Fuel Pump Fix

First topic message reminder :

After 4 days trying to fix my ruining problems of no power, top speed of 10 kph OR 110 kph and no acceleration. I traced the fault to the fuel pump assembly. Sometimes it would work, other times it wouldn't. Pressure was either good or poor. It looked like a dodgy fuel pump which Suzuki want $700. If i had taken it to a dealer they would have replaced the assembly which would have fixed the problem but cost me $1000.

I'm unemployed at the moment so that was out of the question. I doubt VERY much I'm the only person to have this problem in the past
or future.

Photos and instructions following

Good job gus

good job Gus but I wonder whether this is a Suzuki problem or a fuel supplier /or type of fuel of problem .I realize yours isnt the only one but there are thousands of others that dont have this problem . ( good to know there is an cheaper fix if it happens )I sometimes wonder about the fuels of today & apart from the subsidies from the supermarkets what other ways they use to cut corners to make up the money they are losing .

I use 98 all the time ( i dont need everyone saying I dont need it, my choice) and im now up to 49000km and i havent had a drama. Couple of things i never run the tank empty. it is always filled after a ride. it always has 98 fuel. I shown the torch in the tank after a couple of guys talking bout rust and my tank is perfect and i havent changed filter either

Well, my new fuel strainer has only given me temporary relief, have put a couple of thousand k's on and now back to not getting over 4.5-5K. So went back in to have another look at the strainer Gus identified, blew it out again and a bunch of black gunk came out. Did the thing with the piece of wire and then flushed out with carb cleaner, more black gunk. So, reassembled and got to redline in 2nd . Hopefully that's it, time will tell.

After sticking a new filter in and doing Gus's trick with the copper wire reassembled the pump etc and stuck it back in the tank. I had repainted the tank internally after finding rust in there. Getting back on the road last weekend, and putting about 600 klm on the clock over the two days, I had this nagging feeling that I only had about 90% of the power available. At about 3700 revs you have peak torque available but it just didn't seem to be there. A strong surge rather then that kick up the arse feeling. Pulled the pump assembly out again this morning and decided to reverse flush the system. I stripped the assembly down to what you see in Gus's top picture. Basically the frame and the plastic bit with the internal strainer still on it.
I then half filled a plastic tube(1/2 mtr), to go onto the steel outgoing pipe on the outside of the plate, with fuel. Half fill the tube before you put it on the steel tube otherwise it won't fill. Clamped this lot by the base plate into a vice. I then stuck the fine nozzle of the compressor into the other end of the plastic tube and gave it a blow forcing the fuel back through the strainer and hopefully cleaning it. Have a glass jar or similar covering where the fuel comes out so you can see what you have blown out. In my case plenty of small bits of I don't know what and brown coloured fuel. I did repeat this until I only found clean fuel. Reassembled the unit and dunked the fuel pump into a large jar of fuel and pumped fuel into another jar using Gus's long wires(thanks again Gus) system. I did it outside just in case..... It pumped sufficient, uninterupted, fuel to keep a 747 off the ground. Reinstalled the unit into the tank and went for a test ride. I'm getting kicked up the arse again

Up at Suzuki HQ, someone in sales is gonna detect that they're not selling as many fuel pumps as they used to......

After Suzuki supplied a new fuel pump assembly under warranty i once again set off for Tassie via Vic High country. 6071 kms all up & not a hint of trouble. Bandit went like stink. Lot happier now, hopefully problem won't re-occur & if it does i now know what 2 do thanks to gus. Cheers

Hi guys,

I have the 650 water boiler, seems absolutely fine at a full tank of fuel, but about half a tank or below it begins to struggle and feel lumpy, stops accelerating at full throttle (accelerates up to about half throttle fine, then just stops, or accelerates a little and jumps around)... Has anyone else had these symptoms? Could it be related to this do you think?

Thanks,

Sounds similar ,sometimes mine would work fine ,then play up .Hard to find a fault like that .

I don't suppose you found fuel level made a difference? Or throttle amount? Like I say, it's absolutely fine at full fuel, and still pulls well up to half throttle normally even when it is playing up.


I'm running out of ideas, so when my tanks nearer empty I'll give this a try.

I was running on small amounts of fuel because tank was coming off all the time .
If your bike runs this type of system then its a "must do" . Costs nothing so nothing to loose except poor running .Leave the "tea bag " filter
OFF for a small run to eliminate that .

Damn good ideas sir. I shall give this a go as soon as possible. Do I need to buy any gaskets/o-rings/seals or anything in advance?

No , its straight forward .Getting the plastic body off the steel exit line can take a bit of force .WD 40 helps it to seperate .

Has anyone found out if the housing with the troublesome filter is available as a part? or is it sold as a component of the fuel pump assembly?

I think it is sold as one part . I have been tempted to poke a 5 mm hole straight through the screen to bypass it .
It seems to catch something in the fuel and when it has enough turn it into a varnish .A bit like salt in water.

Looks like its the ref no. 8 fuel pressure regulator assembly. You get the housing, the pressure regulator valve and an O-ring, cost is about $180,

With a screen that doesnt work properly ?

You have to think that anything in the tank should be stopped by the intake filter and the screen is just there to protect the system in case the pump itself drops its guts, but you are right something does not add up. Mine had only done about 7 - 8000K's when I started to have issues.

Its a shame you carnt get to the screen to see what the mesh looks like .Its hard to imagine its finer than the "tea bag " one . Perhaps there
is (was) something in the pump itself that after time gets washed through the strainer .Its already passed the 'tea bag' on assembly .

gus wrote:Its a shame you carnt get to the screen to see what the mesh looks like .Its hard to imagine its finer than the "tea bag " one . Perhaps there
is (was) something in the pump itself that after time gets washed through the strainer .Its already passed the 'tea bag' on assembly .

you would like to think not but maybe something in there does dissolve & is causing a problem / does the year of the bikes make any difference ?

No idea.

I think you guys would do well to look at DHULA's post on page 3 with a link to the Vstrom forum and take a leaf out of their book, do away with the filter on the output side of the fuel pump (they by-passed it) and fit a cheap external filter. Sounds like fun, almost makes me wish I had a fuel pump. Not really.

Smartass .

Yep. That time again. Started the Bandit to go home from work last night and there it was, the familiar sound of fuel pump squeal. Pulled the pump out this morning and checked the filters and sure as eggs come from chickens, Black crud clogging the filters again. It must be crap out of the servo's tanks. I only use 98ron from either Caltex or BP. Anyone know how much a new tea bag costs?

A few questions to those who have done guru Gus' pump fix........
Other than the copper wire, can this job be done with the tools in the Bandits tool bag?
Once the tank has been removed from the bike and tipped upside down to get to the offending pump - will fuel piss out of the filler cap?
Im asking this coz I'd like to be prepared for a roadside repair if I have to!