fuel pump squealing

[doser]

'08 naked just coming up to 83,000 kms and the fuel pump has started squealing. I'm virtually certain it's the pump/filter because:
1. the squeal is much louder when you put your ear to the tank, and not so when you 'ear' the frame.
2. the squeal is independent of engine rpm.
3. when the bike is at idle and the turn indicators are on, there is a slight drop in current each time the blinker flashes (sensible enough...). I've noticed before that my headlight dims slightly because of this, and I can hear the squeal similarly changing tone in time with the blinker. therefore, it's something electrically driven. and...
4. I had this identical problem before.

and that's my issue. the filter assembly (about $250! ouch!) was replaced at 48,000 kms cuz of a squealing pump, now 35,000kms later the problem recurs. am I just unlucky, or is there an underlying issue with SV fuel pumps that has not seen 'print' on the forums (I doubt it!)

I've searched this forum and svrider, and there's hardly any mention of fuel pumps and/or filters at all. the only recent thread I found was from muzikill:
http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=166389&highlight=fuel

I use quality fuel (almost always Shell or Chevron, 89 octane). I've run injector cleaner thru the bike twice, once quite recently, once in the dim past. There is no indication of 'floaters' of any kind in the tank. With the mileage I do, the fuel is always fresh.

any experiences? any fixes, aside from yet another $250 filter? and if the pump has been squealing (twice!), should I replace the whole works ($550!) on the chance there has been some damage to the bearings, and it'll just recur if I go 'filter only'?

(of course I could buy used, but without a history that's pretty sketchy. who knows how long the pump sat mouldering in ancient fuel before it was removed...)

[muzikill]

http://www.svspares.com/items/228-1_3153-fuel-pump-assembly-1000--amp--650-.htm

check the parts no's for you model and location (canada). cheap enough to me considering the prices youve quoted.

[doser]

thanks, I might consider that. I have purcashed a couple 'farkles' for the bike from the UK, and the postage is quite dear, but there's a lot to play with when you're talking UKL48 vs $250!
cheers,

[doser]

btw, if I do buy a used pump, is there any advice on how to treat it (or not) before installing? it sounds like a very gentle brushing of the outer surface is a good thing, so as to clean any gunk off. what about solvents?
tks, cheers,

[doser]

I thought I should post a follow-up and conclusion to this saga, as perhaps the information will be useful to others. in the end, I had my dealer install a new high pressure fuel filter (p.n. 15410-16G00) and the problem was solved - not cheap: about $300 for the filter plus an hour labour, but... so it goes...

the interesting part is that the dealer did flow tests on the old and new filters.
* spec is 168ml/10sec minimum
* old filter flowed only 90ml/10 sec
* new filter flowed 335 mls/10sec.

so,
(a) if your fuel pump starts squealing, you're most likely suffering from a fairly restricted fuel flow rate, and
(b) if you replace the old pump with a used one, check the flow rate first before confirming the purchase. otherwise you might be wasting your money.

hope this is helpful.

[muzikill]

Doser 1st of all apologies. I didnt notice you replying in this thread so long ago... Tbh im pretty suprised about the prices youve quoted to get a filter replaced. Oem prices are outrageous. And i didnt realise there was a servicable part in there. I remember seeing a gauze filter of some sort when i removed the pump. All in the prep to remove and fit the pump was more than the job itself. All it needed was a wet smear of grease round the pump oring to seal it and when the tank was turned upright i sat it over a bucket to check for leaks before fitting the tank on the bike. The bike was taken out for a 5min run before it heated up and the tanked was lifted to check for leaks under pressure.

I feel concerned you had to do this...twice... Ive never read that this is an issue... Id still be looking for the cause of this...did the gauze filter need replaced? Couldnt it have just been cleaned? Why is it getting dirty? Is there dirt ingress somewhere?
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

[doser]

I feel concerned you had to do this...twice... Ive never read that this is an issue... Id still be looking for the cause of this...did the gauze filter need replaced? Couldnt it have just been cleaned? Why is it getting dirty? Is there dirt ingress somewhere?


thanks for the response muzikill. to be clear, the part getting 'clogged' is the high pressure filter, which is ceramic (I think). it is #2 (at top) in the accompanying image:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6220/6338713688_038b5a7d53_z.jpg

I retained the removed unit, thinking I might be able to self-service it somehow, but it's sealed and non-servicable.

as to why this has happened twice in 90,000 kms, my dealer can only suggest that because I spend a lot of time riding secondary roads in the western USA, I'm fuelling up in small places where the fuel turnover might not be very high and the tanks/pumps etc might not be very new and perfectly clean. maybe?

btw, I have since discovered that 2 other people in my riding circle have also had to replace SV fuel filters. both run high mileage, as I do. one's on a 1000, the other a 650. my dealer also tells me this is not that uncommon for V-Stroms. since it seems to only reach 'failure-point' after maybe 40,000 kms, and since few people ride that kind of mileage, that might explain the lack of commentary on the SV forums.

anyway, next time it happens, I think I'll save myself a few bucks and do the swap myself. you make it sound very easy, and the manual description looks straighforward.

btw, out of curiosity I "did the math" on the fuel flow. my bike consumed about 6L/100kms, so at 100kms/hr that's 6L/hr, equals 0.1L/min, equals about 17mL/10 sec. at 225kph (max speed for sure on an SV), that's about 40mL/10 sec. so even my restricted flow of 90mL/10 sec was easily twice the required amount. not that this proves anything except the amount of time one can waste on a drizzly day in front of a monitor...

cheers,