Before I start tearing things apart, can anyone tell me where the little drain from the fuel tank filler goes to? Everytime I was mine or get caught in the rain, mine fills up dumping water into the tank when I stop for fuel :cry:
It drains into a tube running down to the just in front of the rear swinging arm. Take off the left side panel and they are attached to the tank there. They block very easily and a bugger to clean out. I had to use a drill to get all the gunk out of mine, be careful I used a hand drill (remember one of those).
+1 on the above post....also DONT just pull the tube off as I did cos the fitting broke :oops: best slice down the tube with a sharp blade to be safe. Unfortunately water and ally dont mix...another Triumph gem.
Better make clear it's the fitting next to the cap you'll need to ream out, the pipe is usually fine, water and ally don't mix as said above.
Thanks! That saved me some aggravation. Sure enough, clogged, oddly at the top within the tank. A little wire snake and all clear again 8)
I found removing the insulation from an electrical cable, (kettle lead) and stripping one of the twin and earths to ream the drain had two advantages.
1: The cable diameter is just the right size for the drain.
2: The rigidity of the copper means it'll flex before you cause any damage.
Worked for me anyway.
X.
On my truck i've used the plastic 'string'from a weed trimmer to clean out some oddly angled skinny pipes and tubes. the surface of the string is rough (on many brands). i just snake it off the roll, down through the tube, and jiggle it around. on rubber tubes i use sandpaper to smooth out the tip of the string. In a metal pipe that gets real gummed up i put the end of the string in a variable speed electric drill and give it a slow spin.
when i'm all done i can usually still use the string for weeds. :D
I had the same issue earlier this year, i pulled the drain tubes out from where they feed through the engine/chassis and poke out the bottom, then using a bicycle pump i forced air up through them, this huge jet of stinky gunk shot accross the garage, but clear now!
Used an old guitar string to run down the entire length of the pipe. Got a big clod of goo out the first time I used it and now do it yearly to keep it clear.
Forgot to add....spray some WD40 down the drains occasionally to stop any oxidisation in the tank fittings.
Quote from: "John Stenhouse"It drains into a tube running down to the just in front of the rear swinging arm. Take off the left side panel and they are attached to the tank there. They block very easily and a bugger to clean out. I had to use a drill to get all the gunk out of mine, be careful I used a hand drill (remember one of those).
Mine is also blocked. I tried the wire but could not get all the way down. I took the tube off and tried pushing up from the metal fixing. Seems to be a blockage there. What size drill bit fits in there? Might be my best option.
I have tried air, and no good.
I used a drill bit to clear the fitting. I just turned it with my fingers and little by little white stuff started to come out, until it was cleared. Then some air down from the top cleared it right out.
Today I finally got around to trying this, having had water in the lid several times since I bought the bike.
I removed the left black plastic. Looks a bit broken but it does stay on, with just the hex screw.
There were two fittings, with one plastic tube each. Which one are we talking about?
Both tubes went far down - one of them peeked out onto the ground. The other one I don't know where it ended up.
I gently pulled off the tubes at the fitting with a (again gentle) screwing motion. (Someone here said to slice them off, but then I'd have to buy new tubes...)
In the right fitting (closest to the frame, right if you sit on the bike) I could easily insert a cable covered with plastic. I put it some 8-10cm inside. No problem there. What is this?
The left fitting (sitting on the bike) was absolutely totally clogged. I tried poking with the same cable, it just bended. I took off some plastic of the cable, but the metal just bended. I tried a very tiny mini screw driver, some small fragment of white came out. I tried another slightly bigger screw driver (still mini) and a little more fragment came out. I twisted and turned but not really anyhing! I tried the cable again, it could now be insert some 1cm but then bended.
What IS that white stuff anyway?
I had planned to use drill bits, but I had them at work so I had to put the tubes back on, and the black plastic on too.
Now photo time! Hopefully it can help all the n00bs (like me) who need step by step simple instructions.
I can't seem to comment on each photo, so hopefully someone with more understanding than me (most people on this forum!) can explain what they show.
You don't need to worry about where the drain tubes go, just put them back on when you finish, the stuff your digging out is scale, it'll take quite a bit of digging to get it all out, drill bit is a good idea.
Spent another half hour today with a collegue, using drill bits. We got out just some small particles of white hard stuff, had to give up. It's really stuck.
Simple, they said. You can do it, they said. It's so easy, they said. :^_^
Try pouring some Akavit down the tube, that usually clears my tubes out :ImaPoser
Seriously, try vinegar or mild caustic soda solution to at least soften it up.
I was going to say the same thing, you need to soften that plugged up part and then reem it out. It looks like calcium hard water deposit type stuff which can be very stubborn to remove. If you can get a small syringe and squirt it down the top and let it sit for a while. Use your long wire and go at it from the top after waiting for an hour or so. Then pour some more down and continue to do it until you break through. May take several times to clear it up but it should break out eventually.
Good Luck!
Drain cleaner?
Akvavit? I'll pour that down my throat instead. Not before driving the Tiger though. :)
Pouring liquids down the hole would be very difficult, because it's a tiny hole and obviously it wouldn't flow through, AND the gasoline tank is RIGHT THERE... scary.
Plus, I simply had decided to not open the cap until I had solved the problem, especially since it would be FULL of rain water from yesterday's bad weather.
Today I dismounted all again, used a tiny screwdriver which went all the way in, but there was still no flow. Gave up, mounted everything, thinking I'll just let the service mechanic do it. Then I took a strong 15cm wire with plastic coating used to tie trees (bending branches into shape and what not). Dismounted again and tried - I could push it all the way in (which was necessary!) - and after some in-out motion, all the rain water came out!
I opened the cap and saw the water disappear. It's a nice feeling to solve a small but annoying problem, especially when it was not as easy as people said! :hat10
vinegar
Quote from: ChillMan on May 13, 2015, 05:10:38 PM
Spent another half hour today with a collegue, using drill bits. We got out just some small particles of white hard stuff, had to give up. It's really stuck.
Simple, they said. You can do it, they said. It's so easy, they said. :^_^
It's usually just the bottom 10mm or so and when you break through you know because a bit of cruddy water runs out. Hold a drill slightly smaller than the ID of the tube in a pin vice or small chuck
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/20PC-MICRO-HSS-DRILLS-4PC-PIN-VICE-JEWELLERY-MAKING-WATCH-REPAIR-MODEL-CRAFT-/390717321741?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item5af891320d
and keep working at it until you get it clear. From memory, it goes up about 40mm straight so you are safe digging in a fair way with the drill. Anyway, you'll feel if it changes from limescale to metal :icon_lol: Don't use a power drill. Obviously :nono
Good news :thumbsup I would still be tempted to block off the lower end and fill the thing up something that will soften the remaining crud and give it a good clean out to stop it building up again.
My post appeared out of sync for some reason, anyway, glad it's sorted. When we said it's easy enough, maybe ours weren't so bad as yours :icon_lol:
It's blocked again. That didn't last long. :)
Your Ebay link was very nice but I only need one single metal drill bit, right? What would be the perfect "mm" diameter of the bit? (Plus, unfortunately that seller doesn't send here.)
I understand what you are saying about vinegar and other stuff but how would I get it into the very tiny hole without getting any of it into the tank?
Today I stuck a small screwdriver (2mm diameter) up in the hole and surprisingly it went in without using any force whatsoever. Some few cl of liquid dripped out. Didn't find any sticky white stuff in there. :hat10
Problem solved... for a few weeks, I guess. :wheel
Try a small syringe, most pharmacist will stock a variety of sizes for just a couple of Euro's.