Any ideas?? Grommet dealer??

[Dougie998]

Hi all, wonder if anyone has any ideas on this one. My Buell is going in for its MOT on fri so I thought I'd give it a strip down fiirst and sort all those niggly problems that were bugging me before I stored it away over winter. Anyway getting to the point. Its got an aftermarket oil tank on it and where the oil feed lines come in and out there are grommets. These are old and perished and a previous owner has slapped a load of hylomar on there to seal it up. This however has not worked. I have tried all the obvious routes (Harley/Buell main dealers, small motorcycle places, hardware stores, etc) with no joy. The holes in the tank are 12.5mm and the i.d of the grommet would have to 10mm to take the unon/ hose tail thingy. Any ideas?? Could i get a bit of nylon/ polyurethane turned down and seal it in there, or get someone to tig weld a sort of fitment to take a hose??
Here are some pics to explain myself

 

[wyn]

That looks like a poor way of fitting oil lines originaly.

If you had access to the inside of the tank it may be possible to use some sort of threaded fitting to compress a sealing washer.

But your best bet may be to have a threaded bush welded on and a suitable fitting to match it and the oil line. This could sort it once and for all....no future problems.

 

[Richw]

Hi, This might be a bit of a long shot, but I seem to remember seeing similar grommet connectors on some horticultural equipment fuel systems. Sorry I can't be more specific, but it was a long time ago when I dealt with such things, but it might be worth looking at a professional Horticultural machinery workshop.
Good luck with your MOT, I hope this might be of help to you.
Cheers, Rich.

 

[madkayaker]

try RS components 12.5mm is a common size for electrical stuff

 

[drivewasher]

The reason they rot is oil destroys rubber. You need VITON seals for petrol/oil use

 

[Mikey D]

Hi , i use a very similar thing on the milking machines i install , we use them for vacuum supply fitted into a 12mm hole on pvc pipe with a plastic elbow pushed intothe hole onto which a rubber pipe is fitted . They are just ordinary rubber looks exactly like yours .

We use the same thing on the vacuum pump lubricators but they use a different compound to make them oil resistant .

how many did you want? i can get the rubber ones easily but should be able to get you the oil resistant type if you can wait a little while ?

cheers mike

 

[Dougie998]

Hi thanks for all the replies. I agree, the initial design of the tank could have been far better perhaps by welding something in there to start with. Eventually I do plan to sort it properly but for now just looking to get it sealed up to get it back on the road while the good weather is here.
Mikey your a star, I require 4 of them if possible. Let me know how much your after for them posted and I'll settle up with you through paypal or something. Rubber ones should be fine for now, its just to get me going for now. Cheers mate.

 

[Wallace]

Nicely made tank spoilt by totally inadequate fittings. Does the tank have any baffles in it and if you look in the filler can you see the outlet holes clearly?

Regards, Mike

 

[Dougie998]

Hi it hasn't got any baffles. You can see the holes but it is so tight in there. The well at the bottom is less than an inch between front and back wall. The two tops ones I guess would be a bit more accesible.
Doug

 

[Wallace]

I have made one off bolt in tank flanges before and manipulated them into place. I was thinking that you might be able to use a 12mm banjo fitting with a nut inside the tank and Dowty seals on the banjo fitting.

I take it the elbow is fitted because space outside the tank is at a premium which is why I suggested using banjo fittings.

Mike

 

[michael1703]

was just checking this thread as it was april 1st and a guy asking about grommets, got a reply from a guy called wallace

 

[Wallace]

Any opportunity to help a Gromit and I'm there, especially if he rides a bike!

I had a thought this morning, instead of nuts make a nut plate, that would be easy to manipulate into position.

Mike

 

[Mikey D]

HI dougie , ok i found two today and will get another two tomorrow , illsend them tomorrow then hopefully youll have them for the weekend
Can you pm me your address please

cheers mike

 

[Dougie998]

was just checking this thread as it was april 1st and a guy asking about grommets, got a reply from a guy called wallace

Haha, never dawned on me. Very good

 

[Dougie998]

Any opportunity to help a Gromit and I'm there, especially if he rides a bike!

I had a thought this morning, instead of nuts make a nut plate, that would be easy to manipulate into position.

Mike

I'm very welcome of the help. Thanks. I'll have a look around at some different banjo fittings ans see what is available. I think a nut plate would certainly be the easier option to go down as opposed to separate nuts in there. lol
Would I have to have a dowty seal at either side of the tank ie one inside and one outside on the banjo bolt?
Doug

 

[Dougie998]

HI dougie , ok i found two today and will get another two tomorrow , illsend them tomorrow then hopefully youll have them for the weekend
Can you pm me your address please

cheers mike

Cheers mike. PM sent

 

[Wallace]

Would I have to have a dowty seal at either side of the tank ie one inside and one outside on the banjo bolt?
Doug

No, just either side of the banjo to seal against the tank provided the hole is not too big for the seal, with a nut plate behind it will give a good clamping effect on the thin plate.

I bought a 12mm stainless banjo & bolt for a Jaguar master cylinder recently from here http://www.thinkauto.com/ I have used them a lot over the years as they are within 10 miles of me so I can get the bits I need over the counter. I usually ask for obscure bits they don't keep so I end up doing mods like you are trying to do!

What sort of hoses does it have on there?

Mike

 

[bigbadbugga]

there are some bolt in hose connectors in the link below that might be of use to you

http://www.cbsonline.co.uk/header-tanks-148-c.asp

 

[Blackjack]

Not so sure about Buells, but Harleys, are pretty much imperial.

So probably 1/2" x 3/8" ????

Worth bearing in mind next time you're looking for something odd...

 

[Dougie998]

Ok thanks to everyone for the ideas. Thanks to MikeyD too for the grommets. I received them yesterday and got them fitted up. Spot on! Though I do plan to take the tank off in the future and get it sorted properly either by fitting banjos or get something welded in there. Bike passed MOT just in time for the rain to start. Tremendous Hopefully it will brighten up over the easter weekend and I can get out.