[Guest]

I sometimes get an accumilation of water around the inside of the neck of the fuel cap. When I opened the cap this time water went inside the tank and now it won't start. Can anyone let me know how to drain the tank to get rid of the water?

Thanks.

 

[DrTriumph]

The simplest solution to your water in the gas problem is gas line antifreeze. We use it in the winter for condensation in the car tanks, but works good to collect the water and keep it down through the motor and get rid of it. Allows the water to mix into the gas.

Solution for the water around the neck, sounds like you have a plugged overflow tube. Need to follow the tubes coming off the bottom of the tank and make sure they are not kinked. If not kinked use compressed air and blow them out.

 

[trotsky]

something else that might need to be looked at. lift up the tank cap and there should be a little rubber gizmo (at the 4 o'clock location). There should be one on the cap that fits on to the bottom one. I noticed mine came off the other day. Noticed it before it dropped into the tank (luckily).

That might be how your water is getting in

 

[iceman]

... there are 2 rubber hoses that come from the bottom of your tank and drop down to under the bike.One of them is the drain for the water that you see and the other is the breather and overflow for the tank - it has an inline valve in it that shuts off if the bike tips over (so that the tank doesnt empty out)

I had a pinched off drain tube under my tank - probably due to the tank not being fitted correctly after the last service.Actually both the hoses were pinched off so as well as the water not draining away there was also a big inrush of air each time I opened the gas tank.


Check it out,

Grant

 

[Yimm]

On 2006-11-06 18:48, iceman wrote:
Actually both the hoses were pinched off so as well as the water not draining away there was also a big inrush of air each time I opened the gas tank.

So that sucking sound when I open the tank on my '06 is not normal? Mine has done that since new, with no apparent fuel delivery problem, so I ignored it. Starts and idles fine, runs like a scalded cat. Anyone else experience this, um, phenomenon....?

 

[Guest]

I'll try the antifreeze tip - thanks. Just to check - the only kind of antifreeze I know of is what you put in a coolant system - is gas line antifreeze different? If so what would I ask for in the UK? Would you pour it directly into the fuel and how much?

I will check out the drain hoses. I get more water build up after my bike has been under the cover for a week or so. I reckon it's down to condensation, which may not happen if the cover weren't there.

Thanks again.

 

[ruscook]

I assume we're talking about reasonable small quantities here ie. equiv to a cup? If so it's even simpler than antifreeze try a capful or two of metho. note the CAP not CUP

Unlike petrol Meth spirits DOES mix with water and also burns. It will take the water into the cylinders and the burn will turn it into steam from whence it will leave via the exhaust. Nice, simple, clean and non-toxic.

I had a few friends in the 80's that actually added water/meth injection kits (as a diffused spray into the carby - yep carbies back then) to their cars.

The theory being the meth/water combo lowers the air temp, giving a cooler, denser mixture which helped combustion, while turning to steam that helped clean the engine of carbon deposits. I don't know if it worked, but I did see a similar article from a US (New York???) Uni researcher recently talking about adding meth spirits to cars to help emissions and fuel economy and he had similar reasoning.

Amazing the injection kit in the 80's was from one of the hobbyist electronics magazines (Electronics Australia or Electronics Today International for the aussies on the list) it's take 20yrs for Uni researchers to reinvent this

Russ

 

[Guest]

Thanks Russ. I'm off to get some meths today. I'll let you know how I get on.

 

[Jakdaw]

Hi,
I had the same problem of water collecting around the filler cap and then getting into the fuel when the cap was opened.
I checked all the flexible hoses for kinks and blockages. All good.
Eventually I found that the spigot at the base of the tank where the internal pipe conects to the flexible one had startedm to corrode.
The spigot is aluminium and the hard white corrosion plugged the spigot solid. It was a right b****r to clear, I had to use a sharpened terminal screwdriver to 'drill' my way thru from the bottom. the plug was about 10mm thick.
Since then I've kept the line sprayed with WD40 on a regular basis.
Hope this helps solve your problem, as I don't know if the older sprints are configured the same way for drain tube routing etc.

Jeff

 

[iceman]

........ mine was the same as jakdaw - after I sorted out the kinked hose it still wouldnt drain properly.

I tried to blow back up the hose but there was a blockage.I had to pull the hose off the bottom of the tank fitting and huck it out with a piece of welding wire.I dont know if it was corrosion or dirt.

Trickling a bit of WD40 down it occaisionally is a good idea.I'll do that this weekend.

Grant

 

[DrTriumph]

Gas line antifreeze is not the same as coolant antifreeze, I would hate the white smoke that would be created by putting regular antifreeze in the thank. I think it is methanol based, but I am not sure. I will look at a bottle next time I am in the automotive shop.

Good luck..

 

[Guest]

I tried putting a couple of capfuls of meths into the tank, rocking the bike about a bit and then trying but it wouldn't come to life. I'll be trying again tomorrow but I don't think this is going to work.

Russ - Is there something else I should be doing? Should I expect it to come to life more or less straight away or should I just keep on trying until it burns itself out? I think that water drops down to the bottom of the tank through the petrol, does the meths do the same?

If this doesn't work does anyone know how easy it is to drain the water out?

Cheers - Andy

 

[Guest]

Success! Turned the engine over and over and eventually it sprang back into life. I'll keep the meths for another day - or perhaps some ice and a celeratory drink!

Thanks - Andy

 

[ruscook]

Andy, it would take a little time for the injectors to get the water/petrol mix out and the meth/water/petrol mix in before she'd fire.

Ah, good question about the weight of the meth, I can't remember to tell the truth .... I know it should eventually mix with the water though so your sloshing it about is probably the right idea.

Glad you're back up and running.
Russ

 

[ruscook]

Dr triumph, thanks for the explanation, I didn't know there was a gas anti-freeze. That makes more sense.

Russ

 

[PaloAlto]

Yimm,

No, the sucking sound isn't normal.

There's a valve on one of the two black lines coming from the side of the tank. That valve "should" let air in and no fumes out. It frequently fails.

Many of us just remove the valve and go on our merry way- it's for air emission restrictions but has no other function. If you want to keep it, you can temporarily remove the rubber cone just under the gas cap - this will vent the tank from the top. Then you can have your dealer replace the valve at your leisure.

You can do a search of vacuum or sucking sound and get more info.

Bern

 

[CLB]

I thought it was a safety device, to prevent fuel spill in the event of tipover.

There is another possible cause of pressure/vacuum. Seems many of the vent tubes are pinched shut due to the way they are routed through the lower engine.

 

[Yimm]

Thanks to you guys for your input.

I am an inveterate tinkerer, and I figured it out on my own. It actually is supposed to let air flow both ways, as long as the bike is upright. That's how the tank vents to the evap canister.

But as you said, as soon as it's horizontal, it no longer flows in either direction. It was stuck is all. I'll keep an eye on it and if it fails again, I'm just going to remove it as you suggested.