9' Gasoline geyser from fuel hole during fill up.

[gullywasher]

So I had a new experience with the Terra when I stopped to fill up. I stopped off for a drink while riding through the Rocky Mountains and decided to go ahead and top off the tank even though I probably had at least 2 gallons left, plenty to get me home.

As soon as I popped the fuel cap off, fuel erupted from from the fill hole emptying nearly the entire contents of the tank in a rather dramatic geyser of fuel that shot nine to ten feet into the air covering me, the entire bike, the gas pump and the poor sucker on the other side of the pump with gasoline. Never seen anything like it.

Clearly, the tank is not regulating pressure, and the additional 2500 feet of altitude we climbed combined to turn my gas tank into a well shaken bottle of high-octane soda. I couldn't identify where the vent/check valve was following a quick survey of the bike at a gas station, but I seem to remember vent hoses running to the cap assembly.

Anyway, I need to get to the bottom of it, so any similar experiences / advice would be appreciated.

 

[Johnn]

Not nice

http://destinationworld.be/tr650-terra-tank-breather-valve-removal/

A known issue

 

[hasenpfeffer]

Yep, known issue.

http://advrider.com/index.php?threa...questions-thread.850525/page-85#post-22407576

 

[PaulC]

Think Highfive was the first to do this mod. IMHO a safety must for every TR owner. Also, it was a bit concerning how positive pressure played havoc with the FI system.

 

[dmw_az]

Mine was showing signs of spewing a geyser after about 1.5 years of ownership. There would be a lot of pressure when I removed the cap. I removed the check valve thing and it hasn't done it once since.

 

[gullywasher]

Thanks for the link gents. I'll get this remedied right away.

Mine had never shown signs of an impending vent failure before. I popped the fuel cap that same day at around 6000 ft altitude - the first time I had ridden and refueled the bike since leaving sea level conditions (bike was transported from Texas to Colorado during a recent move) - and it was perfectly fine. So that little check valve can fail fast apparently.

I still smell like gasoline.

 

[jjlrrw]

I didn't read all 7300 posts in the link above but was wondering if installing the fuel cap upside down could cause the venting issue, I have not looked that close but I know I have installed mine upside down a few times.

 

[Next]

It can also happen if the rubber line gets crimped... ask me how I know

 

[Ogre_fl]

I didn't read all 7300 posts in the link above but was wondering if installing the fuel cap upside down could cause the venting issue, I have not looked that close but I know I have installed mine upside down a few times.

I have been running mine upside down for quite some time. The key turn direction seemed wrong to me the "correct way".
I have not done the vent mod and mine has not had any issue, so for me the cap orientation seems to make no difference.

 

[Ignaciob]

It can also happen if the rubber line gets crimped... ask me how I know

I know that one from another platform. Especially when it's 90+ degrees out and you pull in with that low amount of fuel. Turns into a foaming volcano.

In fact, a majority of the people that have thought their caps had breather issues on another forum I administer--turns out either had pinched or plugged breather lines.

I found squirting some brake clean up the hose occasionally yields removal of some dirt and even occasionally a plug of material.

 

[Mark_H]

I have done several gas tank mods and urged all fellow owners to do the same.

Unfortunately it appears that there may have already been a serious incident resulting in death from this fault.
I have just been sent this by a fellow owner here in Cebu.



Anyone who has not modified their bike - do it asap.

 

[Next]

Someone should reach out to this person and alert the family to this thread and the ones on Adv. Not sure about the kick start bit, but absolutely terrible. If it turns out to be related to a defective check valve on that gas tank breather hose... it's absolutely their fault.

 

[Mark_H]

Someone should reach out to this person and alert the family to this thread and the ones on Adv. Not sure about the kick start bit, but absolutely terrible. If it turns out to be related to a defective check valve on that gas tank breather hose... it's absolutely their fault.

I am afraid I disagree on the 'fault' part.

As an accident investigator, I have a great deal of experience in cases such as this.

The Tank Vent valve may have been a contributory factor but it did not kill the guy.
The burns killed him and going to a BBQ whilst covered in gasoline caused the burns.

The gasoline spray was caused by opening the tank while pressurised.
The Tank pressurisation was caused by overfilling the bike tank in so far as the Vent Valve worked as it should, ie it allowed vapours out but not liquid.
His tank was so full as to not have any vapour space, therefore the valve closed as the liquid tried to escape and built up the pressure.

The bike manual clearly states do not fill above the line on the red funnel device, he failed to follow this.

Yes I agree the tank vent valve is a nasty little device we can all do without and i have removed several prior to this accident and several more after it.
However, the valve is there to satisfy emission regulations, and is not the fault of Husqvarna or anybody else.

We all removed ours to prevent issues from the valve becoming blocked with residues from the ethanol in the fuel here, it has happened to many already.
Some of us have been sprayed with gasoline when opening the tank, but we did not go towards an open BBQ immediately and catch fire.

Think about it.

 

[gullywasher]

I am afraid I disagree on the 'fault' part.

As an accident investigator, I have a great deal of experience in cases such as this.

The Tank Vent valve may have been a contributory factor but it did not kill the guy.
The burns killed him and going to a BBQ whilst covered in gasoline caused the burns.

The gasoline spray was caused by opening the tank while pressurised.
The Tank pressurisation was caused by overfilling the bike tank in so far as the Vent Valve worked as it should, ie it allowed vapours out but not liquid.
His tank was so full as to not have any vapour space, therefore the valve closed as the liquid tried to escape and built up the pressure.

The bike manual clearly states do not fill above the line on the red funnel device, he failed to follow this.

Yes I agree the tank vent valve is a nasty little device we can all do without and i have removed several prior to this accident and several more after it.
However, the valve is there to satisfy emission regulations, and is not the fault of Husqvarna or anybody else.

We all removed ours to prevent issues from the valve becoming blocked with residues from the ethanol in the fuel here, it has happened to many already.
Some of us have been sprayed with gasoline when opening the tank, but we did not go towards an open BBQ immediately and catch fire.

Think about it.

You must be familiar with the actual incident because I couldn't tell from the excerpt that he caught himself on fire by walking up to an operating BBQ pit. Nor was there anything to indicate that he overfilled his tank. (How can one overfill a gas tank anyway?) The text isn't all that clear to me, but I interpret it as though he was leaving, couldn't get the bike started, opened the fuel tank to check the fuel level, and boom - it explodes. Clearly this isn't a Terra or Strada as we don't have kickstarters, and I have no idea why removing the fuel cap would cause an immediate explosion without an spark or open flame of some sort in the vicinity. The way fuel erupted from my bike, though, a spark or open flame within 20 or 30 feet of the bike would have ignited the fuel. Had there been high winds that day as there often are in this area, I have no doubt the vapors could have been ignited from 75 - 100 ft away.

 

[Next]

Agreed, on both counts (Mark and Gully). I only saw the excerpt, which led me to think the poor guy was the victim of an event directly related to opening his gas cap. Regardless of fault, it is very sad to hear that this poor fellow died due to burns that resulted from his motorcycle spewing fuel on him. Everyone should consider removing, or at least periodically checking to be sure that this valve is functional.

 

[Mark_H]

Agreed, on both counts (Mark and Gully). I only saw the excerpt, which led me to think the poor guy was the victim of an event directly related to opening his gas cap. Regardless of fault, it is very sad to hear that this poor fellow died due to burns that resulted from his motorcycle spewing fuel on him. Everyone should consider removing, or at least periodically checking to be sure that this valve is functional.

Correct guys, I am familiar with the event to the point of having first hand information on the actual chain of events from witnesses.
The original post was written by a friend of the deceased who is not familiar with the bike which indeed was a Strada that the guy had purchased only 90 minutes prior to the incident.
Bike was filled to the brim with fuel and parked next to an open street barbeque chicken stall. The Tank vent valve did what is was designed to do, even if we do not agree with it. I removed mine a long time ago, now my tank breathes just like every other bike I had and occasionally a small amount of fuel passes through the drain line, usually from sloshing immediately after filling up.
No lawyer would win a case against the manufacturer on this one. An unfortunate chain of events from which we can all learn.

 

[gullywasher]

The Tank vent valve did what is was designed to do, even if we do not agree with it.

In what way? To me the valve looks as though it is designed to let the tank breathe and close it off if the bike tips over to prevent fuel spillage. Not letting the tank breathe while upright and building up pressure to the point that it creates a geyser of fuel when the fuel cap is removed seems like the opposite of functioning correctly, at least as far as I understand the valve's function to be. Am I missing something?

 

[hasenpfeffer]

I believe the fault here was related to the overfilling of the tank. Once the tank was overfilled, the valve closed, similar to the bike tipping over. This then allowed pressure to build until the filler cap was removed.

 

[Mark_H]

I believe the fault here was related to the overfilling of the tank. Once the tank was overfilled, the valve closed, similar to the bike tipping over. This then allowed pressure to build until the filler cap was removed.

Correct. The valve is designed with a washer and ball. The basic action is that vapours can pass through the hole in the washer and vent freely but as soon as liquid reaches the washer it overcomes the spring and closes the valve. This is the case should the bike fall over.
Overfilling will similarly cause liquid to act upon the washer and close off the valve, as it did in this case.
Therefore the valve worked correctly as it is designed to do.

Nevertheless, I believe we should all remove the valve and have a 'normal' tank vent which is safe and cannot become blocked or allow any pressure build up which could be dangerous. After all, if the bike falls over the loss will be minimal.

 

[gullywasher]

I believe the fault here was related to the overfilling of the tank. Once the tank was overfilled, the valve closed, similar to the bike tipping over. This then allowed pressure to build until the filler cap was removed.

Ah, I see. You can actually fill the tank to the point that fluid would try to get past the valve. I had always assumed the valve was located higher than the maximum fill point. Pretty nuts.