Triumphrat

06-09-2005, 06:41 PM

So here's the thing, a couple of weeks ago the petrol tap on the T'bird starts to feel a bit stiff when I turn it on. Returning home from a ride its nice and free again so think no more of it.

Come to it again a few days later and it's even stiffer than before. A squirt of penetrating oil doesn't help but the taps on and I want to go out and by the time I'm back it's nice and free again.

Today I go to turn it on and its so tight it's like a pliers job. Today, of course is the day I decide to ride to work - a round trip of 130 miles - so I'm commited to using the bike being all dressed up and out especially early but it seems I can't even turn the petrol on - the indignity!

A little gentle pursuasion and I'm off but two miles later and the engine dies with, I'm convinced, a fuel starvation problem. I'm nothing if not persistent and get going again arriving at work without further mishap.

Coming home is a different story. No problem with the tap but the engine repeatedly dies on me so I do the return trip in stages of about 15 miles each but am grateful I didn't lose it on the motorway!

Today I rang Triumph and the local dealer neither of whom can offer any suggestion about whether the two problems are related or just a coincidence - could the tap shed something that causes a blockage in the jets or some place?

Wondered what thoughts/experience members might have of anything similar although it seems pretty quirky to me. I also need time to bring myself to shell out the £50 for a new tap although that would probably seem cheap if you don't replace it and end up stuck in the middle of nowhere!

Yours hopefully

:???:

UJMrider · 06-09-2005, 08:59 PM

I'm not sure about the dying engine, but my fuel tap (petcock) has been feeling rather stiff ever since I got the bike. Another Triumph rider with a Legend said he ultimately had to replace it with an aftermarket part. Apparently there's a spring pushing the switch outward and it eventually corrodes or breaks.

Not sure what to do about it, but my solution (though not ideal) is that I leave the petcock in the "on" position and try not to ride it to where I need the reserve.

Avatar · 06-09-2005, 11:30 PM

My petcock also sticks. The longer it is left in the off position the harder it is to rotate. I've been ignoring it for well over a year. The engine runs just fine whether or not the petcock was hard to rotate or easy to rotate.

For example, if I ride on Monday and don't ride again until Thursday; the petcock will be very hard to turn. If I ride on Monday and then again on Tuesday; it's easy to turn.

One could always replace it with a vacuum operated petcock.

jimmyj900 · 06-10-2005, 01:19 AM

Quote:

My petcock also sticks. The longer it is left in the off position the harder it is to rotate. I've been ignoring it for well over a year. The engine runs just fine whether or not the petcock was hard to rotate or easy to rotate.

Mine does the same thing occasionally and I keep forgetting to open it up and see what's going on.

It seems to work better if I push it in while turning, but that may be only wishful thinking.... :wink:

Jim

Slinky · 06-10-2005, 03:25 AM

Mike, do yourself a favour and replace the tap.

There are loads of taps from other bikes which will bolt straight on. Check out this thread..

jimmyj900 · 06-10-2005, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Coming home is a different story. No problem with the tap but the engine repeatedly dies on me so I do the return trip in stages of about 15 miles each but am grateful I didn't lose it on the motorway!

Does it quit suddenly like you've flipped a switch or does it feel as though you've run out of fuel?

Jim

MickMaguire · 06-10-2005, 02:49 PM

My guess is that it may be a coincidence.

Anyhow, I would drain the tank, remove diassemble and clean the petcock then put it back together with a thin smear of vaseline (not grease) and you shoudl find it works like new. Then you can eliminate the stalling problem. See the 96 Thunderbird still quits thread.

06-12-2005, 05:24 PM

RESULT!

Just letting you know I've stripped and cleaned the petcock, applied the vaseline and, touch wood, the taps now got a nice smooth action and - no leaks!

When I took the tank cap off I also heard the "whoosh" drummerboy referred to in a related thread. Took me straight to the roll-over valve which was almost horizontal with a kink in the tube - do you guys know your stuff or what!

Hope I'm not tempting fate saying that because I've just finished putting everything back and not had chance to take her out but fingers crossed!

The whole job took me about an hour and a half and its amazing how much satisfaction such a small thing has given me. I now know how the tap works (very low tech), learn't something about the roll over valve and (hopefully) saved myself £58 into the bargain. Long term the time spent may also have saved me from some longer downtime problems and removed that element of doubt you have when somethings not working quite right - can't help thinking there's a moral in this somewhere?

The only disappointing thing is that having spoken to both Triumph and the local dealer, neither were able to offer any suggestions as to cause and possible fix. I didn't think the dealers suggestion to go out and see if the engine died again was very helpful!

Big thanks then for your advice.

Long live TriumphRat.net!

:razz:

MickMaguire · 06-12-2005, 07:56 PM

Mike,
Glad you have a result! One more thing you should do though: check the poppet valve in the underside of the cap. just poke it with a pen or something to check it opens freely - it's located inside the hole in the middle when looking from the underside.Even if it is now not stalling you should still check the valve. :-D