber plugs. You can usually find them at the hardware store in the plumbing section. Find the right size and tap it in the filler neck with a mallet.

 

[AlphaDogChoppers]

After you put the electrical tape over the hole, install the petcock over top of it to hold it in place.

 

[sham]

Thanks. I didn't want to make a template as I don't have access to any tools of that sort, though if its the way to go, I might try to do something with a pair of tin snips - possible? lol.

I've also read that a fat piece of tap will work?

AlphaDogChoppers - I thought the acid/vinegar would damage the petcock - can you clarify why you mean by installing the petcock over the top of the tap?

I just want to clarify how these templates should be - could you guys let me know if I've got the right idea?

Option 1:

Option 2:

 

[AlphaDogChoppers]

Cover the holes with a piece of tape, install the petcock. The tape blocks the hole. No solution from inside the tank gets to the petcock. Obviously, you have to punch holes in the tape where the bolts go through. You can put a little sealant on the threads of the bolts, if you want.

 

[richsuz]

First picture is correct, minus the center hole. only drill the holes for the bolts. I have an XS650 with dual petcocks. plugged the right side petcock hole with a piece cut off from thin galvanized metal and a piece of 5/8 gasoline proof hose that I split up and cut to the same shape as the petcock base. Added a couple of copper crushable washers under each bolt and It has been in place, leak free for almost a year. Sheetmetal sheers was all I used.

 

[sham]

AlphaDogChoppers - ah ok, I understand. I'm looking at sealing the tank from the inside but.

richsuz - yeh oops - no centre hole. Thanks for the suggestion - I like that I don't need to buy any power tools except borrow a drill or something, which shouldn't be too difficult. Can I ask what the point is in having dual petcocks?

Thanks guys.

 

[richsuz]

I believe, Yamaha could not answer that question either, because in 81 they deleted one of them.

 

[Big R]

Sham, along with the template idea: use a couple washers on each bolt that get progressively larger towards the tank. That way you get a more even pressure on the gasket to seal the "gas hole".

Also, if you ever decide to paint your engine, you can use the same bolt on gasket idea to seal the intake and exhaust ports.

 

[sham]

Thanks guys - got the petcock sealed and cleaned the tank to a useable standard I think - I rushed it a bit cos I wanted to get some petrol in it and try starting it up...didn't work - I'll post up a video on 1800 to see if you guys can tell me what the problem is - I actually thought it would be this easy...