gassa1 Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 Has anyone had a problem with the plastic fuel tanks swelling on the latest gas gas ? My tank has increased by 20mm in length and has to be forced back into the frame making the fuel tank bow causing a gap between the frame and fuel tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petorius Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 I suspect this is down to the ethanol now included in standard unleaded fuel. I have heard that some fairly new Ducatis with plastic tanks are distorting. I try and use only super unleaded as the ethanol content is very low, i think Shell has 0.1% and some others have none, i think BP is ethanol free on super unleaded and others depend on whereabouts in the country you are located. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirdabalot Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 Mines ok, for now, with a year's use from new, using cheap 95 RON unleaded from anywhere in N.E. England. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s.e.lucas Posted January 5, 2016 Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 I suspect this is down to the ethanol now included in standard unleaded fuel. I have heard that some fairly new Ducatis with plastic tanks are distorting. I try and use only super unleaded as the ethanol content is very low, i think Shell has 0.1% and some others have none, i think BP is ethanol free on super unleaded and others depend on whereabouts in the country you are located. my sherco tank did it too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazybond700 Posted January 5, 2016 Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 Also old tanks (for cafe racers etc) have this problem nowadays because of the new gasoline... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djr Posted January 5, 2016 Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 This is a huge issue with anything that takes fuel and has a plastic/neoprene tank, as it's been stated above Ducati have had problems, the older Sherco's had big issues, there's even people with boats having the same problems. What I tend to do with my vehicles with a plastic tank is to drain the tank if I don't plan on using it for a while so there's no fuel to absorb into the plastic and hopefully it's slow down the process. You can also clean the tanks out with hot water and washing powder every now and again which does help a little bit. I've heard of some people trying various things to try and seal the tanks to stop the ethanol getting into the plastic but as the tanks are smooth inside all the sealers don't stick and end up peeling away. The last few years ethanol had been added to the fuel at 5% and some brands are using 10% ethanol so the problem is getting worse, If you type in "ethanol content uk fuel" you'll see how big the issue is within the Uk. Found this on a classic car post which was dated a few years ago but it shows how more brands are adding ethanol to their fuel. BP Ethanol is added at 5% to unleaded petrol at all sites across the UK. BP Ultimate (super unleaded petrol) does not have Ethanol added, except in the South West of England. Esso Ethanol is added at 5% to unleaded petrol at most sites in the UK. Esso Super Unleaded petrol does not contain Ethanol, except in the South West of England (Devon and Cornwall) Shell Shell has repeatedly refused to answer the question. It is therefore an assumption only, that all Shell petrol should be considered to contain 5% Ethanol. Texaco Ethanol is added at 5% to unleaded petrol. Texaco Super Unleaded petrol does not contain Ethanol. Total Ethanol is not added to any Total fuel (including standard unleaded petrol). Except in the North West and South East of England. I had read somewhere that the Tesco Super Unleaded was the petrol with the highest Ethanol content as they had used Ethanol to increase the Octane Rating, if true then sounds best to avoid using this. Also has anyone tried the Ethanol Removal Kit sold by Ethanil . co.uk ? , there has been an article in Classic Bike magazine about using this kit and it seems a simple way to remove the Ethanol, this could be a good alternative to trying to find Ethanol free fuel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2stroke4stroke Posted January 5, 2016 Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 Also old tanks (for cafe racers etc) have this problem nowadays because of the new gasoline... Actually it was the effect of the alcohol in Cleveland Discol on cafe racer tanks that led to the banning of non-metal tanks for motorcycles in Britain in the late Sixties or early Seventies, so it ain't a new problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dadof2 Posted January 5, 2016 Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 Its not just ethanol that is the problem, there are a lot of additives in fuel. Some cause some plastics to swell, others cause then to shrink, some cause embrittlement. A hot water / detergent solution (Janitol original) will often reduce the size of a swollen tank, the longer the treatment the more the reduction. Last year I let some 2k primer partially go off in my spraygun and could not fully shift it with gunwash. I put some methylene chloride is the gun and left it for a week. In addition to shifting the primer it shrunk the paint cup. Whether it would shrink a tank I have yet to try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anotherfive Posted January 5, 2016 Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 This really shouldn't be for riders to fix should it? Cars have plastic tanks and I've never heard of this with cars, has anyone else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djr Posted January 5, 2016 Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 This really shouldn't be for riders to fix should it? Cars have plastic tanks and I've never heard of this with cars, has anyone else? That's a good point about car tanks being plastic , but they are " out of sight, out of mind" I have a Peugeot 307 diesel (diesel now contains ethanol as well) This has a plastic tank Recently had to change the fuel gauge sender unit and the new part was a tight fit in the tank, so the tank could have changed shape due to ethanol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazybond700 Posted January 6, 2016 Report Share Posted January 6, 2016 If there is room enough and you can not see it there is no problem. KTM also has/had problems with fueltanks e.g. in their 690's a kind of sludge was coming from the inside of the tank or hoses which blocked the fuel filter and pump. It gets more and more difficult for producent to make something. Maybe stick to aloy tanks... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizza5 Posted January 6, 2016 Report Share Posted January 6, 2016 The additive V1A9RA in the fuel makes the tanks swell for a period of time but it s not permanent 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baldilocks Posted January 30, 2016 Report Share Posted January 30, 2016 Was looking at a friend's bike the other day, both of us have 2014 models. My tank has swelled far enough that its now difficult to get the front bolt in. My friends hasn't but he says he always uses super unleaded, i dont but ill try it and see if it shrinks back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geodet Posted March 29, 2016 Report Share Posted March 29, 2016 This issue is not going away. My 2014 GG tank has swollen quite a lot. I always use super unleaded but as I live in the south west there appears to be ethanol in everything. Has any one discovered a new way to reduce this effect? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc_d Posted March 30, 2016 Report Share Posted March 30, 2016 I also have a 2014 with a swollen tank that is now very difficult to get on. I've thought about buying a new tank but I'm sure it will just happen with that one as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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