What did you do to your Yamaha today?

That's about the gnarli-est thing I've seen in a while...…...

 

Well, crap. After reinstalling the fuel rail, it seemed to take initial pressure just fine, but, after a few minutes running, I still have a leak. Not sure whether it was something I just couldn't see with vacuum testing, or if something cracked from the tension of clamping the fuel rail back in place.

Oh well... at least I'm getting better at removing and reinstalling it.

 

Ok, the gas cap is all apart, ready for total re-do.

the ball valve hole is clear


the breather vent hole is clear


the pitted cover is off, and the o-ring is actually still in really good shape!!


the breather filter is totally clogged, but that’s ok.... it’ll get replaced anyway.

The tank has been power-flushed to get rid of much of the loose junk. Now it is sitting full to the top with 1.25 gal of muriatic acid diluted with water and filled right just below the filler lip. It’s gonna sit like that for a couple days now.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Gas-Tank-C...079493?hash=item3b2eca4985:g:5vcAAOSwRxJbxnsU

Change out the key lock and be happy.

 

But then I would be re-doing THIS one. Yup, I could just get a cheap crappy one like that. But then I wouldn’t be showing anybody how to actually disassemble a cap and repair it, now, would I? Considering the condition things were in when I got this tank, and this rack, I made it a challenge to rebuild, not replace, other than little bits the HAVE to be replaced. Cost was not a determining factor here.

besides..... why go get a cheap part off eBay when I could just pull a better one off a parts bike that I already have??

 

Continuous on the effort to restore as much as possible is very admirable; and as far as I am able to attest that must be a large part of where the knowledge and experience comes into play with being able to instruct the newbies around here....

 

So many times we hear gas caps that are not venting the tank properly and causing the fuel to stop flowing. (this pertains to vented caps....not the california non-vented caps) Here’s why: scroll back up to the last few pics of the cap. There are some things to look for.

1.if you look at the top of the casting—see the holes on either side of the cylinder hole? See the channels they are in? That’s what allows air to move around under the chrome and allow the tank to vent/breathe.

2. Turn the casting over. Now you can see the holes from the other side. The bigger hole has a brass sleeve that slides in and holds a very small filter in place. That is the breather. The other hole simply has a ball bearing in it. That is supposed to keep fuel from spilling out if the tank flips upside down. Notice that from the top, those two holes are “Connected”.....that allows air to circulate and avoid a vacuum. When tank caps get clogged and prevent air from moving, then up have fuel delivery issues......vacuum lock.

3. The third component, which I do have to replace is the big rubber gasket. That is molded around a metal plate that is connected to the cap, and has four springs under it to maintain contact and seal. That keeps everything else in the tank, and everything else out, too.

the little bits and pieces that go on the underside of the Cap are all available from Len, too, BTW.

 

So, what how did the rest of the tank turn out?

Well......

inside—


outside


The tank was filled with a 25% HCL/75% water solution for 24hrs. Then flushed with a hose flood for about 10 min, then drained and standing water was wicked out with a cloth. I set it on top of my wood stove to finish drying. It’s all ready for a phospho bath inside. All I need to do it use compressed air and a vacuum to get out any residual dust.

As far as outside, I’ve cleaned it about as much as I’m gonna do. The paint that is exposed cleaned nicely. The rest is not quite as nice because the clear goat is still there and the darker areas is because of The oxidized zone between the bare paint and the basically solid clearcoat. I did nothing underneath. It’s solid, just needs a meeting with a wire brush then cleaning. I did notice a little drip at the back right corner, but when I wiped it off, it didn’t show up again, so either it is was minuscule leak, or some water that dripped when I sloshed things around.

I’m going to leave it as is, and if it needs a small repair sometime, it’ll be almost hidden by the seat anyway.

Now, to get back to the gas cap.... I did find a very nice midnight maxim cap that has no key. I think that is going to be the donor cap for the repair. Yesh, I know I could just get a key made, but that is not the point here. The point is to repair THIS cap. Then when I’m done, this cap is going to go on my 650rj.... why??? Because I’m changing the color from USA silver to Canadian red. The gold cap with be a nice touch of bling.

 

Pulled the fuel rail again and found and fixed the rest of the leaks. There were three more! One tiny one, and two even tinier ones. Couldn't really even see them by pulling vacuum on the fuel rail. Instead had to plug it and immerse it and pressurize it with compressed air. Will reinstall it tomorrow and start some tweaking of the tune... as much as I can do in the garage, anyway.

 

Need some help!!
I’ve had my 700 running for a bit now. Went to start it today and it turned over once then that was it. No more clicking sound when I turn the key on. If I jump the relay the starter will spin but not start.

Yesterday I pulled the reed switch for the auto cancel feature and removed it and changed the oil. The only things I’ve done since it last ran.

 

How old is the battery? How long did the bike sit for between rides?

 

Battery works fine, it’s somewhere else
Update:
If I jump 12V to the red/white wire going to the relay assembly, it clicks and I can start it. Guess I have to figure out where that goes....

 

Time to start looking at schematics wooohoooo!!! Love electrical most people hate it.

 

Man I’m trying. Trying to keep my eyes from crossing, lol

 

Ha I can imagine; something to be great full for; I work on 1 ton diesel trucks and such they have some very complicated wiring.... whenever I work on my bike it’s like a walk in the park. You just have to have a moderate level of understanding on how the bikes work electrically. You can do it though.

 

How do you know the battery is still good?

 

I put a plate on Lazarene, recently acquired 750 Midnight Maxim, and took her for a fresh tank of gas. Her first time on the road since likely 2007 per the old stickers.

 

So I decided to check my ignition fuse...that was the culprit. It was loosely holding the fuse on one side. Cleaned the contacts, opened it up a little and it’s clicking and firing up. was worried it something more complex.

 

The battery tests well and charges well while running.

 

How are you testing the battery?