stiff fuel shutoff
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Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 3,039
Likes: 11
From: Northern Ontario
stiff fuel shutoff
Anyone have any tricks for a fuel shutoff that takes a gorilla grip to turn. My wife ran out of gas the other day and wasn't able to turn the fuel shut off around to reserve, I turned it for her but I\d like to fix this up proper.Its just the stock fuel shut off on 89 heritage.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 8,195
Likes: 3,085
From: NW AR
Yeah, we had that problem on Dr.Linda's bike. Exact same problem. I fixed it with a Pingle petcock. That one is so easy to use you can flip it with your (or her) pinky. Get it from Jireh for half what the indy's will charge you.
Then I converted the bike to EFI, so it has a fuel pump now and we don't have to turn the gas off ever. Oh well.
Then I converted the bike to EFI, so it has a fuel pump now and we don't have to turn the gas off ever. Oh well.
Road Master
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 1,123
Likes: 43
From: NJ
Mine got stiff, that fine redish/brown junk that makes it past the filter in the tank gets in the petcock causing it to get stiff and actually wears it. I cleaned mine out and it turns fine, but the wear marks in the drum let some fuel slip by and it does not have a reserve.
Forget buying the 20-30 dollar aftermarket ones, today's fuel eats the gaskets after awhile. I hear the pingle is good but I see threads here and there about their gaskets going bad. The way I see it, my OEM one lasted about 14+ years and it costs about the same as a pingle...
I'm getting another oem...
Doug
Forget buying the 20-30 dollar aftermarket ones, today's fuel eats the gaskets after awhile. I hear the pingle is good but I see threads here and there about their gaskets going bad. The way I see it, my OEM one lasted about 14+ years and it costs about the same as a pingle...
I'm getting another oem...
Doug
Road Master
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 799
Likes: 2
From: WyoBraska (Western Nebraska)
+1 on the Pingel. Never had a problem, but then I never put ethanol in it either....
Dirt don't hurt
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 21,062
Likes: 4,547
From: Haslet Texas
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Cruiser
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 178
Likes: 11
From: Billings, MT
heres a freebie for ya. my bike is an 89 also, was so hard you couldnt turn it. i took one of the screws out of it (one of the two as you look at it from the side) and placed a very small washer between the body of the petcock, and the outer portion. this made it turn just like new, no leaks, and it was FREE! one year so far, no problems
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Club Member
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 18,575
Likes: 4
From: Norfolk, VA
Ethanol in the gas will cause the rubber gasket inside the petcock to swell up at first, then it will break down the rubber and cause small particles to get into the fuel line...An in-line filter helps but is a stop-gap measure. Like already stated, the Pingel petcocks are already set up for Ethanol gas.
The accelerator pump diaphrams in the S&S "E" will also break down due to Ethanol after at least 2-yrs....Learned that the hard way!!!
The accelerator pump diaphrams in the S&S "E" will also break down due to Ethanol after at least 2-yrs....Learned that the hard way!!!
