Gasoline smell after running bike

Discussion in 'General VFR Discussions' started by ga4boats917, Jul 22, 2019.

  1. ga4boats917

    ga4boats917 New Member

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    Good evening folks,

    My previous post regarding my 1995 VFR 750 related to needing the following part for my bike
    16956-MZ7-000 Tube, fuel strainer. I was lucky to source that discontinued part from a dealer in South Carolina. I had taken the tank off the bike originally because it had a strong fuel odor after riding it. When I took the tank off the existing fuel strainer tube, which was dry rotted, split. I have done many Internet searches on this subject and know the fuel smell seems to be a problem that many people have had with their V-Four Honda bikes. I wanted to throw out a few observations on my situation and repair. When I took the tank off, I saw no leaks around the petcock or any of the hoses. While I was waiting for the new fuel strainer part to arrive and the tank was off, the fuel smell immediately went away. Basically, the tank sat on the garage floor on top of a cardboard box and nothing leaked out of it. My assumption (and hope) was that the dry rotted line had been the culprit all along. Well, today the part was installed and the tank reassembled on the bike along with the side fairing, seat, etc. The bike started fairly easily and I ran it for several minutes. I did not have time to go out for a ride, so I parked it. The fuel smell is back - maybe not quite as bad as before, but nevertheless it is back. Can anyone shed any light on why this may be happening? There were no leaks from the tank or the petcock when the tank was removed. If the carbs had been leaking, it would seem that would have still occurred with the tank on or off, but the smell went away with the tank off. Maybe the vent hose has something to do with this. I can live with the smell, as it seems to go away after several days, but I still would like to fix something if possible. Lastly, I would want to ensure this is an inconvenience and not something to be concerned about in case of a fire hazard. Thank you so much for any thoughts on this.

    Brent.
     
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  2. Terry Smith

    Terry Smith Member

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    Aside from an all-the-time leak from a damaged hose or o-ring, you can also have fuel leakage from the carb overflows if the float valves don't seal perfectly. If you can I'd set up a fixed small overhead fuel tank (i.e. IV-bottle style) direct to the carbs off the bike and see if the level changes or overflows occur.

    In my experience carbureted bikes will always have more fuel odour in a garage situation than an injected bike as every carb bowl has some fuel which will be slowly evaporating to atmosphere. Things like carbon canisters will mitigate that.
     
  3. VF1000Fe

    VF1000Fe New Member

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    Hissing Fit;

    I've had something similar, hard to figure out.
    Was most fumes after its parked when Hot AND tank almost Empty.
    Borrow'd buddies Gas Sniffer and waved it around, Found It.
    The Gas Fumes were exiting from the Gas Cap, thru the Key Hole.
    Its meant to out-gas, but when the tank is Empty, and the heat rises from a Hot Motor, a Lot of Fume Expansion occurs.

    Do it again, run it Hot, near Empty, let sit for 10min, then listen/sniff the Gas Cap, I can actually hear the gas Hissing Out.
     
  4. ga4boats917

    ga4boats917 New Member

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    I will try that for sure; thanks for the suggestion. Currently the tank is quite full. Before I parked it and pulled the tank, I had just filled it up with a tank full of the non-ethanol gas we can get here. That made pulling the tank no so fun.
     
  5. ridervfr

    ridervfr Member

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    I have gen3 bikes, same as your gen4 bike for all intents and purposes. You are dealing with 24 year old rubber o-rings and hoses bear in mind. My 93 had some issues with fouling a cylinder and such. I ended up replacing the fuel rails and upgraded o-rings from an on-line seller off Ebay. He makes the tubes off a lathe and welds them up. I would have just replaced the o-rings but when you get into the parts fische, its not so straight forward (I don't think they, 'the great honda' sells them alone.)

    Anyway, bike has a motor smell when I get back from a ride, nothing that is gona gas you out of your garage mind you. No leaks etc.

    My 91 on the other hand gassed us out the house one evening, seems that here in South FL, we have whats called an air handler, its part of the cooling system of the house/structure. My bike had some carburetor issues and the fumes literally got sucked into the flat we were renting at the time and the petrol smell stunk! I was afraid the old lady was gona make me park my bike outside. I vaguely remember doing gaskets on the carbs and just a general going through. I did buy an extra set of fuel rails for this bike as well but have them in a drawer of my tool box.

    When you talk about fuel strainer, your talking about the petcock? I bought a new one a while back, was sort of surprised that they are out of production now. I did change a gas tank not too long ago and re-used my old set up with no leaks etc, I did pop for a new large o-ring for the gas gauge though as they are notorious for leaking. Btw an old motorcycle tyre is great for resting your petrol tank on with out the petcock or painted parts contacting the floor of your garage. My Kawasaki used to whistle when it cooled down through the gas cap, I ended up taking apart the key switch and removing a bunch of diaphrams, problem solved, quiet bike now. Peace Out...
     
  6. squirrelman

    squirrelman Member

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    unless you see dripping, gas smell is usually normal, especially in hot summer weather. otherwise your carbs may need 4 fuel tube o-rings replaced.

    may 1---2019 032.JPG
     
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  7. ga4boats917

    ga4boats917 New Member

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    The fuel strainer is the line running from the petcock to the fuel filter on the left side. Thank you for the info about your bikes.
     
  8. ga4boats917

    ga4boats917 New Member

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    There is no visual dripping seen. The smell of fuel is strong. What does not make sense to me is why the smell went away once the tank was removed. Is this occurring because some amount of fuel is forced into the carbs when the petcock is turned on? Still does not make sense to me.
     
  9. squirrelman

    squirrelman Member

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    no fuel is forced anywhere unless the fuel pump is running.
     
  10. ga4boats917

    ga4boats917 New Member

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    That is what I thought. The only plausible cause to me would be vapors escaping through the vent tube, which was disconnected when the tank was removed. Any other suggestions would be welcomed.
     
  11. ga4boats917

    ga4boats917 New Member

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    Update from today. Took the bike out for a ride early evening for about 45 minutes. It ran very well. When I got home, I left it in the driveway with the tank filler key latch open. I could smell some vapors coming through filler cap when I parked it. So after a 30 minute ride on another bike, I put it in the garage. So far, the fuel smell is not there other than normal smell of a motorcycle after it has been ridden. Thank you for the suggestion VF1000Fe. Lets see if this is fixed.
     
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