Elite fuel tap leak

[curvesurfer]

Hi,

I'm new to the world of vintage Ducatis, my oldest one until recently was a '95 900SS.

I recently acquired an Elite 200. It's a stunner with low miles that was restored awhile back and ran nicely before delivery. It was inspected and ridden by prominent folks in the Ducati community who helped facilitate the purchase for me (I have a video of it being ridden before it was loaded on the truck).

I put some fuel in the tank to start it the first time since delivery and discovered the fuel tap is leaking. Even in the "off" position gas drips regularly from the tap on the *outside* of the fuel line. I drained the tank by loosening the bottom of the carb.

Is there a better way to drain the tank?
Any tips for addressing the leaky tap?

I'm not very mechanically inclined but am determined to learn and to gain the patience needed to maintain these old bikes! Without an owners or maintenance manual I'll need to rely upon the community for guidance.

Thank you,
Colin

pics of the bike before I acquired it can be found here:
http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-rkhHm/

[Rick]

If you can't find any info on repairing the fuel valve on this site, I have some pictures somewhere- they weren't real high quality items, but they will seal.
If your Elite came through Jim Dillard(RIP) you'll have a good motorcycle- I have a couple of MVs that came from him, a real enthusiast.
Rick

[curvesurfer]

Yes, it's a Jim Dillard bike!

[Rick]

Colin,
I found some photos, yours is probably an Orlandi with the round logo:

fuel valves.jpg

There's not much to them, a thick rubber gasket that the valve disc rotates against- the rubber is usually fossilized. I imagine you could find some rubber that is compatible with modern fuels and make a new gasket- the holes surround the protruding spigots in the valve chamber, so the rubber needs to be thicker than the depth of the spigots:

fuel valve gasket.jpg

valve chamber.jpg

The fuel screen/filter that extends into the tank is usually gone, and if it's still there it's usually full of rusty sludge. Between making the gasket and a questionable filter, I think most people just buy a new valve:
http://www.guzzino.com/chfuva1012.html

Don't throw an original valve away, but it may not be worth trying to get it to work.
Have you done the 'talcum powder test' to establish where the fuel is leaking? Just sprinkle some powder around the valve, turn it on, and watch for the area that gets wet first- watch for a while before turning the valve on to see if the leak is between the valve and the tank, and not a leaking valve.
Rick

[amartina75]

I was able to make new viton seals for mine. I bought a small sheet of viton off ebay for a few dollars. Enough material to make 50 seals. I Don't remember what the hardness was that I got but I don't think it was the highest available, it was still very hard to cut and punch. Getting all the holes punched and aligned perfectly was a challenge. I made 4 or 5 of them to get 2 I was happy with. What I did to mark the holes was use the petcock itself to transfer the markings. I first made a disc that was a good fit inside, then put it in the body of the petcock. I then put the control valve disc of the petcock on and tapped it with a mallet. That made markings I could use to punch the holes. I did have multiple sets of petcocks I wanted to rebuild. If I only had one set it might not be worth it. Although it is kinda offensive what a set of seals go for, IMO.
You can make your own punches with thin wall tubing. Just cut a short length and sharpen either the inside or outside depending on what you need.
Aaron

[graeme]

Old car radio antenna make good small size punches.
Graeme