Fuel Leaking

[BDS]

2004 R1150RT 30,000 miles. After riding to work today, I noticed the odor of gasoline after I got off the bike. Gas is dripping from in between the tupperware and the exhaust. I put it up on the center stand and then saw that their was a small puddle of gas that had come out of the vent tubes. This puddle was not there while it was on the side stand. I'll take the tupperware off tonight and take a look, but I'm very nervous about bursting into a ball of flame on the ride home tonight! Any thoughts?

 

 

[Unhofliche_Gesundheit]

did you overfill the tank on the way to work?

 

if not i would take off the right hand tupperware and take a look prior to attempting to ride.

maybe make arrangements for alternate transport to the store (or home in the event you find something big) .

 

from reading posts here i would hazard a guess that is likely a cracked male plastic disconnect.

you can fashion a temporary splice with a union from home depot and high pressure fuel line clamps (fuel injection clamps) from autozone or similar.

 

[Polo]

I would more than venture to say that the one of the quick disconnects is cracked. You can fix with two barbed connectors and about 4" of fuel injector grade hose (can't be just any hose). I believe the diameter you need is 5/16.

 

Do a search here on "quick disconnects" for more precise info.

 

[dirtrider]

Hi BDS

 

I’m not real sure what you have there. A cracked quick disconnect won’t make the gas come out the “vent tubes”.

You say you have gasoline coming out of the vent tubes so that kind of points to either a tank overfill or a gas cap that isn’t closed completely or tightly.

Your tank has two possible basic drain tubes. The first is a water and overfill drain tube and is under the gas cap but just outside the area sealed by the gas cap. If the cap is not sealed completely or not snapped all the way closed you will get a gas smell and possible gasoline dripping from the overflow/water tube.

The other place is your fuel tank has a vent into the evaporation canister, from there it vents up behind the right foot peg very near the water/overflow tube. If you overfill the gas tank then let it sit in the sun or even from engine heat the gas in the tank can expand then drip out of the evap vent tube. Again you will get a strong gasoline smell and dripping on the ground.

Now if your gasoline leak is farther forward and not coming from either vent tube then by all means look for a cracked quick disconnect or a damaged O ring in one of the quick disconnects.

The other possibility is a leaking fuel pressure regulator and that is up just on the front side of the air box. No telling where the fuel will end up from with that leaking as it can drip off of about anything on the engine.

First thing check the gas cap for being tight and nothing caught on the sealing ring.

I guess if it is still leaking when you want to ride it home it would be advisable to not ride it until the leak is identified and repaired.

 

[Redbrick]

Here's a link to a thread when Kathy's 1150 quick disconnect broke...I'll see if I can find a pic of the repair job she and I did with 5/16" fuel line and fuel injector line clamps...Fairly common occurrance for male portion of QD to break as they are plastic...Be sure and use fuel injector clamps and hose.....

 

http://bmwsporttouring.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=567857&page=2

 

Yeah.......Here it is....Broken original equipment on the bottom..The fluted brass piece at the top replaces the QD...We subsequently replaced the other QD and this one that broke with metal QD's

 

[SAAB93driver]

If it isn't the QD's or the clamps on the QD's or exterior hoses my guess would be the small rubber hoses that run inside the tank have cracked or come loose leaking gas into the small vent hoses that exit by the right rider footpeg.

[BDS]

Thanks for the reply. Your were right, one of the quick disconnects was leaking like a sieve. Replaced both and all is well.