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Fuel pump problem?


Archimedes

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Hello everyone

 

This is my 1st tech' post. I am the proud owner of a 2000 V11 Sport with only 7000 miles on the clock. I have had the bike since March. It has run just fine until now bar a couple of small niggles that were easily sorted. When I first turn on the ignition the ECM runs the fuel pump for 3-5 seconds to pressurize the fuel system and ready it for starting. However, instead of the 'clean' whoosh the pump usually makes, my bike now sounds like it is gargling in the priming phase but the pump still works.

 

Once I press the starter button the pump turns on again and stays on continuously while the bike is running. Under the sound of the engine I can still hear the gargling noise of the pump. The bike has suffered no loss of performance but I am concerned the pump is on its way out. There is no smell of fuel from the bike so I am not concerned that there is a leak.

 

I took the bike to our local bike shop: a Yamaha dealer. They more or less said from the beginning they were not sure about fixing it. They did however listen to it and say 'Yeah your pump is dodgy'. I rode the bike home as I did not feel these were the best guys to be looking at my bike though they said they would 'try' to fix it.

 

So, I have a couple of questions which I hope someone out there more experienced than me can advise on:

- on the basis of the evidence I've outlined,would you agree the fuel pump is the problem?

- if not, what do you suggest may be a fruitful route of investigation

- I am not a bad mechanic (just not an especially confident one) and I know the fuel tank will need to come off (I don't know how to do that yet) and the pump removed. I do know how to test a pump though. Who thinks I should tackle the job myself and, if not, who would you recommend I take my bike to in the Southwest of England who is a good Guzzi specialist? I want to get to know my bike better and I have almost convinced myself I should do it! I don't want to botch it and leave myself with a very expensive paperweight in the garage...

 

Many thanks in anticipation of your replies everyone. Though you didn't know it you sorted out two electrical problems for me with the posts that have gone up over the past couple of months. So thanks for that too!

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Working on a 2000 V11 Sport is like fixing hammer - you can do this! :luigi:

 

First - off with the tank? See the Tank off Maintenance Checklist in FAQ

 

Let's be sure all the hose routing is solid and the petcock itself is squared away.

 

Do you have the original electric petcock or has it been swapped for a manual one?

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It sounds like the Percocet may not be opening, the silver device below tank LH side. Pull the fuse f8 I think and measure the resistance to chassis, should be somewhere around 100 Ohms.

With the key on you should hear a distinct click as you pull/insert the fuse.

 

 

Sent from my shoe phone!

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I love the auto spell screwup "Pet cock, petcock petcock"

 

 

Sent from my shoe phone!

Hey, the Italian translation in the manuals refers to it as the "electric cock."

 

I kind of think the Italians know they are doing this sort of thing, linguistically, and just think it's a big laugh. :blush:  :grin:B)

 

We can always be boasting around the "other kinds of motorcycles" that ours has one of these *special* devices!

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The petcock is famous for the wires breaking off where they exit the body, this cases the pump to suck harder making more noise. Some owners change it for a manual one. If you find the coil is open as a temporary fix disassemble it and remove the little valve part.

One more possibility is you have the two plugs under the tank crossed over, they are colour coded.

Third possible cause:

A blocked fuel filter- not so common on the plastic tanks, this causes the fuel pressure to go from 40+ psi to ~70,that makes the pump moan.

No four- the petcock filter plugged, easy to check.

 

 

Sent from my shoe phone!

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if it makes you feel any better mine has been making a similar sound for a couple of years and many miles.  Like you said performance is good, amp draw for me is normal. Just another sound for the Honda guys to look at me weird!

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 on the early models did they have manual petcock? make sure its fully open, if the tanks been off recently, air filter change perhaps, could be that its not open fully making the pump work harder?

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I'm speculating here - but is it possible that this problem has something to do with the fuel pressure regulator, rather than the pump?

 

If the pressure regulator returns fuel to the tank, that could account for the gargling noise.

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Guys

 

It was the petcock not opening. All fixed and sounding normal now. Thank you to everyone who responded. Not only for helping me to fix my bike but also for helping me to increase my confidence in tackling the problem myself.

 

Best regards

Paul

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