| Author | Message | ||
     Vsingle |
I run non-oxy premium when I can get it. Yesterday, on a little road trip, on my second full tank of non-oxy, the drizzle rain turned into a downpour. At about 45 miles on the tank, the motor started sputtering as if it was time to switch to reserve. I did turn the valve. It ran fine again for a few seconds, then quit, and I coasted to a stop. Waited a while, and was surprised it started right up again. I had about 100 miles to get home. It coughed and sputtered a few more times along the way. First chance I got, I topped off with oxygenated (ethanol added) fuel. This seemed to help. The theory is that ethanol blends actually help disperse water in the system, as opposed to straight gas, which does not. I was prepared to pull the fuel line and drain some fuel through the reserve port. I was also prepared to drop the carb bowl; neither was needed to get home. I am curious what others might think of my diagnosis and remedy. | ||
| Vsingle |
Oops. The title was supposed to read "water in fuel?" | ||
| Vicenzajay |
Wow - I don't know enough to comment here. I've been using non-ethanol gas exclusively for the last 10 months or so in the bikes. Hopefully some other folks will chime in with some help? | ||
| Ezblast |
Smart - sad thing - that is all we have in Cali. EZ | ||
| Vsingle |
Thank you for the responses thus far. I am also curious about how the water got in the fuel system. There is no doubt that at least a few drops entered when I refueled with the second tank of non-oxy. It had been raining all morning. The gap around the gas cap above the seal was filled with rain water; I observed that water trickle into the tank when I removed the cap. The cap design is less than ideal. Perhaps a secondary seal could be added to keep the gap dry during wet riding? I am also wondering if the vent tube might possibly be drawing water into the tank? The stock vent tube is fairly small diameter. As the fuel is consumed, atmospheric pressure creates a flow of air towards the tank; it is not hard to imagine atomized rain water being drawn into the vent tube, and then condensing and sinking to the bottom of the fuel tank, and ultimately flowing to the carburetor. To address that, I am considering a larger diameter vent tube (greater diameter with same flow yields lower velocity, thus less "vacuum" effect for water). Or possibly adding a cartridge style fuel filter to the end of the vent tube. A clear plastic filter would permit observation of any accumulated water during the next rainstorm ride. |
