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Leaking Fuel Saga [Part 2]


taffe
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Hi all, first thanks to all the responses to this ongoing problem with my mates 2014 Evo 200. Let me recap and bring new viewers/members up to date. .................Are you sitting comfortably?....then I'll begin.

My earlier thread started in November {Leaking Fuel] was about this new Evo having a leaking fuel cap soon after delivery in June/July this year. My first comments after a test ride within the first two weeks was " I cant stand the smell of fuel, but nice to ride".

Since that time all the suggestions posted by you all have been tested, most prior to the first post.

Tank/fuel hot..hmm... fuel leaks on way to the ride site with bike on back of ute.

Some manufacturing issue.....don't know this one as the dealer is 3000klm away, would have been spotted during pre-delivery I would have thought.

Anyway it boils down [no pun intended] to the fact that whatever cap is put of this bike fuel will bubble out of the overflow hose. Prior to the new cap arriving 4-5 standard plastic caps had be tried and they do the same on this bike but not on the doner bikes.

The problem, as my mate has pointed out to Beta, must be with the tank itself. We came to this conclusion as the new red anodized "Beta" badged cap provided by Beta had changed the bubbling of fuel to a pouring of fuel. Thursday evenings ride had my mate ducking fuel as it spat at him from the 75mm of hose on the new cap. It too leaked fuel prior to starting the bike just with gentle shaking.

A test ride at home had the fuel bubbling out with the tank when half full.

The dealers faith in the new cap may have been a bit suspect as he also sent a one way valve to place on the hose, just in case.

Well the valve was fitted and we continued to ride. At our next stop for a drink I saw this valve sailing over bushes into the scrub and a very angry Beta owner standing there cussing :wall::crying::angry::dummyspit::suicide: I think you get the picture.

So, next step [after informing Beta of the above] is to try the suggestion posted earlier by drilling holes in the yellow underside of the standard cap.

Watch this space

Cheers Taff

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Fascinating, can't wait for the next instalment, keep me posted

The 2014 frames are hydroformed rather than welded from preformed sections / extrusions but this should have no effect on the gasoline.

Gasoline + air always pressurises a tank when shaken so that is normal. But the pressure should vent through the breather with the petrol being separated by the mechanism in the cap

I would examine the filler cap area of the tank and as much of the inside that I can see and compare it with a tank that is not giving problems.

Could there be a catalyst in the tank, pre paint treatments or even something completely unrelated to the bikes manufacture.

Pop a Nuttalls Minto into a bottle of Coke, lightly shake it and you will see what I mean by catalyst.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diet_Coke_and_Mentos_eruption

Ultrasound (high frequency vibration) can turn 1 gallon of petrol into well over 100 gallons of petrol vapour, but where would such vibration come from on a non running bike

If you drain the tank can you hear anything rattling about, a small battery perhaps like the ones use in electric speedometers.

Edited by dadof2
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maybe try putting one of them small flexible cameras inside to have a look , like you say its had umpteen differnt caps so must be something happening inside the tank , would be interesting to see how it went running only on a front mounted tank like the hebo one which you can see through

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Its definitely coming from end of breather hose not between O ring and cap... or O ring and tank?

I replaced Cindy's Beta tank cap O ring with a larger diameter one. The original was getting sliced up a bit by the sharp edge it mated to, it leaked ever so slightly when full. By larger I mean thicker not larger O.D.

Edit: I might just add... I dont place the breather hose where the factory does (with cables in pass through area) I put it in the recess (hole) in the centre of the top triple clamp. This puts the hose's end above the fuel level at all times.

Mags

Edited by mags
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There must be some residual chemical from the Hydoforming process affecting the fuel ....

And being a Beta you just can't unbolt the tank and clean/flush it ...

Good Luck ...

Glenn

What could be done is remove the petcock to flush the tank. Then grab a flashlight and a dental mirror and inspect the tank. The inside looks almost polished , so you should be able to veiw it clearly.

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The weird thing is that at half tank there is no liquid at the cap, so it's either small amounts of slosh migrating into the cap, then pressure from the tank pushes it out the hose

Or large amounts of vapor condensing in the hose

But neither makes sense really

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:hyper: Hi Folks, well guess what, its fixed, NOT solved just fixed. And it's all down to the post in my earlier thread [Leaking fuel] by "timppa" 17th November, thanks Tim. The photo he posted was very helpful.

My mate would have tried that fix back in November [and saved a few more stickers from pealing off his bike] but as he only had the one cap and this was a warranty issue I suggested he tell the Beta agent to visit this thread and supply a modified cap. But as it turned out they sent a different cap with the same issues.

My mate drilled out the underside of his standard cap as described in the earlier posted photo, and the cap was tested this morning on a 3 hour ride on a 35deg day. First 2 hours with no hose at all and the last hour with the hose going over the bars. NO LEAKS at all, no drips no spitting no bubbling. We did not find the cause but found the remedy thanks to "timppa". As mentioned earlier thanks one and all for your input, you made one Beta owner very happy :rotfl: .

Cheers Taff

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Hi Burns, we had thought of that too, but reasoned that if the vent was restricted enough to pressurise the tank then wouldn't fuel flow to the carby also be effected. The vent itself has not been modified [see photo for detail]. Air was freely passing through the vent when tested.

cheers Taff

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