Stuck Gas Cap

[dgfella]

My vent hose became kinked under the swingarm when I inched over a speed bump in a parking lot. I've also heard from others that they simply get crud up in them. Yamaha could have shorted them up, or screened them.

:clap: :clap:

Anyone know if the V-Stars that had a similar problem were covered by warranty repairs?

:clap: :clap:

 

[FJRROB]

I have the same problem with my 05, the cap was stuck and now the fuel guage does not go to the top, I lifted my tank and sure enough the tank is "Taco-ed" it is completely caved in, as an ASE certified Master Auto Technician I had to verify the cause of of it because I too have been under my tank while installing Cruise Control, I did not find any problems with any of the evap system hoses, and the evap canister receives a venturi vacuum signal like it is supposed to, both vent hoses to the tank are clear. the only blockage is from the little orange seal at the rear of the filler neck. the seal has swollen up from the fuel fumes (California Fuel) and popped out of its hole, this blocked the only vent to the tank and caused the fuel pump to suck the tank so hard it folded like a water bottle that got sucked too hard. I just found the damage on Saturday so I have not contacted my dealer yet (Roseville Yamaha). Mine is definitely going to need a new fuel tank, because of the fold in it. let me know how it goes with your contact with the dealer, and I will keep you posted on my experience. This has to be a warranty issue because it was caused by the little orange seal.

 

[FJRROB]

I went to the dealer today and told them my story, they looked at my tank and ordered a new tank, filler cap, bolts, and rubber thingy. They assured me that it would be covered under warranty. I have to say Roseville Yamaha has been the very best dealership I have ever dealt with, I just dropped in and they wrote it up and ordered the needed parts, they only looked at the outside of the tank to verify the damage. my tank had two small creases at the rear of it where your knees go, but the major damage is underneath!

 

[Bounce]

Dgfella's account got me concerned to the point to where I lifted my tank to take a closer look and found that the underneath of my tank was quite puckered in. I failed to notice this when I did the 8k TBS and Iridium spark plug replacement since the aluminum "heat shielding" did a good job of disguising the mess (I used ScooterG's pics as a exhibit A). What I did notice is what a pain in the arse it was to get the front tank mounting bolts properly started (Watch it! Don't cross-thread those aluminum threads in the frame!) when buttoning things back up, much more so than previous under-tank adventures. This also explains why the left plastic cover was cracked under the allen head screw due to the distortion and of the new squeak in the tank area when braking or going over speed bumps and up driveway lips.
(sigh)......**it. :angry:

Cosmetically, the damage is otherwise unnoticeable. There are no other externally visible signs of the damage.

I'll be updating my dealer with my discovery tomorrow. I hope 05 fuels tanks aren't on back order.

You mean different than this?

From: https://www.bikes-n-spikes.org/mods/insul/insul.html

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

You're not the first. Part of an oil change should be a blast of brake cleaner down this vent. to clean out debris and to make sure it's clear. I recall one report of the fuel pump collapsing one tank.

+1

Roseville Yamaha had an FJR with a collpased tank that collapsed from the bottom up that the bottm of the tank pushed out on the sides where you legs rest against the tank. Wow. Force indeed. Check the Orange thingy and blow it clear often!

 

[staledonut]

I went to the dealer today and told them my story, they looked at my tank and ordered a new tank, filler cap, bolts, and rubber thingy. They assured me that it would be covered under warranty. I have to say Roseville Yamaha has been the very best dealership I have ever dealt with, I just dropped in and they wrote it up and ordered the needed parts, they only looked at the outside of the tank to verify the damage. my tank had two small creases at the rear of it where your knees go, but the major damage is underneath!

Wow! I wish my dealer made it that easy. I ultimately got the tank replaced free, but first my innocence had to be proved before they would consider covering it under warranty since I was under the tank ~3500 miles before its collapse. The fact that I do my own maintenance did not help matters. I was made to feel more like a criminal than a customer.

 

[sparky3008]

I went to the dealer today and told them my story, they looked at my tank and ordered a new tank, filler cap, bolts, and rubber thingy. They assured me that it would be covered under warranty. I have to say Roseville Yamaha has been the very best dealership I have ever dealt with, I just dropped in and they wrote it up and ordered the needed parts, they only looked at the outside of the tank to verify the damage. my tank had two small creases at the rear of it where your knees go, but the major damage is underneath!

Wow! I wish my dealer made it that easy. I ultimately got the tank replaced free, but first my innocence had to be proved before they would consider covering it under warranty since I was under the tank ~3500 miles before its collapse. The fact that I do my own maintenance did not help matters. I was made to feel more like a criminal than a customer.

You are, you stole money from them :lol:

 

[odot]

Ok....are we supposed to blow out the vent or just shoot some degreaser down it? Should we cut the vent lines underneath the bike shorter also? I am confuzzled.

 

[TheAxeman]

Did you ever have one of those times when a huge lightbulb goes off over your head?? Way back in 2001 I picked up a brand new Honda VFR and a few days after I had it I noticed that the sidewall of the gas tank looked like it had imploded. Always being garaged with no one having access but me I knew it didn't get damaged while parked and I knew it wasn't like that when I picked it up...and of course the dickheads at the dealership didn't want to cover it so the dent remains. It was about 3 minutes ago that I stumbled across this thread and suddenly everything has become crystal clear. Another expensive life lesson learned.

 

[FJRME]

I have a similar problem- no top fill bar on the gauge when topped off, and what appears to be decreased capacity. The right side plastic cover cracked. I thought I had put it on incorrectly, but couldn't see how. I can't seem to get more than a little over 4 gallons in it with one bar showing. I have never run it down to blinking. I called my local dealer(I did not buy the bike from them. They wanted 1500 over MSRP and 1k for the YES. But I have bought p&a there). The service manager(Mary) heard my description, said oh yeah, like the v star a few years back, and took my vin and info. She said they had not heard about FJR's doing it. She said she would call me when the new tank comes in to schedule me in. So far, so good. She also said they would diagnose it to try to find the cause so the new tank does not do the same thing. I'll post results as they come in.

 

[Geezer]

To the folks who have had collapsing gas tanks, are you all riding California bikes? I wonder if all of these gas tanks that suck themselves to death are wearing the California vapor recovery system?

 

[fJROB]

Yes Mine is a California Model with an evap canister, the problem with mine started because the little orange seal under the gas cap swelled up and popped out of it's hole, it then tilted sideways and very effectively sealed the fuel tank vent. I was on a long ride and ran it down to the flashing bar and the fuel pump sucked until the tank collapsed. I heard and felt the tank collapse but I thought It was some debris in the road that I didn't see. when I stopped to fill up I couldn't get the gas cap off until I pried it up then whoosh, the tank had a tremendous vacuum built up in it. Roseville Yamaha replaced the tank and the gas cap assembly. I was told that because it was an "emission" Failure that it is under the Emission Warranty which is longer than the 1 year warranty. I think it is 5 years and 50k mile or something like that.

 

[FJRME]

My bike is now in the shop. The tank came in in two days. I took it in the day after. They went to change the tank, and realized that the heat shield does not come with the tank, so they had to order it. It should be in tomorrow. I should be able to pick the bike up Saturday. They also looked the bike over for me(no charge), and ran the VIN for recalls and bulletins-found none. So far, so good.

For you socal riders- Westcoast Motorsports in Perris. Their parts department would not discount a tire AT ALL-$210 OTD for a rear Strada( maybe just the guy I spoke with), but their service dept is really responsive.

 

[staledonut]

To the folks who have had collapsing gas tanks, are you all riding California bikes? I wonder if all of these gas tanks that suck themselves to death are wearing the California vapor recovery system?

Yup, mine's a California model with the evap canister. I've thought of removing it though I like absence of gas fumes in the garage that were sometimes noticeable with my 49-state Honda PC800.

I'm still kinda pissed at my dealer for giving me such a hard time about replacing the tank under warranty.

 

[FJRME]

My bike is back home now. Westcoast Motorsports in Perris, Ca did a great job. I requested several things. Since the tank comes with no emblems, I asked them to leave them off so I can see what it looks like plain (I like it better). They put them under the seat for me so I can install them later if I choose. I asked that they keep track of how much fuel they put in so I could fill it up and check real world capacity for myself.

I brought it in almost empty so they would not have a heavy tank to deal with. They put 5.5 gallons in it for me so they could check for leaks and make sure the gauge worked correctly. They refused my offer to pay for the fuel. There is a gas station on the corner right by the shop. I put an additional 1.19 gallons in. So the tank holds about what they claim. Pump inaccuracy or error responsible for the extra .09 I'm sure. But they did keep track as I requested. When I brought the bike in, it was right after a rain storm. I gave them a wet, dirty bike. They gave me back a clean bike. When I mentioned that I bought tires(Pirelli deal) and will be in with wheels to have them mounted, they quoted me 21 bucks each to mount and balance(reasonable I think). I explained that I tried to buy them from their store, but that $210 seemed a little crazy to pay for a tire, Mary told me she would try to help me with a parts discount for any future purchases. I am very impressed with this store after this experience. They are local to me and will get my future business whenever possible. For you socal guys looking for a good place for service or warranty work, give them a try. They also mentioned that the cause of my problem was a kinked vent hose. Perhaps when I put the extra shielding or when I did the TBS I wasn't careful enough with hose routing. We didn't speak about that. I REALLY like this shop.