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My '08 Deluxe started leaking at the disconnect at the tank. As the second owner, I've made a point of using ethanol free fuel the past 2-3 years. But, I imagine maybe half of the fuel ran through it over it's 22k mile life has had stupid government mandated ethanol in it. Doing a search for part numbers (Ronnies) and how to fix the leak resulted in yet another "non-serviceable" part from the MoCo. Posts telling of a $40 sending unit requiring draining and pulling apart the tank at a minimum of 1.5 hours labor and a close to $200 bill!
Unacceptable! More searching resulted in quite a few threads going way deep in o-ring specs. But, it was determined that the standard oil drain bolt o-ring is a viable alternative. So, without draining or dismantling my tank, I was able to replace the o-ring (with HD part #11105) using a paper clip and a pair of needle nose pliers. 20 minutes total. This is how I did it;
1) disconnect fuel line
2) remove faulty o-ring with the paper clip
3) oil new o-ring and insert into sending unit with pinkie
4) push o-ring into place with needle nose pliers
5) reconnect fuel line
An old handlebar mounted mirror and one of those headband flashlight things made it super easy to see what I was doing.
The pic shows the faulty o-ring and if you look close enough, you can see similar problems with the tiny o-ring in the end of the fuel line. It makes me wonder how long the other rubber components in the fuel system will last before they start leaking as well. Might be time for me to buy all new parts (i.e. injectors)?
No offense but not sure that I would blame it entirely on ethanol, there might be other causes also. My bike is over 11 years old and I've been running gas with 10% ethanol and I haven't had any issues with my 0-rings but maybe I'm just lucky.
My #1 complaint: It evaporates and causes rust due to water absorption, and all kinds of mayhem if your machine is stored for any length of time.
Yes, it will attack older O rings and fuel lines, etc. not made for ethanol.
I have easy access to Avgas and though it has lead, It has none of the above problems.
I have a 1980 Honda Motocompo. I keep the tank full of avgas. It sat for 2 years and started right up 2nd kick, ran perfect. No rust in tank, no need to pull the carb. This will not happen even with stabilizer added to So Cal pump gas. I have used avgas in other stored vehicles with the same outstanding results. I don't use it in my Harley since it has lead and I ride daily.
#2: Ethanol has less energy and causes a reduction in MPG, its almost like a filler:
Ethanol attacks and destroys components in the fuel system ( especially rubber/neoprene ) and using it can/will lead to component failures. Check with the AMA and read about their fight to ban 15% ethanol ....
Yup. I posted pics of what it does in a Jet Ski forum a few years back. I swapped out my fuel lines and cut open the old ones to show what happens. Green gummy goo from breaking down the fuel lines. I will see if I can find some of the pics and post them up.
Ethanol attacks and destroys components in the fuel system ( especially rubber/neoprene ) and using it can/will lead to component failures. Check with the AMA and read about their fight to ban 15% ethanol ....
Your response to my request for proof that ethanol harms engines is a google search?
Your search produces 276,000 results.
If you search "Lock Ness Monster" you'll get 959,000 results.
So I guess based on your thought process it's 4 times more likely that there's a Lock Ness Monster than ethanol harming engines.
Harley-Davidson motorcycles are engineered, designed, and manufactured to run 10% ethanol fuel. On EFI motors the ECM comes from the factory set for 10% ethanol. All o-rings, gaskets, seals and other components that come in contact with fuel are manufactured from materials designed to be used with ethanol fuels.
It is ridiculous on its face to state that using fuel the motor is designed to use damages the motor.
While that may be/is the case ( at least for the short term ) 15% Ethanol ( which is being proposed as the new standard ) will definitely wreak havoc with the current systems. However, I do agree that the OP's blame for his current predicament is probably unwarranted.
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