Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

I suspected water seeps in my ZZR fuel tank as we rode in the storm 2 days ago.

I was advised by hammer to put a little bit of Methylated Spirits in the tank if that happens again. (thanks stu )

I'd like to hear what are your views on this issue, water in fuel tank.

Any 'myths' or 'traditional methods' or 'other methods' ?

RG metho will get rid of it but i would check the fuel filter as well, I use a product called fuel docter mostly because i have a couple of diesels in the yard but it is very suitable for petrol engines as well and according to there spiel removes water, rust, and goo from the fuel system.

I dont doubt that it works and a 1 liter bottle would last you 10 years, for what you want metho would be ok and i use additives because you get dodgy diesel more than dodgy petrol.

RG wrote:I'd like to hear what are your views on this issue, water in fuel tank.

Any 'myths' or 'traditional methods' or 'other methods' ?

Metho works ok, I find in hot/cold changeable weather where your bike is going to be subject to condensation it is good to keep the tank topped up so most of the available space is full of petrol, not humid air.

Metho won't get rid of copious amounts of water, in all probability you will also need to drain your carbie float bowls as well. That means a tank removal at the very least, a 3mm allen key and a cut-down coke bottle to catch the drainings.

Also, make sure you fuel cap is a good fit, and the rubber bit on the inside isn't perished.

hth

Does it rain in Brisbane....I thought it only rained in Melbourne....


I was wondering if it's just easier to pull the tank off...that way you get all the last bits of the water plus any gum or sediment as well thats in the tank (especially if you try rincing it with petrol or something similiar maybe metho etc) ...I thought taking off the tank would be easy to do on a bike???

I'm told that not all bikes have filters on them...I was thinking that it may be a good thing to remove and flush the tank from time to time as high Octane fuel is quite slow moving compared to normal unleaded and (have been told dunno if it's true) that you can get more sediment in high octane unleaded when it gets near the bottom because of it's slower turn over rate..maybe someone can tell me if this is true

Yes, of coz removing the tank and draining out all the fuel + water in there will be a better idea, but it'll be a pretty messy work.
Especially so when I have more than 10 litres of petrol to contain and hope it's not contaminated when I store them in containers temporarily.
Letting petrol flow to the gutters is dangerous(and illegal).

And another question here: Will the Methylated Spirits affect the fuel in anyway?

RG wrote: And another question here: Will the Methylated Spirits affect the fuel in anyway?

No, but if you use too much it will knacker all the seals in your engine and stuff it real bad

...That's why no-one wants ethanol in their fuel. Metho is mostly methanol, but the rubber-stuffing aspect is the same.

Sorry to nerd it up Ratmick, but I must correct you...

Methylated spirits is Ethanol (pure alcohol) to which they add Methyl (Methanol) therefore Methylated. This is because Methyl alcohol is poisonous and the government can't have alcohol being sold for conumption without them collecting an excise, can they?

It would be bad if you used it all the time, especially as the average bike has a lot more alloy bits than the average car. Ethanol is quite corrosive on some of the alloys, not to mention the rubbers.

Essentially how it works, is that methylated spirit is bipolar, meaning there is a slightly positive end, and a slightly negative end, allowing it to create weak bonds with both water and oil (petrol) at the same time. This breaks the water down and allows it to pass through the engine without killing performance much.

If you have a lot of water in there, you really will need to drain the tank though.

Felix wrote: Sorry to nerd it up Ratmick, but I must correct you...

Methylated spirits is Ethanol (pure alcohol) to which they add Methyl (Methanol) therefore Methylated. This is because Methyl alcohol is poisonous and the government can't have alcohol being sold for conumption without them collecting an excise, can they?

I was still thinking how to explain the Methyl part to him but u said it all.

Felix wrote:
Essentially how it works, is that methylated spirit is bipolar, meaning there is a slightly positive end, and a slightly negative end, allowing it to create weak bonds with both water and oil (petrol) at the same time. This breaks the water down and allows it to pass through the engine without killing performance much.

Ok, now that's a clearer picture.

But, will the octane level of the fuel be affected?

Felix wrote:Sorry to nerd it up Ratmick, but I must correct you...

I sit corrected, please flagellate me as you pass as I am unworthy.

Ratmick wrote:I sit corrected, please flagellate me as you pass as I am unworthy.

I guess I can let it slide...this time



Sorry, just thought a thorough explanation would be useful...

RG mate you probably want to get your tank Coated inside as well, i had a spewie gsx550 years back that the tank decided to rust out from the inside from the moist Brissie air. costs about $80 now i think.
cheers Brett

One thing you probably want to look at is the seal around your filler cap.
these are really easy to replace and should stop the water getting in there in the first place.

Just put LRP in it, that should do the trick!!!!

nobikeatall wrote:Just put LRP in it, that should do the trick!!!!

Yeah! why didn't I think of that!

like rat said, try keep your tank topped up as much as possible, the heat from engine then cool weather will add to it..
I drain and clean tank every now and then, one gadget I bought the other day that made it easier with the lawnmower bike was a 15 electric pump used to fueling model airplanes you can stick that in without needing the remove tank from bike. Although removing tank and checking filter is the safer better option.