OAP Ted's CB400F2 rebuild - engine not run for about 12 years.

[SeanFD]

Anyways I'm tickety boo today but am stuck until some bits & the Electrolyte arrives for my tank cleaning task. Still awaiting a sellers  response on a cheap Petcock.

What electrolyte are you waiting for? All you need is some bicarbonate of soda.

The other thing to try if you’re not in a hurry is white vinegar; it is very cheap (<£20 for 20L on EBay) and avoids all the hassle of fashioning electrodes shaped to reach the deeper recesses of the tank. The one advantage of electrolysis is that it only attacks the rust, not the good metal underneath.

Just pour the vinegar in and leave for a few days – depending on the degree of rusting – pour it out, but not down the drain. If you’re not happy just pour the vinegar back in and wait some more. If there is a lot of deposit in teh vinegar you can strain it using a kitchen sieve.

[Nurse Julie]

You can also use Citric Acid (available everywhere and as cheap as chips). It is the main ingredient in Deox-C. We have used Citric Acid with excellent results.

[Rob62]

Electrolyte works well but can be fiddly fashioning an electrode and an insulator, currently being discussed on another thread... Recently i have used “evaporust” to good effect. Pro’s its re-usable and can be used on any ferrous items.. con’s its a bit expensive at 30 odd quid for 5 litres.... magic stuff though, not acidic at all....works by breaking the iron - oxygen bond, clever stuff.

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

You can also use Citric Acid (available everywhere and as cheap as chips). It is the main ingredient in Deox-C. We have used Citric Acid with excellent results.

In reality I guess the Citric Acid is just there to produce ions to allow the current to flow so many alternatives can work. Obviously not Table Salt as that would give off Chlorine gas as opposed to Hydrogen at the Electrode (Anode end ?).

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

Anyways I'm tickety boo today but am stuck until some bits & the Electrolyte arrives for my tank cleaning task. Still awaiting a sellers  response on a cheap Petcock.

What electrolyte are you waiting for? All you need is some bicarbonate of soda.

The other thing to try if you’re not in a hurry is white vinegar; it is very cheap (<£20 for 20L on EBay) and avoids all the hassle of fashioning electrodes shaped to reach the deeper recesses of the tank. The one advantage of electrolysis is that it only attacks the rust, not the good metal underneath.

Just pour the vinegar in and leave for a few days – depending on the degree of rusting – pour it out, but not down the drain. If you’re not happy just pour the vinegar back in and wait some more. If there is a lot of deposit in teh vinegar you can strain it using a kitchen sieve.

I bought some white vinegar a few weeks ago with a view to trying it - then read loads of reviews saying it does not work! We having it on our Fish & Chips instead. lol

[mattsz]

Personally don’t like the look of the eBay petcock as it’s riveted together - tho’ in truth should not be a big deal I guess. As a general comment, the more you deviate from OEM parts the harder your bike becomes to maintain... as any adjoining part then needs a bit of modification to fit. (bladder bone connected to the kidneys bone as it were 😂)

(In this case the hose dia may be different to the carbs?)
Cheers,
Simon

I can't find a petcock that isn't riveted together.  DSS is offering a "genuine" one for £47 - it's riveted and in fact looks identical to less expensive one I got from 4into1... which leaked the first time I used it, BTW... 

EDIT: I'm talking about the '77 USA version...

[Nurse Julie]

Personally don’t like the look of the eBay petcock as it’s riveted together - tho’ in truth should not be a big deal I guess. As a general comment, the more you deviate from OEM parts the harder your bike becomes to maintain... as any adjoining part then needs a bit of modification to fit. (bladder bone connected to the kidneys bone as it were 😂)

(In this case the hose dia may be different to the carbs?)
Cheers,
Simon

I can't find a petcock that isn't riveted together.  DSS is offering a "genuine" one for £47 - it's riveted and in fact looks identical to less expensive one I got from 4into1... which leaked the first time I used it, BTW... 

EDIT: I'm talking about the '77 USA version...

Don't forget a' genuine' part is not an 'original' part. All genuine means in this context is that it fits other Honda's, including the 400 Four

[mattsz]

Don't forget a' genuine' part is not an 'original' part. All genuine means in this context is that it fits other Honda's, including the 400 Four

 

I'm not sure I understand what that means, in terms of a retailer like DSS who is generally offering two types of parts, "genuine" and "aftermarket."  As a customer, I think that "genuine" would mean made by Honda, or by the manufacturer that originally made them for Honda (which DSS appears to call "OEM Replacement").

If "genuine" simply means that it fits, couldn't any part - even an aftermarket pattern part - that fits be called "genuine?"

[Nurse Julie]

Don't forget a' genuine' part is not an 'original' part. All genuine means in this context is that it fits other Honda's, including the 400 Four

 

I'm not sure I understand what that means, in terms of a retailer like DSS who is generally offering two types of parts, "genuine" and "aftermarket."  As a customer, I think that "genuine" would mean made by Honda, or by the manufacturer that originally made them for Honda (which DSS appears to call "OEM Replacement").

If "genuine" simply means that it fits, couldn't any part - even an aftermarket pattern part - that fits be called "genuine?"

No, the 'genuine' parts that the likes of DS sell are genuine Honda parts but that is all it means. If you are looking for a replacement for an item on your bike to replace what was fitted when new, you need an original part. Genuine just means it's genuine Honda , will fit as a replacement part, usually to lots of different Honda models, and do the job but it is not the same as the original part.
After market (pattern) means its made by anyone else, not Honda and is obviously not identical to the original part fitted to the bike but, it does the job.

[mattsz]

Don't forget a' genuine' part is not an 'original' part. All genuine means in this context is that it fits other Honda's, including the 400 Four

 

I'm not sure I understand what that means, in terms of a retailer like DSS who is generally offering two types of parts, "genuine" and "aftermarket."  As a customer, I think that "genuine" would mean made by Honda, or by the manufacturer that originally made them for Honda (which DSS appears to call "OEM Replacement").

If "genuine" simply means that it fits, couldn't any part - even an aftermarket pattern part - that fits be called "genuine?"

No, the 'genuine' parts that the likes of DS sell are genuine Honda parts but that is all it means. If you are looking for a replacement for an item on your bike to replace what was fitted when new, you need an original part. Genuine just means it's genuine Honda , will fit as a replacement part, usually to lots of different Honda models, and do the job but it is not the same as the original part.
After market (pattern) means its made by anyone else, not Honda and is obviously not identical to the original part fitted to the bike but, it does the job.

Ah, ok - that's different...

[Nurse Julie]

If you are looking for an 'original' 400/4 pet cock, CMSNL do one. It's the correct middle part number and is an original part. It's not cheap though. This is why when restoring a bike with Original parts, it can costs a bloody fortune but, if you want it correct, that's what you have to do.

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[Nurse Julie]

Apologies Ted for hijacking your thread ☺️☺️☺️

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

Apologies Ted for hijacking your thread ☺️☺️☺️

I'm okay with meandering / hijacking threads as there is usually a good point or nugget of information in the process.

There is a genuine Honda Petcock on e-bay with what looks like the right part number at £75 starting bid - it had no bids on previous listings. If it is NOS the rubber seals might be perished.

Can you get the O rings for the tap as that and the strainer/filter would do for me ?

[Nurse Julie]

Apologies Ted for hijacking your thread ☺️☺️☺️

I'm okay with meandering / hijacking threads as there is usually a good point or nugget of information in the process.

There is a genuine Honda Petcock on e-bay with what looks like the right part number at £75 starting bid - it had no bids on previous listings. If it is NOS the rubber seals might be perished.

Can you get the O rings for the tap as that and the strainer/filter would do for me ?

Yes, David Silver does a replacement O ring but he says it's best to fit 2 of them 🙄🙄🙄I will post the link in a minute

Here you go

https://www.davidsilverspares.co.uk/CB400F-SUPER-SPORT-FOUR/part_196697/

Edit..... Just seen the one you mention on ebay, that's an original fuel tap, so not a bad price really.

[mattsz]

Any advice as to best source for a replacement is it DS or DS for a petrol tap ?
Cheap one below knowing my luck it will not fit thought the CB400F2 is listed as suitable.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Honda-Petrol-Tap-Fuel-Petcock-CM185-CM200-XL100-CB400-XL125-XL175-XL185-XR/272559859130?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

The USA/Canada F2 uses a different part number than the rest of the world models - it looks different in photos, too.  Not sure if they're interchangeable, though.  That Ebay link looks like my USA-spec petcock, compare that to Julie's pic above: