Like I said the cork gasket may need time to swell up after soaking in gasoline. I had rebuilt my petcock in the fall using the cork gasket, it was fine. The next spring it leaked like a sieve when I first turned it on. I didn't realize then that the cork had dried up and shrunk down.
I kept trying to put it back together to stop the leak but ended up ruining the cork. I figured I still have the rubber gasket so I may as well try it. It worked and it sat all winter and is still working this spring.
You have to put it together perfectly to keep it from leaking. They are tricky buggers and if you don't do it perfectly it will leak.
Rebuilt fuelcock still leaks
G'day Robbie63
Just to understand fully - when you say leaking, do you mean that there is still fuel running out the fuel hose into the carby (ie the petcock is not closing properly) or is the fuel leaking from around the bowl? There are a few examples on this forum of having the gasket up the wrong way and fuel flowing when the petcock is off. As Mike69 said, they are tricky to work with. Previously, my cork gasket had swollen up so much that it restricted (stopped) fuel flow into the carbie. I had to run a drill bit up thru it to get it to flow correctly. The rubber bowl gasket on mine often tends to swell and distort quite badly as well. Last time I had it off, I had to reinsert it very carefully and nip the bowl up quite firmly to stop it leaking. Just a trip - I use some form of never-seize on the fine aluminium thread of the bowl in an attempt to avoid damage and seizing. Regards Muddy Thanks.
Regards Muddy '64 C72 '63 C72
G'day Robbie63
Thanks, that helps diagnose the problem a little further. Others more experienced here will correct me if I'm wrong, but from you describe the problem is unlikely to be the small cork gasket (or alternative rubber gasket) with 3 holes in it (part no 8 below). I understood this just seals the fuel flow between off, on and reserve. If this was leaking, I think you'd see fuel leaking as you describe all the time or from around the position selector lever. I'm betting there is a problem with the seal between the petcock bowl and petcock body (part no 10 below). If the petcock is shutting off properly (as it appears to be), this seal will only leak down to that level and then stop, as you describe. Here's a suggestion. - Leave the tank on the bike if it is still there - Turn off the petcock - Put some rags on the bike under the petcock bowl - Remove the bowl, seal and filter sieve - Confirm that the petcock is fully shutting off the fuel flow - this will confirm if there is a problem in this area - Inspect the flat top of the bowl to ensure it is not damaged or corroded - any damage here will make it difficult for the seal - Inspect the bowl thread and corresponding internal petcock thread - make sure it is all clean and damage-free - Put a little never-seize on the petcock bowl thread - spread it right around the thread - Screw the bowl onto the petcock without the seal and sieve - Make sure the thread screws up fully - from memory it should screw up all the way until the bowl touches the petcock body - do not over tighten, just make sure the thread is good all the way - Unscrew the bowl - Inspect the rubber seal and sieve for damage - Inset the rubber seal and sieve and screw on the bowl slowly and carefully until it seats on the seal - Nip it up reasonably firmly with the correct sized ring spanner or socket - don't damage that aluminium nut - Turn on the fuel and tighten the bowl until it stops leaking, but don't over-tighten and damage the bowl threads or nut. When I last did mine, I know I had to tighten pretty tight on the last step above, but it did stop leaking. The never-seize should protect the threads and make disassembly easier in the future. I hope this helps your dilemma, as they are shifty little suckers! Regards Muddy
Thanks.
Regards Muddy '64 C72 '63 C72
Fuel leaks with rebuild kitsI have tried 3 different rebuild kits from two different suppliers (OEM and aftermarket) and found that none of the kits are compatable with modern ethanol fuels. The standard 10% alcohol will make the rubber parts swell up and eventually become mushy and when dryed out will shrink back to a somewhat normal size. Drop any of the rubber parts in a bit of gasoline for a few days and then take a good look at them and feel the softness, guaranteed you won't use them if you do.
If anyone has found a rebuild kit (old or new, OEM or aftermarket) that doesn't soften in ethanol fuel please post where you found it. (Yes, I know you can buy ethanol free gas, but it's not alway avalable everywhere.) Like many others, I built an aluminum plate and screwed in a modern fuel valve. Not stock but certainly a lot safer. (These plates are available on quite a few sites. Any kind of gas leak is a dangerous situation, in storage, in the garage between rides or while underway. Thanks Muddy from Down under,you were right unscrewed the bowl and thwseal,no 10 was pinched,so I put original seal back on,it fit better I think.Put it back on and that fixed it.thanks again to everyone's input.ps another great forum.i was on the fourwheelforum,while restoring my 63 150 and they were great as well.took it for about a twenty mile ride today and works great.not sure how fast I was going still waiting for a speedo cable.thanks again rob
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