I have been bitten by the fuel pump gremlin !

2007 RSV with 13,500 miles. Bought it in March of this year with 5000 miles. Put 3500 on round tripping to Sturgis from Los Angeles. I come home and parked her for two weeks and didn't touch her. I roll her back out of my garage on to my driveway and give her the good washing she deserves after all those great miles and smiles. I start her up to run her back into the garage and she is sputtering on what sounds like 2 cylinders, running but barely enough to help me logger her back into the garage. I can't give any throttle or she dies. I need choke to get her to start at all and barely chug in neutral. Won't catch at all without choke on. I am thinking I have water grounding something then it dawns on this newbie that even though I only have 13,500 miles I could have a stuck fuel pump. So I shut off the key, turn it on and don't hear any click. I take off the side cover and feel the bottom of the fuel pump and it is burn my finger hot! I turn on the key, tap the fuel pump with the end of a screw driver, it clicks and I start the bike. Geeze, she is too young for this!

Fellow VentureRider.org friends, do I worry? Do I buy a new fuel pump and keep it in my trunk? Do I buy a Mr. Gasket 42S? - does it have special mounting requirements?

She is so young and innocent, I don't want to have to put her through replacement surgery so early.

What are ya'lls suggestions?

Thanks,

VentureFar.... if it starts.....

I installed the Mr. Gasket 42S pump last month and it works just fine. You do need to shut of the fuel cock when you turn off the engine though.

Did you look at :

http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?p=775910#post775910

or

http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=80742

Mr. Gasket seems to be the "standard" replacement but also read somewhere that the Yamaha pump is different in that you might have an issue with vapor lock on a cylinder if you don't turn off your petcock when the bike is sitting. Someone else might be able to confirm this.

Funny.... I just got back from a trip and my bike was doing exactly the same thing. Difference though is that I also cleaned and (over) oiled my K&N filters. Think this was cutting off air to the carbs and ran as you described. I waited a few more hours and the bike started fine.

As for the clicking.... did you turn the fuel petcock back on before turning the key? This makes a difference.

I never turn the fuel off. Should I ?

I did switch to reserve thinking I might be low since I did 185 miles from the last gas stop two weeks ago but it didn't make a difference.

Remember the inside part of the fuel pump- closest to the center of the bike was boiling hot.

Like the solenoid? Was stuck but juice was being applied to it.

It should not have been that hot- ever as far as I know.

Thoughts on the red hot fuel pump as the clue to the fact that it was not working?

VenttureFar...

Following this. 3 times now I have been cruising along for many miles and the engine just cut out. Vapor lock. The last time I disconnected fuel line below the fuel filter and it filled back up. Up and running. No idea why

Following this. 3 times now I have been cruising along for many miles and the engine just cut out. Vapor lock. The last time I disconnected fuel line below the fuel filter and it filled back up. Up and running. No idea why

Just guessing here, but the vapor lock could be from over heating due to pump location?? It's fairly well covered up. I just replaced Seven's pump with an OEM because I was basically lazy. Now it runs very strong. So there may be a reason for both bibs to be on the inboard end of the pump and extra insulation may also come into play if there is any?? With Seven she just crapped out right from the git-go in the AM so heat wasn't a factor.... 80,000 miles on the odo might have been. The next time if it ever happens again I'll go the 42S route...

VentureFar:

I'm no expert on this, but I believe most of the problems with our fuel pump can be blamed on the crappy ethanol gas we have to use. And you ran a lot of those miles to Sturgis, and bought a lot of corn-country ethanol on your trip through the heartland, then you let the bike sit for 2 weeks and the humid air where you live, along with the ethanol, let some water settle in the pump, the tank, and the carbs. This is my opinion, for what its worth.

Before you trash it and replace, run a half a can of Seafoam thru it with a tank of good quality gasoline. Ethanol-free if you can find it.

Keep the tool handy for removing the sidecover and tapping the fuel pump if you dont hear it come on when you start the bike, after it has sat overnight. It should eventually begin to work well again. Run a bit of Seafoam or Startron thru at least every other tank, and anytime the bike will sit un-used for more than a week or so.

I do all of this, and was able to get my fuel pump working again everytime the watery, alchohol-laced fuel pollutes my bike.

Let us know how it works out for you.

My pump craped out on my '07 2 day's ago. I went and got the mr gasket, but when I looked at it, I could'nt see how it was going to fit in the same spot after I screwed the nipple/filter end on it. I cleaned the contacts on the old one and she's working so far, no problems. I think I would like something closer to stock if possible...researching that. I hate to spend $225.00 on an oem pump but I may.

VentureFar:

 

I'm no expert on this, but I believe most of the problems with our fuel pump can be blamed on the crappy ethanol gas we have to use. And you ran a lot of those miles to Sturgis, and bought a lot of corn-country ethanol on your trip through the heartland, then you let the bike sit for 2 weeks and the humid air where you live, along with the ethanol, let some water settle in the pump, the tank, and the carbs. This is my opinion, for what its worth.

 

Before you trash it and replace, run a half a can of Seafoam thru it with a tank of good quality gasoline. Ethanol-free if you can find it.

 

Keep the tool handy for removing the sidecover and tapping the fuel pump if you dont hear it come on when you start the bike, after it has sat overnight. It should eventually begin to work well again. Run a bit of Seafoam or Startron thru at least every other tank, and anytime the bike will sit un-used for more than a week or so.

 

I do all of this, and was able to get my fuel pump working again everytime the watery, alchohol-laced fuel pollutes my bike.

 

Let us know how it works out for you.

 

 

Thanks Brian - will do.

It clicked yesterday and again this morning. but I will buy some RSV Heroin - I mean Seafoam ( seems they get addicted). Much appreciated.

VentureFar...

VentureFar:

 

I'm no expert on this, but I believe most of the problems with our fuel pump can be blamed on the crappy ethanol gas we have to use. And you ran a lot of those miles to Sturgis, and bought a lot of corn-country ethanol on your trip through the heartland, then you let the bike sit for 2 weeks and the humid air where you live, along with the ethanol, let some water settle in the pump, the tank, and the carbs. This is my opinion, for what its worth.

 

Before you trash it and replace, run a half a can of Seafoam thru it with a tank of good quality gasoline. Ethanol-free if you can find it.

 

Keep the tool handy for removing the sidecover and tapping the fuel pump if you dont hear it come on when you start the bike, after it has sat overnight. It should eventually begin to work well again. Run a bit of Seafoam or Startron thru at least every other tank, and anytime the bike will sit un-used for more than a week or so.

 

I do all of this, and was able to get my fuel pump working again everytime the watery, alchohol-laced fuel pollutes my bike.

 

Let us know how it works out for you.

 

 

good info here.

Another thing to do would be to drain the float bowls and inspect what comes out -- especially if you have a repeat...

Simple checks of the electrical connections are always a good way to go to.

And change out that fuel filter for good measure

See this thread: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?p=791448#post791448

VentureFar:

 

I'm no expert on this, but I believe most of the problems with our fuel pump can be blamed on the crappy ethanol gas we have to use. And you ran a lot of those miles to Sturgis, and bought a lot of corn-country ethanol on your trip through the heartland, then you let the bike sit for 2 weeks and the humid air where you live, along with the ethanol, let some water settle in the pump, the tank, and the carbs. This is my opinion, for what its worth.

 

Before you trash it and replace, run a half a can of Seafoam thru it with a tank of good quality gasoline. Ethanol-free if you can find it.

 

Keep the tool handy for removing the sidecover and tapping the fuel pump if you dont hear it come on when you start the bike, after it has sat overnight. It should eventually begin to work well again. Run a bit of Seafoam or Startron thru at least every other tank, and anytime the bike will sit un-used for more than a week or so.

 

I do all of this, and was able to get my fuel pump working again everytime the watery, alchohol-laced fuel pollutes my bike.

 

Let us know how it works out for you.

 

 

Good thoughts Brian. That was propably what caused all my problems with the '99 after the trip to Cody that I'm still dealing with. I don't know if this is true, but I understand that premium fuel is ethanol free. I haven't checked how valid this is, but if it is, it's going to be a diet of premium and Sea Foam in the bikes from here on out.

OK I just did some research and found this..... sigh...

There is a difference between states on whether premium gas specifically has ethanol in it or not. Or, more correctly, whether it's required to have it in it. Two states in the Union, Missouri and Montana, have specific exemption to allow ethanol-free premium gasoline. So if you live in one of those two states, you can be thankful.

For the rest of us, we are faced with the unpleasant reality that the refineries are all but tied into putting ethanol in premium gas. This is because they have to use the ethanol to raise the octane level of their gasoline blend in order to satisfy the higher octane requirements of premium. This is one reason why you don't get better gas mileage with premium gas, because an essential part of that blend is a component that has less energy and forces the gas mileage down simply by nature. So in California I'm SOL....

My pump craped out on my '07 2 day's ago. I went and got the mr gasket, but when I looked at it, I could'nt see how it was going to fit in the same spot after I screwed the nipple/filter end on it. I cleaned the contacts on the old one and she's working so far, no problems. I think I would like something closer to stock if possible...researching that. I hate to spend $225.00 on an oem pump but I may.

If you check around you can find an OEM fuel pump for around $150 - $175. I know it still hurts the wallet, but it makes you feel a little better... The deal is that all OEM parts from Y are keystoned. In other words they are sold to the dealer at half of retail. So that pump..or anything else Y for that matter is doubled from $112.50.

googling around found $211 less $10 if you friend them on facebook - $201

http://www.mrcycles.com/fiche_section_detail.asp#.UiIYRFcrO9U

Cheapest I have found so far.

VentureFar... but with a spare fuel pump...

I don't know if this is true, but I understand that premium fuel is ethanol free. I haven't checked how valid this is, but if it is, it's going to be a diet of premium and Sea Foam in the bikes from here on out.

 

(snip)

 

......For the rest of us, we are faced with the unpleasant reality that the refineries are all but tied into putting ethanol in premium gas. .

Condor, I have used a small inexpensive ethanol tester to check the ethanol content locally here in the Texas Panhandle, and the premium gasoline I have checked, DOES indeed have ethanol in it.

I try to buy most of my gasoline at a local farm co-op (ironically) that sells pure gasoline, and tested that, and its pure gas.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ETHANOL-ALCOHOL-GASOLINE-FUEL-TESTER-E10-E15-E85-BRIGGS-100023-795161-R12800-/251317491665?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a83b097d1

Its very simple to use:

Fill to first line with water.

Then fill to the top with the gasoline you want to test.

Shake well.

Wait 5 minutes.

Read the results.

Pure gasoline and water will not mix. It will settle back to where it started out.

But the water and the alchohol in the ethanol will mix and settle to the line: 10%, 20% or more. The sample in the second photo IS premium gasoline from a local Shell Station.

I carry a very small funnel to make pouring a bit easier, and then when I'm finished, I invert the vial, SLIGHTLY loosen the top, drain off the water, close the lid back, then I have about an ounce of pure gas to pour back into the 25 gallon tank in my pickup, or the bike if I'm not at home.

Works for me!

My pump craped out on my '07 2 day's ago. I went and got the mr gasket, but when I looked at it, I could'nt see how it was going to fit in the same spot after I screwed the nipple/filter end on it. I cleaned the contacts on the old one and she's working so far, no problems. I think I would like something closer to stock if possible...researching that. I hate to spend $225.00 on an oem pump but I may.

My fuel pump has given me problems in the past but finally died during our trip to Maryland a couple of weeks ago. No amount of tapping etc would resurrect it. I was going to buy the Mr Gasket but, like Caveman, saw it was going to take some re-engineering to make it work. So I ordered an OEM pump via overnight in order to get back to AR. It cost six times the Mr Gasket but took less than ten minutes to install and we rode 1100 miles in a day and a half to get home on time.

Those of you who plan on going the Mr Gasket route need to take a look at one and think about how you're going to mount it and make it work. I'm not saying I couldn't do it but it is more of a challenge when you're broken down far from home.

From Rome, Italy

Lynn

All grades in Ohio also have ethanol. About the only gas you can find without it is at marinas and there are no pumps there except at the docks. Long walks to fill up a 5 gallon can and walk back to the vehicle with it.

Long walks to fill up a 5 gallon can and walk back to the vehicle with it.

Have you thought about using a wheeled fuel tote?

Of course, 15 or 20 gallons of gasoline in a wheeled tank will still have to be hoisted into your pickup.

By the way...the HD's FI system seem to be very tolerant of ethanol...you probably will never have a fuel issue with that bike.

It just reaches a point where you have to decide how bad you want it. I don't want it that bad. I'll just suffer through the ethanol. Drive 25 or so miles, pay a LOT more for gas at the marina prices around here, wheel it back to the truck, load it into the truck, drive 25 or so miles back home. No thanks.

.... Drive 25 or so miles, pay a LOT more for gas at the marina prices around here, wheel it back to the truck, load it into the truck, drive 25 or so miles back home. No thanks.

Yeah true. But I kinda thought you might already be AT the marina for boating or whatever.

Ok, back to the fuel pump rumblings...

Lots of stations here have pure gas for a little more money. Acording to pure-gas.org so does Ohio.

http://pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=OH

Yes, I've looked at that list before. You will see that MOST of them are marinas. There are a handful of others but nothing really close enough to me to make it worth the drive.

Looks like mine is going out now too. Had problems starting the bike after oiling my K&N filters. Had noticed that the pump didn't "click" when I turned it on.

Tonight as I accelerated out of town the engine started to stumble... ended up pulling over to the side and the engine died. Tried restarting it but it would turn over and not catch.

Waited about 10 minutes and turned the key. The pump clicked many times and the engine started no problem. Rode home without issue.

Going to call the dealer on Tuesday and see if they'll replace an intermittent problem.

In the mean time... I'll run Seafoam thru the tank and check the contacts on the pump to see if spraying them with a cleaner will solve the problem. Don't like the idea of riding with an intermittent problem ... fear of it failing totally and leaving me stuck on the road somewhere.

The next time one of u has a non working fuel pump touch the back side - where the fuel lines come in.

Mine was burn fingers hot.

Is that a different failure than the contacts corroding?

VentureFar...

Folks, I have found the answer that lets us keep our oem pump. www.powersportswarehouse.com . It's item number 18-4615. It is the points switch that goes bad on these pumps and this is a new set. We can just replace them and keep the oem pump for $33.85 plus shipping. I just ordered mine. It even has the same plug so basically a plug and play unit. It is the K&L Supply universal fuel pump point switch kit. If you type in fuel pump in their search box and click on see all results it will be down on the left side of the page.

All grades in Ohio also have ethanol. About the only gas you can find without it is at marinas and there are no pumps there except at the docks. Long walks to fill up a 5 gallon can and walk back to the vehicle with it.

Naaaaaaaaaaa

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/usmcxterra/20130805_125818_zpsaee830f8.jpg

Here I am at a pump in Revenna Ohio Dishing up a dose of 100% REAL GAS! Find your local station at Realgas.com. and if you have to tote 5 gallon cans from a Marina, it's worth it. If I am in a car I bring a Can to this station to bring it home to the bike.

And if you have a local independant gas station and you ask them to carry REAL GAS they may.

I used to deliver fuel, and I found a lot of Farm Co OP type stations also demanded Real Gas to run in their equipment, they didn't want any of the ETHANOL CRAP in their tanks, go figure!

If you pull up on a HD they won't sell you real gas anyways.