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Stabil Arrghhh!


VFROr

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It's the time of year when I top off the tank and add some Stabil after every ride cuz it could be the last ride 'til spring. As Stabil was going in, I noticed the cap seal go into the tank along with the red juice. Not the foil seal you remove on a new bottle, but the one that sits in the cap itself, at least that's where it's supposed to be.

I can't see the thing inside the tank by looking in with a lit match, and I'm not going to ride until it comes out, so I need a plan for removal. All I've come up with is:

-- tilt tank up and start draining with siphon hose, hope to get lucky and capture debris with hose tip

-- if that fails, completely drain and remove tank from bike, hold upside down over a bucket and maybe it wiil wash/fall out

-- remove the fuel pump and really go digging :sad2:

Any other suggestion?

wIUGYb.jpg

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I would try draining the fuel out and then hold the tank upside down and run an air hose as far up into the tank as possible and blow air through it to see if it will get blown out of the filler hole. You could use a stiff piece of wire wrapped around the air hose to make it rigid enough to keep it positioned where your want. If that doesn't work you could use a shop vac with an adapter tip to reduce the size of the vacuum tube opening and then attach some rubber tubing to the end and work it around and try to use the suction to get the missing piece to stick to the end of the tubing. You will need approximately 3 shots of Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey prior to attempting any of this. If you decide to try the shop vac method make sure all fuel is completely drained and the tank has been aired out really well because any gas fumes / vapor going through the vacuum could easily ignite.

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I think I'd siphon off the gas and just take the tank bolts out and move the tank around until it is within reach with a wire or long screwdriver.

I would NOT be looking into a gas tank with a lit match! Yikes. Fumes + Full tank of fuel = BOOM :wacko:

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Whatever method you use, be sure you can capture the dang thang. Otherwise, you'll never be sure.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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If the tank's propped up you can siphon virtually all the fuel out. If you're lucky enough that it's not submerged in whatever remains, you could try using a long small wooden dowel and wrap the end with a wad of very sticky tape - like Gorilla tape or similar - and see if it will stick to it. Just be sure the tape is well secured to the dowel - you don't want to have to fish that out too. If it's in a place that the dowel cannot bend around, Harbor Freight has some extra large zip ties (I think 24" long) that could probably do the same thing. A 10 pack is about $2.

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Thanks for the ideas, if I can locate the seal, I hope I can retrieve it without a lot of disassembly. At least it's good weather for wrenching and not riding :mellow:

Oh yeah, the lit match for light was just a poor attempt at humor :ohmy: And glad whisky is the correct maintenance fluid for the job, it's a personal favorite :bliss:

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I'm not a fan of putting anything made of metal into a gas tank, even when drained. I like Cogsell's idea of using a long, thin dowel rod with tape on the end. After draining or siphoning all the gas out, you could use double-stick tape (or just wrap some normal tape with the sticky side out) on the dowel rod.

Hopefully you can actually see where the seal is before you go fishing inside the tank.

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My 6th gen had a sizable "brillo pad" of stainless steel mesh surrounding the pickup. I would imagine this would mitigate any issues from that bit of debris.

Yeah, that's pretty standard issue with Honda fuel pumps. I wouldn't worry about it, personally.

On the other hand, keep looking into the tank with a lit match and that should solve the problem while simultaneously introducing another.

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I can't see the thing inside the tank by looking in with a lit match, and I'm not going to ride until it comes out, so I need a plan for removal.

So I keep looking on the horizon for a big smoke column rising above the trees....Do you have led flashlites in OR

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  • 3 months later...

Since the temps are hitting 60+ degrees, flowers are blooming and I'm now mowing the lawn, figured it's time to sort this problem out. Had to completely drain the tank to eyeball the offending debris, but it was still in one solid piece and I was able to nudge it up the side of the tank and apply a little vacuum drinking straw style and remove it with only minor aggravation.

Spring time in the PNW :woohoo:

9vSeqv.jpg

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