Let's say that this guy, I'll call him "Bill", was adding Startron fuel stabilizer to his Icon gas tank, using the bottle lid for measurement like he'd done dozens of times before with numerous bikes (one capful treats 1.6 gals, by the way), and at that moment the little cardboard seal thingy normally stuck on the inside of the bottle cap came off and sank down into the gas tank....should this be cause for alarm for DH... I mean "Bill"? Will this thingy cause fuel uptake, or other problems, or can it be left alone?
Gas Tank Mishap -- Cause for Alarm?
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Doh! That suck! I would grab a claw pickup tool and a flashlight and get that thing out of there. Nobody could ever convince me that it's fine to just leave it in there. I would take the tank off and dump it out if I had to.
Can't see it or I would try the grabby tool. Apparently, it doesn't float. Taking off the tank is not a project that I would like to do, especially if it's not going to hurt anything in there. I will be removing, on sight, all such bottle cap seal things in the future. What are the odds?? Anyway, I don't know the internal design of the fuel system, and don't have access to a shop manual to look at, but I presume that there is an intake screen in there that would prevent the little disc (about the size of a dime) from going any farther. Anybody out there know more about the fuel intake system?
I use it year round, normally, so it's just been a habit of keeping it in the tanks. When I'm not able to ride much, the bikes sit in the garage sometimes for weeks. It also apparently deals with the effects of ethanol in gas, and keeps fuel systems clean. But I digress from the problem at hand. Without a definitive answer, I guess I'll siphon out the gas, take off the gas cap assembly to get more room to work, and borrow my buddy's fiber optic scope to look around in there until I find it, then use the grabby tool to fish it out (I hope). Quite the PITA, but a lesson learned.
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We should all be using something to ease the effects of that F____ING ethanol, think I might try the Lucas Oil Safeguard Ethanol Fuel Conditioner. It can't hurt right?
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Don't forget that not everybody lives on the good ole U.S of A.
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Incredible but true!
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7 billion and counting
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I'm in the camp that thinks nothing will happen if you just leave it in there. I'm also in the camp that never adds anything to the fuel. Things like Sta-bil, Sea Foam, and Startron are things I'd put in my 1960 Ford.. or maybe my lawn mower, but my bikes and their fuel are fine over the winter. I run 91 non-ethanol in everything.
The only reason I'd consider Startron is if I lived somewhere that Ethanol was the only fuel I could get, but then only if I had problems that seemed like water collecting in the fuel. Startron is for boaters, right??
The only reason I'd consider Startron is if I lived somewhere that Ethanol was the only fuel I could get, but then only if I had problems that seemed like water collecting in the fuel. Startron is for boaters, right??
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It won't do any harm in the short term, the pump has a mesh screen to keep out debris. But in the long term it could disintegrate and at least partially block the screen. If you do a lot of miles you could probably leave it until the 7,500 mile service and get it out when the pump flange is removed to change the fuel filter. Or you could just remove tank and tip out the fuel. There is a good chance the cardboard disc will come out with it. If not, undo the flange and remove the pump assembly which should certainly give you access to it.
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