A65 Fuel Taps

[PeterR]

Hi there,
best wishes to all for the festive season (warmer here in the Antipodes that it is for most of you I expect). I have completed the rebuild of my 1970 A65 and am slowly fine tuning the carburation and timing. I am however having a frustrating time with the original 90 degree fuel taps.  They rely on a small cork washer to stop and start the flow of petrol, but I have found them to be very unreliable, even though I have replaced both cork washers more than once.  Is there a methodology to improve their effectiveness, or would I be better off replacing them with a later pattern tap?

[DAVE BRADY]

Hi,

I have always used the cork insert type taps and very rarely have I had a problem.  The cork must be of good quality and there are some poor ones out there.  The cork must be of fine grain and once in use must not be allowed to dry out.
New corks should look like they will never fit and tight enough that they will not easily turn on their pin. Bear in mind that over time the taps wear internally so make sure there are no edges that could damage the the cork.
The only time I had a problem a newer tap solved the problem.  There are alternatives to cork but it makes for a very tight tap.
They were originally made of brass with some chromed. Brass ones are still available.

Dave.

[PeterR]

Hi Dave, yes I think the problem is likely to be the quality of the cork.  The ones I have been receiving have imperfections but this has unfortunately been the rule rather than the exception.  See the attached image, which also shows that the cork has broken up to a degree over time. I will try another supplier.

[DAVE BRADY]

Good morning,

That cork looks like it has dried out which will make them quite brittle. Also, as you say a poor quality cork. If leaving a tank empty or storing used taps put some grease on the corks to preserve them.
If you search on youtube there is a video of someone making corks for petrol taps from wine bottle corks.
They tend to be good quality it looks quite easy to do.  I have a few corks that I am going to experiment on.

Dave.

[V500]

Or fit BAP taps and forget all about tap issues..

[nablats]

BAPS for me also! why make work? ps - can you get replacement filters for these taps?

[Allan G]

BAP taps are ok but they are nothing special. The LF Harris 1/4 BSP taps are equally as good. But both types are pot metal and can snap if over tightened.

An original set of Ewarts are worth keeping. The secret is to boil the plunger in hot water. Squeeze the excess water out and then fit. Takes all of 10 minutes. I've even done it on a rally field before now, tilt the tank forward whilst it's being done (off the bike) refit and forget for a few more years.

The original ewarts are also original and look the part. There are some dodgy plunger sets on the market however, eBay is littered with them. I buy mine from De Groot in the Netherlands.

[V500]

The older plunger type can be made to work well too, but I find the boiling water trick only extends the life of the corks for so long.
I replace the corks. A bag of 10 was a fiver off Ebay, and it took longer to type this than it does to replace the cork.

[limeyrob]

Yes I too replace the corks. Soak the taps in a jar of petrol too.

[PeterR]

Thank s everyone, lots of useful tips there.  I would like to retain the original taps despite them being somewhat problematic.  I have ordered some new cork seals from a different supplier and will try the boiling water technique.

[DAVE BRADY]

Hi,

If the corks are new they will not need to be boiled. They should seem too big to fit in but they do compress as they go in to the tap.  Use a bit of grease to help and ease them in rather than use too much force.
Also, check that the tap is smooth inside. Any sharp edges cause by wear over a long period will soon wreck the new corks.

Dave.

[chrisx1]

What are BAP taps?

[Allan G]

What are BAP taps?

A brand of pot metal made tap, seal well on the valve but break quite easily if over tightened.

[V500]

Not a brand as such, but a  design. I suspect there's cheap copies on sale which may be weak, but I reckon you'd have to be seriously ham-fisted to break a genuine one.

[Allan G]

Not a brand as such, but a  design. I suspect there's cheap copies on sale which may be weak, but I reckon you'd have to be seriously ham-fisted to break a genuine one.

They are (or at least any made in the last 20 years) cast pot metal, not difficult to find fissures, especially when tightening up against a dowty washer, no better or worse in that instance than any other lever tap which is made the same way, but ever so often you get a bad one. Original taps, even the late lever types were brass bodies.. You could be right though, they could have been copies, I don't recall them being that as they had BAP written on them, but when I look on the ol' tinterweb now, all you can find say BAP type. so maybe they were.

If your going to get a tap which is pot metal, you might as well get the ones from LF Harris, they work just as well and they look the part.