Temporary Fix for Leaking Petcock

[thussey42]

So I noticed the petcock on my '83 XS400 DOHC started leaking from the breather hole in the spacer last week. The leak only occurs when the bike is running and gas does not appear to leak through the fuel line while the bike is off. This leads me to believe that the diaphragm in the petcock is only failing in the open position under vacuum pressure. Would disconnecting the vacuum line from the boot, and running the bike with the petcock set to the "Prime" position thereby treating it as a manual petcock be an acceptable temporary fix, or can this be detrimental to the carbs/ motor?

 

[16VGTIDave]

As long as you remember to turn the fuel on and off, you should't have any problems. And don't forget to cap the vacuum port on the carb mount!

 

[BBS360]

I forget, does prime run off the reserve portion of the tank?
Don't run out of gas.