My Bike Stinks

[Bob Ain't Stoppin']

OK. A flaming thread title. But I am having a real problem here. My 2008 RR is a great bike in many ways. Shortly after buying it used, the charcoal canister fell of. Other than that, this is a pretty stock bike. (OK: Ohlins shocks & lowered pegs if you must know).

So my problem is that the garage stinks of gas. I'll assume that you are aware that the new alcohol improved gasoline smells really bad, and this is what my garage smells like. I have just confirmed with reasonable assurance that this is coming from the bike, and not from my car.

Does anyone else have this going on? Anyone want to clue me in to the cause or a cure?

I will admit to stuffing the tank when I do a fill up and also to running the tank down to fumes on a regular basis. I typically go about 250 miles on a tank. But so what? Why am I getting this smell?

[redwing]

I have read about putting or stuffing gas into our tanks that ...filling the tank to its max will leak if put on the side stand. Can't remember the thread.
The post mentions he stuffs the tank and immediately goes for a ride. Stuffing the tank and letting the bike sit was not what he did. And rides more than 200 miles before filling up again. Good luck.

Robert

[Bamblys]

If you stuff it and put it on a side stand it WILL leek out the overflow tubes. Look for a spot on the garage floor.

[mogu83]

What about the quick disconnect fuel fittings under the tank.

[Matt]

There is a pendulum in the filler cap closing the vent if the bike goes over in and accident, stopping fuel spilling. The overflow should also close when the filler cap is shut. Parking the bike on its side stand should stop fumes and smells escaping from the tank via the vent or over flow. If you trace the two hoses from the tank to the bottom of the frame and have a sniff when the bike is upright and again when leant over on its side stand. You could temporary block the hoses while the bike is in your garage.

[David R]

I have had the gas overflow after cramming in all the gas I can then leave the bike on the side stand in the heat. Book sez fill to the bottom of the orange neck.

If the bike is FULL and on the side stand, the pendlum as noted above will close so warmed up gas will crep out the tank cap and run out the drain in the cap. I don't think it will do this on the center stand. I only fill it like that if I am traveling. Most I ever got out of a tank was 260 miles. Closer to 200 if I fill it properly (to the neck)

If it does it when not full, I would be looking for a real leak.

David

[Bob Ain't Stoppin']

Thanks for the clues guys. I have just spent a few minutes in the garage. I have 33 miles since the fill up. Gas is at the very bottom of the red tube. So I don't think this is a question of gas coming out of the vents. I lifted the tank a bit to get a better view of the plumbing coming out of the fuel pump. Can't see any dampness at the quick disconnects.

In order to help with the sniffing, I had opened the garage door to vent the space. As I started the search, I thought I was catching a whiff. But as I continued, this went away. Close sniffing at the exhaust, intake, vent hoses and gas cap all seem negative.

Last thing I did was open the gas cap. The gas in the tank does not smell rank like the garage does when closed up. It (the tank) smells like fresh gas, which is not really unpleasant. But the garage smells almost like something is dead in there. Really old gas smell. The only gas sources in the garage are the bike, and my C350 Benz (which d**m well better not be causing this!). No lawn mower or anything like that.

So now I have closed up the garage again to see if I can go out in a half hour or so and attempt to locate a source. Will post again later.

[Matt]

The smell then is most likely coming from an exhaust catalystic converter in either the Merc or the bike. They can give a smell like rotten eggs. Also check around the battery, they can also give off a strange gassy smell.

[Bob Ain't Stoppin']

The smell is definitely not a rotten egg type. It smells like old gasoline. My sniff of the bike (and car) exhaust pipe was totally clear. Im leaning towards the quick disconnects at this point. May pull the tanks when I get this fill up burned off a bit. Too heavy now!

[Don C]

I feel as though we're being trolled a bit. Take off the charcoal canister, then overfill the tank. Wonder why it smells like gas. Isn't that about the same as taking off the muffler and then wondering why the bike is so loud?

[Bob Ain't Stoppin']

Fair enough Don. But I've had four bikes before this (F800ST, Breva, R1200GS, R1100RS) with no canister and no smell. If it turns out that's the problem, I'll have to look the other way while the canister remounts itself.

[Dr. Strangelove]

but the smell is new, correct? the cannister has been off a while without the "stink," correct?

Trick: stuff paper towels in various parts around the tank, suspicious areas; wait overnight and then sniff the paper towels to see where the leak is. One will stink more than the others and you can concentrate your search there.

You didn't just change any fuel hoses, did you?

[dbrick]

What is the condition of the two rubber caps on the TBs?
How about the plug on the end of the tank vent tube that used to go to the cannister or solenoid?

[Bob Ain't Stoppin']

I've been thinking about this and poking around the bike a bit. dbrick may have set me on a corrective course here.

He said: How about the plug on the end of the tank vent tube that used to go to the cannister or solenoid?

Well, perhaps I screwed up when the cannister fell of?? The tank vent is routed down around the right foot peg next to the overflow hose. Is this wrong? I never looked at the instructions for this, and now the MOA site is down so I can't check this point. But surely you don't plug the tank vent?

Can anyone post up the directions for the hose routing when the cannister is lost?

The only other alternative I see is that there is weeping up at the disconnects or pump outlet thread (a known tender spot). I'll check these next time I service the bike, and certainly before any trips.

[dbrick]

The tank vent is routed down around the right foot peg next to the overflow hose. Is this wrong? I never looked at the instructions for this, and now the MOA site is down so I can't check this point. But surely you don't plug the tank vent?

I don't remember the instructions either, and it's not clear we'll live long enough to see the MOA site back in operation. <weak grin>

But I think you're right. There are two small rubber lines connected to the top of the fuel tank. One is connected to cannister and solenoid, and is used to purge the air space above the fuel level when the motor runs. The other points down to the ground, and always available to take care of fuel expansion due to overfill + hot weather.

Here's fiche diagram 15 13 ("Ventilation, Emissions Monitoring"):



The two lines are parts number 6. The right-hand one is the tank breather, connects to the line marked as part 10, and leads to the cannister and solenoid; the left-hand one is the overflow, connects to the line marked as part 9, and leads down to the right footpeg.

If the breather line 10 was unplugged from the cannister and left open at the end, it may be venting the gas fumes you smell in the garage.

[deilenberger]

David,

Just a FWIW - the two hoses from the tank are:

1. Tank vent/overflow - to the canister (which is then purged by the solenoid-valve and the throttle-body vacuum connection.

2. Rain drain for around the filler.

It's easy to figure out which is which by blowing into the hoses..

If you blow into #1 with the cap closed, you'll find resistance to blowing and a puff of gas vapor soaked air coming out of the hose when you stop.

If you blow into #2 - you'll hear a "pssstttt" from around the area of the filler cap. That's you blowing up through the rain-drain hole.

#2 can be left as is.

#1 can be moved to a line going to ground if the cannister falls off (as they often do.) Strangely enough - the short line (#10 above illustration) from that vent is just long enough to connect with the line (#13 above) going to ground off the canister, and an in-line plastic barbed fitting seems to join them quite nicely. It's like magic.

Then you just have to plug up the vacuum intake in the port side throttle-body. Easy to do with the same cap as is used on the starboard side throttle body.

NOTE: If you're not in North America you don't have all this foolishness to concern yourself with.

[Bob Ain't Stoppin']

Don, What you're saying is what I was thinking. The line going to the cannister needs to be left open to cover the tank venting need. But have you had any smells coming out of this? My garage is fairly tight and the smell gets very strong over a couple of days. IF it's not the vent, I'm thinking I must have a small leak at the fuel pump area (quick disconnects or the plastic thread fitting into the pump). I'm about ready to buy the Beemer Boneyard kit and pull the tank.

[deilenberger]

Don, What you're saying is what I was thinking. The line going to the cannister needs to be left open to cover the tank venting need. But have you had any smells coming out of this? My garage is fairly tight and the smell gets very strong over a couple of days. IF it's not the vent, I'm thinking I must have a small leak at the fuel pump area (quick disconnects or the plastic thread fitting into the pump). I'm about ready to buy the Beemer Boneyard kit and pull the tank.

No smells at all, and I'm fairly bad about filling up the tank above the bottom of the red funnel. The vent appears to be quite high up in the tank.

If you get the BB kit - two things:

1. Take lots of photos so we can all see how involved it is to do (I don't think it's a big deal..)
2. Consider buying their pump reinforcing ring. I wouldn't mess with the pump fitting unless I had that ring on the pump (the new bikes come with one from the factory.)

Best,

[BoxerSteve]

Do you by any chance have the ABDECKRING installed? I had it on mine for a while and it made my bike smell like gas all the time. I took it back off, the gas smell went away. Maybe I didn't install it right, but it caused my R1200R to smell like gas.

[dbrick]

Don,

Thanks for the corrections.