Just when you thought it was safe...(Fuel Connector Writeup)

[echoyankee]

I bought my Tiger.  I love the bike.



I commute with the Tiger, go to the market with it, go on weekend trips with it and have no ill words for the machine.  It has started every morning and run reliably since I started using it as primary transport around August of '05.  I'd also taken it to Canada the summer before with no troubles.  



When I bought the Tiger, I knew about the problems and debate about the 90 degree "dry break" fuel connectors.  I went so far as to buy the brass replacement kit from Team Triumph.  



Then came the recall.  My connectors were exchanged with new ones.



New connectors installed.  Safety.  Security.  Hmm, maybe I'll sell those chrome plated brass fittings on Ebay or something?  Well, I kept those fittings in the "miscellaneous motorycycle bits" box in the back of my closet.  



Then, unmistakably, came a whiff of gasoline when the cover came off the motorcycle as I went to head home from work on Friday night.  A little inspection with my pen light found some seepage from the upper port.  I made it home fine, but scented with eau du gasolin.  



Into the bottom of the closet I went to make sure my replacement kit was still there.  I then gathered my tools for an assault the next day.  



By the time I made it into the garage there was gasoline dripping down from the connectors, onto my drive chain, down the side of the engine case and onto the deck culminating in a pool about 15cm in diameter.  



Booger.



So, I pulled on a pair of gloves and dove in, removing the turn signal pods and loosening the connectors which fasten the gas tank to the bike.  

I almost lost it when I made it to the torx connectors in the battery bucket and then realized that a 4mm allen key would do.  As the fuel tank was still about 2/3 full and any amount of tilting and jiggling I did couln't get the connectors fully high and dry without seeping out the filling port, it wasn't the most tidy of procedures, but the connectors got swapped out.  



The cause for the seepage in my case became immediately apparent when I when to remove the upper fitting with a spanner.  I applied a touch of torque to it and the entire head of the connector came off leaving the threaded portion lodged in the port.  The vast remainder of my free afternoon was invested in removing the remnants of that plastic fitting from the port.  



Everything got put back together, all the fuel wiped up and the motorcycle started.  I found some  seeping from the lower connector at the threads.  Seems I was a bit too bashful given the stern warning from Team Triumph NOT to thread the femaleconnectors all the way into the ports.  Another 3/4 turn with the vice grips (look, no tank removal mom!) and the seeping stopped.  The chain also got a comprehensive cleaning and lube since the fuel had been dripping down and very likely removed the lube from the chain in the process.  



Things that  could have been better:

-I could have had the brass fittings installed at my service interval when everything else, including the recall, was dealt with.

-I could have been more gingerly with the connector and not snapped it off (or was it already cracked to begin with?).  

-I could really have stood to have had a torx bit for my bit driver.  

-I could have not purchased a new tank of fuel three days before this leak sprung.  



Things that could have been worse:

-This could have happened at the outset of the week when I would have had NO spare time to work on it.

-The leak did develop slowly and progressively and could have progressed more rapidly than it did.  

-I could have been a smoker and blown myself up in the process of fixing everything.  

-The weather on the day of the repair was complete dogmeat with gusty, puffy winds and intermittent bouts of pouring rain.  If you have to execute a repair on the bike in a relatively warm garage, this is the kind of day to be stuck inside working on it!





Lessons learned:



-If you smell fuel turn the motorcycle off and replace the fuel connectors.  If I had ridden bumpy roads a few miles more, that connector could have given way much more rapidly than it did actually.  



-If you don't have brass fuel connector fittings, buy them.  If you have bought the brass connector fittings, install them.  



-Just because corrective recall-related repairs have been carried out, doesn't mean the problem is ameliorated.



-Triumph-Tiger.com bulletin boards are a great resource.  By paging through the old posts, I learned that there is no difference between routing  the connectors back into position.  Even though I paid extreme attention to which line corresponded to which port, the supply and return lines are interchangeable.  The assembly and disassembly instructions for removal of the fuel tank are also posted here.  Thank you!



Best,



echoyankee

[gazoo]

Thanks for the good write-up.  Good to hear that you were able to get everything sorted out quickly and safely.



NHTSA recall 04V156000 only includes 1999-2004, but it was issued in March of 04.  I searched the NHTSA's recall database and they do not list the 05.



Do the 05's have the same fittings that were recalled, and if so - will Triumph replace them at no charge?

[Tri2Fly]

The cause for the seepage in my case became immediately apparent when I when to remove the upper fitting with a spanner.  I applied a touch of torque to it and the entire head of the connector came off leaving the threaded portion lodged in the port.  The vast remainder of my free afternoon was invested in removing the remnants of that plastic fitting from the port.



echoyankee

Yup.  That's what happened to me when I went to replace the plastic connectors on my Speed Four with the Team Triumph set.  Took forever to get all of that junk out of there, all the while trying to dodge thread damage and ignition of the fumes.  It was so easy to break the tank side connector, I wonder if it is even avoidable.



Be careful, all.