VP Fuel Can - Anyone else have this problem? & What do you use?

raineman021

raineman021

Eric Raine
We all have had our own struggles with filling our tanks between sessions. The battle of refilling while avoiding spillage on the outside of the tank, bodywork, you name it - it finds its way everywhere but inside the tank sometimes.

I decided to take the plunge on a VP Racing Square Jerry can to hopefully gain a victory in this refueling war with my previous cans and funnels. I even went to the exent of buying an extra cap to go along with the optional hose attachment so I could teflon tape the hose to the spare cap permanently to avoid the possibility of wearing the threads down and causing eventual leaking at the attachment point. (I know, I might be over thinking this, haha)

I attempted to use it for the first time while at PittRace this past weekend and sure enough I lost the battle yet again. It would leak right down the front of the can from under the main cap. This was not a slight dribble of gas. We are talking about gas running down the front like a sink faucet on full blast. Not sure how this is possible. I removed and repositioned the rubber o-ring seal, torqued the cap down plenty, and no matter what I did the can would continue to under-perform. Maybe I got the wrong brand, but I thought these cans were primo! Any help would be appreciated since I cannot return it.

Aside from my long back story, my question here is:
Has anyone else had this problem (if so, can it be fixed *no pun intended*)? & What can(s) do you use?

*(Disclosure: I did get $30 back from the online retailer for the inconvenience - so I can't complain!) :geek:
 
Thunderace

Thunderace

BIG JIM
Control Rider
You could always transfer the VP Fuel into a regular fuel jug. I use the VP fuel can to store old oil and I put a hole in the back side of the can so air could get in when I poured the old oil out. No more "GLUG-GLUG-GLUG" because air took the place of the exiting liquid. I also like to use small 1.5 & 2.0 gallon jugs at the track to fill the bike. A lot less weight and I can easily see how much is going in the bike. I have a large 14 gallon fuel cell that I use to refill the small jugs throughout the day.
 
eskimo

eskimo

Slow guy on a fast bike
1st thing - don't use teflon tape. Gas eats it. The plastic threads do seal it, just cap the very end when not in use - leave the hose attached.
2nd - you actually don't have to crank down too tight on the cap. cranking down on it tends to deform the o-ring. Same with the vent screw - cranking down on it can cause the seal to split. (learned THAT the hard way)

the best way I've found to use the 5-gallon jugs is to start the pour with the vent closed. you'll see the fuel flow diminish / the jug will slightly collapse.. then open the vent. before the tank is full, close the vent, and let a negative pressure build in the jug. That will help prevent a big mess when you remove it.

Better than the 5-gallon jugs is like Big Jim mentioned - a smaller can. Justin from Trackside Parts club has these really nice 2-gallon jobbies that open and vent automatically when you press them into the gas tank opening. Can't remember the brand, but they're like this from Summit racing, but in a better size for us:
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-g8007-8/overview/
you'll also want this funnel so it fits into your tank:
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-g8007-4/overview/
 
Mike:p

Mike:p

Don’t be a Hero, be consistent.
I use a brand called No Spill. I could fill a shot glass will a full 5 gallon jug and not spill a drop. They have a little button you push to make the gas come out, very similar to a tea urn. I know that doesn't help you now but maybe in the future.
 
Thunderace

Thunderace

BIG JIM
Control Rider
Eddie said:
I use the red steel "safety can" with the associated funnel that hooks to it. Have no problems. No caps to lose, o-rings to squish, or vents to operate.
These don't seem to be very popular in the paddock though.

http://www.bishco.com/wcsstore/BishopAurora/images/catalog/product/u150fs/u150fs_1000x1000_01.jpg
Click to expand...

I got this can for Christmas last year and use it at the track as well. I couldn't see spending that much on it, so I told the in-laws what to get me. Problem solved!
 
raineman021

raineman021

Eric Raine
Mike, Eddie, Big Jim, and Rich - Thanks for your suggestions. I will see if I can mess around with the VP can a little more (maybe I did over tighten the cap?)
As far as the smaller cans go - That is a great idea! Easier to pour and if all else fails I will just use my VP 5g can for spare oil like Big Jim does. I will shop around a little bit & look at the ones you guys have.
 
Thunderace

Thunderace

BIG JIM
Control Rider
One thing that I just realized is you might be talking about the plastic 5 gallon jug and not the metal 5 gallon can. I use the metal can for the old oil. I have a VP jug that I hardly ever use because it's just too heavy when full. I am tall enough and strong enough, but I just don't want to.
 
raineman021

raineman021

Eric Raine
Yes, the VP Square Jerry one that I am referring to is the 5 gallon plastic container. I don't mind lifting the 5g container as long as I've had my wheaties that morning :laugh: It is slightly on the heavy side though, you're right - which was something I had not considered before I tried putting it into use. It failed me before I could actually use it to fully refill my tank. I am going to test the container again with some water in the VP jug and mess around with the seal and a few other tricks to see if I can get it to stop leaking!
 
raineman021

raineman021

Eric Raine
UPDATE: I tried a few more things to see if I could get the cap to actually work... It was to no avail

It looks like I now have a new 5 gallon jug to water my garden with at my house, haha
 
raineman021

raineman021

Eric Raine
I tried looking into options for any warranties or an exchange with the online retailer - They were able to do a partial refund of $30, but they could not take the item back in since gasoline had been used in it. (At least that was what they told me). I was glad to get $30 back which covered most of the cost. I am planning on getting another can to replace it - probably one of the ones you guys had suggested (above^).
 
eskimo

eskimo

Slow guy on a fast bike
Talk about no good deed going unpunished... I poured gas all over the tank of my bike this weekend because I forgot to follow this tidbit, which I'll now pass along..

When you put the cap back on, tilt / lay the jug on its side to make sure the o-ring seal is seated properly. Don't ASSume that because it's always been fine the other 100 times you've used it, that it won't spill MR12 all over your freshly painted gas tank and foam seat because the o-ring got a little squeezed during reinstallation. :poop:
 
raineman021

raineman021

Eric Raine
Rich - Thanks for the heads up. I can try that trick out too and see if it does anything differently. I am going to bring the VP can with me again to PittRace to see if I can get it working again one way or another.
Mike - I think I might pull the trigger on one of those. Thanks!
 
raineman021

raineman021

Eric Raine
*UPDATE* - I remembered that I had put up a post about the can and wanted to swing back and give a quick update since there's been a recent development...

A buddy of mine ( @mpusch ) and I had tried several things around the time I put this post up almost a year ago now, but had no success at the time. It has been floating around my garage and his garage since I never brought myself to throw the stupid thing out (used it for water and other random things around the house). As a last attempt this past weekend, he took a sander and tried to even out the top level of the can's spout/opening where it makes contact within the upper part of the inside of the cap (contact with the gasket) when the cap is screwed on. After testing it out a few times, he was able to get it to go from a full-on leak at the cap, to only a couple drops (very minimal).

We will keep finessing the thing 'til it's right, but we might have brought it back from the grave!

I would consider this fuel can to be an anomaly because I know these things are used all over the place with no issues. This one just took a little TLC to get her in the mood for refueling at the track. We will take it with us to Pitt Race next weekend and see what happens! If anyone runs into a problem with their can similar to this down the line, hopefully this post serves as a reference point to try the sanding option :like:
 
BP41

BP41

New Member
Is the opening on the can round or oval?? Look at that, I've had similar issues and if you look closely the mouth might be oval instead of round. If it is, it will leak. You can tighten it all you want but it will still leak.

Since you started sanding on it, you might not be able to return it for a new one.

Hope this helps.
 
mpusch

mpusch

Micah
BP41 said:
Is the opening on the can round or oval?? Look at that, I've had similar issues and if you look closely the mouth might be oval instead of round. If it is, it will leak. You can tighten it all you want but it will still leak.

Since you started sanding on it, you might not be able to return it for a new one.

Hope this helps.
Click to expand...

Wasn't able to return it anyways since it had gasoline in it. It was literally a useless jug, so it was worth a shot to sand it. The mouth isn't perfectly round, but it was fairly close. Sanding it made a vast improvement.

To be fair, I stumbled across the idea on another site. Someone had a similar problem and thought of this idea.

http://precisionmoto.com/2014/02/03/vp-fuel-jug-review/
 
BP41

BP41

New Member
Cool fix.

Can't return once gas has been in it? I guess I can see that but how are going to know here's a problem unless you put gas in:confused:

I bought mine from Huey so I had no problems swapping it out :D
 
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