Thru tank gas shutoff

[papanhead49]

I'm rebuilding my dad's 49 fl. I can't find a picture of where the spring goes on the shutoff rod. Does the spring go under the cap that you screw to turn the gas on and off or does it go inside the tank. I'm new at this so I'm pretty green but trying my best.

[FlatHeadSix]

On top of the tank, between the brass screw on cap, and the rubber washer. It just keeps the washer tight.
Mike

[steve_wood]

It actually goes underneath the cap that screws onto the gas tank. This is the cap that's under the cap you turn to shut on/off the gas.

It goes like this from the top down:

- Cap
- Spring
- Washer
- Seal
- Gas tank

Hope this helps. You can see the pictures in the parts manual for OHV, WL and servi-cars up to 1957. There's also a good picture of it in Clymer's on page 298.

steve

[FlatHeadSix]

how about a picture? this is from the WL parts manual so it shows the old part numbers but the parts are the same and so is the order of assembly

mike

[FlatHeadSix]

papanhead49

If you haven't put the fuel rod assembly back in the tank yet this would be a good time to closely inspect the cavity in the top of the tank that all that stuff goes into. Look down the hole with a good light and make SURE that all of the old seal is completely removed from the well before you install the new one. The old seals (3634-40 in the illustration) became hard and brittle with age and exposure to gas fumes, parts of the original may still be stuck down in the hole. You can usually clean it all out of there with a pick or a probe. Stay away from any New Old Stock (NOS) leftover war surplus seals, there are still plenty of them around and lots of vendors are selling them on ePay and elsewhere but they usually aren't any good because age has made them too hard to seal anymore. Your new seal should be a little soft and flexible and it should also slightly grip the rod after you install the washer, spring, and cap. The grip is important because this is what holds the rod in the "up" or "reserve" position, its no fun at all if you have to keep one hand on the fuel shut off rod while riding the bike to the nearest gas station!

just a couple of tips for what they're worth.....

mike

[papanhead49]

Thanks for all the info. I had the washer, rubber and spring inside the tank. Will fix soon. Thanks for the fast responses. I'm sure I'll be picking your brains in the future.

[partshunt]

By the way: For those who have lost the spring or just need another, the 4764-26 spring is the same one used in the horn button first statred in 1926 JD and on to Panheads and shovel. Just a small unoticed little item to some of us for years..............Joe

[Cotten]

Originally, the seal was cork. The spring and washer were required to compress the cork more and more as it slowly wore out.

I have had better luck with just two greased neoprene seals, and shelving the spring and washer. Modern fuels swell the seals to where they have plenty of resistance to hold the assembly up for reserve.
(I found a box of a thousand seals in an alley, intended for use with roofing nails.)

....Cotten

[john HD]

i found some nice fat o rings at ace hardware that work well with the spring under the cap.

working well so far.

john

[mbskeam]

same hrer, big fat o-ring, been this way for 15 years and cheap too.....

mbskeam

[FlatHeadSix]

I used to keep a wooden clothes pin in the saddle bag, it is probably still in there. Before I replaced the old cork seal with, guess what?, an "O" ring from ace hardware, the fuel rod would never stay in the reserve position so I would just pull it up and stick the clothes pin under it until I got to the gas station.

hey, it worked!

mike

[awander]

You can also hold the rod up by hand, and when you take your hand away to shift, there is enough fuel in the bowl to keep things running.