Article [13] ST1300 - Sticking Fuel Cap

[okmurdog]

I took mine off a couple of weeks ago and it was obvious where the cap had been touching the filler hole as evidenced by the shiny marks along the front edge of the cap. I removed the edge where those shiny spots were located, and all is good now. I only experienced the sticking problem on an empty tank when the ambient temperature was north of 100 degrees. Pics attached


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[numbersman]

Oh Boy, did I get bitten by a sticking fuel cap. Picked up my new 2009 Police model on July 31, 2012 in Shawnee OK. Tank was full and stopped for gas about 200 miles on the way back to Chicago. Cap stuck a bit but worked. Got another 200 miles down the road and the sucker would not open at all for next gas stop. Nearest dealer was 40 miles east, on the South side of KC, MO, which meant riding right into the rain tail of Hurricane Isaac.
Dealer fixed in about 5 minutes by loosening screws and rotating cap a few degrees. One of the lugs was binding.

 

[Mellow]

Oh Boy, did I get bitten by a sticking fuel cap. Picked up my new 2009 Police model on July 31, 2012 in Shawnee OK. Tank was full and stopped for gas about 200 miles on the way back to Chicago. Cap stuck a bit but worked. Got another 200 miles down the road and the sucker would not open at all for next gas stop. Nearest dealer was 40 miles east, on the South side of KC, MO, which meant riding right into the rain tail of Hurricane Isaac.
Dealer fixed in about 5 minutes by loosening screws and rotating cap a few degrees. One of the lugs was binding.

That is pretty much a temp fix as I've been doing that for a while until I just followed Marks' fix above. Now, it hasn't stuck since. It's not the lugs of the lock, it's the rim/lip of the base of the inner base of the cap that sticks.

Also, you should have gotten a hex wrench inside a foam pouch. Keep that in your right side non-lockable front pocket. Then, you'll be able to loosen the 3 bolts if it happens again.

 

[okmurdog]

Oh Boy, did I get bitten by a sticking fuel cap. Picked up my new 2009 Police model on July 31, 2012 in Shawnee OK. Tank was full and stopped for gas about 200 miles on the way back to Chicago. Cap stuck a bit but worked. Got another 200 miles down the road and the sucker would not open at all for next gas stop. Nearest dealer was 40 miles east, on the South side of KC, MO, which meant riding right into the rain tail of Hurricane Isaac.
Dealer fixed in about 5 minutes by loosening screws and rotating cap a few degrees. One of the lugs was binding.

Congrats on that ST1300P at Shawnee Honda - I was eyeing it and came close to picking it up. However, I didn't want to be cast out of the Oklahoma Silver ST club LOL.

 

[LetErBuck]

Just did this today ! Very simple and works great !!
I used an air compressor with ball inflator tip to get the small shavings out of the rubber seal.

 

[roadriderg]

Not that this will fix everyones sticking cap but I did the following:

I put two thin plastic washers under the back two screws that hold the gas cap to the tank, maybe 32th thick. Then the sticking was gone. Not sure why this worked but it did at least on mine.

 

[okmurdog]

If the cap would 'pop' up slightly after inserting and turning the key, but stick thereafter - by inserting washers on the rear, it would shift the radius back and up just enough to prevent the front of the cap from physically rubbing against the inner lip of the tank.

 

[Geoff]

I found on mine the two tabs that hold the cap down have a little sharp edge on them you can feel it with your finger. I covered the gas fill hole and filed them off and it seemed to help.

 

[tonupdave]

Same here after panicking at the fuel stop I managed to get the cap open by inserting a screwdriver into the gap around the cap and "ping" it opened I could see the sharp edges on the lugs so took a file to them. I have had no trouble since..........T.U.D.

 

[dduelin]

Lube it once in a while to keep burrs and sharp edges from "growing".

 

[jmcglynn]

Reading through this tread it seems there's a couple different issues going on... but let me share my experience. For years I had issues with getting the cap to open... the cap would stick and I was regularly breaking keys trying to get it to open. Then I realized I was doing this all wrong. What it needed was a lighter touch. Instead of pressing down on the cap as I was turning the key, or turning the key all the way quickly, I took my hand off the cap, turned the key slowly until the cap just pops. If you turn the key all the way the tabs that hold it shut can actually be pushed back out holding the cap tight. They don't retract all the way when the key is turned all the way. If I turned the key slowly, with no pressure on the key or cap, then it just pops open when the tabs are in the right position. Once I discovered this trick, I've never had a stuck cap, and never broken another key.

 

[SteveST1300]

I replaced mine with a screw on cap I haven't had a problem in years .

 

[dduelin]

I lube the lock about every six months and haven't a problem in years. Abus 88 good stuff.

 

[tjhiggin]

I took mine off a couple of weeks ago and it was obvious where the cap had been touching the filler hole as evidenced by the shiny marks along the front edge of the cap. I removed the edge where those shiny spots were located, and all is good now. I only experienced the sticking problem on an empty tank when the ambient temperature was north of 100 degrees. Pics attached

Thanks for those pictures from long ago. I've been nearly stranded twice recently, had to wait 20 minutes or so for everything to cool off a bit before the cap would open. Took my cap out today and found shiny marks like in the pics. Filed everything down with a Dremel, but it was still hanging up a bit after reinstalling. I loosened the 3 screws and pulled the entire assembly toward the rear of the bike. It moved slightly, maybe half a millimeter, but it was enough to make a difference. After tightening it down, it worked fine every time with no hangups.

I'm taking a short ride tomorrow and then a long ride to the eclipse on Monday. Fingers crossed that there will be no issues. But I've got the 5mm hex wrench handy if need be!