Or are they all like this ?
(https://i.imgur.com/SDmcOQMh.jpg)
Poor quality cork - or may have been cut too close to the outer bark.
Cheers,
Bernie
Hi Mick,
Usually the corks work very well. I do not know why there is a groove in the hole through the right hand one but the other one looks OK. They are tight fit in the tap but once used a few times work quite smoothly. They must not be allowed to dry out otherwise they will tend to leak even when soaked in fuel again.
There are some poor quality ones out there and apparently there are various grades of cork.
Dave.
I think like everything else there are parts sold that are of questionable quality. When completing my A10, the box of bits contained two petrol taps (excellent I thought, one main and one reserve). However I found that one of the taps had very strange threads that I could match up so I ended up buying a new tap (I think it was about £27 so not cheap). Rebuilt the old tap with new filter and new cork then fitted both to the petrol tank. Tank on the bike and petrol in. Guess which tap leaked - the new one!! Took it off and stripped it down and found that the cork had a large chunk missing from it hence the failure to seal. Fitted a new cork and it went back on the bike and worked perfectly. My point is that even when buying new (pattern) parts nowadays you need to check and repair them - unfortunately this seems to be what we have to expect if we want to keep old bikes running.
I have found the same thing, parts which are currently available are not made to the same (any?) quality standards. Does anyone know if synthetic corks are available?
If it's any consolation, the problem is even worse with classic cars. I have an MGB, for which there are a large number of suppliers offering literally everything, enough to build a new car. Whilst the prices are attractive, quality and durability are not. Replacement road springs for example appear to be made of poor grade steel which is not tempered properly, hence they very quickly lose their shape. The MG probably suffers more than most because there are so many still in existence making it an easy target for the supply of parts.
Hi,
There are synthetic 'corks' available but they do not get a good write up. I think they can be very stiff to use and can still leak.
It is also worth considering that the inner part of the tap wears over the years so it becomes more difficult to get a good seal. If you have a tap that is only weeping a bit take the slide out and gently tap the brass part that holds the cork a bit further in. This will compress the cork a bit causing it to bulge slightly thus it will be a bit tighter in the tap.
Dave.
I don't mess around with old taps anymore.
Bap taps are cheap, easy to operate and never leak.
Quote from: DEAN SOUTHALL on 12 Mar, 2021, 15:09
I don't mess around with old taps anymore.
Bap taps are cheap, easy to operate and never leak.
Where can I find a pair to fit ?
A great video .... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFUgrBoLhlE
Good morning,
I think I need to drink some wine and make some fuel tap corks. Not at the same time though.
The corks are available for a lot less than £7 but with a wine cork the quality is probably better. One problem though is how to get the cork out of the bottle without using a cork screw as this will damage the cork.
If you do this wear a mask as the dust from the cork is likely to be harmful if inhaled.
Dave.
Hi,
On line, 100 Premium wine corks for £10.
Dave.
Quote from: Mick Boon on 12 Mar, 2021, 15:32
Quote from: DEAN SOUTHALL on 12 Mar, 2021, 15:09
I don't mess around with old taps anymore.
Bap taps are cheap, easy to operate and never leak.
Where can I find a pair to fit ?
Loads of classic bike suppliers do them and they are on ebay.
You might need an adapter to screw into the tank but these are also readily available.
Quote from: DAVE BRADY on 13 Mar, 2021, 08:45
Good morning,
I think I need to drink some wine and make some fuel tap corks. Not at the same time though.
The corks are available for a lot less than £7 but with a wine cork the quality is probably better. One problem though is how to get the cork out of the bottle without using a cork screw as this will damage the cork.
If you do this wear a mask as the dust from the cork is likely to be harmful if inhaled.
Dave.
You'll have to take to drinking champagne!
Much better than that would be a cork from the stopper on a single malt bottle... no corkscrew damage.
I made a new cork seal/bush from a wine cork for the Whale tap in my old 60s camper, worked a treat!