1. This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn More.

Recovered St4 - Now In Fuel Tank Hell

Discussion in 'Sport Touring' started by oldtech, May 26, 2019.

  1. Bike is nearly 20 years old and I've clocked over 100,000 km on it ,
    but it's had plenty of time , money , and TLC spent on it , so the general condition was good .

    But I accidently left it stood up , very far away and for much longer than I'd ever planned .
    A family crisis came up and the months turned into years and some bad things happened to it .
    Now that it's back , I've put about a hundred hours into it .
    I repaired the bust starter motor and did the engine cover oil seals on both sides while I was at it , and I overhauled all brakes , hydraulics etc.

    But after 3 years of being laid-up with about 5 litres in it , the fuel tank is now a dire mess
    and if it isn't , it will certainly do until the real mess gets here :)

    I haven't even heard it start yet , let alone test drive it !

    This my first new post since I rejoined the forum , so I'll keep it short for now , and post more details later .
    Any advice or suggestions would be most welcome .
     
    #1 oldtech, May 26, 2019
    Last edited: Apr 1, 2020
    • Like Like x 1
  2. Just so you don't get too worried (unless you have looked in there and seen it) Mine was laid up for 3 years with fuel in and no problems - and then another 4 years with fuel in and again no problems. I may find it is leaking fuel tonight :eek:

    Being a fuel injected bike it will start no problem, even with old fuel as opposed to a carbureted bike which would be a pig to start. Change oil and filters (I'm sure you have), clean or replace spark plugs, check and charge battery and hit the starter - you should be pleasantly surprised :upyeah:
     
    • Like Like x 2
  3. Empty tank, swill It out, may be add some cleaner additive in the first tank of fuel, full battery and press the button :upyeah:

    Welcome to the forum :cool:
     
    • Like Like x 1
  4. Welcome.
    Keep us updated with your progress.:motorcycleduc:
     
  5. Thanks for the replies folks , and also the welcomes !

    Update
    ( I'm not very good at taking and uploading pics , but I'll have a go )


    After connecting a battery there was no fuel pump priming sound
    but there was power to the tank , the fuel gauge worked ,
    and all of the other electrics looked good .
    Took it apart and found that the outer covers of the 2 big rubber tubes had
    completely melted and they looked like graphite grease !

    Not surprising that once removed , the pump wouldn't run
    in either direction .
    I tested with a meter before powering it , and it's about 2.4 ohms ,
    so it's not burnt out and it's not a dead short , but it ain't spinning either !

    I'd renovated the tank at about 50k , maybe eight years back ,
    when it started to leak at the bracket near the seat ,
    and that seems to be a known problem on some models
    ( I'm not scared of a bit of fire .... but not in that area thanks ! ) .
    I used a fuel resistant liquid sealant inside and put in a new O ring and fuel filter .
    Then made some small rubber blocks to take the load off the rear end
    of the tank , and it had been fine ever since .

    I've been looking up some pump prices ,
    starting with silly pounds and 99 pence for " original " .
    Thanks to plenty of reading on this forum , I see there is a quality replacement
    for a 100 squid or so .... from Exactuk.com

    The cost of those pieces of tube soon mounts up though , and the pre-shaped small ones
    would be hard to make from stock fuel-line off a roll , without getting kinks .... or not ?

    Has anybody ever tried it ?

    How about trying to free up a seized pump ?
    I'm thinking of soaking it in a jar of clean petrol for a few days .... can't make it any worse !

    Like yourself Harry , I have faith ...
    .... but I had no luck on this occasion .

    -
    Fuel tank 2.jpg
     
    #5 oldtech, May 27, 2019
    Last edited: May 27, 2019
  6. Looks a bit worse than ideal :eek:
    I believe you can bend fuel hose tight enough without kinking it (I'm sure this is what the factory would have done)
    I assume you tried 12V direct to pump to confirm it is not well - if you get all dash lights up and no fuel pump prime the first thing to check (link out) is the side stand safety relay - the yellow top one under LH fairing. These are known to go dodgy and unless you are really worried about riding off with the side stand down it's best to link it out and chuck it away
     
  7. I've got a good used fuel pump for sale.
    £55 including nextday UK delivery.

    20190129_114907_HDR.jpg

    20190129_114913_HDR.jpg

    20190129_114920_HDR.jpg
     
Do Not Sell My Personal Information