1983 suzuki tempter, gas in the stator cover?

[7aliveatlast7]

i just scored a suzuki tempter from a friend for free. it doesn't run, so i decided to take off the head and various covers to see how things were looking inside. weird thing is, when i loosened up the stator cover and began taking it off, gas started pouring out of it. i have never done much engine work on any of my builds, so i'm not entirely sure what i'm dealing with.
is this indicative of a crank seal gone bad? and if so, anyone know if i have to split the cases to fix it?

 

[Sonreir]

How long has the bike been sitting?

Some bikes have a nasty habit of leaking gas into the cylinders if the petcock is left on. Usually not a problem for a day or two, but it can get bad if left months.

Possible that the all fuel from the tank is now in the crankcase.

 

[7aliveatlast7]

it sat about 10 years, haha. however, i think it has the vacuum style petcock, so could that still be the issue? there was gas still in the tank, too, but i guess that doesn't mean some of it couldn't have gotten down to the motor over the years...

 

[VonYinzer]

Was there gas in the cylinders?

 

[ApriliaBill]

Vaccum can go bad also, if the petcock went bad, then there could be gas everywhere. Check the oil, fuel smell? Frothy? The gas in the tank ("It sat for ten years") could also have quite a bit of condensation in it. I'd start by pulling and cleaning the tank, check to see if the petcock is holding. change the oil, clean the carbs, then see if you can get the beast to fire and take it from there. Ya gotta start somewhere.

 

[7aliveatlast7]

Was there gas in the cylinders?

nah, just the stator cover.

Vaccum can go bad also, if the petcock went bad, then there could be gas everywhere. Check the oil, fuel smell? Frothy? The gas in the tank ("It sat for ten years") could also have quite a bit of condensation in it. I'd start by pulling and cleaning the tank, check to see if the petcock is holding. change the oil, clean the carbs, then see if you can get the beast to fire and take it from there. Ya gotta start somewhere.

carbs have been cleaned and a different tank with a working petcock was used to try to start it. i'll have to check out the oil and see what it looks and smells like.

from the little research i've done, it seems like the 2 most likely causes are either a bad crank seal or the carb float needles not seating right. i just don't know if i have to split the cases or not to replace the seal. thanks for the guidance so far!