Newbie Question; Gas tank leak if full???

[FinalImpact]

I'm going to do some service work today; if I stand the gas tank (fuel cell) up on end and its full of fuel, will it leak or cause any other issues?

I've never inspected under the tank and manual doesn't reference the quantity of fuel in the cell so I guess its OK to stand it on edge when full, yes?

Thanks!

 

[tcmalker]

People have said that it would leak through one of the hoses, BUT it never happened to me. For example, last winter I winterized the bike by fully filling the gas tank. When I remove the battery, I had to tilt the tank up for this and NO LEAK! Again a few weeks ago I went to put in the battery and NO LEAK!

 

[Gothenburg]

Same here.

They have 2 vent hoses leading out of the tank. To be safe I put something under them just in case it does leak, but it hasn't happened yet!

The hoses are on the bottom of the bike, secured, right side, and in a "holster" of sorts. Just take them out while the tank is up to let them have a clear shot at the ground (again, just in case) and secure them back when done. Easy.

Never had a drip though.

 

[Taku]

There is a possibility that the gas might leak trough the overflow hoses BUT this is highly unlikely as the gas tank is air tight and the hoses are extremely small to let any air inside the tank.

 

[Nelly]

It's never happened to me when tilting the tank upright. I always unplug the electrical connection under the tank to give me more clearance. You can hold the tank nearly up right with a bungee. There is a good thread on the subject.
http://www.600riders.com/forum/fz6-streetfighter/21710-how-install-gas-tank-remove-fuel-pump.html

Nelly

 

[aziebell]

Same experience here. Did some work under the tank over the winter when the tank was full, and it never leaked.

 

[goker]

Well, mine did leak from the overflow hose when I lifted it up for battery change. So, as somebody recommended, just put something under the bike and you will be fine if it leaks.

 

[macem29]

mine always leaks a bit when I tilt the tank, not a lot, but I'd certainly try to
be aware of any possible ignition sources, and not do it in an enclosed space

 

[rickvan67]

Mine always leaks a bit when I bungee it upright.

 

[FinalImpact]

During my little expedition I found assembly errors!

Those vent tubes were both kinked beyond recognition when I pulled the tank up! As best I could tell simply lowering the tank placed the vents in a position that wadded them up and both had two severe kinks which likely hindered operation. When I picked the tank up all was good so I held there for a long while and nothing leaked. Nothing. Then I straightened the kinks from the tubing and water smelling of gas instantly made a 3" puddle!

What I learned from this is to pull the tubes back towards the rear of the bike through the opening in the frame like this as you lower the tank to prevent kinking the vent hoses on both sides:

Here you can see the kinks:

It was water I smelled it and ran my fingers though it. It did smell of gas but was by no means gas. Almost a rust color too! Don't be kinky folks, pull the hose back when you drop the tank. You should be able to see them though the frame openings as shown in the first picture.

Hopefully this helps someone else!

As for the other thing I found, the ground cable was not secured in the battery tray properly. I didn't look like it could touch anything it was just sloppy. Oh - and remember this bike is new to me as of 3 days ago w/ 4,188 miles on it. The good news is the oil was dark but nothing scary on our first oil change together (bonding you know! lol). No chunks, one sliver of metal shaving but it seemed OK. . . .

Thoughts:
1) I'm thinking on a full tank doing a non stop run if they didn't let air in the tank (might have valves to prevent this, IDK?), it could cause issues fuel starvation issues and running lean if the vents are plugged.
2) In the sun the tank may not vent enough and build pressure. Doubt it would leak past the injectors tho. . .
3) Both tubes had accumulated moisture. I'm not sure why this would happen other than heating and cooling cycles pulling in moisture. Add to that it was trapped and me moving it allow the moisture to come out.

 

[FinalImpact]

Oh -

OH - Everyone, thanks for your input on this!!!!!!!!

I appreciate it very much!!!! :thumbup: :thumbup:

 

[FinalImpact]

Update on a previous misconception:


Another thread helped me connect some dots. . . There are two vent hoses. One is to drain rain water from under the cap and the other is to vent the tank! Dah!

That drain port under the filler cap mechanism explains why water came out of my vent hose when I took the kink out of it (when I got my used bike). I always wondered how so much moisture could condense in a vent tube. This explains that it didn't condense; it was trapped there!

Like these picture here:
http://www.600riders.com/forum/fz6-general-discussion/13820-update-corrosion-under-gas-cap.html