Hey guys, was laying the bike up for winter, all nicely raised off the floor, cleaned, protected and lubed and then started to top the tank up....
So far so good... I popped in a few drops of fuel stabiliser in and just as I start closing the cap the little &^/ $?£ piece of plastic covered card that covers the top of a bottle (under the cap) blew off and landing smack bang in the tank and sunk to the bottom. I had to run the engine for 10 mins to get the new clean fuel running through the injectors so it didn't block it immediately but want to know what I should do now?
The bike will be off road for and while but I'm wondering if I can just leave it for a while expecting the fuel pump filter to stop it getting anywhere or do I need to run the fuel out, remove the tank and try and get it out?
Can you see it in there at all or is it missing? If you can see it, maybe grab a claw thinger and try to get it, otherwise you can pull the tank as described. Can always remove the fuel pump if you need to get it from the bottom.
I'm not concerned about it disintegrating it's been in what is essentially kerosene for the last year as it's that little plasticised cardboard top.
My concern is more that it's going to block the pick up, and no I can't see it.... to be honest there's a 1/1000 chance it didn't go in and just blew away....
But thanks guys, looks like I'll be pulling the tank in the spring....
If the fuel pick-up screen in your bike is like mine, and it probably is, it will be about 50mm square and of a very fine mesh. I doubt if the plastic thingy will be changed because of the gas so the pick-up mesh will surly stop it from entering the actual filter. The whole episode would also bug the hell of me too but I'd let it go till spring after you've run the tank down.
I would go in after it myself, it would bug me too damn much knowing that thing is in there. It can't block the fuel flow because of the mesh bag size and shape.
Just remove the tank, remove the fuel door, and get it out of there. It's really not that bad a job. The seals on the fuel doors can be re-used, since they are rubber with no sealer used.
I had a cramp buster on my VFR and there was a rubber band thing to act as a spacer in case the fit was not tight enough. Kept that beggar in my tank bag for ever. One day just after refueling it fell out of my tank bag and I watched it fall right into the tank. Tried everything to fish it out of there but eventually gave up. I never did have a problem with the fuel pick up or injectors clogging even after 50k miles of riding. Sold it last year and bought my triple. Most in tank pumps have a mesh screen or steel wool type medium to strain the fuel on the the way to the fuel filter before the fuel get distributed to the injectors. I think you will be fine. I would worry about damaging fuel level sensors and pump wiring by fishing around too much in the tank.
Only sure way to get it out is to empty the tank and remove it and the pump flush and re assemble. More of a pain than it is difficult. (famous last words).
I can see me end up taking the tank off after its ran down and removing the pump then finding the little disk on the floor or something... what a pain!!!
Oh wait a minute! I like innovative ideas as much as the next guy but the chance of getting ALL the gas out of the tank is slim and using an electric wet/dry vac in a gas tank is risky. :kaboom
Bravo fox I think you have miss understood... and besides, why the anger? I'm sorry if I have personally offended you, my intention is to find out what the consensus was about leaving it in or taking it out - I can't see what's rattled your cage so badly?
I could do with a water proof scope.... We've got a snap-on one at the hanger but isn't water proof. Otherwise I'm going to have to do it the hard way and take the fuel pump out and hope it doesn't stick to the inside of the tank...
Well, if it comes to taking the fuel tank off anyway, instead of disturbing the fuel pump plate, you could turn the tank upside down and shoot air in it. I have fab'ed up an air nozzle with a copper tube extension on it. Could be just the thing reach to the bottom of the tank where a shot of air may just carry the rascal out of the filler with the escaping air. Actually that may work on an empty tank that's still on the bike. Just siphon the gas to empty.
Right.... update I've put a scope in the tank and the little disc is sat on the base of the filter. Looks like there are 3 holes for the fuel pick up at the top of the pump. So I doubt it will ever cause a problem as it could never block more than 1 and probably wouldn't be able to even do that....
Would it be possible to straighten a wire coat hanger, file down one end into a sharp point (could probably even be done on concrete), then using your scope, carefully spear that plastic disc being careful not to scratch tank? Then slowly remove hanger with disc. I've dropped stuff in engine bays before and come up with creative ways to retrieve them, but I don't know if this could work for you. I am pretty OCD and wouldn't be comfortable just leaving it in the tank even if I knew it wouldn't be an issue.
Seems to me the time spent trying to fish this thing out and or scoping the tank,you could've just removed the tank and taken care of this issue by now.
But that's just me,and I certainly wouldn't recommend leaving that in the tank. I'm guessing it's a coated piece of card board that will separate when fully submersed in a fluid.
Well good luck.
Use the scope and flexible claw grabber. Or just take it apart, not that complicated....shhhzzzz
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