Fuel cap lock slot disintegration, lock replacement question

[Uncle Hud]

Here's an idea: aliens trying to suck out your gas.

There's a reason the X-Files were filmed in Vancouver .... the truth is out there.

 

[Hornet Pilot]

Since you liove in Vancouver right next to a lot of salt water, I'm kinda thinking that it was salt water (spray or fog) that may have caused the corrosion However, there are a lot of other aluminum pieces on the bike and if only the gas cap had corrosion then I'm probably just smoking some thing.

 

[sapest]

Thought about this a bit further.

Some speculation follows -

This bike was the 2016 Yamaha Canada western Canada demo bike.

At the end of the summer it was loaded into an enclosed trailer with the rest of the demo fleet and shipped from ? to Vancouver.

During that transit, some straps broke and when the trailer was opened, this FJR was under 4 or 5 other bikes, all laying on their sides.

If there was enough fuel in the tank, then perhaps fuel soaked the cap for some number of days during the shipping and before the damage was discovered. Add 30,000 km and you get corrosion.

-Steve

 

[RossKean]

Fuel or fuel vapors will not corrode metal. Fuel could dissolve some protective coatings (if any) and allow corrosion to proceed but I can't imagine someone would choose a fuel-soluble protective coating in this application. It might be possible that they used an alkaline cleaner/degreaser to remove fuel residues if there were any. Any left behind could cause problems. I confirmed that these are non-ferrous metal - non magnetic (but obviously not stainless steel).

Note: Both my high mileage '07 and the '11 show similar markings on the flip lid. The new-to-me '11 shows some discoloration and possibly shallow surface corrosion on the key slot but the '07 does not. (See 2011 photo, below)

 

[sapest]

I remain unable to explain the corrosion or the "click to lock" failure of the fuel cap.

-Steve

 

[Fred W]

Not sure what you mean by click to lock. On both of my FJRs I have never been able to just press on the cap to close it, like some other bikes I’ve owned. I’ve always had to turn the key (unlock direction) while pressing down on the lid.

 

[sapest]

On both the '12 & the '16, after fueling, with key in cap lock, close fuel cap and press down on front ("noon") of cap - cap will lock (& click) and key will move CCW from about 2 to about 1. Turn key CCW to noon and remove.

Perhaps this is an EU or Canadian regulation issue? Have not looked at part numbers.

-Steve

 

[RossKean]

On both the '12 & the '16, after fueling, with key in cap lock, close fuel cap and press down on front ("noon") of cap - cap will lock (& click) and key will move CCW from about 2 to about 1. Turn key CCW to noon and remove.Perhaps this is an EU or Canadian regulation issue? Have not looked at part numbers.

-Steve

Both my US origin '07 and my Canadian '11 behave the same way. Press down and it locks although the key has to be turned a bit more CCW to remove - as sapest observes with his.