| Author | Message | ||
     F_skinner |
Well it is time to start on this problem again. I suspected it was the pressure valve and have the new one installed but only did a ten mile test yesterday so today, when it warms up a little, I will try a longer ride. So far so good. In case anyone was wondering what one of these pressure valves actually consist of here are come pics of the old one which I cut open.   Not much to it. The brass bearing pushes up on the white valve release mechanism. I tested it and it worked but unfortunately I did not see the location of the bearing when I popped it open so I imagine it can get out of alignment but it seems unlikely. | ||
| Jomartijr |
We're watching with considerable interest... | ||
| F_skinner |
I have been home about 10 minutes and nothing yet. I will keep checking. When I started out it was 18 degrees. The hippo hands do not fit very well with the GPS on the bike but I got them on ok. I rode about 20 miles and filled up with gas and decided to head east. It seemed like I was in Kansas with the straight roads. All total I did 78 miles so that should be enough.   Where are the mountains?  I did not mean to head that far East so I headed back and when I got home Lynn was getting ready to ride to the store. She was hooking up her heated gear but it has already got up to 30 degrees by this time.  I will post an update on the leak soon! | ||
| F_skinner |
Still leaking. I am at a loss. (Message edited by f_skinner on February 15, 2009) | ||
| Panhead_dan |
Leak? What the hell is that thing and what does it do? It looks like a plastic check valve. Where does it live? Do I have one? I feel so, so dirty all of the sudden. | ||
| F_skinner |
John, just to let you know it did not leak near as much as what it used to do. As a matter of fact I think only one drop came out and that might of been from when I filled the bike up. I did go off road a bit today and that might have been from gas sloshing around a bit. Frank | ||
| Slipknot |
I feel so, so dirty all of the sudden.  } | ||
| F_skinner |
John, the part number is P0115.02A8B (fuel Cell Vent Assy). Before you spend the 16 dollars for the part (I can almost promise you they will have to order it) take your old one off and clean it with a solvent. Also check the rubber washer around the part to make sure it is not nicked. I believe these can get mucked up with gas that might just sit in the assembly after riding. Let me know how it works out for you. I will try to get the Uly out again tomorrow but I have other projects (S1W) to work on. Frank | ||
| Jomartijr |
Disclaimer- I have not worked on my bike yet to get a first hand look at the vent and fuel system so I may be talking out my backside here... Looking at that valve image it seems like fuel slosh could unseat the check ball and become trapped inside the chamber. This accumulates until the chamber is full or partially so. Then at engine shutoff heat soak of the fuel/frame rails provides enough pressure for the valve to "burp" some gas into the vent line. Problem with this is, if true, all bikes would likely be doing this fuel vent line dribbling to some degree and that doesn't seem to be the case. | ||
| F_skinner |
John, this problem is driving me nuts. I keep looking for something wrong and cannot find it. I would also expect others to do this but if I did not park my bike in the garage I would not have noticed it. I never minded my Shovelhead leaking oil all the time (if it did not leak it was out of oil LOL) but I really did not expect a brand new bike to dribble gas after a ride. The only other thing I can think of is the pressure valve is not sealing correctly. When I have time I will check it again. | ||
| F_skinner |
The sage continues. I am convinced the pressure valve is at fault. I can hear gas bubbling in the valve trying to get out. I took the valve off yet again and gas was actually coming out of it draining into the hose. I really wanted to see how much was coming out and if it was coming out while riding so I rigged this up.  It does not leak while riding. I though that was interesting and believe it is not leaking due to the fuel pump being on keeping the gas tank at the right pressure. This is how much came out of the bike about 30 minutes after the ride.  Upon further inspection of the valve I think the spring that opens and closes it is sticking. There is no way to open it up so I may try one more pressure valve or just live with my garage smelling like gas every time I ride the Uly. | ||
| Mnrider |
Frank is it possible the tank is being over filled and when the fuel gets hot and expands it is being pushed into the vent valve.When the engine is shut off the tank-frame gets hotter because of no air flow and the fuel expands more.Try getting all the fuel out of the vent valve and ride the bike but don't put any gas in the tank and see if it leaks when you get home.When you fill the tank don't fill it to the top leave it an inch or so down to allow for expansion and then see if fuel leaks out.Maybe once fuel gets in the valve and the fuel expands it leaks out the vent tube. I know you may have tried this already but when the fuel comes out of under ground tanks it its cold and expands when it gets in the tank. I'm looking at my service manual now and it looks like the vent valve is below the fill neck so maybe once fuel gets in there and the fuel expands it comes out the tube. I'm an auto tech so I deal with curious concerns every day and it almost always comes down to a simple solution. Dave | ||
| F_skinner |
Frank is it possible the tank is being over filled No way! This problem gets worse when the gas level gets lower. Yesterday when I did the test I had over 100 miles on that tank. | ||
| F_skinner |
I think the valve is at the same level as the fill mark for the tank. I am not sure because I never really looked at it. Yesterday I could actually hear the gas bubbling through the valve and down the tube. It does not happen right after a ride. I have to look away or walk away! LOL Just kidding. It usually takes about 15 to thirty minutes after I turn the bike off. Also, it does get worse the less gas is in the tank. I am stumped. I will take it in for the 1K service soon and will let the dealer look at it. I really do not want to buy another valve (I already did that) and would like to try one off a bike that is not leaking. Unless I am missing something there is nothing to the pressure valve except the hose going to the bottom of the bike. At least I cannot see anything. Thanks for your input, Frank | ||
| Skinstains |
I have a couple of bolts on wich I cut the breather/overflow hose shorter and shoved it down through the hole in the steering stem top nut. My front fenders are covered in dried up gas drippings. I have a couple of spare frames that I could take the valve out of and send to you for you to try. let me know if you're interested. | ||
| F_skinner |
Skinstains, pm sent! Thanks | ||
| Hangetsu |
Frank, It's a brand new bike, under warranty. Why don't you see if the dealer can sort it out? | ||
| F_skinner |
Dealer is 120 miles away and I really do not have the time to drop it off, find a ride home and go pick it up. If I have the 1K done at the dealer then I will have them look at it but I do not see what they can do except order another pressure valve or trouble shoot which means a week wait. Nothing against HCHD but that is just the way it is and I doubt they will be able to diagnose it quickly. I will NOT take it to the local dealership. If any dealership can do it HCHD can. I was reading the service manual last night and that valve is suppose to stop the flow of gas in case of a tip over however, what I have noticed that in the rest position (the way it is on the bike normally, the valve is closed. During a tip over the valve would open because the brass ball would move up, pushing the plunger to the open position. My theory is the valve is getting stuck allowing some pressure to build and vent after the bike (fuel pump) is turned off venting through the valve to the hose on to the ground. Why it does not do this while riding is what puzzles me. I think the fuel pump helps keep the pressure some what equalized. Well if that is true then when I stop it seems that opening the gas tank would relieve any pressure that has built up and I should get nothing leaking. That is what I did today and just checked it. It leaked a few drops (not as much). What is puzzling is this 1. It does not leak while riding 2. It does not leak until about 15 minutes after riding 3. I know it is coming from the valve and it sounds like it is a pressure build up but how can that be with the bike turned off? 4. This should be so simple, there are few moving parts, a hose to a pressure valve to the gas tank. What else can it be? | ||
| F_skinner |
HEAT, it has to be heat from the motor heating up the gas after a ride. It is cooler with air moving over it so it would not leak while riding. The heat is building up the pressure which is why it leaks more when less gas is in the tank! It is also why when, after a ride today, I took off the gas tank cap and put it back on but the heat built the pressure back up. My fan is working ok as far as I can tell. When I change the oil I will go with synthetic. So it is one of two things. My motor (and everyone else that has this problem) is getting way too hot OR the pressure valve is at vault. | ||
| Hangetsu |
It does seem puzzling. When I picked mine up at HC Dave warned me about this happening in the even that I overfill it and sure enough, I get quite a spill if I fill it even to the lower edge of the fill hole. However, it evens out quickly and it won't leak another drop for the rest of the talk load. Heat definitely is the instigator though. The frame rails get extremely hot due to that rear cylinder and gas, being very volatile, expands a lot and quickly. I can't understand why yours is so problematic. | ||
| Blitzer454 |
I'm reviving this thread since I haven't found any thread that conclusively finds a resolution to the problem. My bike started leaking fuel from the vent hose late last year and has been doing it ever since. So today I removed the valve at the top of the tank. I found that I could blow in and out of the top of the valve with no restriction, regardless of the position of the ball. So I took a paper clip and inserted it into the bottom and pushed up on the white actuator a couple of times, this apparently unclogged what ever was holding the valve in the open position. Now I can only blow air through the valve if the ball remains centered at the bottom of the valve. If I tip the valve slightly the ball will roll off center and restrict the air flow (and gas) through the valve. I don't think this is a pressure valve but rather a one way valve that closes only when the bike is on its side. It would seem that the valve is only open when the bike is in the upright position. When the bike is sitting on the kick stand the valve is closed and no gas can escape down the hose. Does this sound about right to anyone else? I guess I will find out tomorrow when I go for a test ride. |
