Vapor lock on 2010 390??

Mdc218 said:

Thanks for the info Davo ...

It looks as if my Dealer is going to replace the pump under warranty ....They have had a few show similar symptoms and once a pump starts with this problem he says that it will eventually stop working altogether.....I will also get him to fit the fuel pump profill filter as well ....will post back up with the outcome

Marc

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That was my experience too.

So are people getting pumps replaced under warranty even though they are beyond the warranty expiration?

I talked to my dealer, only had one instance of hot bike, no re-start, he said to drop it off so he can go over it. But I don't want to hear that it's going to cost me $500 for a replacement pump. I'm going to do all the heat prevention stuff, then see if it occurs regularly, or is it a case where if it happens once it's bound to completely fail??

And when you guys are removing the one-way vent in the breather line, are you putting a breather cap on it or just running the stubby hose with nothing on it?

Mine was replaced under warranty as it only had 1.5 to 2 hrs on it.

I have the same problem as many people in this forum but in particular the other poster from Colorado and we both took our bikes to the same dealer (elitektm). In my case the dealer checked the values and they we re "perfect." I'm guessing they decided to check the values based on the experience with the previous poster (I can't find his handle but it's somewhere in this thread).

My bike starts fine when cold but won't start and sometimes dies when hot. Sometimes it takes a really long hill to pop start it e.g. 2+miles. It typically starts after ~45 minutes of riding.

There's three of us with the exact same 2010 FE 450. It's affecting one of the bikes so far. The one with about 90 hours. The others have slightly less hours. We all use the same gas.

Don't know if this has been posted or not as I just read the last post in this thread, and have heard through the grapevine what the problem is.

The problem is the fuel pumps themselves having what is called a heat seizure. After typically 45 minutes of running the pump itself get's hot, and seizes. The motor is fine, its just the pump that the motor is connected to locks up. Some bikes will quit and not re start, while others will keep on running until shut off, then not restart until they have cooled off.

It is obviously a problem with the pumps having some sort of manufacturing tolerance problem.

It would be nice if the VIN numbers of the bikes would be posted by HBG so that owners of those bikes who have problems could get their pumps replaced. But maybe the pumps got mixed in with different batches of pumps from different manufacturers and there is no way to tell if you have a bad pump or not based on a VIN number.

I appreciate everyones posts on this problem, and share the frustration of a random problem that can bite at any time, regardless of engine hours, ambient temperature, time out on the trail, operating conditions, etc.

In my own experience I have had this problem happen to me totally randomly, sometime 3x on one ride, and once I had to trek a couple of miles through the desert to fetch my truck... Of course she started perfectly when I got back... On my last ride, which was on a very warm day - no problem at all during a hard 4 hr ride in the desert. Go figure.

Some time back, I replaced the fuel filter inside the fuel tank, and chatted to my friendly KTM dealer who said the only answer is to replace the fuel pump, cos its a steadily worsening problem, and no fiddling and fixing will solve this. My bike is a year old now so no chance of getting this repaired under warranty.

My question is - if I'm going to hand over my hard earned paper with pictures of George Washington, there seems no point in buying another similar fuel pump unit which may also leave me stranded randomly? Can someone recommend a reliable replacement pump? What units are the Husaberg factory teams using? Appreciate it if you can post the exact part number too?

PS - I so nearly bought a KTM SX450F, could not bring myself to ride orange...

Squirrel - I bought one of these, but haven't yet installed it:
http://www.ca-cycleworks.com/products/f ... s?make=304

Others have installed it, and report that it works great. Same part number stamped on it as the stocker. Much cheaper. There is one key difference though; the outlet line is not barbed. Not a deal breaker - the stock fuel filter doesn't have barbs on it either. Hose clamps will do the job too.

I have heard of a number of guys getting pumps from Husaberg through their dealers, even outside of the warranty period. Husaberg knows of the issue, and seems willing to support owners. From what I've seen so far, the replacement pumps are working ok. It may have been just a bad batch made for 2010 models. Hard to say. Some folks speculate that sucking tank goo is killing their pumps.

On that note, something important to add: I flushed my tank from day one. Swished it around vigorously, and poured out the gas. The funnel I was using to drain it out has a filter on it, and it clogged it up completely.

My bike would have been run at the factory, and also during the dealership final prep. Plus I may have missed some tank goo in my cleaning process. (I maybe should have pressure washed it out). Other than that, it wasn't run before the tank was cleaned.

My filter screen (not my fuel filter) was approximately 80% covered in tank goo. That stuff does not let liquid past - it does a great job of sealing. I cut open my fuel filter, and it actually looked ok. I expected to see it jammed up too. Maybe it's not filtering the sh*t?

My new fuel filter and filter screen just arrived, so I'll see if I can get it buttoned up tonight. Flying off on business tomorrow with a 4:30am cab coming to the house, so we'll see how much I can get done before an early bedtime tonight!

Squirrel, Have you tried calling a KTM tech line directly? They should be able to send you out a new fuel pump assembly (tell em your a racer). My dealer is 8 hours away and that's what they recommended and it worked. Installing the FP assy is fairly straight forward and mainly takes patience. Good luck!

Thanks Garrison / Ladyberg. Yesterday, I ordered the replacement part from CA Cycleworks, will definitely replace the part asap, will try and do the job myself.

I went for a desert ride this morning, and after around 45 min she coughed and died. She started and purred all the way home, after the obligatory 10 - 15 minute pause to admire the scenery. Most frustrating.

FYI - I have very little faith in my local KTM dealer, who seems to have his own interests firmly ahead of my own. Why, when I call to discuss the problem, does he sound all vague about it, as if he has never heard of the problem? Not very confidence inspiring. I feel he should be calling me to warn me about the problem and offer to replace the part, at a reasonable cost, when the bike comes in for the next service. Very quick to take my money at the point of sale, and then never to be seen again. I can't stand doing business with people like that. I hope all the EFi KTM's he sells break down, the muppet...

I just purchased a very low mileage 2010 450 and first ride out no issues but rode slower. Went to Rampart this weeked and roder much faster with less stops. Everything was going great and way back on trail 676(maybe 15 miles in) there were a couple fallen trees I had to work the bike over with it still running. After the second tree I got back on and went to take off and no start. Pulled the gas cap off and there was a ton of pressure in the tank. Took about 30 minutes to cool and started up fine. Further in at the end of day heading back to the sprucewood I came around a corner and bumped tires with an oncoming bike and tipped over. lifted bike up and it stalled. No start a second time. This was in to about 10-15 minutes of hard riding both times. First time a steady downhill second steady uphill climb. Engine temps were fine. Again ~20 minute cool down and started up. I love this bike but it concernes me that I may get stranded way back in a trail as the first stall was about as far in as I could be with no easy way back. I have the factory bling cap with the one way valve. Could this be part of the issue? Im going to stop by Elite this week and see what they say and possibly call KTM direct. Bike ran flawless other than these two issues. Any feedback would be great as I ride average trails at 50-60 miles way back in the woods and cant afford to have something like this fail.

Wow apparently when you post here you shouldnt expect a quick response or any at all! Not sure what the big deal is on this issue. I called the local KTM shop, droped the bike off and the pump was tested and replaced for free within days. It is a known issue. End of story. If your having this issue and your local shop cant figure it out I suggest you go to another.

Agreed, that was my experience too. Although mine went out within two hours on the motor. I can see if it went out months later that there may be an issue. Even though mine was replaced for free of charge they were reluctant to admit the there was a "fuel pump issue".