Emil Jensen Posted June 18, 2014 Posted June 18, 2014 I recently changed my fuel lines with new steel reinforced ones (because it looks nice – and they needed replacement). The new ones are a bit bigger in the outside diameter than the old fuel lines, but not very much. Now when I try to refit the fuel tank it won’t fit properly at the mounting screw in the back end of the tank. Have anyone experienced the same problem and is there a way to fix it, without having to buy and fit new fuel lines again? My main headache is, that it doesn’t seem like the fuel lines is squeezed between the tank and the frame anywhere. Furthermore, if I unscrew the rubber pads (the ones in the front that keep the tank in place) the tank fits perfectly! Any advice is very welcome! (and preferably not to change the fuel lines again ;-)
Cabernet Posted June 18, 2014 Posted June 18, 2014 Have you got Ethanol poisoning. The V11 tank will only stand up to 5% Ethanol contamination. Many countries are now running up to 10%. The effect is the plastic the tank is made from swells. Hope I'm wrong. 1
Emil Jensen Posted June 18, 2014 Author Posted June 18, 2014 Anyway to test it? Can I empty the tank completely and wait a while or? I have found out, that in Denmark it is required by law to have 5% ethanol in petrol. Thanks for the reply by the way :-)
jwh20 Posted June 18, 2014 Posted June 18, 2014 Mine is the same, but it will go in. In my case the back of the tank would not even go back down but a bit of prying with a padded long-handled screwdriver got it there. The rubber mount in front has quite a bit of give but it takes some pressure. 1
Emil Jensen Posted June 18, 2014 Author Posted June 18, 2014 Okay - so it's not the new fuel lines - I guess that’s some kind of relief. Is there any way to get the tank back to normal? Have been searching the internet, but haven’t found anything on it. I’m thinking what if I emptied the tank and let it dry for some while – would it shrink back or is it just a bloated tank forever now?
jwh20 Posted June 18, 2014 Posted June 18, 2014 I don't believe there is a way to return it to normal. As I understand the problem, the plastic absorbs the ethanol and it swells, most markedly in the long direction. I suppose you could remove the tank, drain it, and put it in a warm & dry place with lots of ventilation for the winter season and see if that shrinks it at all. I'm not enough of a chemist to understand the process that is taking place and whether it's reversible or not. 1
docc Posted June 18, 2014 Posted June 18, 2014 Having experienced this with a full tank of fuel, I am always careful to drain the tank to minimum before removing it. It is still hard to compress it to reinstall, but not impossible. It will be worth draining it, straddle the tank over a central support overnight, and reinstall by pressing firmly from back to front while someone stabilizes the bike. 1
jwh20 Posted June 19, 2014 Posted June 19, 2014 I found this on a Ducati forum that seems to indicate that filling the tank with 0% ethanol gasoline might cause it to shrink back to normal. I'm not sure about "C10 race fuel" but I know that there are places about here that sell non-Ethanol gasoline. In my town the CountryMark Farm Bureau Co-op advertises their "100% USA non-ethanol" gasoline. If they don't have such places in your area you might look into racing fuel. In the USA it's not legal for street use because it's not be taxed, but otherwise is still gasoline. Here is the posting: http://www.ducati.ms/forums/42-monster/99530-will-ethanol-expanded-plastic-tanks-shrink-back.html 1
emry Posted June 19, 2014 Posted June 19, 2014 This post just about covers it. http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=16474&hl=ethanol&do=findComment&comment=176922 1
Emil Jensen Posted June 19, 2014 Author Posted June 19, 2014 Thanks - I'll try to flush the tank with water and let it dry for some time and see what happens...
fotoguzzi Posted June 19, 2014 Posted June 19, 2014 inspect the area around the steering head, the swelling can cause it to rub against the frame on the right inside and can even wear a hole right thru. 1
docc Posted June 19, 2014 Posted June 19, 2014 Thanks - I'll try to flush the tank with water and let it dry for some time and see what happens... I would think water might further deform the tank material as it does with various polyamides. Exposure to air is more likely to restore the original shape. How full was the tank when you removed it? 1
Emil Jensen Posted June 19, 2014 Author Posted June 19, 2014 Thanks - I'll try to flush the tank with water and let it dry for some time and see what happens... I would think water might further deform the tank material as it does with various polyamides. Exposure to air is more likely to restore the original shape. How full was the tank when you removed it? It was about 1/3 full - and thanks for the advice, I have just emptied it, opened the cap and now I’ll let it sit on the bike till tomorrow and then see what happens.
Emil Jensen Posted June 20, 2014 Author Posted June 20, 2014 It worked – the tank is not back to normal size, but it did shrink enough for me to refit it on to the bike. So for anyone else that have problems with a swelling tank – try to empty the tank completely, place the bike somewhere dry, open the lid on the tank and leave it overnight (or longer).
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