Venture "Stalled" today...WTH??

[stvmaier]

So... I was riding home ('08 with 30k miles) from work this evening... and out of the blue, It acts like it's running out of fuel. Spitting and sputtering and finally just died. I took off the fuel cap and peeked in the tank... PLENTY of gas. Cycled the key... heard the fuel pump running... but it was running "slowly".... after several attempts and key cycles.... she fired up and ran fine the rest of the way home..... anybody have any Ideas???? I checked the battery connections and they were tight. Not sure what else to check...especially since it runs FINE now...... I know it's under warrenty.... but if I bring it in... they won't find anything since it's running fine now.....

[V7Goose]

No way the fuel pump should have been clicking at all right after the engine was shut down, so that proves that you actually did "run out of gas" - at least to the carburetors.

 

Although it is not a common problem, a vacuum lock on the tank has been occasionally seen on these bikes - by opening the cap, you released that vacuum (if that was your problem). The other possibility is that your fuel pump is going bad and just quit while you were riding it. If it continues happening, see if it always starts after you remove the tank cap - if so, you will need to find the vent problem.

Goose

[M61A1MECH]

Did you notice any "whoshing" type noise when you first opened the gas cap? That is a sign that you may a clogged or pinched vent hose on the fuel tank. If the vent hose gets clogged or pinched as the gas is removed from the tank it will create a partial vacuum in the tank and and cause the fuel to stop flowing out of the tank.

 

Could a pinched hose or maybe some critter crawled up the vent tube, there have been cases of mud daubbers plugging up vent hoses in the past.

[stvmaier]

No.... no "vacuum" sound when releasing the fuel cap..... The thing that bothers me ...is that the fuel pump was clicking very slowly.... Normally, in the morning, it will click very quickly and slow down as it builds pressure (right?)... so if it was starved for gas... wouldn't it have clicked very quickly????? ( Is my thinking right on this??? or am I confused...again??)

[Mike G in SC]

Steve,

Just so you don't get "stuck", do a search on this forum for "gravity feed".

Read up.

If you pump should go, this can get you running again in about 15 minutes.

(It's simply routing your gas line directly from the tank to the carb input.)

 

Good luck with what you find. Warranty will save you about $350 for a stock pump.

 

Mike G

[stvmaier]

Thanks for the info Mike!!! I'll look it up right now!!!!

[stvmaier]

Hey Mike.... I can't seem to find a "how to"type of post on gravity feed....... can you help me out with a link???? It would be MUCH appreciated..

[wes0778]

Fuel Filter???

[stvmaier]

I thought of that... and I'm sure I'm due for one.... but, I don't know how it would go bad then suddenly be OK for the rest of the ride home....

[Brake Pad]

So... I was riding home ('08 with 30k miles) from work this evening... and out of the blue, It acts like it's running out of fuel. Spitting and sputtering and finally just died. I took off the fuel cap and peeked in the tank... PLENTY of gas. Cycled the key... heard the fuel pump running... but it was running "slowly".... after several attempts and key cycles.... she fired up and ran fine the rest of the way home..... anybody have any Ideas???? I checked the battery connections and they were tight. Not sure what else to check...especially since it runs FINE now...... I know it's under warrenty.... but if I bring it in... they won't find anything since it's running fine now.....

 

 

I have the 07, Mine started that way to, died on the way to key west. then died again two weeks later. they replaced the fuel pump. I now only run Middle grade gas in the bike.

at was at 18,000, i now have 50,300

[stvmaier]

you think that the "grade" of gas made a difference??? I'm leaning towards a fuel pump myself....

[V7Goose]

you think that the "grade" of gas made a difference??? I'm leaning towards a fuel pump myself....

No, it did not. The only difference in the grade of gasoline is how resistant it is to knocking. This bike is designed to run on regular gas - any other gas has absolutely zero benefits for the bike - either the engine, fuel pump, tires, or any other part. The one thing about gas that could make a difference to some parts of the bike is to never use gas with alcohol, but that is near impossible these days. For fuel pump health, it is MUCH more important to change the fuel filter at a reasonable interval.

 

I have about 100,000 miles on my 05 with whatever cheapest garbage fuel I can find, and my original fuel pump is just fine. Just because one pump dies is no indication of what another one will do. Same as with the rear shocks - some folks have gone through three or more, others have never had a problem (my original shock choked at 17,000 miles, but the replacement is still fine 80,000 miles later - and I didn't even change what kind of gas I buy! ).

Goose

[stvmaier]

So.... what is the recommended interval for changing the fuel filter????

[star4772]

So.... what is the recommended interval for changing the fuel filter????

 

Just about bet if you change the fuel filter it will be fixed. Best cheap fix for a lot of fuel problems.

 

Joe

[stvmaier]

do I have to get one from Yamaha??? Or is there an aftermarket one that is as good??? I know if it says "Yamaha" on it.... it's gonna cost about 3 times more!!!

[tibadoe]

So.... what is the recommended interval for changing the fuel filter????

 

20k or 30 mths.

[stvmaier]

Thanks.....I'm a little overdue.......

[Mike G in SC]

Hey Mike.... I can't seem to find a "how to"type of post on gravity feed....... can you help me out with a link???? It would be MUCH appreciated..

 

Steve,

Sorry, my search didn't do so good either.

So, I did find my last post on it:

 

You can do a gravity feed to bypass the filter and pump if you want to eliminate them, to find out what's wrong. Takes about 15 minutes. Be careful about spilling fuel,,,.

 

(Remove seat. Turn off fuel petcock. Pull the tank bolt - you don't have to remove the tank, just lift the rear of it an inch or so, maybe put in a block of wood to raise it. Use a long needle nose to pull (unclamp) the feed line from the filter, then pull the line (unclamp) to the carb on the right side. Then connect the tank line direct to the carb feed. Before you try to start it,, remove the left side cover and disconnect the fuel pump connector so it won't spew it's remaining gas. Oh,,, turn back on petcock now. Try to start it. If you have a mostly full tank, it should start up and run fine,,, your problem is the filter or pump. If this works, then you have a bad filter or pump.

 

If it's the pump, you can run on gravity if you keep the tank above 1/4 full, till you get one. If you plan to do more than test,, get a $3 inline filter till you are back to normal.)

 

I ran a week and 1000 miles without a pump.

 

Yes warranty is good. The Yamaha stock part (Mitsibshi) is $300.

If you are out of warranty, someone on this forum has posted a after market $45 replacement.

 

[Mel]

Possibly a slow death fuel pump failure? Die a little, run a little? I think I've read here that it has happened before.

[Yammer Dan]

About any GOOD filter that will fit. I've used a lot of different ones on the 1st Gens.

[stvmaier]

Mike, Thanks for the info! And if I'm reading it correctly.... I don't need spare hose??? Just connect the fuel filter inlet hose straight to the carb???

[V7Goose]

There is an article in the tech library containing information on alternative parts:

http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=38549

 

Lots of people have said how difficult it is to change the fuel filter - it is NOT hard at all. Here's how:

 

1. Remove the two battery side covers (just one bolt each - the front one is a fake).
   
2. Remove the front battery cover. This is only held on by one phillips screw on top in front of the battery, and one 10mm bolt on each side near the bottom that you can see when the side covers are off. Once the bolts are out, pop the spark plug wires out of the little plastic clamp on the front of the cover (or just pop the whole clamp off the cover) and pull the cover out the left side of the bike. The only even remotely difficult thing about this is that Yamahaha did not round the corners of the cutout on the bottom of the cover, so it does tend to hang up on the wires - just use a flashlight and long screwdriver to push the wires free of the edge and it will come right out.
   
3. The filter is mounted vertically right in front of the battery - it is just slid into a rubber sleeve. Use needle nose pliers to pull up the spring clamp and pull the fuel hose off the top of the filter.
   
4. Remove the top hose from the fuel pump - this goes to the bottom of the filter and just makes it easier to pull the filter out.
   
5. The filter will push out the bottom of that rubber sleeve. Spray a bit of WD-40 around the filter sides at the top to make it slide easier and just push it down while you pull down and forward on the fuel hose you took off the fuel pump. If the filter doesn't want to start moving, try a little screwdriver to reach down and pull out the edge of the rubber sleeve at one point to allow the WD-40 to get down in there.
   

The universal replacement filter has nipples on it that are two different sizes - use wire cutters or a knife to cut the smaller part off, then just put the bottom hose on it and push it back into place. You may want to hold one finger under the filter while you push the top hose onto it because the WD-40 will allow it to be pushed back down pretty easily. The only thing left now is to put the fuel line back onto the pump and put the covers back on.

 

Goose

Edited July 15, 2011 by V7Goose

[stvmaier]

V7Goose, Thank you so much. You all are a great help!!! Much appreciated!!! I'll get that filter changed asap.... and see what happens..... I'm kind of leaning towards a fuel pump issue, since I rode it to work today and everything was fine... but I'm due for a new filter anyway!!! Thanks again for all the help guys!!

[V7Goose]

I agree that most of what you noted does sound like a pump going bad, but don't forget the easy check of just opening the tank if it happens again. Here is the order to check that out:

 

1. Bike dies - pull over and shut off key.
   
2. Turn key back on and listen for pump clicking. If it is a vacuum lock, the pump will click for about 4 seconds before it automatically shuts off. If no clicking, it is almost certainly a bad pump.
   
3. Even if no clicking, go ahead and open the cap while carefully listening for a "whoosh", then try the key again.
   

If the above simple steps don't get you running again, the next thing to try before you re-route the fuel line is to knock on the fuel pump with a rock or screwdriver handle or something like that - this will often get it running again (for a while, anyway - may be enough to get you home).

Goose

[Flyinfool]

I agree that most of what you noted does sound like a pump going bad, but don't forget the easy check of just opening the tank if it happens again. Here is the order to check that out:

 

1. Bike dies - pull over and shut off key.
   
2. Turn key back on and listen for pump clicking. If it is a vacuum lock, the pump will click for about 4 seconds before it automatically shuts off. If no clicking, it is almost certainly a bad pump.
   
3. Even if no clicking, go ahead and open the cap while carefully listening for a "whoosh", then try the key again.
   

If the above simple steps don't get you running again, the next thing to try before you re-route the fuel line is to knock on the fuel pump with a rock or screwdriver handle or something like that - this will often get it running again (for a while, anyway - may be enough to get you home).

Goose

 

OHHHHH!!!!

I like that one.

Beat on it with a rock.