Leaking petrol tap

[RoyC]

I have fitted new taps (Pull out/push in type) and have a slight weep on one of them.
Is there any way to tighten the cork to stop it leaking ?

[JulianS]

They are rivetted so non adjustable.

Should not leak brand new. I would sent them back.

Some of the cork seals currently being seem to be poor quality.

[RoyC]

They are rivetted so non adjustable.

Should not leak brand new. I would sent them back.

Some of the cork seals currently being seem to be poor quality.

Another Dragonfly purchase for the new parts scrap box.

[JulianS]

I fitted a pair of cheap Wassell lever taps on my A10 which have proved to be completely leak free.

[morris]

Another Dragonfly purchase for the new parts scrap box.

Not necessarily. The corks can be replaced and cost nearly nothing. Get a pack of good quality corks and soak them in petrol for a couple of days. Carefully drift the brass plunger out, slide a new cork on and gently push the knob back on the plunger using a vice.
Before pushing the assembly back in the tap, smoothen the inside with some high grade sanding paper wrapped around a drill so there's no burrs or sharp edges.
I do mine that way and none of four are leaking a single drop.

[KiwiGF]

I have fitted new taps (Pull out/push in type) and have a slight weep on one of them.
Is there any way to tighten the cork to stop it leaking ?

On my OEM push pull taps I can replace the corks, if you can do that on new ones you can wrap some Ptfe tape around the spindle inside the forks, which makes them a tighter fit once pushed back in the tap body.

The spindles retaining the corks can be a bugger to get out of the OEM tap, they may pull off but may also need to be drifted out (there is hole in the tap to allow this).

[coater87]

 I know they look nice, but should ewart style taps just be avoided because they are leak prone?

 There are a lot of taps out there to choose from.  I guess I would rather have odd looking taps than burn the bike down if ewarts are hard to stop leaking.

 

[Tomcat]

 I know they look nice, but should ewart style taps just be avoided because they are leak prone?
There are a lot of taps out there to choose from.  I guess I would rather have odd looking taps than burn the bike down if ewarts are hard to stop leaking. Coater87

 
I spent ages re corking the fuel taps on the A7 to stop them leaking. While I was rebuilding the engine the friggen things dried out and started leaking again! So, 'Not correct for year' taps is all i use now and other than the chrome rusting on the levers I think this is the way to go. I could sell my growing pile of Ewart taps too! Full marks to people who re cork their taps.

[mikeb]

should ewart style taps just be avoided because they are leak prone?

+1 to that
mine leaked, the various o-ring solutions were too stiff to work, and no-one except a rivet counter would notice anyway. i got the aftermarket turn-types and they have been faultless and fireless

[JulianS]

I think ethanol causes a problem with the cork seals.

Draganfly offer a neoprene cork replacement - just cut off the original cork, slit the new seal lengthways and slot it over the plunger shaft. no dismantling needed - I did try them but found the action somewhat stiff. But no leak.

https://draganfly.co.uk/index.php/triumph-shop/1937-1949/twin-cylinder/product/20942-petrol-tap-cork-plunger-in-neoprene-ethanol-proof

The early plungers were screwed together with a screw driver slot in the outside end of the plunger shaft. This allowed you to apply screw driver and tighten the cork without removing plunger from the tap body and also allowed easy replacement of the cork. You can sometimes find these at autojumbles though more often than not the screw driver slot has broken off.

[edboy]

i m surprised no ones mentioned steaming the cork tap under the kettle s steam. the steam expands the cork in less than a minute and hold the bit with long nose pliers. yes the tap plunger will be very tight for a couple of days but frees off eventually. the tap can also look like its leaking from the cork but is in fact leaking from the fibre washer between the banjo. ewarts are the champions for me.

[tinu]

I was steaming the corks the day before yesterday, but still leaking. As they grew bigger in the steam, they looked very odd, somehow knobbly. I'm about to change them with turn-types...

[Butch (cb)]

I fitted a pair of cheap Wassell lever taps on my A10 which have proved to be completely leak free.

Yeah - I tried recorking mine but with no success. I switched to lever type - with some kind of thread adapter, and they've been fine ever since. Only down side is that the levers have gone rusty.

[Gavin]

While I don't fit the category of a rivet counter, I'd happily buy up any collections of Ewarts Taps coming onto the market at a reasonable price. Obviously I have not stuck the problems some owners have.

[Rex]

Don't know about steaming them as I dip them in boiling water for about ten seconds. Maybe I'm lucky but it's always worked for me.