Wildguzzi.com
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: NC Steve on July 14, 2019, 04:22:43 PM
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I recently acquired an '03 Stone Hydro, and set about yesterday to removing the gas cap and do the Dremel trick to remove some material and prevent it from swelling and getting stuck. Well guess what, it's already stuck, on my first attempt to remove it. I've tried using WD-40, following some You Tube video ideas that didn't work, etc. I've worked on it for 2 days, and if I could just get the key to turn one time, I could take it and fix it. Having had a Jackal in the past, I know the procedure.
Does anyone have any ideas of how I can get the cap off? I've searched here and found plenty of posts about fixing the cap if it's off, but nothing on removing one already stuck. And if not, will drilling or punching out the lock release the mechanism inside so that I can get it off? I hate to do that, but if it's my only option, new locking caps without the plastic parts are available. :cry:
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Can't you just take the screws out of the ring, or am I thinking of something else?
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My 98’s stuck recently. I kept putting kroil in and around the cap. Finally got it opened. I think in the key slot it’s going to get into the sticky areas. It’s “ the oil that creeps” they say. Worked for me
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I second the use of Kroil. Worked on mine.
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Just ordered a can of Kroil, sure hope it works. I wish they sold it in something smaller than a 10 oz can, but I'll probably find more uses for it over time. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it'll solve the stuck cap problem!
Thanks. :thumb:
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Just ordered a can of Kroil, sure hope it works. I wish they sold it in something smaller than a 10 oz can, but I'll probably find more uses for it over time. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it'll solve the stuck cap problem!
Thanks. :thumb:
Oh, you will.. Kroil is great. But.. isn't Wayne right about taking the ring off? <scratching head>
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Oh, you will.. Kroil is great. But.. isn't Wayne right about taking the ring off? <scratching head>
I'm not certain about removing the ring. Several sources I found said that the screws easily fell into the tank, and I'm also unsure about what is on the other side of the ring. Even if I removed it, would the cap not still be stuck, due to the ethanol-swollen plastic?
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I'm not certain about removing the ring. Several sources I found said that the screws easily fell into the tank, and I'm also unsure about what is on the other side of the ring. Even if I removed it, would the cap not still be stuck, due to the ethanol-swollen plastic?
Memory is a funny thing when you're old.. :rolleyes: but its seems to me that there are cast in nuts in the tank. Once you have the whole assembly out, you can knock out the pin and disassemble the lock. (I think?) <shrug>
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Maybe not for their particular situation but I had a cap get stuck on a 03 EV. After I got it to finally unlock and removed it and got everything loosened up from that point on every couple weeks I would coat the key with good machine oil and run it and out of the gas cap and switch. I do that with every bike I owned for several years now and never had another issue.
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I just looked at my Stones gas cap and I think the whole thing comes off with the five screws like Wayne says. Chuck's memory seems good this morning as the cap has a small pin holding the guts of the cap together. There is a shield extending into the tank to prevent over filling which, may be close to interfering with the pin removal. But that shield may release with the removal of the whole assembly. I can't see how you could drop the screws into the tank. I can't see how loose nuts could be used either, on the inside of the tank. Mike
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take out the tank screws, now you can spray whatever you like directly on the offending parts. I don't think you can disassemble the lock until you get the cap away from the locking ring but at least you can lube the lock much easier.
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take out the tank screws, now you can spray whatever you like directly on the offending parts. I don't think you can disassemble the lock until you get the cap away from the locking ring but at least you can lube the lock much easier.
Thanks, that's what I was just thinking. I don't doubt that the cap will remain stuck in the ring, but if I can lubricate both sides maybe I can at least get the cap out so I can disassemble it and file down the swollen plastic.
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Turns out that in addition to the 5 screws, the ring is also held in place by the cap itself. So, it is loosened and able to spin, but can't be removed while the cap is in place, and that's still not willing to budge.
Back to waiting for the Kroil to arrive...
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Turns out that in addition to the 5 screws, the ring is also held in place by the cap itself. So, it is loosened and able to spin, but can't be removed while the cap is in place, and that's still not willing to budge.
Back to waiting for the Kroil to arrive...
Dang. Hoped that helped. Maybe at least with the ring off you can get some lube down in around it.
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Cap was stuck on my '02 CalStone when I bought it. I fired some brake or carb cleaner from an aerosol down into the keyhole, holding a towel around it to protect the paint. After the cleaner stopped coming out gritty and black, I dried it out with a couple quick shots from the air compressor (again with the towel) and used a bit of Kroil in the keyhole as others have mentioned. Voila! No doubt you remember the key turns counter-clockwise. :wink:
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Turns out that in addition to the 5 screws, the ring is also held in place by the cap itself. So, it is loosened and able to spin, but can't be removed while the cap is in place, and that's still not willing to budge.
Back to waiting for the Kroil to arrive...
<scratching head> Man, that just doesn't sound right.. you'd think the cap and ring assembly would be removable from the tank itself..
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The 5 screws hold the ring to the tank, but the cap goes thru the ring, and its locking mechanism inside the tank is holding everything together. If the cap is locked into the tank, nothing can be removed. :undecided:
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Best penetrating oil is ATF and Acetone mix:
https://oppositelock.kinja.com/make-your-own-kick-ass-penetrating-oil-1739690558
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Best penetrating oil is ATF and Acetone mix:
https://oppositelock.kinja.com/make-your-own-kick-ass-penetrating-oil-1739690558
It's *the* best for rust, but not necessarily best for corrosion.
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The 5 screws hold the ring to the tank, but the cap goes thru the ring, and its locking mechanism inside the tank is holding everything together. If the cap is locked into the tank, nothing can be removed. :undecided:
It just doesn't make sense. (of course it's Guzzi we are talking about :smiley: but still..) If I were designing a tank to be molded, I'd cast the nuts in place, and the ring would hold the cap. The locking gizmo (technical term) on the cap shouldn't be locking on the plastic tank..
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The locking gizmo (technical term) on the cap shouldn't be locking on the plastic tank..
Chuck your fingers may have been faster than your memory, at least on My wife’s 03 -04 Stone the tank is metal, not plastic.
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Looking closer at my Stone the ring with five screws is more trim than function. The inside part where the cap keys into position looks to have another set of screws that holds that part to the tank. And it looks like the cap and trim ring must be removed to get to them. So the keys shoulder looks like it goes into the tumbler far enough that some pressure can applied to turn it once the lube loosens it a bit. More of pain than it should be for sure. Sure glad I trimmed my cap up years ago. Mike
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Chuck your fingers may have been faster than your memory, at least on My wife’s 03 -04 Stone the tank is metal, not plastic.
Ahhhh.. my bad. I don't know why I was thinking plastic tank.. :rolleyes: Thanks for setting me straight. <head down and shuffling off..>
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When you finally get that POS off, beat it with a sledge hammer until you can't lift it any more.
Then contact member swbrenton, he made me a beautiful cap w/o the lock.
Never had a bit of trouble with it.
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When you finally get that POS off, beat it with a sledge hammer until you can't lift it any more.
Then contact member swbrenton, he made me a beautiful cap w/o the lock.
Never had a bit of trouble with it.
That's what my plan is if I can't soon get the thing off. A 3 lb. hand sledge should work great!
And I remember those caps, they were beautiful, but I'd like a lock though, if it wasn't plastic.
I may just spring for one of these, from MG Cycle.
http://www.mgcycle.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=286&products_id=2254
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That looks like the EV one. I did the grinding down thing, worked OK for awhile. But then acted up again.
I don't have my bike out of my sight much, and almost always a tank bag covering it.
Maybe you should ask others if they have used that cap?
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(https://i.ibb.co/b1PVPLh/20190715-193823.jpg) (https://ibb.co/b1PVPLh)
2004 EV
Take out the screws, pry off the ring, and the locked cap comes off with it. You can then do surgery on it.
The ring IS a tight fit against the paint lined hole, so it will not just flop out.
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BTW, the gasket for the tank ring is ridiculously expensive. Be careful with it.
Rich A
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When you finally get it apart~ just dremel the bottom coil off the big spring. Worked like a charm; takes couple minutes!!
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Finally got the gas cap off! A member here recognized my discussion of the problem, and it turns out he was a prior owner of this Stone. The key slot was not exactly at the 12 & 6 position, more 12.5 and 6.5. When the key was turned clockwise until it stopped, at 12.5, it became very stuck, although it had only happened to him a couple times and he was able to get the cap unlocked with enough wiggling. He told me a few tricks to try, but unfortunately none of them helped, and I was also unable to pry the ring and cap off in one piece. As a last ditch idea, I finally inserted the tip of a small screwdriver into the key slot and gave it a few gentle twists counterclockwise, and something finally went click. I was then able to get the key back in and with a little more wiggling the cap came off, unlocked.
This being a somewhat unique situation, I'm not sure filing or using a Dremel on the plastic lock mechanism of the lock will help, but if that doesn't solve the problem on a permanent basis, I may still get a new cap from MG Cycle. They sell brand new ones with 2 keys for less than the used ones I've found on Ebay.
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I didn't see it at MG when I looked the other day, but they used to sell a the same cap but without a lock insert. You would take out the lock from your cap and still use only one key for the bike. Might be worth a call to them and see if they still have any.
Tom
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Do you park in bad areas? Just wonder why you need a locking cap.
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When you finally get it apart~ just dremel the bottom coil off the big spring. Worked like a charm; takes couple minutes!!
Oh yeah? That still leaves enough tension for things to stay tight and not rattle around?
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Do you park in bad areas? Just wonder why you need a locking cap.
Not really, but in a downtown location with lots of folks nearby. And since the least expensive cap I've found is a direct Guzzi replacement that locks, it just seems the logical thing to do.
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Not really, but in a downtown location with lots of folks nearby. And since the least expensive cap I've found is a direct Guzzi replacement that locks, it just seems the logical thing to do.
OK, I was thinking you commuted on the bike for work transportation
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OK, I was thinking you commuted on the bike for work transportation
Nope, I retired 8 years ago. :thumb:
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Nope, I retired 8 years ago. :thumb:
That explains all those bikes :grin:
'03 Stone Hydro
'99 BMW R1100R-traded
'19 Royal Enfield Himalayan-love it!
'89 Guzzi Mille GT-sold
'07 Honda ST1300-gone
'00 Guzzi Jackal-sold
Several BMW Airheads and a K75
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Oh yeah? That still leaves enough tension for things to stay tight and not rattle around?
Like I said, works a treat!