New And Improved Petcocks

[go_hercules]

Hi, on the Strictly Hodaka site I see listed "NEW AND IMPROVED" pot metal petcocks. Says they use viton rubber bushings instead of the hard nylon bushings. Has anyone here bought any of these, and have you looked at the bushing inside? I was just wondering if the bushing was the same tapered cone design but different material, or if the whole design inside changed? Thanks.

[Bullfrog]

To my knowledge, only the original brass Hodaka petcocks had the conical core design.

None of the "pot metal" petcocks (whether original Hodaka, or Strictly Hodaka repros) used the conical core design. I've been running the Strictly Hodaka new and improved "pot metal" petcocks for some time and they are working quite well.
Ed

[go_hercules]

Hey Ed. My pot metal petcocks (originals and repros) have a tapered bore inside. The lever turns a cone shaped nylon "plug" that has a cross drilled hole through it. Are we talking the same thing here?

[Dale]

The new and improved petcocks do not have a tapered cone.

[go_hercules]

What do they have? I'm thinking maybe a straight metal post with a straight rubber sleeve over it. That's the way the Motion Pro petcocks are made. Would like to know more before plopping down more cash. Thanks.

[Bullfrog]

Hmmm, I guess I remembered the originals incorrectly. Sorry, I can't describe the internals of the "new and improved" pot metal petcocks in any detail beyond them not being of the conical design. I have a vague recollection of O-rings . . . but that could be wrong too.
Ed

[racerclam]

I have some and the design is the same in mine but the spring was lighter and I had to take springs from old ones to make the new one seal

Rich

[go_hercules]

Hi Rich. Are you saying that you have the so called new and improved ones with the Viton rubber innards, rather than the hard nylon plastic? I like that name "racerclam". I have a Dirt Squirt with the racer clam on the air filter housing.

[racerclam]

no not viton, I bought mine about 8 years ago and they are nylon , they were reproduction , I don know of newer ones , Iwould like to see inside one .

Rich

[go_hercules]

Me too. Like you, I tried some repro aluminum ones, and some repro brass ones. They all leaked internally. That's why I was hoping someone could shed some light on the "new and improved" ones. Maybe they are better, maybe not. But I would like to know the construction. Thanks.

[go_hercules]

Me too. Like you, I tried some repro aluminum ones, and some repro brass ones. They all leaked internally. That's why I was hoping someone could shed some light on the "new and improved" ones. Maybe they are better, maybe not. But I would like to know the construction. Thanks.

[BrianZ]

Here are a couple of pictures to clarify. The first one is Paul's repro petcock. It has a rubber (or something similar) insert, embedded into the body and the lever has a cylinder with a hole that allows fuel to flow in the on position.

The following picture shows the original design at the bottom with the failure prone nylon insert:

[MTrat]

My problem was the failure prone nylon insert always seemed to fail..

[BrianZ]

My problem was the failure prone nylon insert always seemed to fail..

Almost every one I have has a broken nylon insert. If it is not broken it almost always breaks when I try to get it apart. I have saved maybe 2 or 3.

Brian

[go_hercules]

THANK YOU VERY MUCH Brian Z. That is what I wanted to know. Looks like a much better design. They must seal better, any leaks past the rubber insert, or are they pretty fool proof?

[BrianZ]

THANK YOU VERY MUCH Brian Z. That is what I wanted to know. Looks like a much better design. They must seal better, any leaks past the rubber insert, or are they pretty fool proof?

I bought 1 pair from Paul and I have used them for 4-5 years without any leaks.

Brian

[viclioce]

I have some of those nylon pieces in my carb tool box. NOS!!! I won’t trade them for love nor money!!! Victor

[go_hercules]

Victor, have you ever used any of the NOS cones? I would think they might have gotten hard or brittle over time. Just curious.

[go_hercules]

OP here. In case anyone is interested, I have saved a few original petcocks which cracked at the threads from overtightening. I cut the threaded portion off, then drilled into the body and tapped threads. Then I made a threaded adapter from brass. That adapter screws into the body. I then pressed a small brass tube into the adapter and slid on a Honda fuel strainer. The regular fiber gasket works as normal, and seals between the petcock body and tank bung, so no sealant in necessary on the adapter threads. They can then be tightened as much as you like with no fear. Hodaka threads are G1/8, which is 1/8 BSPP (British standard pipe parallel). The 1/8 is an inside pipe dimension. The actual thread dimension is 3/8-28. And the thread profile angle is 55 degrees versus the 60 degrees on SAE threads.

[Bullfrog]

Nice mod! (and detailed information!)
Ed

[matt glascock]

Dang! I wish I had thought of that. I snapped one just like that threading it into a tank that must have been cross threaded or otherwise damaged and instead of dressing threads properly, I proceeded with brute force and ignorance. That fix would make a nifty Resonator Revisited piece.

[viclioce]

I have indeed used them! They are currently in the Red Toad & working perfectly! It may have made a difference because they were still in their unopened packaging. Victor

[racerclam]

The way I save old ones when they become stuck , rather than try to work the nylon out by attempting to turn it , I drill a small hole on the other side and then tap it out with a small punch then seal the hole with a dab of epoxy and when I reassemble I put a bit of silicone grease on the nylon ( the kind used for urathane suspension bushungs) work good to keep them from sticking

Rich

[go_hercules]

Rich, if they are REALLY sealing inside, you shouldn't even need to epoxy the hole up. Sort of like the brass ones which are essentially open at the back and the front.

[smzinno]

I was recently able to loosen up two original seized petcocks from a CW tank by putting them into the freezer for a couple hours. one has remained operational, but the other returned to it's stuck condition. so this technique many need some refinement, but it did work far better than everything else I tried.