Fuel Pump Failure???

[georgebill]

Bought my 06 RSTD new, have 57,000 miles on it and it has never let me down...until yesterday. Around 20 miles from home I was riding when it began to lose power, seeming as though it was running out of fuel.

 

Gauge showed I had plenty of fuel in tank, but I switched to reserve just in case. Still no joy and I rolled to a stop. On a bridge with no shoulders. Over a lake. Pushed it to the end of the bridge and off onto a narrow shoulder.

 

Bike would crank, would either fire almost immediately and run for half a second, or it would just crank. Again seeming as though it was not getting proper fuel.

 

After a 3-hr wait on the shoulder of the road for a tow, had it taken to my dealer who looked at it today. Said the battery cables were loose, tightened them, and test rode it 26 miles with no problems. That solution just didn't give me warm and fuzzies. All the symptoms seemed to me to be fuel related.

 

Knowing that these bikes have a history of fuel pump problems and having a friend with a Venture who had similar intermittent strandings before the fuel pump was finally replaced, I bit the bullet and am having a new one installed. $320+ bucks for the pump and installation. I know auto pumps are cheaper but I don't have the expertise to install.

 

Anyway, I hope I didn't over react, but after experiencing a 3-hr wait in the heat for the tow vehicle I decided to be proactive. Just sharing my experience and curious as to anyone's opinions.

[etcswjoe]

My furl pump failed last week on the way to MD and I now have a Mr. Gasket Fuel pump there is a thread on how to replace also you can bypass the pump and run the bike as long as you stay above half a tank I rode all the way from Va to Oh that way.

[Guest tx2sturgis]

Sounds like a fuel pump issue, and it sounds like you had it corrected.

 

The OEM pump seems to fail with the ethanol crap that we have to use, and my pump has begun to be intermittent...but a dose of Seafoam, BG44k, or Startron and a tap on it with a wrench seems to get it running again.

 

I've bought a new Mr Gasket pump but havent installed it yet.

 

I'm all out of 'round-to-it's....

 

 

 

 

 

 

[georgebill]

Thanks for the feedback. I don't think I would have ever felt comfortable taking any long trips until I had this replaced. It just didn't seem like an electrical issue to me. Anyway, the bike has enough miles on it that I'll just look at it as expensive routine maintenance.

 

Thanks again and keep the shiny side up!

[RSTDdog]

Get your old one back if its not too late. Its my undertanding that the pumps don't typically fail on the fuel side (all bets are off if the bike sits however, you have enough miles that shouldn't be the issue). There are contacts in side the pump that get stuck. It seems I read where someone dissassembled the pump, cleaned the contacts and got the pump working again. You have a new one, but it would be worth servicing the old one up for a spare.

 

Hope you got a new fuel filter to go with that new pump.

 

I use the blue marine stabil routinely in my bike. Even when running it all the time. I feel its worth it just from the corrosion inhibitors, plus if the bike sits for a while I don't have to worry about the fuel.

[GeorgeS]

Will a pump from a 1st gen work on a 2nd gen bike ??

 

I still have a good spare from the 89 I sold. Well, I guess I can pull the side cover

off and take a look and compare the two pumps.

Project for tomorrow.

[Mike G in SC]

Georgebill,

You got a new pump, so should be good for life.

But, search how to bypass the pump to "GRAVITY FEED" on this forum.

 

Basically you reroute the gas line from the tank to the carb input.

You can then run till you can sort it out.

 

This would avoid worry about sitting on the side of the road.

More than that, fears of someone towing a bike.

 

Mike G.

[georgebill]

I routinely use Marvel Mystery Oil to keep system clean and improve fuel economy. Does great with both. Good idea about saving old pump for repair of contacts and use as a spare. Go to pick up my bike tomorrow.

 

While I had it in the shop, I bit the bullet and had the clutch replaced. Used aftermarket clutch and stronger clutch spring. Was starting to slip under extreme load and with the mileage figured it was time.

 

From what I can determine from reading these forums, fuel pump and clutch are the two most common failures on this bike. Hopefully this is the last unexpected roadside stranding I'll have for a long time.

[Don Hudson]

The fuel pump on my 2005 RSTD quit, so I purchased a new one and the bike works fine. After it was fixed a parts man at my local shop told me of an incident when he had a pump failure on a Yamaha, and got it to work by cleaning the points on the pump. I took the old pump apart (one screw) and exposed the points. I cleaned the points with WD40 to remove all the dirt and dust and saw that the points were pitted. I lightly filed the pitted points with 600 grit emery paper and when I tested the pump it worked like new.

 

I wouldn't trust the old pump for general use but I now have a spare in my saddlebag and know how to do a temporary fix if stuck while on the road.

Edited June 23, 2013 by Don Hudson