Gas leak from new Like

[ron4mac]

I just bought a new 2013 Like200i (.7 miles on the odo).  I rode it home from the dealer (~25 mi), and later went out with my car and got a 5 gallon can of ethanol-free 91 octane gas.  Filled the tank on the Like from the can.  Was a clean job and not a drop spilled (new can designs help keep that from happening).  A half hour later, I went out to do a better job of attaching the license plate than what the dealer had done, and I noticed gasoline dripping from the engine area.  I popped up the seat to look at the filler area and it was clean but I decided to open it up.  There was some pressure but nothing I would consider excessive.  It had been sitting in the sun after filling it with cool gasoline.  I took it for a ride and it was okay and haven't noticed any leak since (a day and 1/2).

I'm a big newbie to to this .. is that leak something that will happen with a full tank as it sits in the sun?

Thanks for any wisdom you can share.

[BettinANDlosing]

Full is subjective. How full? It should never be totally to the top of the filler neck, it can come out the vent and fill up the emission system. Check the hose clamps on the fuel line too

[ron4mac]

Full is subjective. How full? It should never be totally to the top of the filler neck, it can come out the vent and fill up the emission system.

It was full to probably 3/4" down the neck from that emission tube. Perhaps that was too full, but I wouldn't have thought the gas would expand that much.

For now, I guess I'll chalk it up to overfill and hope that's all that it was.

Thanks for your help.

[BettinANDlosing]

You want to make sure it's well below the neck unless you take off the emission system.

[exhalent99]

With the gas cap off, look into the tank.  You see that bar which runs across about 3" down?  That is the fill line.

1/4" down from the cap is overfilled.  Many of us here (including myself) did this on our first fill-up, scrambled to the forum, and learned what the owner's manual doesn't tell us.

The tanks are so small that I seem to remember it filling so fast that I actually has gas overflow from the tube!  I just couldn't believe that my tank went fron 1/4 to full on $5.50 (canadian)!!!

Ride safe!

[Stig / Major Tom]

See the pix here when I was having an issue with vacuum forming in my LIKE's tank ---big sucking noise when I opened the cap.
Cap is supposed to let air vent in - but mine wasn't.
For gas to leak out onto the ground it seems to me it must have pushed up the filler neck AND pushed out of the cap to reach the rubber cup thing around the cap - which collects over filled gas and empties it down the hose to the ground. So, if you over fill at the pump, the gas will not go into the engine area - but drain down the hose onto the ground under the scoot.
That tiny  vent hole (see photo) leads into the fumes collecting EPA/Tree-hugging octopus of hoses & charcoal cannister via a little black thing that looks like a fuel filter but is actually a one-way valve. I do not see how gas could get to the ground via that hole or that hose system...? It had to push clear out of the cap to that over-flow boat and then drain to the earth.
BTW: if your cap 'sucks' when you open it - try blowing into it with a can of PC air and/or removing all the hoses and that 1-way valve and blowing/draining them. I did all the above and the cap stopped holding a vacuum and began venting as my dealer mechanic told me it should. I have no clue why it was fixed and venting properly - just another testimony to my mechanical abilities.

The top arrow is pointing to the over-flow hose connected to the over-fill boat.

Sure, and don't overfill.
Who knew?
Stig




 http://www.kymcoforum.com/index.php?topic=11015.msg111630#msg111630

[TroutBum]

I have had that happen a couple of times. Each time is when I filled into the neck. I would park the scooter in the garage and come back sometime later to find a strong smell of gas a puddle of gas near the center stand. The thing to do as was suggested is to Stop at just above the bar at the base of the neck. If you do happen to over fill the tank ride the scooter for 20 miles (like you need an excuse to do that. ;>) ). I find that prevents it from spilling out the overflow and brings the level down in your tank to below the fill line bar.

[DMblues01]

I think everyone has overfilled their scoot's tank at least once. I did it on my Super8 150 the first couple of times I got gas.
I had the issue with fuel expanding and getting to the emissions crap. The scoot was almost impossible to get started when that happened, but after it got going and cleared out it was fine.

I agree with riding it for a few miles after fill up, just to run a little fuel out of the tank before parking it.
My rule is--
NEVER fuel up on the way home. ALWAYS fuel up when I leave home to go somewhere. That way, I know I'm running a few miles worth of fuel out of the tank before it gets parked for any amount of time. Haven't had an issue since.

Just remember-- If we don't ever make mistakes in the beginning, we never gain any wisdom for the future!

Duke-

[Dolemite]

My dealer TOPPED mine off when I first bought it. What a sight it was when i got home to show off my new scooter to my friends when gas started trickling down around the air filter. As the others said, stop at the bar and all will be fine.