Fuel system leak - Polar Vortex

[STPaulK]

The Polar Vortex this week caused a leak in my fuel system. The low temp hit -28 with below zero for ~48 hours. I smelled raw gas on the second morning and yesterday I spent some time to figure out the likely leak point was the fuel pump base gasket. However I really cannot rule anything out as the whole pump top and surrounding area had residue. I replaced the dual tank coupling hose last year but reused the old clamps so it could be that as well. I drained the upper tank to lighten the load, cleaned up all the residue and am going to monitor over the next week. Regardless, I decided it's probably worthwhile to replace the hoses and gasket when it gets warmer. BTW, I had no-ethanol gas and stabilizer.

At the risk of starting a holy war, is it really that necessary on a modern motorcycle to completely fill the tank for a 3-4 month winter storage?

 

[ST-Traveler]

The Polar Vortex this week caused a leak in my fuel system. The low temp hit -28 with below zero for ~48 hours. I smelled raw gas on the second morning and yesterday I spent some time to figure out the likely leak point was the fuel pump base gasket. However I really cannot rule anything out as the whole pump top and surrounding area had residue. I replaced the dual tank coupling hose last year but reused the old clamps so it could be that as well. I drained the upper tank to lighten the load, cleaned up all the residue and am going to monitor over the next week. Regardless, I decided it's probably worthwhile to replace the hoses and gasket when it gets warmer. BTW, I had no-ethanol gas and stabilizer.

At the risk of starting a holy war, is it really that necessary on a modern motorcycle to completely fill the tank for a 3-4 month winter storage?

I do see in the SM for some reason - ( not sure) it states to always replace the clamps with new ones. Not sure if using the old ones would cause a leak or not. Possibly a small amount of water in your fuel caused something to freeze and expand causing the temporary leak.

 

[CYYJ]

I replaced the dual tank coupling hose last year but reused the old clamps...

If the old clamps that you reused were OEM specification, it is very unlikely that they are the cause of the leak. This type of clamp is a "constant tension" clamp, it can be removed and reinstalled without any loss of clamping tension.

Leaks can occur if these clamps are removed and the existing hose is reinstalled - the potential problem is that the old hose has become deformed by the clamp, and if the clamp is not put back in exactly the same spot on the old hose, a leak can develop. But that would not apply to you, because you used a new hose.

Michael

Fuel Tank Hose Clamp (constant tension)

 

[ST-Traveler]

[QUOTE="STPaulK, post:

At the risk of starting a holy war, is it really that necessary on a modern motorcycle to completely fill the tank for a 3-4 month winter storage?[/QUOTE]

I am pretty sure the reason for filling the fuel tank is to help prevent the development of rust inside the tank, other than that I am unaware of any other reason.

 

[Kevcules]

Yes, fill the tank to prevent condensation and then rust.....

 

[STPaulK]

Well I'm not going to refill the upper tank at this point. I guess I will risk the condensation rather than leaking the raw gas.

 

[SMSW]

Well I'm not going to refill the upper tank at this point. I guess I will risk the condensation rather than leaking the raw gas.

Toss in fuel stabilizer. Some of them specifically say they prevent gas/alky mixes from dumping water. I don't know if any will absorb any condensation - you might give their tech lines a call.

 

[TipSTer]

Well I'm not going to refill the upper tank at this point. I guess I will risk the condensation rather than leaking the raw gas.

Paul, yep, it was an Ovel rubber gasket that caused the leakage. It's easy to fix, I had helped Gary fixed his leakages before, You need to pull up the lip of the tank up before tightening down those nuts. that should help stop residue or leaking. Lower tank its very thin metal very easy to bend that ovellip.

 

[TipSTer]

This ovel lip it's very easy to bend, You needs to check it before installing your fuel pump for a better seal.