ezrizer
Member
I recently did a search and couldn't find the following info so this is what I learned. I had the same issue as everyone regarding ethanol and swollen gas cap threads that get stuck. I purchased a new Big Dog cap that worked great for a while until it got stuck too. I tried sanding / filing threads which worked a little better for a while but got stuck again. Vasoline did no good. I called Landmark to verify some of the info I gathered from this site. Landmark states that they stopped making BDM caps in '01 when BDM went elsewhere to have the caps and paint savers made. They offered lM104-2A as an option for a single cap gas tank that tightens clockwise. They also make a 2 cap set, LM104-2 which includes 1 reverse thread cap and one standard thread cap. The kit(s) include aluminum paint savers and an installation tool. Some on this forum suggested removing the paint saver and using a different cap but that idea didn't appeal to me. I also saw no reason to change the paint saver installed by BDM so I asked Landmark if the cap they currently offer would fit my 2004 paint saver and they didn't have an answer either way. I also asked about the material used for the threads of the new cap. Landmark states that their current thread is made of nylon and has always been made of nylon and couldn't guarantee that it wouldn't be affected by ethanol. They even admitted that they have had a few complaints from their customers about their caps getting stuck. I looked up nylon and it appears to be a very suitable material for both gas and ethanol. I started to wonder if the material that BDM's 2nd vendor used was something other than nylon. I took a chance and ordered the LM104-2A single cap kit for my 2004 Chopper. Amazon was the best deal. It showed up after a few days and the new cap fit the existing paint saver like the original cap did when new. So after all of this I finally have my answer, yes, a new Landmark cap is a direct swap for the original cap and there's no need to change / remove the paint saver.
There's a couple difference's between the caps. They are both polished stainless with a plastic thread bolted on. They look almost identical however the new one is a little lower profile. The knurled area on the sides is thinner and there's not as much to grab making it a little harder to get a good grip. The thread part is not exactly the same. The original one is two pieces including a valve mechanism, the new one is one piece without the valve. There are a couple of very small vent holes in the new one. Preferring the original taller cap I unbolted the threads from both caps and installed the new threads on the old cap and screwed it in the existing paint saver and all worked as good as new.
In the end I paid $50+ for a $5 piece of plastic. Time will tell if this new piece is impervious to ethanol. It was stated on this forum that Landmark sold just the plastic thread for a while and then stopped. It would seem to me that if someone could duplicate just the plastic thread and make it out of aluminum it would be a profitable, simple, permanent fix to a real, unnecessary, pain in the ass.
I think that about covers all you can say about this issue, hope it helps.
There's a couple difference's between the caps. They are both polished stainless with a plastic thread bolted on. They look almost identical however the new one is a little lower profile. The knurled area on the sides is thinner and there's not as much to grab making it a little harder to get a good grip. The thread part is not exactly the same. The original one is two pieces including a valve mechanism, the new one is one piece without the valve. There are a couple of very small vent holes in the new one. Preferring the original taller cap I unbolted the threads from both caps and installed the new threads on the old cap and screwed it in the existing paint saver and all worked as good as new.
In the end I paid $50+ for a $5 piece of plastic. Time will tell if this new piece is impervious to ethanol. It was stated on this forum that Landmark sold just the plastic thread for a while and then stopped. It would seem to me that if someone could duplicate just the plastic thread and make it out of aluminum it would be a profitable, simple, permanent fix to a real, unnecessary, pain in the ass.
I think that about covers all you can say about this issue, hope it helps.
usually you can find him sleeping in his man cave with a empty bottle of Jim Beam
