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Posted

Any suggestions for my dilemma I just caused.

 

I was putting gas in my Venture from a gas can with a hose and pump that goes into my tank so no spills. The plastic nozzle approx 7 inches long fell off and into the gas tank. I leave for a 3 week bike trip in a day and a half.

 

Any ideas of how to get the plastic tube out of the gas tank??????????????????????

 

I can not see it inside the tank. The tank is approx 3/4 full.

Posted

Drain the tank completely and try to maneuver the tube to the gas cap hole, will probably require turning it up side down and a lot of shaking and tilting, hopefully it will eventually come to the hole where you can grab it with a pair of forceps of needle nose pliers.

 

You could also pull the send level sending unit from the bottom of the tank while you have it off and up side down, just be careful, taking the sending unit out is a bit fiddily it does not pull straight out you have to nurse it out to make the curves and crooks I the sending unit work out of the hole. That will give another vantage point to look inside and maybe find the tube.

Posted

Just my :2cents: but if it happened to me I would take the tank off the bike, empty it, and then try to jostle it loose by shaking the tank upside down. If it went in, it must be able to come out. :think:

Posted

go to an auto parts store, and you will find, usually in the bargain bin, what is a mini grabber. They are usually about a foot long, and flexable. That might do the trick. Or a hardware store might have something similar.

Posted

Thank you for your reply's of help. I did try a grabbing tool, but can't see it and didn't feel anything.

 

I will try as you suggest to drain the tank and take it off and tip it upside down.

 

Thank you very much

Posted

If the piece of plastic hose floats try to put a little more gas in the tank. Then it should move to where you can see it and grab it with a pair of needle nose plyers.

Posted
If the piece of plastic hose floats try to put a little more gas in the tank. Then it should move to where you can see it and grab it with a pair of needle nose plyers.

 

Or you could drop a plastic magnet on a string down into the tank until you attract the plastic tube then just pull it out.

Posted
Or you could drop a plastic magnet on a string down into the tank until you attract the plastic tube then just pull it out.

 

 

Plastic magnet? I'll have to google that one. Thanks

Posted

Tank is off and gas is out. I have been shaking it for nearly two hours. I caught a glimpse of it once and moved it slightly to try and grab it but it moved. It seems to get wedged a lot and does not move a lot when I shake it. I'm stopping now for the night and will resume in the morning.

Posted
Can't you just leave it in and worry about it after you come back from the trip? I don't think it would melt!?

 

I may have to do that and hope it doesn't melt or interfere with gas flow some how

Posted

The only thing it might interfere with is the fuel sender. if you leave it in for your trip keep a close eye on the trip odometer in case the tube got under the float and is holding it up.

The tube is designed to be in constant contact with gasoline it will not deteriorate while in the tank.

 

I would be surprised if the tube floats on gas. If you can get it to move around in the tank while shaking it and you decide to leave it in there for the trip, at least shake it over to the side of the tank that has the fuel sender so that it is away from the sender and least likely to jam it up. It should stay down in that bottom corner where it can not get into any trouble.

 

It may also knock a mile of of your max fuel range since the tank will now hold a fraction of an ounce less fuel. :whistling:

Guest Jamsie
Posted

you can buy endoscopes that plug into a laptop usb port, very cheap nowadays. i would use 1 of those to help move the spout to where you can get it out of the tank . no way of knowing it it is caught on the fuel sender without 1 imho

Posted

put a boroscope in the (empty) tank so you can see what you are doing with the coat hanger hook. Smartphone micro usb lighted borescopes are like $10 anymore. And can be very useful.

Posted (edited)
This might be a fun toy, I mean tool to add to your collection.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/172200298063?lpid=82&chn=ps&ul_noapp=true

It even has a hook attachment to try to grab things, and a mirror to let you look at the walls of a hole.

 

mmmmm....... I think I just talked myself into getting one of these to mess with...........:mo money:

 

 

If I had time for it to arrive I would purchase it also.

 

I can't find a store that sells something like that yet, at least nothing that I see on store web sites.

Edited by dogman
wish to add more to thread
Posted

Amazon Prime has a boroscope, you could have in a day or so? Tried to attach link but it didnt work. Hope you get it sorted out, hate to see it affect your trip.

 

Craig

Posted

Ya already have the tank out and upside down, take the four screws out that hold the fuel sender in place, remove the sender and shake it out the bottom. The top hole has a lip around it and doubt you will ever shake it out, and all that digging around with the hanger will do is bend your fuel level sensor. The sender comes half way out and you have to turn it to get the cork through the hole and the same going back together.

Btw the fuel sender seal is reusable

Posted

I've seen boroscopes in Sams Club recently. I'm sure you can buy them anywhere and with one of those tools to pick it up you can retrieve the offending tube.

Posted
Ya already have the tank out and upside down, take the four screws out that hold the fuel sender in place, remove the sender and shake it out the bottom. The top hole has a lip around it and doubt you will ever shake it out, and all that digging around with the hanger will do is bend your fuel level sensor. The sender comes half way out and you have to turn it to get the cork through the hole and the same going back together.

Btw the fuel sender seal is reusable

 

 

Thanks, with my luck something may not go back just as it should, so I will wait to do that after my trip when I don't have to rely on the bike.

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