Fuel Cap - Key Won't Turn

Hi All,

I have searched the forums, and found plenty of posts about instances where the Fuel Cap key will turn, but the door won't pop open, but I'm having a problem with my current Fuel Cap where I put the key in and it won't turn. I think the cap is either an aftermarket one, or was salvaged from another Honda (as it isn't the same key as the ignition - secondhand bikes amirite?), and the lock barrel shows some white corrosion.

I have drenched it in WD40, and now the barrel wiggles a little bit, but still won't open.

And, of course, to make matters worse, I am down to the last blinking 1/8th of a tank, and my normal mechanic is "Shit! I ran out of fuel and now look like a moron pushing my motorcycle along a major roadway" distance away.

I have ordered a replacement, aftermarket cap on eBay, but that is useless until I can open and remove the existing cap.

I have tried "straightening the lock" with a multitool, but couldn't apply enough torsion as I was worried I would snap the multitool and add a nice gouge to the top of my tank to my list of worries.

Any advice? Anyone been here, done this before?

Any help appreciated.

 

For starters, get a pencil and coat the key well with graphite. WD40 works well as a cleaner. It is actually designed to displace water. But it is a shitty lubricant. Work graphite covered key in and out of the key hole then re-apply the graphite a couple more times, each time trying to turn the key. Gentle now. You don't want to break that key off inside the tumbler. To get it open, try pushing downwards on the cap hard as you turn the key. If that works, then take a pencil and get lots of graphite on that latch and the corresponding socket it fits in. If that doesn't work, I can't help unless I can see up close.

 

Ok so is this a new to you bike and this is the first time you have tried to put fuel in it? Have you damaged the lock? Try a locksmith to see if he can open it

 

Thanks for the advice. I colored in the key with a pencil, and then rattled the hell out of it in the keyhole - it created a bit of a thin graphite slurry with the WD40, which probably helped it penetrate the lock and between the body and the barrel. Eventually with a bit of loving attention, it turned and opened up. So now I have left that key in the lock and the lock partially engaged until the replacement part arrives (especially as I asked the local workshop about options to open the cap if the lock was completely seized and they were talking about drilling the lock out and needing to clean the tank insides afterwards).

Appreciate your help. Hopefully this sorts it out. For anyone finding this post - learn the lesson from my pain: if the cap lock starts playing up, don't wait for it to jam completely, sort it whilst you can!

 

It was a secondhand bike to me - bought it a couple of years ago. The cap or cap lock must have been replaced before I got it as I got it with two different keys - ignition and fuel.
Haven't damaged the lock. Local bike shop said it would need to be drilled out to open it with the barrel seized. So luckily it finally opened for me.

 

Best IMO when using graphite to buy a small tube of the stuff. Pencil lead is a combo of graphite and clay. Mixed with WD40 which does displace water the clay having great affinity for H20 creates a sludge that might even make the condition worse.

Stuck gas cap locking mechanisms have several moving parts. As Randy points oot..(he's from Canada where they talk funny) WD40 is just OK as a lubricant. Better IMO, is a squirt of kerosene (called paraffin in those other places that also talk funny) One other thing that is a good idea is to have a key made from one of the really hard alloys.. these are not usually stocked in the big box stores and one needs to go to a lockshop. Break off one of the softer or more brittle keys and the problem is magnified.

Added cost is also compounded by having to spring for one of those shirts that says, "Shit Happens".

 

What you might have there is a tank off another bike. IMO your local shop dude is full of crap about having to drill out the lock. They know those locks and have power picks that make short work of getting the tumblers aligned.

 

Luckily I come from Australia, and am well versed in "talking funny" - multilingual even. I will look at the quality of the metal in the keys with the replacement cap, as I agree, a broken key in a broken lock is the recipe for a broken heart and/or wallet. Hopefully the currently semi-serviceable state of the cap will last until the replacement arrives and I'll just swap one for the other.

The local shop may have been having a lend of me. But, I should also note that lockpicking equipment is illegal in Australia, so whereas a US shop might have a power pick and could do it that way, Aussie shops are less likely to be able to do so. (Ironic, isn't it, considering our convict heritage....)

 

I almost have "Canadian" down pat. Once getting past "eh" not being the first letter of the alphabet. It's fairly easy.

Interesting about lockpicking tools being illegal in OZ.. A pocketful of USD's says that more than a few there have made their own. The cheap made in Pakistan dental tools, are good if one is so inclined. Here, the sophistication extends to attempt s to remove entire ATMs with winches.

Glad you got your lock working. Pushing a VFR is not fun. Don't ask why I know this..

 

Lock pics are illegal here too unless you are a licenced and bonded locksmith. I suspect there are similar exemptions in Australia too for locksmiths. But don't know for sure. How else con they effectively carry out their business?

 

That's why I love the USA. We can pick locks and steal shit from dudes in Canada and OZ.

 

lmao Billy.

 

Yeah but if you try and steal shit from an Aussie assuming you first get past the dogs you will usually be unable to walk or wipe your own arse for an extended period if you get caught

As we love to beat the living sh1t out of thieves along with a lot of old deep mine shafts in the desert to get rid of the bodies along with a bag of lime

 

I purchased a 6th Gen back in May as a basket case. The guy bought it wrecked and collected parts for 3 years, so I got a fuel tank that was pristine, but had a key jammed in it. Turns out it was the key for the bike ignition when I was able to extract it from the cap. Clearly the tank came off another bike. I dissected the cap, removed the tumblers and reassembled it. Now any key or screwdriver can open it, perhaps not the most secure method but at least I can put fuel in it now, and total cost was zilch. No shop or locksmith to deal with. When I lost my key for my TT600 the locksmith charged $100 to make 3 keys, so be financially prepared if you go that route.

 

I heard the really serious dudes in OZ have moats filled with salties. A hell of a idea and no need to go and find mine shafts or buy slaked lime.

 

Except for the nutcase who might put something in a bike's gas tank or the rare fool who might siphon some gas out of a bike tank, the locking gas cap is cool to have but it is really necessary in the long run?

Best bet is to keep the OEM lubed up once in awhile.

Where I live if you take your bike or car key to a locksmith to be duped, you have to show proof of ownership. Then ya got the chipped keys so your local friendly dealer can strap some mumbo-jumbo BS on customers justifying why a new key is gonna be 400 pesos.

 

You might have thought of this already, but can you just unscrew the cap mechanism off the tank? From memory 3 of the allen head fasteners connect to the tank, the others are just to look pretty. IIRC the lock mechanism is a single tongue that sticks out to the front, so you might be able to lift the whole mechanism up from the rear.

Doesn't sound like a really secure system if I'm right, presumably petrol thieves don't walk around with a 5mm allen key in their pockets in Japan.

 

Cadbury, I think you nailed it, too easy, good call

 

Some of the Ninjas have lock picks.

 

I should pay more attention when I refuel. The locking tabs stick out both sides of the cap so there's no way that unbolting the cap will work, sorry.