carb/fuel help needed

[faustge]

This is the project bike I picked up. I have never had this running. A few questions:
1. With the key on, should the fuel pump be pumping?  I just reinstalled the carbs and they do not seem to be getting fuel.
2. Will the engine fire with the air box out?  I'm trying to avoid buttoning the thing up until I know if it fires at all.
3. Not a question,  but you seem to need a shoe horn and a tube of lube to get the stock air box in. Any tricks besides unbolting the rear subframe? The outlet ports on the box don't seem to line up with the carb intakes.

Tia
Greg

[Capn Ron]

This is the project bike I picked up. I have never had this running. A few questions:
1. With the key on, should the fuel pump be pumping?  I just reinstalled the carbs and they do not seem to be getting fuel.
2. Will the engine fire with the air box out?  I'm trying to avoid buttoning the thing up until I know if it fires at all.
3. Not a question,  but you seem to need a shoe horn and a tube of lube to get the stock air box in. Any tricks besides unbolting the rear subframe? The outlet ports on the box don't seem to line up with the carb intakes.

Tia
Greg

Hey Greg and welcome to the forum!  You should put a few details in your profile so we know what year FJ we're troubleshooting and where you're from...  Not uncommon to find someone here willing to help that's close by!

For now, I'll assume it's a factory fuel pump model...'89 and newer

So, to answer your questions:

1.  When you turn the key to the on position, you should hear the fuel pump operating for about five seconds or so.  This will be obvious by the clicking of said fuel pump on the right side of the bike under the big side fairing

2.  Yep...you can run it without the airbox for sure to test things out.

3.  The trick is lots of patience.  I can get my factory air box back in ('92 FJ1200 ABS) at around ten minutes of fiddling.  One thing to note is that the rubber boots are specific to each cylinder location.  make sure yours haven't been mixed up or you won't be able to get them lined up properly.  Also, the old rubber can harden up over time and that may make your job that much more difficult.

Hope that gives you a start and feel free to ask more questions...We rarely bite.   

[Capn Ron]

Ahhh...just read your previous posts in the introduction section...'89 FJ and you're from Eastern NY...Cool.  I'm originally from the Saratoga Springs area, but now live in Los Angeles.  A bit too far to come over for some shop time in my garage, but I'm pretty sure there are some members out your way.

On your fuel delivery issue...As I mentioned before, you should hear the fuel pump clicking for a short period of time when you first turn the key to the on position.  Logic tells it to not run continuously, but you can get the bowls filled up, by repeatedly switching the key off and on again to cycle the fuel pump.  You also want to make sure the petcock is opened up (as it should always be on the fuel pump models) to allow fuel out of the tank.  You can also loosen the screws on the front of the carb bowls (with carbs still in place on the bike) to see if fuel drains out.  You can also pull the output side hose from the fuel pump, slide on a temporary chunk of fuel line out to a catch bottle and turn the key on.  This will tell you if your fuel delivery problem is from the fuel pump back to the tank...or from the fuel pump out through the carbs.

[faustge]

Thanks for the reply.  I put a line on the pump outlet and turned the key on but it didn't spit any fuel. I didn't notice a petcock on the line from the tank. And when I originally removed the tank the old gas drained right out. I think I have a bad fuel pump. Any other tests I should do?

Many thanks
Greg

[Capn Ron]

The petcock is up under the tank right where the fuel line attaches, but it sounds like it's open.

In your test, did the fuel pump attempt to run?

Yes?  Pull the fuel hose from the inlet side of the pump and you should get free-flowing fuel Yes? You've got a bad pump.  No?  You've got a fuel plug upstream...check the filter.

In your test, did the fuel pump attempt to run?

No?  Try jump starting the pump with 12V directly with a couple of wires you've got laying around the garage.  Unplug the 2-wire connector from the pump pigtail, then jump from the battery to that connector.  The pump should run and deliver fuel.  No?  You've got a bad pump.  Yes?  You've got electrical issues somewhere else on the bike.

[faustge]

Thanks again. I'll dig into it again tomorrow and let you know what I discover.

Greg

[Steve_in_Florida]

I think that the ignition switch AND the kill switch have to be on for the fuel pump to work.

Edit: Yep, just checked it on two (2) bikes (`90 and a `92). Turn on the ignition, pump clicks once. Turn on the kill switch, pump clicks until the float bowls are filled. Once they're full, it won't pump anymore; no more clicking.

Steve

[wm_Reed]

Also keep in mind the reserve switch.  Ensure it is set to reserve or the fuel pump can act up due to low tank level.

[Mike 86 in San Dimas]

Probably too late but I found that removing the two bolts (one on each side) that hold the black frame tubing in place and allowing the frame to sag down makes removing the air box almost easy. I could not get it out without doing this...but that me.
Did not get the model year confirmed.

[faustge]

The verdict is in: bad fuel pump.  Every time I turned on the key I would only get a little spurt (your joke here).  That was with fuel flowing freely from the hose from the tank.

Thank u all for the help.
Greg

[movenon]

The verdict is in: bad fuel pump.  Every time I turned on the key I would only get a little spurt (your joke here).  That was with fuel flowing freely from the hose from the tank.

Thank u all for the help.
Greg

After the fuel filter ?

[pdxfj]

If you're finding the stock air box is a PITA to get back onto the carbs, you need to replace the rubber boots.

They are supposed to be soft and stretch a little to ensure a snug fit.  In my experience with the FJ and a couple of other bikes, I found that the inner lip of the boot becomes almost a plastic from years of heat and won't stretch anymore.  When you pull the box out the boots shrink just enough so they won't go back on.  The last stock FJ I worked on, I used boots from three different air boxes to get 4 good ones.  The air box went right on without any hassle...just line up the boots, press, and all four popped right on.  Cinch down the clamps and you're done.  90 second job.

The boots are not cheap, and the easiest fix is to get the dual UNI filters. 

[faustge]

When I disconnected the hose from the inlet port of the fuel pump, fuel was flowing freely.  When I turned the ignition switch on the pump clicks once, and then spurts a small amount of fuel after a second or two.

Is it possible/worthwhile to rebuild the fuel pump?  Any recommendations are welcome.

g

[Steve_in_Florida]

Back in the late `90's, my first FJ once exhibited an issue with the fuel pump. It quit on me on the autobahn.

Checking everything on the side of the road, I noticed that the fuel pump housing itself was really, really hot to the touch. I rapped on the housing a bit, and once it cooled, it started working normally.

I have seen a points kit for sale for the fuel pump that's cheaper than a new pump. You might try that first. Otherwise, I sometimes see OEM and aftermarket pumps on Flea-bay and the like...

Didn't some one even use one of the generic (Airtex?) pumps on their FJ a while back? The British car shop I worked for a while back successfully used these to upgrade MG's with flakey mechanical pumps.

Steve

When I disconnected the hose from the inlet port of the fuel pump, fuel was flowing freely.  When I turned the ignition switch on the pump clicks once, and then spurts a small amount of fuel after a second or two.

Is it possible/worthwhile to rebuild the fuel pump?  Any recommendations are welcome.

g

[Arnie]

I'm not home so I can't give you exact model and names, but any generic low pressure 2-5psi fuel pump that seals off the supply should work just fine and be much chaeper than the OEM FJ pump. 
Search for "fuel pump" and you should get the list of pumps that others have used.