Fuel taps, petcocks, again

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DogT

DogT

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Does anyone know what the e.w. means on the old fuel taps? Is there any place to get them functioning correctly (not leaking through)? I have successfully gotten them not to leak out of the side, but they leak through to the float bow. Thanks.

Fuel taps, petcocks, again


Dave
69S
 
EW? Eternally Weeping? Okay, I have no idea.

I have had some luck getting these to work without leaking.
Dismantle and if the surfaces are decent, use brasso to lap the internal to the external tapered bores. When I get bored I use an electric drill to speed up the process, slow speed, light pressure, re-apply brasso frequently.

If grooves show up, chuck the internal on a lathe, smooth the tapered sealing surface with a fine cut file (don't change the angle), then relap as above.
Install new O-rings. Assemble with silicone grease. Usually lasts for quite a while.

Sometimes I wonder if crap from the tank (oxides, etc) enters the tap body and scores the surfaces.

One thing to look for as you lap the surfaces is that the centre does not sink too deeply into the body. If it does, the gas runs around the end and leaks "through" the body, contained by the Oring.

I have never tried to get the plastic centered taps working. Not worth the grief, I'm thinking.

BAP taps through Old Britts are a pretty good plan B if you want to guarantee no leaks.

Stephen Hill
Victoria, BC
 
I've tried nearly all that. Don't have a lathe, but did try polishing them internally with various polishing/grinding compounds to no avail. They don't leak that bad, but will drain a tank of avgas overnight, which is very significant at $5+/gal unless you drain it.

I got the BAP taps from OB, and they are working fine, I did have to seal them with gasket sealant on the threads and the stat-o-seal before they would stop leaking around the tank. I was hoping I could use the old taps at some point.

Dave
69S
 
I keep threatening to get a pair of these from British Bike Connection but torn with keeping the stock look. My cheap copies have been OK so far.

Fuel taps, petcocks, again


Description from Jim's site:
Leakproof petcocks: Suitable for Norton, Triumph, BSA and other British bikes 1/4 BSP tank threads. The threaded end accepts the stock fuel line hardware. The petcock is manufactured from solid aluminum and brass ball valve. It has 2 Viton rubber seals, and a screw in filter. Each one is pressure tested to 35 PSI and the fuel flow has been increased. Comes as Main or Reserve.
$65 ea

These look pretty sweet. No petcock thread is complete without mentioning these.
 
Pardon the digression, and perhaps some of our British friends on this list can chime in here, but there have been several times when I've been speaking to English folks and used the word "petcock" and they thought it was the screwiest thing they'd ever heard. Petrol taps, yes. Petcock... not so much. Now we all know there's no way petcock is a 'murrican word; I'm sure PET in Petcock is from Petrol. So what gives? I've always wondered about this one.
 
Holmeslice said:
Pardon the digression, and perhaps some of our British friends on this list can chime in here, but there have been several times when I've been speaking to English folks and used the word "petcock" and they thought it was the screwiest thing they'd ever heard. Petrol taps, yes. Petcock... not so much. Now we all know there's no way petcock is a 'murrican word; I'm sure PET in Petcock is from Petrol. So what gives? I've always wondered about this one.
Click to expand...

Might not be in common use outside the bike or vintage car world but I wouldn't have batted an eye if you'd dropped it into a conversation (I are a Brit)
 
batrider said:
I keep threatening to get a pair of these from British Bike Connection but torn with keeping the stock look. My cheap copies have been OK so far.

Fuel taps, petcocks, again


Description from Jim's site:
Leakproof petcocks: Suitable for Norton, Triumph, BSA and other British bikes 1/4 BSP tank threads. The threaded end accepts the stock fuel line hardware. The petcock is manufactured from solid aluminum and brass ball valve. It has 2 Viton rubber seals, and a screw in filter. Each one is pressure tested to 35 PSI and the fuel flow has been increased. Comes as Main or Reserve.
$65 ea

These look pretty sweet. No petcock thread is complete without mentioning these.
Click to expand...


I put a pair of these on my 1973 when doing the resto. I thought it was sorta like putting on an electronic ignition, better brake pads, aluminum wheels, belt drive, etc. May not look original but durned sure works better
 
Haven't got a petcock, but have a petbuck, it's got big ears.
Now to the petrol tap :) issue. They are original fitments as mine are. Mine have nylon centres & have never leaked in 35 years.
A while back, one of the nylon centres broke off, so I tried a set of new type ones with the brass centre & the stupid locknut against the tank. Couldn't seal it to the tank & the brass centres kept leaking, even lapping endlessley with brasso.
Made up a new nylon centre for my original tap & has never leaked again. The new ones went in the bin.
 
Norton-Villier said:
You wil never guess what my wife though a petcock was when I ordered one.

Phil
Click to expand...
Does it have anything to do with the cure for hysteria? If you don't get it, look up hysteria in Wiki, second paragraph under History.

I'm going to try the file on my fuel taps, I haven't done that yet.

Flo, so yours look like that and have nylon centers? I got some BAP ones that work, but they too leaked at the tank with that brass nut so you can install it with the handle in the correct position. I slathered a bunch of Permatex Aircraft gasket sealant on the threads and on top of the stat-o-seal too and it seems to have done the trick so far.

Dave
69S
 
steveyacht said:
batrider said:
I keep threatening to get a pair of these from British Bike Connection but torn with keeping the stock look. My cheap copies have been OK so far.

Fuel taps, petcocks, again


Description from Jim's site:
Leakproof petcocks: Suitable for Norton, Triumph, BSA and other British bikes 1/4 BSP tank threads. The threaded end accepts the stock fuel line hardware. The petcock is manufactured from solid aluminum and brass ball valve. It has 2 Viton rubber seals, and a screw in filter. Each one is pressure tested to 35 PSI and the fuel flow has been increased. Comes as Main or Reserve.
$65 ea

These look pretty sweet. No petcock thread is complete without mentioning these.
Click to expand...


I put a pair of these on my 1973 when doing the resto. I thought it was sorta like putting on an electronic ignition, better brake pads, aluminum wheels, belt drive, etc. May not look original but durned sure works better
Click to expand...

i have a set too. They are bigger than i expected, but it's ok. :lol:
 
Yeah, statoseals, Walridge sells them too, they usually have them on sale during their fall sale. They didn't stop mine from leaking. I still had to use the gasket sealant on the threads.

Dave
69S
 
If those Ewarts are push/pulls (pictures are blocked by this work Confuser) you can get Viton rubbers from Steve at www.britgaskets.ca.

I got a pair of those big-$ petcocks (they are Pingels) but they are still sitting in the "pile-o-Commando".

I might have the Banjo's that you need, check my website (fuel and electrics). I will get to go home in 9 days so I will ship then.

Vince
 
The only way I got the taps to stop leaking was to coat the threads of the tap itself with non stick (something, even Pam) screw the gas tap into the tank about 2 turns and mix 3M fiberglass resin, pour it around the threads and try to form the top nice and straight. You may have to shave down the surface to mate with a gasket if you want to attempt that route which seldom lasts. I would not advise trying to use the gas tap sealing washers because most times they will not work and if they do the seal will not last. As soon as the neoprene breaks down from the gasoline, it will start to leak. This is for when the fiberglass has broken away and the thread for the gas tap is breaking down. Old fiberglass and dirt on the fiberglass itself must all be removed so that the new resin will bond and not leak. Permatex Aviation No. 3 does not work and I tried this also and it does not work. If you get some on your hands you can clean it off with gasoline. This stuff melts away when it contacts gasoline. Enough said ! Use yellow Oatey PTFE tape on the threads of the gas tap. Wrap it in the correct direction so that the end will enter the thread not scrape it back. eg. left to right with the thread pointing downwards in front of you. This stuff is thicker than regular white PTFE so you may have to stretch it to get it started. This stuff says right on it . . . " For use on thread joints of metal pipe in assemblies handling gasoline" ,petroleum oils etc.
The best thing of all of course is to take the fuel tank to a large empty parking lot and make sure there is about a gallon of gasoline inside, take a paper towel and crumple it into a long narrow shape and place it half way into the tank with the cap open. Light the paper towel and quickly move as far away as possible. Buy a steel tank afterwards and most of your problems will be gone for years to come.
 
You realize this thread is 5 years old? At the moment I can't even remember which set of taps I have on the tank, but they've been holding back avgas for 3 years now. I think I found some that looked original from Clubman, but had rubber stuff in them, but they seem to work. Big trouble with the original EW ones is there was no stop nut and you just had to thread them in until they stopped, and you never knew in which position they may end up. The lever may end up on the inside or at least not where you want it.
 
DogT said:
Big trouble with the original EW ones is there was no stop nut and you just had to thread them in until they stopped, and you never knew in which position they may end up. The lever may end up on the inside or at least not where you want it.
Click to expand...

I once watched a technician working on a high pressure liquid chromatograph (pressure as high as 10K psi), wind Teflon tape on a male fitting until he got it to stop in the position he wanted. This should work .... I usually try a combination of fiber washers with different thicknesses.

Slick
 
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