Filling up

[112124]

I have the ongoing problem of filling my gas tank so that it's really full. Today, as usual, it needed around 5 galllons. At 4 gallons the pump shut off. I could only "click" a little more gas into the tank. If I pull back on the cuff that seals the tank opening I can get another gallon in the tank. When I drove off from the station the fuel indicator indicated just a little above three-quarters full. I've filled up on the sidestand as well as the centerstand. It doesn't matter. It's always a challenge to fill up. Is this a K1200 problem? What's the solution?

[deilenberger]

Originally posted by Dennis
I have the ongoing problem of filling my gas tank so that it's really full. Today, as usual, it needed around 5 galllons. At 4 gallons the pump shut off. I could only "click" a little more gas into the tank. If I pull back on the cuff that seals the tank opening I can get another gallon in the tank. When I drove off from the station the fuel indicator indicated just a little above three-quarters full. I've filled up on the sidestand as well as the centerstand. It doesn't matter. It's always a challenge to fill up. Is this a K1200 problem? What's the solution?

The solution is twofold:

1. Pull up the cuff that traps the vapors so the tank can be filled all the way.

2. Recalibrate the fuel sender - you'll have to bend the arm on it inside the tank. Best done with tank empty, an no open or smoldering flames in the area.

The vapor trap is a problem with ALL motorcycles. No exceptions there. The fuel sender is a "they all do that" (mostly) sorta thing.

[Argus 21]

Don is certainly right on the "they all do that" thing on the full indication. My new K1200GT will just get the fuel guage needle into the white full arc after doing everything but tamping the gas in with a stick to fill it.

[112124]

Your responses are helpful. When I mentioned filling up to a service manager he mentioned something about a filter that if gas goes into it can cause real problems. Not being too mechanical I'm not sure about it one way or the other. Certainly pulling up on the cuff until the tank is full is certainly a way to go. Anybody know about the filter situation?

[1flyer]

Here’s my $ .02 worth. This sound like may be a problem with the vapor canister. On my K1200LT, if the canister becomes contaminated with fuel, it will not allow the tank to vent as fuel is used by the engine. This will cause the plastic tank (K1200LT) to deform and that is why you can never put the full amount of fuel in the tank when you refuel. As the tank collapses, due to the vacuum being created as the fuel is used by the engine, it may bend the fuel sending unit and that will cause the gage reading to be lower than it should be with a full tank. Or, the sending unit may be fine but the now deformed (collapsed) tank won’t hold as much fuel.

Have you noticed any pressure or vacuum being released as you remove the gas cap? That’s a sure sign of a venting problem. There are several post on this over at the K1200LT.net site and instructions on how to cure the problem if it’s related to the canister/filter.

[112124]

Hey 1flyer you hit the problem. When I release the fuel cap it sounds like it's sucking in a tank full of air. I thought that was an appropriate reaction by the fuel injector setup. Time to have it checked.

[FSTOUR]

One would think a $18,000.00 bike would not have such problems.

[Argus 21]

It is disappointing when the customer becomes the troubleshooter....

[AZgman]

Check the K1200LT.net site for canisterectomy to "solve" your problem!

[112124]

Can you tell me more about the cannister? I've heard reference to this before but can't find where it's located or how it can be changed. I'm finding that a "saturated" one can cause this problem.

[1flyer]

One more consideration I had forgotten about was the possibility of a pinched vent hose. Have you had the plastic off lately? If it has been off there is a chance the vent hose was pinched when the plastic went back on.

See if these bmwlt.net links will work for you. There is a world of information there on K1200LT's

http://www.bmwlt.net/ubbthreads/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Board=K1200LT&Number=159072&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=0&vc=1

http://www.bmwlt.net/ubbthreads/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Board=K1200LT&Number=80002&page=3&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=7