General topics » Gas cap won\'t latch

I have a 2016 R120RS with a keyless gas cap. Today I filled up my fuel tank, the cap released normally, but when I went to close the cap it wouldn't latch. The locking lever moves back and forth, but I can't push the cap completely closed so that it will lock. It is like something is preventing the cap from completely closing so that the latch will engage the slot in the filler assembly. But I can't see anything that would prevent it from closing flush with the fuel cap ring. Does anyone have a solution to this problem? I was able to ride back home without the cap opening up or an fuel spilling, but right now I have the edges of the cap taped off to keep the fumes inside the tank.

I sure hope that I am not going to need a new fuel cap assembly as I am well out of warranty and I bet those things are expensive and probably back ordered, too. Plus, my closest dealer is in San Francisco and the city is currently in pandemic panic.

Attached are three photos of the cap and its latching mechanism.

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If you cannot see an obstruction then could it be electronic ?
Left field but what about disconnect battery ? System might have 'lost' the fuel cap register

Zitat von andygriff im Beitrag #2

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If you cannot see an obstruction then could it be electronic ?
Left field but what about disconnect battery ? System might have 'lost' the fuel cap register

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Thanks I'll give it a try tomorrow when the sun comes up. I wonder what my computer will think about being disconnected? I bet it won't be happy.

Push the pin so its flush with the side with the fuel tank, hold the lever out on the gas cap shut cap release lever.
This work for me.

I had the cap intermittently jam shut on my keyless 1200RS a few months ago; fortunately it got swapped out during month 24 of my 2-year used warranty(!); but I do know that it registered as a fault on the bike's computer (which was why there was no argument from BMW about fixing it).

I just mention this because if you have access to an OBDI reader it might be worth scanning the bike for an electronic fault (the problem came up on my own cheapo Motoscan reader)

I had this happen on my GS while on a trip. Had to ride with the tank bag holding the cap shut, with the occasional whiff of petrol fumes!

I found there is a little silver plunger in the bottom of the cap recess which I think is part of the locking mechanism, and if it does not retract properly will stop the cap closing. By fiddling with that I managed to get the cap to shut again.

This is soooooo much more useful than a tyres/screen/oil thread

My first thought (with, thankfully, zero experience of this problem) would be to apply a small amount of WD40 via the straw to anything that moves in the cap mechanism.

As has already been highlighted in earlier posts there can only really be two explanations:

Failure of the electronics
Misalignment causing friction

Best of luck sorting it!

Chris

Zitat von PlacidoD im Beitrag #10

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My first thought (with, thankfully, zero experience of this problem) would be to apply a small amount of WD40 via the straw to anything that moves in the cap mechanism.


Chris

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I braved the 45 F temp in my garage and looked at my cap to be sure I remembered right what it should look like :)
Your plunger appears to be in the correct position but I don't see the little vertical pin in your picture.

Crap! Am I missing a little vertical pin? If that broke or fell off that could be trouble. I bet there is no way to replace the pin without buying an entire assembly of some sort.

What I have done so far is to disconnect the battery and reconnect it, which only resulted in the red warning light showing up on the dash warning me that I needed to reset the time and date. It did not help the cap to latch.

I then tried spraying the sliding pin with graphite lubricant. Unfortunately, that didn't help, either. It moves in and out easily by pushing it with my finger, but in either position the cap can not be pressed completely down and flush with the cover, so that the latch will engage. It is like something is blocking the cap and preventing it to completely be pushed flush withe the fuel filler cover. But I can't see anything that might be doing that, other than the sliding locking pin.

Attached are more closeup photos of the fuel cap assembly. I am surprised that they came out as well as they did. One photo shows the pin fully extended and another photo shows it pressed in as far as it will go. The catch that is located on the cap and that you raise to unlock the cap, seems to slide back and forth easily.

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Zitat von Richard230 im Beitrag #13

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Crap! Am I missing a little vertical pin?

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I looked at the latch on map cap and it appears to be in the same position as yours in pic # 4.
Take a close look at the hinge to see if you spot anything wrong there.

My I close my gas cap I'm in the habit of lifting the cap tab as I close the cap.
If you do not do the same, try it and see if it helps.