Ethanol and gas taps

zotz · Dec 14, 2021

While I usually patronize my local Esso station because the premium blend is ethanol free, I filled up with a different brand at the end of the riding season thinking their premium was also ethanol free. Turns out I was mistaken. Within two tanks my petcock which has been in use for many years seized solid. After pulling it apart I found the lubricant the manufacturer had used was completely washed away. There was still some grease in the cavity of the petcock that I re-distributed on the sealing surfaces and O-ring which brought it back to usable service. Question I have are others running into the same problem. One parts supplier has mentioned adding a bit of 2 stroke oil to the gas which is supposed to alleviate the problem. Sounds like a pain in the butt to me. I'd rather not.

Staytite · Dec 14, 2021

Are you aware that both Rock Oil and Putoline sell STRAWBERRY scented two stoke oil .... How fab is that for an old Norton !

Tornado · Dec 14, 2021

I run aftermarket petcocks on two diff tanks, (BAP & Paoli), both seem fine with different fuels.

texasSlick · Dec 14, 2021

Gasoline is an excellent solvent. Therefore, it will wash away most any lubricant man can devise to use in a fuel tap. Bar soap seems to work on cork seals.

I have struggled to find seal materials that are compatible with both gasoline and ethanol. The blue silicone O rings are best of all the O ring materials. Teflon is inert to gasoline and ethanol.

Pingle fuel taps have Teflon seals and IMO, are the best, but expensive. Pingle does not make a tap with BSPP threads but 1/4 NPT can be rethreaded to BSPP. See https://www.accessnorton.com/Norton...ble-with-bsp-threads.30128/page-2#post-513062

Slick

concours · Dec 14, 2021

Staytite said:
Are you aware that both Rock Oil and Putoline sell STRAWBERRY scented two stoke oil .... How fab is that for an old Norton !

I add Amsoil in small amounts.

concours · Dec 14, 2021

Here, the strawberry used to be standard, now it's "optional"

Staytite · Dec 15, 2021

Maybe the oil companies should do a mulled wine scented 2 stroke oil
for Christmas season bikers ?

Onder · Dec 15, 2021

Smelled evil petrol fumes in garage. Small puddle. Pulled tap. Ten years service, saw vague shadowing on the rubber. Wonder if
I can flip the seal over. Never had a moments worry until E10 arrived but this could be a red herring.

concours · Dec 15, 2021

Staytite said:
Maybe the oil companies should do a mulled wine scented 2 stroke oil
for Christmas season bikers ?

I bought these scented candles a couple Christmases ago, before The Great Plague of '20.

zotz · Dec 15, 2021

Onder said:
Never had a moments worry until E10 arrived but this could be a red herring.

That was my issue. Tap worked fine for well over 10 years and then seized after 2 tanks of ethanol.

worntorn · Dec 15, 2021

texasSlick said:
Gasoline is an excellent solvent. Therefore, it will wash away most any lubricant man can devise to use in a fuel tap. Bar soap seems to work on cork seals.

I have struggled to find seal materials that are compatible with both gasoline and ethanol. The blue silicone O rings are best. Teflon is inert to gasoline and ethanol.

Pingle fuel taps have Teflon seals and IMO, are the best, but expensive. Pingle does not make a tap with BSPP threads but 1/4 NPT can be rethreaded to BSPP. See https://www.accessnorton.com/Norton...ble-with-bsp-threads.30128/page-2#post-513062

Slick

Pingels are great as long as you always leave fuel in. If for some reason the tank is left dry for a little while, and taps are moved afterward, the O rings self destruct.
I found this out the hard way. The fix was to order new o rings from Pingel, then take the taps apart and install.
They have been fine ever since.
I don't recall any Teflon seals, maybe that is a newer tap? My Pingel taps are about ten years old now.

Glen

Stephen Hill · Dec 15, 2021

I am pretty sure you can't flip the seal over in the BAP taps. There is a rubber spigot around each of the openings that form a seal on the rotating side of the tap.

Onder · Dec 15, 2021

...and nobody offers new rubbers? Probably not.

Tornado · Dec 15, 2021

I suspect any older taps with non-viton/teflon seals may be the issue here. My taps are all recently bought, (4 yrs) so Ethanol was already standard issue in NA. Suspect they updated the seal materials some years ago.

Ethanol and gas taps

zotz

Staytite

Tornado

texasSlick

concours

concours

Staytite

Onder

Attachments

concours

zotz

worntorn

Stephen Hill

Onder

Tornado

Similar threads