My three month old KTM 990 adventure sprung a pin hole leak in the main fuel line leading from the tank to the engine. Sprays a fine mist of fuel all over the running engine and my pant leg and boot. I was probably a minute away from a really bad fire. Luckily I stopped at a red light and nearly fell over because my foot was soaking wet and slippery with fuel. Worst part is now I'm stranded in Winnipeg with no dealer for hundreds of miles.. Anybody ever hear about defective fuel lines?
Standard fuel line from an auto parts store works fine. The line for fuel injection would be best if they have it. Are you sure it's not the quick connect?
Definitely a pin hole. I can put my finger on it when I turn on the ignition and feel the pressurized fuel squirting out when the fuel pump turns on. I think I have an idea for a "patch" so I can ride it to get fixed.
You probably thought of this. But a barbed 5/16 or 1/4" connector would get you home. Cut the hose at the hole, insert barbed ends into hose ends and ride on.... Good luck
Just FYI, my 2013 500 XCW sprung a pin hole twice in a week when I first go it. Here's a picture: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rtadlock/7530191162/" title="Somehow I got a small hole in my high pressure fuel line by rtadlock, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7133/7530191162_02ed328afd_b.jpg" width="1024" height="681" alt="Somehow I got a small hole in my high pressure fuel line"></a> Turns out there was a bad run of fuel lines and KTM recalled the part. I had already fixed it with a high pressure line, but like you, I was covered in fuel twice before I fixed it and got recall letter from KTM.
Mine just did this this morning. Almost aced it, tried to pass a car and got a little sideways. Good times. What size is the fuel line? Is it metric?
Yep. 8mm internal diameter. It's a good thing to protect the fuel line from rubbing to the frame, just above the connector. A picture is better than my english It's where the grey duct tape is.
Most auto parts stores have 5/16 fuel injection line by the foot. Just be sure not to let them give you carburator line! I just replaced some on a BMW in the shop that was doing the same thing. BMW wanted over $100 for the two lines...cost me $5.
My local NAPA only had 1/4" line, and being stranded I tried it. It fit, but it was tight. Interestingly, I got an FI fault and the bike won't start. You can hear the fuel pump run when you turn the key on, and it briefly started at first but it sounded like it ran out of fuel and died. Quick disconnect is attached properly along with all wires and vent lines etc. Do you need to purge the EFI or something? Second time in 3000 miles I've been stranded. Almost as reliable as a harley.
I have had the quick disconnect cut off fuel even when properly connected. Might want to disconnect it and push something into the connector to open it. Good luck
Actually the sound you hear could likely come from the secondary butterflies (much more noisy then the pump). Keep a finger on the pump while you're turning the key on to be sure it's priming the circuit. Sometimes the electrical connector pins slip out.
Turns out it was a kink in the fuel line. The factory line has a 90* elbow where it goes into the air box. I replaced it with straight line and it was a little too long, and it kinked when I put the tank back on. Lesson learned, don't hurry maintenance just because you are "stuck" somewhere. That said, the factory fuel line is very soft. I have had to run a few tanks of crap gas through it, I wonder if the ethanol ate it?
I was about to start a new thread on this fuel line issue, but "google" found this one...so I'll just add my 0.02 cents. I was out riding gravel roads, exploring and just having a good time last November. When I came to a stop, I noticed a strong smell of gas. Looked down and saw a fine mist spray of fuel coming out the bottom of the bike and my lower left leg and foot completely soaked!:huh What to do now? I estimated that the distance to the nearest paved road was 10 to 15 km away...long way to walk! So I investigate...and found this. Now what? How am I going to fix this out here? The first thing I thought of was to find a non-essential hose on the bike about the same size and use it as a replacement. Well so much for that...couldn't find a suitable one. While staring at the tools spread on top of my jacket inner liner, I found the answer! I always carry a "Bicycle Tube Patch Kit"...the hose is rubber, right? So it should work... I didn't think of taking pictures as I made the repair. Here is a picture showing the finished result. The patch glued nicely and is backed up by "Gorilla" duct tape. Then the whole works is zap-strapped for extra insurance. As you can see in this next picture, I didn't fully pull the hose from the airbox. With limited tools on hand, I think it would of been a bitch to push it back through... This is as far as I had to strip "Burra Branca" to get the job done...(notice the patch kit box on the ground?) Yes, it held!!! No leaks at all neither!!! And it only took me about 3 hours to git her done... Thinking back now, I consider myself really lucky on this one! I estimated the fuel loss was somewhere between 5 to 8 litres. The fuel was being dumped on the hot rear exhaust and the rear tire was completly soaked. So was my lower left leg and boot! Chances of a fire were high I'm pretty sure...and if I was riding pavement twisties, the chances of going down with a slick rear would be high also! If I went down on pavement, sparks would occur. Fire would follow, including my leg!:huh I don't want think about it anymore... I hope telling my experience here will help someone if they come across a similar issue... . . .
I've been chasing my fuel pump leak, but maybe that's the wrong problem. I'll check the fuel lines before I change the orings again. Thanks for sharing. I have quite a few bike tubes, zip ties and gorilla tape too. I'm going to protect this area and take a closer look at my tubes.
Just had the same thing happen to me last weekend picking up donuts. found it was a pin hole just inside the air box near the throttle linkage. I did a teardown in a parking lot and was lucky i was next to a auto zone. They had a 5/16 heater hose that resembled fuel line with the 90 deg bend that got me home. I'm going to call the dealer and look into this recall and have them send me a new one.(yea right) They want about 50 bucks for the small section with the quick connect (insane):eek1
