fuel pump quit

[mrsteve]

This has happened to me twice in the last year, very frustrating. The first time I was 5 miles from home, the second time I was 12 miles from home, both times at about 4:15 am on my way to work. The first time I was going up the east side of the pass heading out of the valley that I live in when the engine just quit. I coasted down the mountain to within 2 miles of home. When I went back to trailer the bike home I thought I would give it one more chance to start. That time when I turned the key on I heard the fuel pump clicking, it started right up.

 

This time I was on the other side of the pass (the down hill side) and when I stopped at the only stop sign between my house and the freeway the motor quit again. The fuel pump just would not pump. Since I was 12 from home and 7 miles from the freeway I had some time to reflect on what life has taught me.

 

Boy has there ever been some real jerks in my life!

 

Boy have I been real jerk to a lot of people in my life!

 

Well, once that was done And I felt so much better about life I kept trying to start the bike. It would not make that beautiful ticking sound. It would start with full choke but would not stay running. Finally, I took the key out of the switch and, just before I tossed it out into the desert, I had second thoughts. I put the key back in the switch and turned it to the "on" position.

OMG! there was that beautiful sound! The earth tilted back onto it's proper axis and gravity returned to normal.

I was only a hour late for work. So after all of that, do you guys think it could be a bad/dirty switch or at 45,000 miles on a 2005 royal star venture is it time to look for another fuel pump?

[BlueSky]

Nah, you just had to get your life sorted out before the bike would move. It's your closest friend you know.

[mrsteve]

you are correct BlueSky, my bike saved my life when Interstate 15 tried to kill me in August of 2014

[djh3]

I would bet a weeks pay check your pump is dead. It may work evry now and again, but the points are burned. I replaced my oem pump with the Mr Gasket. Its solid state. I did a write up and its in the tech section. Pictures and all.

[2WHEELSFORME]

The stock pumps are made by Mitsubusi and I have had two to fail on me. Replaced with the one made for an airplane which has a positive shutoff when key is off. Big thread and write up in here somewhere. It did require some 1/4 inch pipe fittings to get the hoses going the way I needed.

[RedRider]

Search for replacing the points in the OEM pump. Easy and cheap. As I have a tendency to take trips far from home, I carry a spare fuel pump with me. However, with 130k+ on the bike, the original pump has never failed. Inspected the points and they look brand new. Got a lucky one I guess.

 

RR

[jjven68]

Get rid of it!

You don't need it.

Run the line straight from the tank to carb and let gravity do the rest.

I've done it on my RS and Road Stars.

If you want put a filter in between and that's it.

Make sure filter is in the right direction.

[mrsteve]

So I'm on my way to work again this morning and as I passed the spot, at 4:20 am, where my fuel pump stopped working on 4-18 I thought "as soon as I get to work I'm gonna order a fuel pump from e-Bay".

At 7:40 am I pushed my bike the last few feet into the gas station 7 miles from where the pump quit.

Progressive insurance came through again, paid tow bill to the nearest place of repair......73 miles away.

The new fuel pump will be installed by Friday.

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions, I should have fixed it last weekend.

Steve

[djh3]

Some of us are just slow learners.

[mrsteve]

So the shop that is going to put the fuel pump on my bike called today and told me there isn't an aftermarket pump and a new pump is $369 from Yamaha. I told him as soon as I can get ahold of a trailer I would pick up my bike because I can get a new aftermarket pump off e-Bay for less than $130. He asked if he could call me back. When he called back he apologized and told me that he had called the dealer that I bought the bike from (he didn't know that) and they said that there were no aftermarket pumps made. He could have one here from Los Angeles by Tuesday, no parts delivered this weekend because of the "fight of the century" oh, and it would be $139 installed. I told him to go ahead and next time just because a customer is old don't think that they haven't done some research on that "newfangled inner nit thingamabob". He apologized again.

[djh3]

I'm thinkin you just beat him outa $200 bucks. You could put one in yourself for about $60.

[Zzyzx]

I had a problem similar to this last year near Shiloh IL.

Stopped for fuel and water and when I got back on the bike, a 1999 RSV, turned the key and, nothing.

Worked the key back and forth a bit and finely got it to where it would start and run.

When I got to a buddies house in Knoxville TN we started doing some internet research for possible cause.

Found the 2nd Gen RSV's have had issues with the key switch contacts so...I sprayed contact cleaner in the key hole a couple times, let it dry, then sprayed lithium grease in the hole, worked the switch back and forth a few times and sprayed it again.

Let it set overnight and it has worked fine 97.2% of the time ever since.

The other 2.8% of the times I just turn the key back and forth a few times and Ta-Da.

While in Knoxville I ordered a replacement switch on line just in case since I would be on the road for another few weeks.

Still have it and take it with me, along with a drill bit and easy-out when on longer trips.

 

Anyway try this and see if it helps, if not go back to the fuel pump.

Good luck with the repair.