I discovered what this was all about when I sealed my tank with POR15 and then had issues. The holes are TINY on the inside of the tank. It was only recently that I discovered there's 2! Here's what I did. I used a small pick, get them from eBay, they are cheap and have a plastic handle with various pointy ends at angles. I got one that was a 90 degree angle. I used a mirro to find where I thought the hole was and stuck my hand in feeling around with a pick trying to poke a hole through the POR15. IT TOOK AGES! to find the hole. The other one is still blocked, I've run the bike with only one breather hole, but when it's hot, petrol pisses out the breather hose if the tanks just been filled. I suspect it would not if the hole was opened. I just haven't got round to it. I don't know if that helps but I'm going to draw you a diagram which may be of use....
Thanks yes, it clearly shows the pipe doesn’t go all the way down, which is why it’s proving to be a proper bastard to clear. Anything used down the pipe simply coils up in that bulbous bit you’ve painstakingly highlighted in your diagram. Back to the garage with this one.
Maybe a silly idea,but what about Carb cleaner sprayed directly into the hole on the outside with the small plastic attachment pipe.
Broken speedo/tacho cable maybe....the broken end of those can have lots of little sharp bits which might cut through whatever the block is.
Thanks for all your insightful thoughts on this, I’ve lost patience with it and will be dropping it off back with the boys at Ducati Mcr tomorrow. I’ll always have a go with problems such as this and appreciate all the guidance and enthusiasm shown from the forum members, on a happier note I’ve replaced the oil pressure switch which arrived today.
2 things. When I stripped my tank I think there was a small breather hole in the filler cap, I think you could see it under the key flap. Also, I thought the convention for valves was arrow in the direction of flow. Would the tank need to let air IN? Does this mean the arrow should point towards the tank and not away from it. Only double checking. Cheers Gaz
It should point away from the tank, gaz. I explained why earlier in this thread. However, see below if in doubt. Note the join in the valve in the manual extract and the join in the valve in the OP's photo.
Diagram does seem to show arrow pointing AWAY from tank. Sorry - I think I made things more confusing. Cheers Gaz
I checked it with Ducati Italy as well, but I can't find the emailed reply at the moment.....It is in an archive folder, but I can't figure out which one to trawl through.
Got the bike back from Ducati Mcr, they cleared the holes under the vent spout by taking out the petrol cap assembly using a mirror and small drill ( by hand) Haven’t really had a good go yet but the five mile ride back on the motorway was faultless. Thanks again for all the help and guidance lads.
I also struggled clearing the two small holes inside the tank. Hope the attached photos may help someone else. Seeing what you're doing is just about impossible, with the filler removed obviously I used a mirror and torch to get a sense of what's going on inside the tank. I realised it's a complete waste of time trying to clear any blockage by poking something down the breather from outside, the location of the two small holes inside the tank make this virtually impossible. I removed the mirror and used a stiff wire bent 90 degrees at the end to eventually locate the two small holes by feel/trial and error and poked out the crap (photos b and c). Finally I blew compressed air into the breather pipe from outside and made sure it was coming out of both internal holes. Helps if you have small hands but with a bit of perserverence it worked ok. Pete
