Ever wonder what's inside an old tank and gas cap?

I have a tank from a 1980 xj650 Maxim that is JUNK. BUT--- the cap is a bit different than the usual ones, so I figured I'd save it and someday get it removed. I never had a key for it. As things go, I've learned how to pick cap locks so I don't have to ruin them by drilling. However... no amount of picking would get this open. So, since the tank was junk anyway, I cut it open. Now we can see inside an old tank.

Of course, me being me, decided to see if I could rescue the cap anyway. Once the underside was accessible, I could see why it wouldn't pick open.

The cap


The keyhole cover is nice. Can I save it? Yes!! As soon as I got the cap loosened a teeny bit, the springs snapped the "gate" closed. I removed the assembly and picked yet again....with a bright light, too. This time a big screwdriver gave just a little added help and the cyl turned. But the cap still wouldn't release.


Inside the tank




Well! No wonder it would not open!! The dogs are stuck. I bet the screws will strip right out.


No! They didn't You just gotta LUV the JIS screwdrivers from Len !! But-- the dogs weren't stuck to the tank. Nope.... the are rusted to the plate they should slide on.


Did I forget to tell you that when I finally got the cylinder to turn, it turned all the way around? Hmmmm--- maybe it was because the bottom of the cylinder that moves the dogs had rotted off.....Eeewwww, that's messy. But, the springs came out, the check-ball came out, etc...


The dogs were let loose... the o-ring came off--it just might be do-able!


Yup, definitely broken


But wait-- didn't I say I don't have a key?!?! Yup.... this is a key that happens to slide in. That way I won't lose any springs or wafers. The key traps them until I can wrap tape around the core. I don't want to lose any springs.... they're about the size of a squished mosquito


After some cleaning, (ok, A LOT of cleaning, it's ready for a rebuild kit from Len. Yep, he carries all these parts, too, and instruction on how to rebuild gas caps have already previously been posted.


Oh yeah.... you probably wonder how the outside looks. It's not perfect, but it will live for another 38 years now..... for now, it goes in a baggies until I'm ready to re-assemble after de-rusting some of the parts, and getting other new parts.

 

That appears to be a plastic-body gas cap, rather than the metal-body cap............most of our gas cap rebuild parts will fit this style cap, except for the sealing gasket, which does not interchange (and which we do not have available):

xx6) OEM fuel tank gas cap SEALING GASKET and SPRINGS. The large round rubber ring gasket molded onto a stamped metal base, with a cinch spring surrounding it. Fits all the flip-open style gas caps that have a metal body. The black-plastic bodied flip-open caps use a different style sealing ring that is not currently available.

 

That lock is so much worse than the one on my Virago. It took three months of soaking in acetone/ATF to free that one up. The one you have would likley have never come free by soaking it. Not that it would have helped since the lugs are gone.

 

It's metal over plastic

 

Yep, that's the "plastic-bodied" gas cap that I am referring to. Some of the very early 1980 (perhaps '81 also) models used the plastic-bodies cap, and then that went the way of the dinosaur and was replaced by the much more common metal-bodied cap that most of us know and love..........beside the cap gaskets, there are some other major changes (not the lack of the housing for the sliding latch ears) that make most of the rebuild parts that we offer not compatible with this style cap. I've only seen 2 or 3 of these in all my years, so it must have been a very early production type thing.

 

You want it to copy?

 

No, we've got a couple of them down here, and they are so uncommon it wouldn't be worth the effort to re-make any of the specific items for it.