Tank seems to have moved

[Rawed]

Hey all,

Looking for some advice from the more experienced maintainers.

I've had the fairings off my '04 RT a few times with no issues however, this time I pulled the tank, changed the fuel filter and internal hoses, flushed the ABS system.

I went to reinstall the fairing but things don't line up the way they used to. I notice that the left side of the tank doesn't feel as planted as it did. It looks like the tank is seated properly but it seems that either the top or bottom fairing screws line up fine but not both.

Any suggestions? BTW, I installed a radio while I had it all apart.

Thanks

[dirtrider]

Morning Rawed

 

With the fuel tank being plastic what you are finding is a somewhat common.

 

As far as my experience goes, there is no quick or common fix that works across the board. Sometimes the right side will be off, sometimes the left side will be off, & sometimes both sides will be off.

 

What I can suggest is to start over-- first thing remove & reinstall the fuel tank making darn sure it is installed correctly with nothing forcing it where it doesn't belong.

 

Most times an empty tank is best as the fuel weight isn't then distorting the plastic tank (so drain it if you remove it)

 

Next, try changing the temperature of the tank & work area-- If you are working in the sun (that expands the plastic & plastic tank) try reinstalling things in the shade (or better yet after a cool night sitting)

 

If the plastic STILL doesn't fit correctly then try starting the upper (hardest to fit) screws first then leave them slightly loose while you start the remaining screws.

 

If after ALL the above, & the plastic STILL won't line up correctly, use a Dremel ( or small round file) to enlarge the screw holes of the ones that won't fit correctly (if they are W-A-Y off then something is still swelled up or something isn't assembled correctly.

 

 

[PAS]

Make sure the rubber insert didn't fall out of the right rear tank mount. If I remember it goes in from the inside and can fall out unnoticed. That will cause the tank to sit crooked.

[Rawed]

Thanks guys. I undid the lower right bolt and jostled the tank a bit and rebolted it. The fairing fasteners suddenly lined up.

On the road again!

Thanks