Leaking ewarts petrol taps

[Tom Gaynor]

Thanks for the post, Simon. I have had two of these for four years, best taps I've ever used, but thought BSP ones had disappeared off the market. As my grandchildren would say, OMG, they're like, totally, leakproof.
Incidentally, since they are 1/4" bore, I only ever use one, keeping the other to deploy the Vincent's generous 150 yard fuel reserve...

 

[Simon Dinsdale]

These type were still BSP threads when I bought them 2 months ago.

Incidentally, since they are 1/4" bore, I only ever use one, keeping the other to deploy the Vincent's generous 150 yard fuel reserve...

As for the reserve, here's an idea. On the tap you usually use, solder the fuel filter off on old tap onto a piece of copper or brass tube 1" long. Then glue the other end of the tube into the top on the new tap as previously described with the filters. Then when the bike splutters and you open the reserve tap you should have 1" of extra fuel in the tank and would double your reserve to 300 yards. You could even increase the length of the tube further to increase reserve. Unfortunately it doesen't increase the total distance you can do to a tank full unless you have cracked perpetual motion on a Vin.

Cheers,
Simon

 

[Pete Appleton]

you should have 1" of extra fuel in the tank and would double your reserve to 300 yards. Simon

Ah but how do you get the extra petrol out?

 

[Len Matthews]

Reserve fuel tap

I think what Simon is suggesting is that one uses the tap (normally the left hand one) with the tube soldered (so-called stack pipe) to it as the main feed. This will indeed increase the amount of fuel remaining in reserve. How much depends on the height of the tube.

 

[clevtrev]

I think what Simon is suggesting is that one uses the tap (normally the left hand one) with the tube soldered (so-called stack pipe) to it as the main feed. This will indeed increase the amount of fuel remaining in reserve. How much depends on the height of the tube.

Why use the left one ? that`s the side with the carb cutaway, so there`s even less fuel in that side compared with the right.

 

[John Appleton]

I think what Simon is suggesting is that one uses the tap (normally the left hand one) with the tube soldered (so-called stack pipe) to it as the main feed. This will indeed increase the amount of fuel remaining in reserve. How much depends on the height of the tube.

Sorry Len--- Pete is right , you are wrong. You will indeed have some fuel left in the left hand side , but when you turn on the right hand tap you will be able to use all of the fuel on the right and left, but still leave some on the left that is inaccesible. It will equate to the volume of fuel that you normally have on reserve in the right of the tank, less a little bit for the carb cutaway. You will either have to fit a normal / reserve tap on the left, or lay the bike on its side to allow the fuel to run over into the right hand side.

John

 

[Tom Gaynor]

Perpetual motion is next on the agenda. I've nearly finished turning lead into gold, and my cure for the common cold.

I rarely bother with fuel filters, if they are there I'll use them, if not, not. It hasn't been a great source of grief. I have done the "snorkel" trick before to increase reserve capacity. However I've cracked it on the Vin by fitting a five gallon tank, which means i can aim to fill up at 150 miles, and still have enough in hand to get to another filling station if the one I targeted has been closed. Or if it's the Sabbath, when many close anyway. . Bear in mind that in the Highlands filling stations can be 50 miles apart, which is about 40 miles further than the reserve on my steel tank would take me.

 

[Tom Gaynor]

They still are, I just bought a pair, perfect, 1/4" BSP parallel thread male each end. They seal into the tank perfectly with Loctite Hydraulic Seal. (There's no flange so a fibre washer can't be used. I suppose Teflon tape could be, but Loctite works perfectly, comes apart when needed, and removes the chances of little bits of straying teflon screwing up the pilot jet passages.)
Very discrete too - and the yellow colour bar doesn't clash with the gold lining...)

These type were still BSP threads when I bought them 2 months ago.




As for the reserve, here's an idea. On the tap you usually use, solder the fuel filter off on old tap onto a piece of copper or brass tube 1" long. Then glue the other end of the tube into the top on the new tap as previously described with the filters. Then when the bike splutters and you open the reserve tap you should have 1" of extra fuel in the tank and would double your reserve to 300 yards. You could even increase the length of the tube further to increase reserve. Unfortunately it doesen't increase the total distance you can do to a tank full unless you have cracked perpetual motion on a Vin.

Cheers,
Simon

 

[Albervin]

Tom, I have tried 3 plumber supplies & 2 gas supplies outlets with no luck at all. They all had 3/8" female fittings & suggested I use adapters! I may have to search the virtual plumbers on the inter web....

 

[Tom Gaynor]

I bought a pair yesterday, £12, as spares, off-the-shelf in Aberdeen, from Screwfix. Mini-ball valves, 8 mm pipe size. The union nuts are compatible with some variants of fuel pipe nipple, although the OE Vin ones fit straight on to the body.
I can mail a pair to you, but not for a month, for we're off to La Belle France tomorrow. I don't suppose you're invading Europe again this year? We'll be at the French and the Italian.
(The first ones I bought were 1/4" BSPT (taper) male up, 1/4" BSP female down, so I used a male-male cross-over at the bottom. The BSPT isn't a problem. These most recent buys are 1/4" BSP (no T) male both ends. Use the link further down this thread to see them. You will also need Loctite Hydraulic seal, which is good stuff to have anyway. Apparently someone on EBay sells ex military stuff that's past its sell-by date at 1/10 the price of new, and since in my experience the stuff remains effective for up to 25 years, it's a good buy. You need grade 542.)
Let me know.