Hey Folks,

I have put my bike in storage for the winter and filled the tank with gas and an appropriate amount of gas stabilizer. However, I want to remove the gas tank so I can access the wires and connectors as part of installing new handlebars, switch housing replacement, and going to internal wiring. The bike is a 2006 Heritage Softail (FLSTi). The service manual says that one step in removing the gas tank is to disconnect the quick connect hosing linking the tank to the fuel injection system. When I disconnect this quick connect, will the gas leak out of the tank from that connection or does the quick connect also act as a shutoff? Thanks.

G'day,

Vinish

 

acts as a shutoff so no problem - go for it. Also, remember that 5 gallons of gas weighs 30 pounds or so. Handle with caution.

 

No problems, it will shut off the gas too when you disconnect the line.

 

Note:

If it is fuel injected the fuel system is under a lot of pressure (50 PSI I think). Before disconnecting pull fuel pump fuse start the bike and let it stall. Then run the starter for a few additional seconds to purge the fuel from the system. The disconnect has a check valve that will close when you disconnect it but as you disconnect it fuel will spay all over the place if you don't take the pressure off.

 

Install a hose on the elbow into a clean container and let the pump do the rest!

 

Didn't want to start a new thread so I hope someone is still listening. I have to undo the quick disconnect but the bike can not be started at this point. Is the only way to release the pressure to run it out of gas? I should have thought of this before I got this far into breaking the bike down. I guess I might have to accept a gas spray to get past this point.

 

FYI, I went ahead and tried it with out releasing the pressure first. Just wrapped a big towel around it all, put my hands in and released it. Very little spray and leakage. Piece of cake.

 

MetalKat,

Yes, fluid under pressure will relieve that pressure with very little flow of volume provided there is no air in the system which there should not be in a pressurized fuel system. I did the same as you but I didn't even worry about the spray and did not use a towel.

The bigger problem you will have if you are removing the tank is the dang fuel crossover line that runs between the left and right "lobes" of the fuel tank. This is a plastic/rubber hose. Mine had a hose clamp on only one side (clutch handle side). When the tank is in place on the frame, this crossover hose runs through the frame so that the tank cannot be removed without first disconnecting the hose from one lobe. I had my wife stand above the bike ready to "pounce". I loosened the hose clamp and disconnected the crossover hose. As quickly as possible, my wife put a finger over the nipple on the left tank lobe and I put a finger over the open end of the crossover hose. All other wires and lines (fuel level sensor, console wiring, vent line, and pressurized fuel line) had been already disconnected. We lifted the tank off the frame and set it upon a previously arrange towel on the ground - keeping our fingers over the two fuel crossover holes. Then we tipped the tank so that it stood on its back end (the end with the hole that is attached near the seat). This put the holes as high up as possible. We then removed our fingers and I reattached the crossover hose as quickly as possible.

This technique makes a mess. Wear clothes that you don't care about because you will spill a couple cups of gas when removing the hose and a little more when putting the hose back in place on the removed tank. Of course, you will have to repeat this process again when you put the tank back in place. If I had the luxury, I would have ridden the bike to near empty prior to doing this but I had the tank full with fuel plus fuel stabilizer and ready for the winter storage prior to beginning my handlebar rebuild.

Oh well, the work is all done now and it looks AWESOME.

The only problem is that now that my wife sees how great it looks, she wants me to do the same to her bike. She has a really nice Honda VTX 1300R so much of what I learned about installation of the cables, tanks, etc. on my '06 Heritage Softail won't be useful in working on hers so I mostly get to start over. Oh well, what better do I have to do than sit in an unheated storage warehous in the middle of a Michigan winter working on bikes :-)

Good luck and G'day,

Vinish

 

Thanks for the tips Vinish, I love working on the bike. Very therapeutic!