Leaking PETCOCK VF 1986 VF 500 Interceptor

Hello Forum....I've had my 86 VF 500 Interceptor for about 22 years.....Surprisingly few problems......But now the Petcock is leaking.......I know we can't find these things for model year 1986 and like others I have tried.......Now got the kits and attempting rebuild.......Pretty much done but haven't put things back yet. My question is if it fails can we somehow bypass or disengage a leaky / faulty petcock ? Any thoughts? Has anyone found another bike model petcock that will fit or be adaptable to the 86 VF 500? Thank you very much....MC

 

No way to bypass leaky petcock, other than making even leakier.

Better to find where it's actually leaking from 1st. Use coloured dye in petrol. Clean off everything on outside of petcock, so clean you can eat off it. Then slowly open petcock and see where fresh coloured petrol appears. Pay particular attention to that spot when disassembling petcock.

It's just not replacing rubber parts when rebuilding either. Look at metal seats where rubber pushes against to seal. Lots of time, there's corrosion on metal that needs to be cleaned up. Similar to restoring carbs, can often remove corrosion with polishing-compound on Q-tips.