Removal of cannister....yea/nay?

[medieval]

Any opinions regarding elimination of the cannister over the rear tire?
As far as I know it would only be a visual 'clean-up' vs a performance enhacement. Mechanically it would vent fumes to atmosphere. Have you removed yours? Would you do the same on your next bike? :brow

[Boxerkuh]

I used to have a R11RT. I removed it after the carbon canister failed and put a bunch of junk (carbon pellets) back into the gas tank. In Germany they don't have the carbon canistor. BMW never took full ownership off the problem, but did replace it under warrenty once. It does not require any engine motifications. Follow the Jeff Dean recommendations. They are on the money. :thumb

[cruisin]

:thumb did my RT per instructions on IBMWR. Didn't change performance any but did clean up the look. Not a big deal if you keep your bags on all the time but I like to go bagless a lot and realy like the cleaner look.

[Gravity]

I have a '98 R1100R and when I took it for service the mech offered to remove it so it's gone. No noticeable performance increase but it's gone.

[jdiaz]

We always used to remove them from our Oilheads because they were so ugly. I left it on my K1200LT, and the thing will plug up from water spray in heavy rainstorms, which is a really great way to ruin a fuel-level sending unit. I gotta fix that.

[riderR1150GSAdv]

It has been the very first modification I made to all my bikes. The canister is only there for California. The rest of the planet seems to be safe without it. :stick :D

[BubbaZanetti]

mine's gone, no harm whatsoever in removing

no performance "upgrade" either

[sfarson]

Removed it from the S, and can note from this image (pre-canisterectomy) how cleaned up the rear would be without it.

http://www.farson.com/bmw/sjun640.jpg

[riderR1150GSAdv]

Nice photo! :thumb

[PUDGYPAINTGUY]

Removed it from the S, and can note from this image (pre-canisterectomy) how cleaned up the rear would be without it.

http://www.farson.com/bmw/sjun640.jpg


Now this would be a great pic of the week. :D

[greer]

I must be overlooking the article on the ibmwr site, could somebody post a direct link or tell me how to find it? Thanks,

Sarah

[cruisin]

cannister-ectomy (http://www.ibmwr.org/r-tech/oilheads/cannister_horn.shtml)

[Xaque]

You could always paint it bright blue and put a "NOS" decal on it.... :p

I saw a pic of someone who did that someplace....

-Xaque-

[BubbaZanetti]

i was gonna turn mine into a hiding place for cantaloupes and horned mellon when i cross the canadian border.........

[greer]

Thanks Cruisin!!

Sarah

[The_Veg]

Funny reading this, getting the impresseion that the cannisters are well-intentioned but don't work well enough to be worth keeping- much like the pulse-air systems on late Airheads.
I'm all for reducing emissions however possible, but the means need to be long-term reliable. Are you listening, BMW?

[j-budimlya]

Funny reading this, getting the impresseion that the cannisters are well-intentioned but don't work well enough to be worth keeping- much like the pulse-air systems on late Airheads.
I'm all for reducing emissions however possible, but the means need to be long-term reliable. Are you listening, BMW?

It's there to reduce the gasoline evaporative emissions from the gas tank....you car, every gas car has one....they work until the gas evaporation fully loads the carbon....then they too don't work anymore.....like in long term storage....

but under normal usage, everytime you run the motor, the engine vacumn removes the gas vapors from the carbon and it's like new again....the cycle repeats for many years before the carbon is no longer any good....if ever...

[wuli959]

so removing it is just for looks?? :brow

[j-budimlya]

so removing it is just for looks?? :brow

And it will eliminate the "over rich" mixture on startup...that comes from the cannister...

It will also allow a very small amount of gas vapors to enter the atomsphere while in storage....just like any tank filling does.....

You pick....

[rlitavecz]

i was gonna turn mine into a hiding place for cantaloupes and horned mellon when i cross the canadian border.........
I DID turn mine into storage. I replaced the bolt with a longer one and use a wing nut to hold the canister on for easy removal. I store my cargo net inside and used a cap from a plastic storage bowl that fits perfectly.

[sfarson]

so removing it is just for looks?? :brow

Was for me. Believe some of the later model BM's have the canisters in more discrete locations.

[PUDGYPAINTGUY]

Yeah mine was carefully hidden in plain view on the right side of my GS...lol

[Boxerkuh]

I don't think that anybody can convince me that the canister is needed. In the 88K that I owned my 99 RT I had it failed on me three times (BMW only owned up to one). The first time I had a problem was at 34 K; the dealer said it was bad gas and they charge me over $500 to clean the tank and to diagnose the problem and on top of that I was being stranded on the road; not 1500 miles later it happened again... this time... under warranty, a clogged canister, one of the oneway valve failed and put carbon back in the tank. They replaced it, but would not refund me the over $500 from before... Well, 10K later it happened again. Now out of warranty with the identicial problems, I took the cannister off, cleaned the tank myself and did not have that particular problem again.... but come on....they are suppose to last.... Don't get me started... all I can say... take it off and use it for target practice. :fight I don't think that anybody with about 46K on a beemer should be stranded on the road 3 times for the same item... did anybody at BMW listen??? No way... can't give me any of the new ones... well you can give it to me and I sell it and get a couple of airheads....

[Belg]

I DID turn mine into storage. I replaced the bolt with a longer one and use a wing nut to hold the canister on for easy removal. I store my cargo net inside and used a cap from a plastic storage bowl that fits perfectly.

Oh boy oh boy oh boy... do I have some ideas now...

Mark

[soffiler]

I don't think that anybody can convince me that the canister is needed. In the 88K that I owned my 99 RT I had it failed on me three times (BMW only owned up to one). The first time I had a problem was at 34 K; the dealer said it was bad gas and they charge me over $500 to clean the tank and to diagnose the problem and on top of that I was being stranded on the road; not 1500 miles later it happened again... this time... under warranty, a clogged canister, one of the oneway valve failed and put carbon back in the tank. They replaced it, but would not refund me the over $500 from before... Well, 10K later it happened again...

OK, I've got to ask: are you trying to fill your tank to the very tip-top? On some BMW models this is known to cause raw liquid gasoline to saturate the canister, and then cause all sorts of problems of the nature you describe. Indeed, one of the arguements in favor of canister removal is to regain the ability to fill the tank all the way to the top. Raw gas might then spill down the overflow and onto the ground, which for some people is an environmental concern.

[Kev95GS]

Oh boy oh boy oh boy... do I have some ideas now...

Mark

I think a dog could still smell anything in there!... :brow

:stick :nono :laugh :rofl :rofl

Kevin

[BubbaZanetti]

I think a dog could still smell anything in there!... :brow

:stick :nono :laugh :rofl :rofl

Kevin



no way man, the charcoal smell totally confuses them..............

[Xaque]

no way man, the charcoal smell totally confuses them..............

Just don't try to smugle doq bisquits...

DAHIK.

-Xaque-

[BubbaZanetti]

"officer, can i borrow your drug sniffing dog for a few minutes, i seem to have misplaced something on my motorcycle"


http://snltranscripts.jt.org/04/pics/04edrug.jpg

[Kev95GS]

Shhhhh.... they might be watchin!

:bolt

[Belg]

Now, if you could just get the gas fumes out, and add a butterfly valve an nichrome wire...

[jacco]

OK, I've got to ask: are you trying to fill your tank to the very tip-top?

How full is too full?!? I guess that I tend to do this and would like to know more. Where's the hose for this thingy located?

Y'all have my attention all of a sudden...

[BubbaZanetti]

How full is too full?!? I guess that I tend to do this and would like to know more. Where's the hose for this thingy located?

Y'all have my attention all of a sudden...



you really shouldn't be able to fill the tank up to the top, thats what that filler tube is in there for, to keep gas from getting everywhere, if you drill some holes in it you can fit an few extra ounces............

[Boxerkuh]

Okay, I am cooled off. Good question though about filling the tank up to the rim. No, I don't think so. I fill the tank up normally and nothing would come out of the overflow. I did examine the broken canister though and the tanks. The canister has a "one-way" valve in it that failed and allowed tiny carbon bellets to get back in the gas tank. They would then move to the bottom and clog the injectors at times. Because I saw this with my own eyes, I say to remove it. I even moved the fuel filter to the outside of the tank so that I could change it easier. I stalled one time on the interstate, changed the fuel filter, disconnected the injectors blow it out and continued on.... a pain in the butt on a RT on the side of the road... this is another reason I say remove the carbon canister... Hope that clears it up. Remove it and forget it....

[soffiler]

Okay, I am cooled off. Good question though about filling the tank up to the rim. No, I don't think so. I fill the tank up normally and nothing would come out of the overflow. I did examine the broken canister though and the tanks. The canister has a "one-way" valve in it that failed and allowed tiny carbon bellets to get back in the gas tank. They would then move to the bottom and clog the injectors at times. Because I saw this with my own eyes, I say to remove it. I even moved the fuel filter to the outside of the tank so that I could change it easier. I stalled one time on the interstate, changed the fuel filter, disconnected the injectors blow it out and continued on.... a pain in the butt on a RT on the side of the road... this is another reason I say remove the carbon canister... Hope that clears it up. Remove it and forget it....

I am all in favor of freedom of choice. If you want to remove the canister, fine by me. In your shoes, with the failure you'd seen, I'd probably do the exact same thing.

Just one more comment though: I don't think there is an "overflow tube" per se. Reason I say this: any tube that would allow raw fuel to overflow onto the ground would also by defintion allow fuel vapor out. Which would render the canister system moot. Vapor recovery MUST be a closed system. So, if you were judging your fuel fill based on the fact that you observed no overflow, well, that's probably not a good way to judge fuel fill.

Here is a pretty decent description of the function of the vapor system which supports my assertion that overfilling the tank is a leading cause of canister failure and charcoal pollution of the fuel system:

http://www.bmwsearch.net/main/digest/V2001/N15/digest-20011565.html#subject2001156511

Hey, I've ridden across a desert or two in my day, and sure I understand the desire to get those last couple ounces of fuel in there just-in-case.