How to Replace the In Tank Fuel Line

[JulioB]

In response to the almost daily PM’s I have been receiving regarding information on changing the fuel hose on an 06’ Scarabeo 500, I will try to write a step by step walkthrough and help as many people as possible.

Sadly, first comes the legal BS disclaimer:
I am not responsible if you screw up your bike, if it explodes of if you get eye cancer and killer hemorroids (or any combination of the previous) by looking at this thread

This is a “work in progress” walkthrough and I will add pictures and additional explanations as needed, just let me know where you are stuck. I am doing this from memory so excuse any mistakes.

Keep in consideration the following before you start to work:

The bike fuel thank has to be almost empty, ¼ of a tank at the most.

Have several disposable cups or containers that you can name, where you will put the screws and bolts from the different parts of the bike you are removing. DON’T RELY ON YOUR MEMORY FOR THIS.

Have a piece (aprox. 4 inches) of 5/16 submersible fuel line and two clamps.

The level of skill for this repair is fairly simple.

The most difficult part is removing the plastics.

When you remove the plastics, place them in an area where they won’t be scratched or damaged by you stepping on them.

An extra set of hands will help finishing quicker but they are not necessary.

If you go slow and take your time and are patient and careful it will be a piece of cake.

It would be better to find a garage or a comfortable place to work on both sides of the bike while it is on its center stand.

Make sure you can sit on the floor and work for around 20 - 30 mins at a time.

All this above is more important than the level of skill involved.

As for the tools, you will need are:
A hex set L shaped. Can be bought in any auto parts


a screwdriver and a set of pliers.

This would be optional but very helpful:


Obviously metric sizes only.(ej. 4mm, 5mm, 7mm, 10mm, etc.)

Steps:

1. Place the bike on its center stand and see if you can sit at both sides of it comfortably.

2. Remove the side panniers and store them away.

3. Remove the engine cover. Lift the seat, remove the 6 bolts around the top of the cover and the two in the back. Notice how the two bolts in the back are longer than the other six, remember this when assembling back.
See the first 25 seconds of this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVx7yetTFAY

4. Remove both passenger foot pegs. Remove the three big bolts noticing that the one in the lower front is longer than the other two these bolts are tight and might require for you to either step on the hex tool or use a small pipe for leverage.

Remove the small bolt in the back and I think there was one up front too. Open the foot peg and remove the two Phillips screws under the foot peg.

Wiggle the foot peg assembly out.

5. Remove the two front clear air diffusers. Three bolts each.

6. Remove the front glove box door. Three Phillips screws.

7. Remove the two Phillips screws under the battery cover (right side) and the two Phillips screws on the other side. The two Phillips screws on the left side are the ones symmetrical to the ones removed on the right side.

I think I will need a picture here but if in doubt just remove all the lower Phillips screws of the left side.

8. Remove the center tunnel. Remove the four Phillips screws on both sides of the tunnel and all the bolts on the floor boards. They are all the same size so you can put them all in a cup and label it floor boards.

Remove the bolts on the upper rear of the tunnel (these were hidden by the engine cover on step three).

9. Now, this is where some artistry and an extra hand come in handy but are not necessary. Wiggle the center tunnel to make sure there are no other bolts or screws attached and it is loose.

Carefully lift the rear (towards the seat) of the tunnel and try to remove it being careful with the plastic from the leg shied. Some bolt clamps will fall from the plastic into the lower cover or the floor, pick them up and put them in place again.

This sounds more difficult than it really is and will take you 1 or 2 minutes to complete, I just don’t want anyone yanking the tunnel out and breaking something.

10. Now the fun part. After you remove the tunnel, you will see the fuel pump under it. Disconnect the electrical connector, with your hands, unscrew (counterclockwise) the upper fuel pump retaining cap. Pass it over the two hoses that come out of the pump, it’s not necessary to remove these hoses.

11. Lift the fuel pump assembly out of the lower tank just enough to see the clear hose. You may want to wear rubber gloves and/or clean hands.

12. With the pliers, remove the clear fuel hose, it should be fairly easy as it is already loose.

13. Cut a piece of the new submersible line the same size of the clear line.

14. Insert the two loose clamps over the new hose and replace the hose.

15. Tighten the clamps.

16. Insert the fuel pump assembly back into the lower tank being carful not to crimp the rubber seal around the pump, screw on back the cap and reconnect the electrical plug.

17. Clean any spilled gas and start the bike.

18. If everything seems fine, assembly will be done by reversing the steps.

[vtwin_pilot]

Awesome write-up, Julio. Many thanks. It's postings like this that make this forum- and the people on it - top notch.

[JulioB]

Reserved for more pictures if necessary

[scootercycle]

I agree with vtwin-pilot, great information.
My Beo is an 2004 and it needed the repair..

[vtwin_pilot]

My Beo is an 2004 and it needed the repair..

Really? I thought it was limited to 2006 and newer. I have an '05 and I seem to be lucky. I don't have any symptoms. If I have the bum line/missing clamps, it's holding fine. Or, Aprilia screwed up and actually did mine right. I wish I could visually verify it without having to tear it apart.

[scootercycle]

Based on what I have read on the net, this promblem included some Atlantics scarabeos, ie's & Bv500's. Your Beo may be waiting for that really hot day when the hose becomes soft, to supprise you. I replaced mine around 3400miles. Atleast you will know how to repair it if it happens.

[grebmrof]

Julio,
Thanks for the step by step...this morning I started to remove fasteners...it is just amazing how much plastic needs to be removed in order to get to the fuel pump in the lower fuel tank. The designers must have had stock in a fastener and a plastics company! Also there is a fair variety of fasteners that need to be addressed. Now to put it all back together.
Thanks again,

[JulioB]

Just hoping it would help.

If anyone notices an error in the step by step, let me know and I will correct it.

[grebmrof]

Completed the fix this afternoon, after starting the disassembly this morning. The existing fuel line (clear one, no clamps) removed very easily - evidence that fuel was slipping past the hose and the tubes the hose was mounted on.

Had no left over parts - good thing. Again, quite time consuming to do the disassembly and reassembly. Although I could probably do it again in half the time or less now. The replacement of the fuel line took very little time. The rubber gasket that fits into the lower tank and seals the tank with the large ring that secures the fuel pump inside needs to be VERY carefully fitted in, to insure a seal. Also inside the neck of the upper tank - which in turn fits into the large tube between the upper and lower tank - is a metal tube - this needs to be carefully refitted into the neck of the upper tank. I believe it is secured by the large hose clamp that squeezes the neck which is inserted into the large tube, providing a tight seal between the upper and lower tank. Also, don't forget that the rubber cone shaped piece that fits around the gas filler neck on the upper tank. This piece easily slips inside and you can bypass it when you are reassemblying everything. This cone shaped piece contains the fuel overflow tube.

It is quite clear why you need to run the fuel down to a quarter of a tank or so...the S500 has an upper and lower tank and the upper one needs to be empty. It is connected to the lower one with about an almost 2" diameter rubber tube secured with large hose clamps at both ends. With a full tank of fuel you'd need to siphon fuel out of the upper tank before getting to far with the disassembly - you need the fuel below the top of the lower tank so you don't dump gas everywhere.

I was able to take the scooter out for a very brief test ride after everything was buttoned up. The motor started right up (better than ever before), I thought that it idled better. It definitely ran smoother right off of idle all the way through to 4K rpm. Before, my S500 ran ragged until it reached 4K rpm where it smoothed out. So while I need to take it for a more extensive ride, I think this correction has done the trick. AND, I can see why a discount dealer selling off leftover '06 Scarabeo 500's turns a blind eye to this problem - hoping to sell these things off to out-of-town saps like me. FWIW, the last 3 digits of my '06 are 330.

Thanks again Julio for the good instructions and also for finding a source for that submersible fuel line.

[Biplanepilot]

JulioB,

Thanks for your time and effort in posting this. I may end up doing this repair myself after all, as my dealer seems to be strangely difficult to get hold of right now.

I've got over 200 miles on the odometer now and my motor is running very rough, especially between 3000 and 4000 rpm and in the 20 to 40 mph speed range. This morning the idle was very rough and the motor quit running at a traffic light.

For all those out there who are doing this repair may I suggest taking photos of the critical steps that may be posted here. If indeed I do this myself I will definitely document with photos and post. A picture is truly worth a 1000 words in situations like this.

Thanks again,

Bipe

[grebmrof]

There is some very good documentation available over on the Yahoo Groups called ScarabeoRiders. You can sign up for this group and then go to Files / Service_Manual for 500 / ...and look things over. In particular look over section 7. All of this documentation (in pdf files) can be opened up in Adobe and then the files saved on your PC to be viewed anytime. As Julio mentioned in his instructions check out the YouTube video of the disassembly of the tail section. Whoever posed this one, has a whole series of these very instructional videos there. Good stuff.

[Biplanepilot]

For anyone who hasn't done the fuel line fix yet, I have modified JulioB's excellent instructions to include some pictures of when I did this fix. I could only upload a maximum of 10 pictures, so I will split this into two posts (hopefully this will work)

1. Place the bike on its center stand and see if you can sit at both sides of it comfortably.

2. Remove the side panniers and store them away.

3. Remove the engine cover. Lift the seat, remove the 6 bolts around the top of the cover and the two in the back. Notice how the two bolts in the back are longer than the other six, remember this when assembling back.
See the first 25 seconds of this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVx7yetTFAY

[

4. Remove both passenger foot pegs. Remove the three big bolts noticing that the one in the lower front is longer than the other two these bolts are tight and might require for you to either step on the hex tool or use a small pipe for leverage.

Remove the small bolt in the back and I think there was one up front too. Open the foot peg and remove the two Phillips screws under the foot peg.

Wiggle the foot peg assembly out.

5. Remove the two front clear air diffusers. Three bolts each.

6. Remove the front glove box door. Three Phillips screws.

7. Remove the two Phillips screws under the battery cover (right side) and the two Phillips screws on the other side. The two Phillips screws on the left side are the ones symmetrical to the ones removed on the right side.

I think I will need a picture here but if in doubt just remove all the lower Phillips screws of the left side.

[Biplanepilot]

Here's the second part of my modification to JulioB's post:

8. Remove the center tunnel. Remove the four Phillips screws on both sides of the tunnel and all the bolts on the floor boards. They are all the same size so you can put them all in a cup and label it floor boards.

Remove the bolts on the upper rear of the tunnel (these were hidden by the engine cover on step three).

9. Now, this is where some artistry and an extra hand come in handy but are not necessary. Wiggle the center tunnel to make sure there are no other bolts or screws attached and it is loose.

Carefully lift the rear (towards the seat) of the tunnel and try to remove it being careful with the plastic from the leg shied. Some bolt clamps will fall from the plastic into the lower cover or the floor, pick them up and put them in place again.

This sounds more difficult than it really is and will take you 1 or 2 minutes to complete, I just don’t want anyone yanking the tunnel out and breaking something.

10. Now the fun part. After you remove the tunnel, you will see the fuel pump under it. Disconnect the electrical connector, with your hands, unscrew (counterclockwise) the upper fuel pump retaining cap. Pass it over the two hoses that come out of the pump, it’s not necessary to remove these hoses.

11. Lift the fuel pump assembly out of the lower tank just enough to see the clear hose. You may want to wear rubber gloves and/or clean hands.

12. With the pliers, remove the clear fuel hose, it should be fairly easy as it is already loose.

13. Cut a piece of the new submersible line the same size of the clear line.

14. Insert the two loose clamps over the new hose and replace the hose.

15. Tighten the clamps.

16. Insert the fuel pump assembly back into the lower tank being carful not to crimp the rubber seal around the pump, screw on back the cap and reconnect the electrical plug.

17. Clean any spilled gas and start the bike.

I don't have a picture of the factory installed line, but there are others elsewhere on the forum. This is the completed fix. The most difficult part was getting the new fuel line in place. The Gates hose is much stiffer than the clear factory hose and I really thought I was going to bust the whole assembly apart trying to get it in.

Also I can't stress how careful one has to be in replacing the pump in the tank. The rubber skirt is delicate and it would be very easy to tear it, if it is not fully seated in the opening.

18. If everything seems fine, assembly will be done by reversing the steps.

As JulioB advises, keep track of all your hardware. This is how I did it:



This is the fuel line. I got it from Advantage Auto parts in Virginia Beach:

[Shfls]

OUTSTANDING, GUYS!!

[vtwin_pilot]

Ditto that. Bravo!