Water under gas cap?

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ant_mb

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Hey guys,

I noticed a week or so ago as I was filling up the tank that there was water under the cap when I opened it. I'm not talking about a couple drops. It was enough that when I released the rubber seal to the tank that it was draining into the tank. I thought that maybe it just got a ton of rain or something. Well today I go to fill up again and guess what? Yep, more water! I'm sure this is suppose to drain somewhere. I see a couple holes on the inside that I'm assuming would be a drain. Anyone have any idea if there is a drain under the cap? Maybe a stopped up hose? It doesn't seal at the top, only the bottom so water is going to get in there. Where is it suppose to go? I snapped a pic at the gas station today.
 
I'd think the orange ringed hole is the tip of the drain line for that area.... this should be one of the rubber tubes coming out around the swing arm area. That line must be clogged, preventing the drainage. If you could blow that out with a compressor, that would likely be the easiest way to 'clear' it.

You (or someone else) may have kinked that line moving the gas tank around.....
 
RJ2112 said:
I'd think the orange ringed hole is the tip of the drain line for that area.... this should be one of the rubber tubes coming out around the swing arm area. That line must be clogged, preventing the drainage. If you could blow that out with a compressor, that would likely be the easiest way to 'clear' it.

You (or someone else) may have kinked that line moving the gas tank around.....
Click to expand...

Water would have to get awful high for the water to reach the orange hole. If you look carefully you can see the red paint on the right side where I think it's suppose to drain. I lifted the tank after the first incident and made sure the lines weren't kinked. I didn't check for a blockage though.
 
Ant, there *should* be a drain tube for this. I think the guys here hit it on the head and you've got it clogged with debris. Snake a thin copper wire into the drain hole and you should be able to see it come out of one of the tubes under the bike (there are three). One is the drain, one is the vent and the third is the overflow.
 
ant_mb said:
Water would have to get awful high for the water to reach the orange hole. If you look carefully you can see the red paint on the right side where I think it's suppose to drain. I lifted the tank after the first incident and made sure the lines weren't kinked. I didn't check for a blockage though.
Click to expand...

It would have to be pretty high to run into the tank as you described.... if you actually had water run into your gas tank :eek:, I would strongly suggest you add some fuel 'drier' to your tank. That's almost always Isopropyl alcohol.... but you want to have some alcohol in there to bind with the water so you can run it through the motor without stalling it.

Clearing the kink, or clog to resolve any future issues is a needed step; dealing with fuel contamination is (IMHO) just as critical.
 
Thanks for the link Darryl, it let me right to the problem. It seems some sort of critter(looked like a spider) had crawled into the line and stopped it up. I lifted the tank pulled the drain line(clutch side) and water gushed out. I then blew on the line and was met with two puffed cheeks. Nothing was getting through it. I then decided to put some compressed air through it and that's when the crud came out into my hand. I saw what looked like rusty water, so I decide to pull the cap assembly off and check. This is what I found.
 
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I'm late to this thread. I just wanted to clarify the purpose of the orange rubber bit. That's part of the tank's venting system. It seals against a matching hole on the gas cap, and draws air in as the bike uses up fuel.

The tank can also vent via the gas overflow (the other rubber hose on the bottom of the tank) but this is the official vent.

Fred
 
I have a brand new 09 blue fz6. I noticed the water in the gas cap too. Found the tube. Unkinked it..... rusty water. Joy.... Should I bring the bike in and complain? Should they replace the rusted tank? I don't like rust on a bike that is only a month and a half old.
 
Sorry that others are having the issue as well, but it does make me feel a little bit better knowing that I'm not the only person that it happened to.

Hope my discovery and thread helped you figure it out.
 
Kassassin said:
I have a brand new 09 blue fz6. I noticed the water in the gas cap too. Found the tube. Unkinked it..... rusty water. Joy.... Should I bring the bike in and complain? Should they replace the rusted tank? I don't like rust on a bike that is only a month and a half old.
Click to expand...

I would take it back to them... and I would make them repair or replace it. That means they kinked it putting the bike together and never looked back. :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank:

Gripe until the yield.

Thus, note to self... ALWAYS check for moisture under the cap and resolve it at first notice!
 
FZ1inNH said:
I would take it back to them... and I would make them repair or replace it. That means they kinked it putting the bike together and never looked back. :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank:

Gripe until the yield.

Thus, note to self... ALWAYS check for moisture under the cap and resolve it at first notice!
Click to expand...

....what size are the allen bolts that hold down the filler cap? It's a check I now feel a need to make......:(
 
Can someone without this problem take a picture of their drain hole? I want to see if maybe it's just unprotected metal in the drain and it rusts a little regardless. Right now it just looks like surface rust, but I don't know if this will now spread and corrode.
 
I used to get the same thing with my 08 FZ6 S2. Used to worry me loads! But after a while it stopped happening. Follow the drainage pipe down from under the tank (should come out on the right underside of the bike near brake lever). Make sure its not snagged or blocked with crud. the water wont do any harm so dont worry, will just make the bike spluttery at times which sucks.
 
FZ1inNH said:
Rust, left unchecked, will spread and continue to eat through the surrounding metal. This is why most autoboby mechanics call it Cancer. ......
Click to expand...

Nit picky, I know..... but rust will only continue to 'grow' as long as the conditions allow. If there is no electrolyte, corrosion will stop. You have to have dissimilar metals in contact with a transfer fluid that can carry the ions back and forth.

Surface rust on steel? That's due to the small grains of other metals in the iron. The presence of water with impurites in it spanning the granules produces the galvanic effect. Iron oxide is the typical by product. break the cell, stop the corrosion.

Something like the blocked drain line will probably never stop rusting, due to the 'nooks and crannies' that can trap and hold the water needed for the corrosion.

A surface treatment, either to block oxygen from joining the party, or keep water out of contact with the metals is the only way to ensure you slow (and potentially stop) corrosion from continuing.

Paints, plating, grease... all of them stop the process by preventing the cell from forming. Or by severely limiting contact with the electrolyte.
 
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