Fuel cap issues

[AdamK]

Recently I've been having issues closing my fuel cap after fill ups. I can no longer just push the cap down to close it. I <think> that when I used to open the cap the key would turn to about 2:00 o'clock when opening and would stay there. When I'd press the cap down the it would lock down and the key would return to the 12 o'clock position. Lately when I open the cap the key turns back to about 1:30 preventing me from closing the cap when I'm done fueling. I have to turn the key to 2:00 o'clock, shut the cap and then turn the key to 12:00 to get it out. Anyone experience this before? Is there a known fix?

TIA!

 

[Ignacio]

It's been 10 or 11 years since I had to have my cap replaced under warranty, but I had something like that happen when one of the castings cracked. You might open it up and look closely at where the two Phillips screws hold things together and see if the either of the flanges by might be cracked. Otherwise, it might be something on the internals or maybe the key mechanism is gummed up and needs some cleaning like the ignitions key slots sometimes do.

 

[Fred W]

Silly me... I've always closed my gas cap the way that you are doing it now.

I did a gas cap dissection many years ago and took pictures of the innards while I was castrating the vent line (removing the check valve ball). If you can figure out a way to find that post it might be instructive on how things work in there. Try "gas cap castration" for search terms. I'm too old and lazy to do the searching for you.

 

[Uncle Hud]

I'm with Fred W. Never had the "automatic key hold" feature on my gas cap.

humor alert!

Must have been an innovation for the 2016 model. I'd see about getting it fixed under warranty.

 

[Bounce]

Try cleaning it before replacing it.

https://www.fjr-tips.org/maint/ff/ff.html

 

[AdamK]

Try cleaning it before replacing it.
https://www.fjr-tips.org/maint/ff/ff.html

Finally got around to cleaning it and it is working well again. The rubber o-ring around the back side of the lock barrel was creating most of the drag preventing it from returning to the locked position. I also replaced the phillips head screws with hex head screws I found at Home Depot. I managed to mung up one of the stock screws when I tried to remove them. Fortunately I was able to get <just> enough purchase to remove it before it was trashed.

https://koczarski.com/2016-yamaha-fjr1300es/cleaning-the-gas-cap/

 

[mcatrophy]

... I also replaced the phillips head screws with hex head screws I found at Home Depot. I managed to mung up one of the stock screws when I tried to remove them....

Hint, they are not Philips screws. Try using the screwdriver from the toolkit, they fit the OEM JIS screw properly. Same with all other cross-headed screws on the bike.

Philips screws and drivers were designed to deliberately cam out the screwdriver when sufficient torque was reached during assembly. Using a Philips screwdriver in a JIS screw results in damage to the screw, plus difficulty in holding the driver in place when undoing the screw.

 

[AdamK]

... I also replaced the phillips head screws with hex head screws I found at Home Depot. I managed to mung up one of the stock screws when I tried to remove them....

Hint, they are not Philips screws. Try using the screwdriver from the toolkit, they fit the OEM JIS screw properly. Same with all other cross-headed screws on the bike.

Actually, I was using a JIS. My bad calling it Phillips. It was dark when I was trying to remove it and I hadn't removed the cap from the tank. I think it was either the wrong size JIS, I wasn't straight on with the screw, or I wasn't applying enough downward force?? I removed the second without issue. That being said, I prefer hex head screws. Someone here mentioned before the fasteners on the FJR or a bit "soft".

Anyway, my fault for being careless.

Thanks for the tip!

 

[mcatrophy]

... I also replaced the phillips head screws with hex head screws I found at Home Depot. I managed to mung up one of the stock screws when I tried to remove them....

Hint, they are not Philips screws. Try using the screwdriver from the toolkit, they fit the OEM JIS screw properly. Same with all other cross-headed screws on the bike.

Actually, I was using a JIS. My bad calling it Phillips. It was dark when I was trying to remove it and I hadn't removed the cap from the tank. I think it was either the wrong size JIS, I wasn't straight on with the screw, or I wasn't applying enough downward force?? I removed the second without issue. That being said, I prefer hex head screws. Someone here mentioned before the fasteners on the FJR or a bit "soft".

Anyway, my fault for being careless. Thanks for the tip!

Sorry for doubting you, my excuse is that many people aren't aware of the difference.

I, too, prefer hex screws.

 

[AdamK]

I bought a couple of JIS screw drivers a few years back when I owned an ST1300 after hearing about them on an ST forum. They make a HUGE difference to be sure. The screws on the back of the gas cap are pretty small. I'm thinking my drivers are not the appropriate size?? I removed the gas cap from the tank, place it on a block of wood and had no trouble removing the 2nd screw. Fortunately, with a lot of downward pressure, I was able to remove the first screw I damaged. I feared I'd have to resort to more drastic measures to remove it. Might be time to expand my JIS collection.

 

[escapefjrtist]

@Adam, my '15s cap has always closed the way you initially described. Good to read yours is working well again!

<snip> Might be time to expand my JIS collection.

...hint - Vessel makes a really nice set!

~G

 

[AdamK]

@Adam, my '15s cap has always closed the way you initially described. Good to read yours is working well again!

<snip> Might be time to expand my JIS collection.

...hint - Vessel makes a really nice set!

~G

That's a nice set George!

I have the 900 P.2x100 and the impact version of the same size. Would be nice to have more.

 

[Harald]

Beside the excellent suggestions to use JIS screwdrivers, I also recommend a little valve grinding compound on the tip if you have a screw that's already damaged. The compound gives some bite and will resist the bit sliding out. Lots of downward pressure is required too (bonus points if you have a speed handle because you can really put serious downward force with one of those while turning).

I've gotten a little experience working on aircraft that have hundreds of those screws holding panels in place over the last 30+ years.