Petcock up or down?

[Emcee]

Hey guys,

My kit came with a different petcock and I can't find ANYWHERE which way is to open it and feed the carb gas and which way turns it off.
It just frustrates me I can't find something simple like this.

 

[Nickt919]

The arm cross ways is off.
Mine has an arrow stamped on the handle.
Arrow pointing up is the ON position. Arrow pointing down is the RESERVE position.
Reserve is a function to allow you to access a little more fuel if you should run dry in the ON position. Get you to a filling station or home if you forget to refuel before running out… in the ON position.
With that in mind.. it will fuel your carb in either the up or down position. But… if you run out while on the reserve position…
You’re pushing it home.

 

[DAMIEN1307]

It just frustrates me I can't find something simple like this.

All you had to do was blow through it before you put it on if you weren't sure which positions were open and which one was closed...Pretty simple...lol.

Arrow pointing down is the RESERVE position.

And you got that one from where exactly???...I did not know that a regular China Girl petcock was capable of being able to find a non existent reserve tank.

 

[Nickt919]

I think my petcock has res stamped on it.
I’ll look to be sure when I get around the bike later.
And.. when I took the petcock off to clean it the tubing configuration inside the filter showed it.
There’s a tiny tube that extends up an inch or so inside the plastic filter. That tube limits fuel from getting thru the petcock once the fuel level is below the top of the tube.

 

[Nickt919]

Mine looks like this….

 

[Nickt919]

The petcock has two passages to let fuel thru. One is via the little tube and the other is a hole on the bottom of the screen area. The screen tube fits over all this to screen out dirt.

 

[DAMIEN1307]

I think my petcock has res stamped on it.
I’ll look to be sure when I get around the bike later.
And.. when I took the petcock off to clean it the tubing configuration inside the filter showed it.
There’s a tiny tube that extends up an inch or so inside the plastic filter. That tube limits fuel from getting thru the petcock once the fuel level is below the top of the tube.

Unless you have an actual, built in, designated reserve tank section on your tank, then all you got is two positions where the petcock is "ON" and the middle where it is "OFF"...Its that simple.

I have the same petcock on my one gallon tank, it just doesnt have the words written on it, just a "square" insignia on each "open" position is all.

 

[Nickt919]

The petcock has two passages to let fuel thru. One is via the top of little tube and the other is a hole on the bottom of the screen area.

When I’m the ON position the fuel is routed through the little tube. The tube points up. So when the fuel level in the tank gets below the top of the tube fuel can no longer pass through the pet cock.
Then if you rotate the petcock lever to RES fuel will pass through a small hole in the bottom of the petcock. This hole is along side the tube.
The screen tube fits over all this to screen out dirt.

Edit: There’s few different type pet cocks.
Not petcocks have the reserve function.
Some do not have anything stamped on them.

 

[DAMIEN1307]

So when the fuel level in the tank gets below the top of the tube fuel can no longer pass through the pet cock.

The top of my tube is at about the half a tank level on my one gallon tank, if this were true, then I should have already been "out of gas" at the half way mark...As of right now, my tank has less than a quart of gasoline left in it and is still flowing strong, I have not ever used anything but the ON position and I am able to empty my tank completely in the ON position...I have never used the so-called reserve position of which you speak.

Hopefully somone else will chime in here to discuss this further as to your theory of the "reserve" position on the petcock of which you speak.

a small hole in the bottom of the petcock. This hole is along side the tube.
The screen tube fits over all this to screen out dirt.

My tube and inlets and screen cover is of the exact same configuration as yours, just square symbols on the petcock, no words.

 

[Kehkou]

The petcock has two passages to let fuel thru. One is via the top of little tube and the other is a hole on the bottom of the screen area.

When I’m the ON position the fuel is routed through the little tube. The tube points up. So when the fuel level in the tank gets below the top of the tube fuel can no longer pass through the pet cock.
Then if you rotate the petcock lever to RES fuel will pass through a small hole in the bottom of the petcock. This hole is along side the tube.
The screen tube fits over all this to screen out dirt.

Edit: There’s few different type pet cocks.
Not petcocks have the reserve function.
Some do not have anything stamped on them.

Hopefully somone else will chime in here to discuss this further as to your theory of the "reserve" position on the petcock of which you speak.

Super effective yet remarkably simple engineering of solution to a real-world problem. I'd eat my hat if they don't exist. The only issue I can think of is slosh.

A reserve tank...that I would like to see! it would be small and replace the clamps on the main tank. It may require a X-feed manifold.