I see that most folks on here recommend boiling and oiling the cork seals. I made my own out of Rioja wine corks cut down with blade, they seem to work a while but then leak. Can the lack of boiling and oiling make the difference? Can anyone describe the process and how it works?
I'll wash my mouth out after, but i have to ask. is there a modern alternative out there like some sort of rubber gasket/viton etc that work a bit more trouble free?
I've finished by civilian M20 renovation and i have to say it looks pretty good and is running better by the day with my various tinkering’s with the jetting.
Ill post some pics as this would never have happened with the most helpful suggestions from many folks on this site !!
On my ajs it has barrel type petrol taps on it with corks inside the taps, i find that i have to remove the taps at the start of the riding season and soak them in petrol for 24 hours for the corks to swell up & seal. On my WD G3L matchless, it has the flat enots type taps fitted on it, gave up trying to stop them leaking years ago and replaced the flat corks with disks of viton rubber, a bit of a faff to set the taps so that they open and close smoothly, too tight and they wont move, too slack and they leak. If you try the viton rubber method don't forget to put a hole in the middle of them for the petrol to flow through
I know there are far better leak proof taps on the market. But I'm too stubborn for that. All my bikes have their original correct type taps. But following the advice of another forum member, I've made seals from 2mm Viton. The next ENOTS that leaks, I'll be trying these.
Very helpful info. I'll try the soaking in the short term as it's going to be a glorious sunny day today for a ride, hotest since records began in uk .
2 mm viton sheet ordered from Ebay for longer term fix.
To keep the fuel taps from leaking I use a grease that is specifically made for fuel valves. It makes the fuel tap easy to move and keeps the cork from drying out.
Neil, do you think 2mm is enough..?
I think the corks should be around 3-4 mm.
Recently I also made my own corks from a champagne bottle cork.
Ik works - so far.
It was impossible to get them dry with the original corks.
Mike I did wonder about the 2mm, But it is what I was advised. But often when you remove the leaking corks they are wafer thin. I've yet to try them. But I could see how they feel in one of my spare taps. Ron
