Engine cutting out

Ok... so I've had this problem a few times since getting the bike:

I'll be riding and everything seems fine, and the engine simply stops running. Acts like it's out of gas. it's happened 3 or 4 times- and it seems like turning the fuel petcock back and forth is solving the issue:

Here's the question- I think it may be simply me not understanding how the reserve/main tank work together.

1. Does the fuel guage show the total gas or just the main tank? THe other day it cut off with a bar left on the guage. Switched it to reserve and back again a couple times... and it seemed to work again.

2- if someone could explain the relationship between the 2 fuel tanks, the petcock and the gas gauge, I think I would be able to troubleshoot better.

rs

(I know I'm probably spelling petcock wrong... I mean the tank chooser switchy thing- That' a technical description...)

Both the reserve and main run off the left side of the tank. The main is taken off a tube that sticks up a couple inches, the reserve draws at the bottom. There is no tube between the right and left side of the tank, so if the bike is perfectly vertical with no sloshing back and forth, you will go empty with some gas left in the right wing of the tank.

There's a picture of the fuel switch floating around the tech section I believe.

Also read the numerous articles on the fuel pump. The pumps seem to go bad on a lot of bikes with 40,000 miles or so on them. There was a recent thread where v7Goose described how to listen for the pump ticking to determine if its bad. Apparently a generic low volume 12v fuel pump from Autozone can be used. Fuel filters also clog up. There's a tech article about this too with owners relocating the filter so they can change it more easily.

There's a picture of the fuel switch floating around the tech section I believe.

 

Also read the numerous articles on the fuel pump. The pumps seem to go bad on a lot of bikes with 40,000 miles or so on them. There was a recent thread where v7Goose described how to listen for the pump ticking to determine if its bad. Apparently a generic low volume 12v fuel pump from Autozone can be used. Fuel filters also clog up. There's a tech article about this too with owners relocating the filter so they can change it more easily.

Yeah, I just found the images- I guess I used the wrong search words the first time. I get how the switch and how "reserve tank" works- it's just the bottom of the normal tank with a lower draw.

I did just start hearing the ticking lately, which I hadn't heard in the past, I'll try to find that article. THanks so much for the info!~

Also, no relationship between the petcock and the fuel gauge sensor. the sensor is just a float. The sensors have gone bad on a few bikes. See tech article by Freebird where he had to derust the tank on his bike using Kreem, it has a picture of the fuel sensor.

Rob, try changing that fuel filter first. That can of seafoam may have clogged it up a bit.

Down is normal and up is reserve. I always think of it as "goin down the road is normal" and "bring up the reserves" . If exercising the petcock solves the problem and you were in reserve already I would pull the petcock and check it for crud. Check the inside of the tank for some foreign object also.

Dood, it sounds very much like what had happened to me earlier this year and the fix is replacing your fuel filter (if your problem is same as mine)..

What happens is that the fuel filter gets clogged up but still able to allow the fuel pump to suck fuel through if the fuel tank is full because the the weight of the fuel in the tank helps to push some fuel through.. but when you get down to a certain level, there is no longer enough 'head pressure pushing down on the fuel to assist the pump, thus causing a fuel starvation problem that looks and feels like you ran out of gas..

By going to 'reserve', and the bike starts, that's because you've added more head pressure as the reserve stem is lower than the normal stem on the petcock..

Changing the fuel filter, as annoying a job as it is, will resolve your issue, IF its the same case as what happened to mine.. from what you describe, it sure sounds like it..

Fuel filters should be changed often but we often neglect to do so on these bikes because it's a pain in the ass.. Mine was SO clogged, it contributed to the fuel pump dying later on this summer while away on a road trip..

best of luck, let us know how it turns out.

Cheers

Dood, it sounds very much like what had happened to me earlier this year and the fix is replacing your fuel filter (if your problem is same as mine)..

 

 

best of luck, let us know how it turns out.

 

Cheers

Yep- It was your posts I was reading. It does sound exactly the same... I'm making that one of the first projects for me.

How can I test the float? I've never seen the light on or the "F" in the ODO... and I ran it to empty on the trip home...

Yep- It was your posts I was reading. It does sound exactly the same... I'm making that one of the first projects for me.

 

How can I test the float? I've never seen the light on or the "F" in the ODO... and I ran it to empty on the trip home...

The float is stuck to the top of the tank, hard to reach and test..

however, do the test i did, fill the tank up and ride till it dies, (bring a jerry can with you) and fill up your tank again.. the bike should start.. you MAY have to put it on reserve to get it to start..

Are you the only owner of the bike, if so, when's the last time you changed the fuel filter? If you can't remember the last time you did it, then it might be a good time to do it 'anyway' regardless of the probably cause of your bike's ailment.

Keep us posted.. i went through 3 separate shut down issues this summer alone and all of them puzzlers.. but the fixes were simple to fix but hard to find..

The fuel gauge on my bike never worked properly. I have just gotten used to the idea that when it shows 1/4 full I am about to run out and hit the next gas station. When I tank up it shows empty for a few miles then comes up to full.

while i am just starting to maintain my own RSV, the low fuel light and F on the ODO should work. finding out why those don't work should be put on the list. i try to squeeze every ounce of fuel before gasing up, i try to watch the fuel gauge & beat the low fuel indicators, but not always. our RSV begins to act fuel starved when it's time to switch to reserve, that is when i look at the cluster & see low fuel light. also, when i am throttle happy, i don't get my 195 miles to reserve, therefore i dont rely on miles per tank for a guestamate to empty.

good luck

Rob

Page 3.3 of the owner's manual shows the lights on the instrument panel.

Page 3.4 and 3.5 explain the Trip meter and "F"uel meter.

Page 3.12 show the fuel cock position. Some leave their's on the reserve all the time, I do not.

All of the pages come from the owner's manual for the Millineum bike. You can access the owner's manual from Yamaha:

http://www.starmotorcycles.com/star/service/viewmanuals/viewmanuals.aspx?ls=star

There may be changes from year to year in the manual but most are the same.

The fuel gauge on my bike never worked properly. I have just gotten used to the idea that when it shows 1/4 full I am about to run out and hit the next gas station. When I tank up it shows empty for a few miles then comes up to full.

I can go 100 miles and show 2 or 3 bars down, and then it plummets to the last 4 bars in the next 40 to 60 miles.. when I'm close to reserve levels, the F comes up, then the light and soon there after, I have to be on reserve .. all within minutes..