Water in the fuel tank recess...

[pete]

Probably not the best time to post on the eve of the track day (enjoy it
all the lucky ones who are going, and I hope the weather is fine for you!)

Gave my bike a thorough wash and clean-up Sunday morning to remove
Hampshires road grime after Boozy's tour. The sun was shining today, went
to the petrol station to fill up, lifted the fuel cap and horror - loads of water
there !!! Dried it out with the garages wipes, but obviously something isn't
right here :mad:

As far as I can see there is a recess with a drain hole in it which presumably
connects to some pipework inside the tank, which then exits via one of
2 outlets on the bottom right rear of the tank (right as you sit on it).

So is there a blockage/kink/whatever ?

Just wondering if anyone has been here before. Guess I'll have to go back
to the dealer as it's still in warranty, but I've more faith in you peeps...

Also, do they need to remove/loosen the headlight in an intermediate service or was it pure co-incidence that I could hear this horrible little rattle every
time I hit a bump after picking the bike up, and that one of the headlight
retaining screws was very loose ?

Thanks in advance, and again, have a real great time at Mallory !

[spacemonkey]

If some water did sneak in then chuck a bottle of Motorex Power Plus to a full tank and this will make the water miscible and hence will be 'burnt' off.

[pete]

If some water did sneak in then chuck a bottle of Motorex Power Plus to a full tank and this will make the water miscible and hence will be 'burnt' off.

Thanks spacemonkey, I don't think any water sneaked in, but if it does
start spluttering I'll know what to do!

[Pedro]

Pete

sounds like the drain hole is blocked. Two choices:- bit of flexible wire (bicycle brake cable works well) or compressed air. Either should clear it but if under warranty, I'd complain.....

Ped

[pete]

Pete

sounds like the drain hole is blocked. Two choices:- bit of flexible wire (bicycle brake cable works well) or compressed air. Either should clear it but if under warranty, I'd complain.....

Ped

Ped,
took it back to the dealer today and they blasted it
through with an airline. That seemed to go through fine...

Got it back, tried the water test, still not draining :mad:

If you get down on your knees and try and blow through
the pipe (with the fuel cap shut) it appears blocked solid.
The pipe itself blows through fine if you disconnect it from
the tank. I reckon there is a kink in the pipe somewhere
inside the tank that the pressure from an airline is enough
to un-kink. Needless to say I got ridiculed by the dealer
when I called them to say the water still wasn't draining -
questions like why I was putting water in there, did I use
a steam cleaner to clean it etc etc... Blimey, you don't need
a degree in mechanics to see the ring around the filler cap
isn't sealed and water will go straight in there. That's what
the damn drain is for !!!!

Anyway, I've had enough of mucking around blowing through
rubber tubes - I'll book it in and let them sort it out. I never
noticed this problem before they changed the fuel tank...

[pete]

Just in case anyone else hits this problem, the bike was back in the dealers today to get it sorted. Sure enough, as I suspected, there was a kink in the pipework in the tank :rolleyes:

They reckon it's sorted now, but I havn't tested it myself
yet, which I suppose I ought do do really...

And what's more, I managed to get it there and back without getting drowned in this lovely weather we are having at the moment - just the road was a bit wet so I got some cleaning to do once the sun starts shining again, assuming it ever does !