unusual fluid leak

[Bill1150]

Hi,

I started my 2002 r1150rt last week after not starting it in a couple of months.  It took a bit to warm up, as expected but after a minute I detected a slight gasoline smell.  I looked down and saw to small puddles of, what I thought were fuel, but now I am not sure.  There was a couple of drops of something on the underside of the exhaust, and a couple of wet spots on the ground.  Assuming it was fuel, I didn't bother to actually stick my finger in it a smell it to be sure.  I didn't have time to check it out so I just pushed the bike back into the garage and left.

 

When I came home later, and took the right side panel off, I could see no where that there were any leaks anywhere.  So I cautiously started it and let it run for a while, and no leaks.  I cautiously took it for a ride around the neighborhood, and no leaks.  So now I am not sure what it was.  The leaks were actually not under the engine, but back between the center stand and the rear wheel. 

 

I there are 5 hoses (see picture) in the area where the puddles were, under the right peg.. 

can anyone tell me what drains out of these hoses?  from where?

 

Is it possible this was a one-time thing because I hadn't started in a couple of months?

 

kind of baffled.

 

thanks,

Bill

 

 

[szurszewski]

The only things you Should have draining out from there  are the battery overflow and vents/overflow  from the fuel tank and possibly the charcoal canister.

[dirtrider]

Morning  szurszewski  /  Bill

 

The only things you Should have draining out from there  are the battery overflow and vents/overflow  from the fuel tank and possibly the charcoal canister. Plus one more= ABS brake module reservoir vents.

 

Bill, it could be a quick disconnect if the fluid didn't come out of one of those hoses shown.

 

There are sealing "O" rings inside the fuel hose  quick disconnects that are prone to leaking (actually seeping) when the motorcycle  is parked for a longish while.

 

What happens-- is the due to temperature changes & a slight negative pressure inside the fuel tank the "O" rings tend to pull off their sealing seats slightly allowing a fuel seep. Once the engine is started (or even key turned on)  the fuel system pressurizes, that reseats the "O" rings & stops the seep.

 

If you can't find a smoking gun on fluid coming out of one of those hoses then suspect one of the quick disconnect "O" rings was seeping.

 

If you suspect a quick disconnect "O" ring seep then that is something that needs repaired, it usually won't cause an immediate problem when riding the bike but you could wake up one morning & find  a couple of gallons of raw gasoline on your garage floor (or worse).

 

Added: If you think it might have been water dripping then look for a plugging in the fuel filler drain hose  (usually where it passes through the steel fitting at the  fuel pump pass through). Water can hang up above the plugged area then slowly drip out as the motorcycle sits in one place. (maybe try spraying some WD-40 into the filler neck water drain hole then see if it comes out of one of those hoses)  

 

 

 

 

 

 

[szurszewski]

17 minutes ago, dirtrider said:

Morning  szurszewski  /  Bill

 

The only things you Should have draining out from there  are the battery overflow and vents/overflow  from the fuel tank and possibly the charcoal canister. Plus one more= ABS brake module reservoir vents.

 

 

Ha! Amusing to me at least that I forgot that one!

[Bill1150]

thanks for the insight - 

 

the quick disconnects were replaced about 5 years ago, due to seepage.  Haven't had any problems there since.

 

I never saw those hoses there before, and that's where the two little pools of fluid were, so that's what got me thinking that it might just be some kind of water /moisture / condensation or something that was building up from sitting in my garage for a couple of months during very hot / humid weather.

[dirtrider]

17 hours ago, Bill1150 said:

thanks for the insight - 

 

the quick disconnects were replaced about 5 years ago, due to seepage.  Haven't had any problems there since.

 

I never saw those hoses there before, and that's where the two little pools of fluid were, so that's what got me thinking that it might just be some kind of water /moisture / condensation or something that was building up from sitting in my garage for a couple of months during very hot / humid weather.

 

 

Morning Bill

 

If you are sure that the liquid came from one of those hoses then could be the battery vent hose (IF) you still have a conventional lead/acid battery & (IF) you had a battery charger on the battery charging it (this will be pretty evident in a short while as the battery acid will probably leave some damage to your concrete floor).

 

Or could be from the fuel tank vent hose as hot weather could have caused the fuel in the  tank to release hydro carbons that re-formed as liquid in the vent line (or evap can) than dripped out of the hose (won't be much liquid coming out though)

 

The brake system vent hose usually doesn't drip after sitting  but can drip (just a little) after a spirited ride.

 

As mentioned above it could be due to trapped water in the tank fill ring drain hose pass-through fitting area but that should not have left a lasting puddle under the bike.

 

If it happens again then try to identify the fluid type as THAT should give us a clue to what is happening.

 

  

[SAS]

Or which hose it is leaking from.  It can be traced back to the source.

[Lowndes]

Hey, Bill,

 

In your pics above, one of the tubes (second from the right) has come out of its clip.  Put that tube back in its clip, looking at it is driving nuts!!