Fuel Pump Point-Set Replacement

[Firehawk068]

Two Fridays ago it was a gorgeous morning, so I decided to ride the trusty old FJ to work.
I pretty-near almost made it too, except about two miles from my place of employment she quit with a few sputters and pops.
Felt to me like she ran out of gas..................Luckily there was a fuel-station about 100 yards from the traffic-light where she stopped.
I pushed it the distance to the pump-islands and put about 3 gallons in the tank...........................wasn't the problem!
When I turned the key on and cycled the run/stop switch, I didn't hear the familiar clackety-clackety-clack of the fuel pump.

I knew the points had gone bad, as every time I would cycle the key the pump would click once and stop.

I phoned my work and informed them of my dilemma, as well as instructed the shop supervisor where to find a few "Hose-Splice" tubes that were hanging in the back of the supply-room.
He said he would send someone over with them shortly.
In the time it took to remove the seat and side-panels, get out my tools and unbolt the fuel-tank so I could lift it up enough to shut the fuel-tap off with an 8mm wrench, Dave showed up with the hose-splices.

Within about 10 minutes I had the fuel-pump bypassed, the bike put back together with the fuel turned back on, and was on my way to work!
Once I arrived, I thanked everyone by buying breakfast-burritos for all that were present at the Shop.


If anyone hasn't already sourced one, it is a 1/4" hose-splice that you need to successfully bypass the fuel-pump on an FJ1200.
Napa part number: 90-556 if you buy one from them.

[Firehawk068]

Once I settled into my day at work, I logged onto RPM and ordered a new Fuel Pump Point Set.
I'm not sure who I should thank (Randy or Robert, or whomever was responsible for getting it shipped that very same day!) But seriously...........THANK YOU TREMENDOUSLY!

The Box from RPM arrived either Monday or Tuesday the following week. I set it on my work-bench to complete the repair this past weekend.
I continued to ride the FJ to work and back for the remainder of that next week with the fuel pump bypassed.
I can assure you that it runs just fine without the fuel pump, as long as you ride "Normally". Stop and Go traffic, and the normal flow of commuting was no issue.
I would suggest that one keep at least a half-tank of fuel to maintain some down-pressure in gravity-feed mode.
I also would caution anyone who rides an FJ in this condition, that there is no longer a mechanism to stop the flow of fuel to the carbs once the pump is bypassed (unless you shut the fuel-tap with a wrench)..............so keep that in mind.
I did try a full-throttle 2nd-3rd gear pull just once, and near the upper reaches of 3rd I felt a slight hint of a sputter..............so you can't ride around enjoying all the Kookaloo with your pump bypassed either.
Ride calmly though, and it will definitely get you where you need to go.

Fast forward to this past weekend.
I removed the fuel pump from the bike and set out to replace the points.
This task is pretty straightforward, and simple to achieve.

First remove the mounting bracket, and then the screw that holds the plastic-cap onto the end of the pump.
Be mindful of the orientation of both the mounting-bracket and the Cap, as they fit together when assembled.
While sliding-off the plastic-cap, you have to feed the wire-harness through the grommet in the cap to give yourself enough slack to completely remove the Cap.
Now the Point-set is exposed, and you can marvel at the condition of said points, and stare in amazement as you wonder how they have lasted this long!
While inspecting the point-set, you'll notice that there is ONE wire that is soldered to the points assembly.
I'm not sure if it's easier to de-solder this wire with the points mounted to the pump, or unscrewed and swung out to the side. (I did the latter)
Before you remove the two screws that attach the points to the pump, take a mental note (or better yet, take a picture with your phone) of how the wires are run to both mounting screws, as well as how the pump-shaft interacts with the point-set.(there is a groove on the shaft that it locks into)
This will be important when assembling the new points back onto the pump, to make sure it functions properly.
I seriously suck at soldering, and even I was able to easily de-solder the wire from the old points, and re-solder it onto the new points. It helps if you have a strong pair of tweezers to hold the wire (I used a miniature set of needle-nose pliers)
At this point I thoroughly inspected my work, and revisited my mental notes before aligning the point-set with the pump-shaft and getting it to sit into the groove on the shaft.
I reattached the other two wires (with their eyelet ends) with the two mounting screws, and tightened everything down snugly.
Next I slid the plastic-cap back over the end of the pump while gently pulling the harness wires back out through the grommet. (these two things have to be done in one smooth motion)
The Cap only fits one way, as you have to line-up the holes for the lone screw that holds it on. Tightened it snug, and done.
I reattached the mounting-bracket in its proper orientation (it fits over the square plastic bar that protrudes forward from the rear-cap) and tightened it in place.

Once all that was complete, I turned my attention back to the bike.
I shut the fuel-tap back off with an 8mm wrench, and removed the hose-splice that I installed the week prior.
It would probably be easier to use a splice without so many barbs, as the hoses were a bit difficult to slide back off. I eventually got them off however.
I reconnected the pump-harness back with the bike electrics, and mounted the pump back in its rightful place on the frame.
I then connected the tank-to-pump hose back to its proper nipple on the pump, and hooked a length of clear tubing to the pump outlet.
This is connected to my small auxiliary tank that I use when balancing the carbs.
Next I opened the fuel-tap again with a wrench, turned the ignition key on, and cycled the run/stop switch to "Run".
The fuel-pump sprang to life and a steady flow of fuel moved through the clear-tubing!
The familiar "Clackety-clackety-clackety" was back in operation!
I cycled the ignition key a couple times to verify the pump runs for a few seconds and then stops (without the engine running)
Then I started the engine and let it run for about 10 seconds to verify the pump stays on with the engine running.............It all works as it should!
I removed the clear-tubing and reconnected the pump-to-carbs hose, and reassembled the seat and side-panels.
I'll now be carrying that 1/4" hose-splice in with my tool-kit, always with the bike.
She's ready for more action!

[Firehawk068]

In case anyone is wondering how long the OEM set of points lasted?
These have approx 160,000 miles of use on them! 

They look in really horrible shape, and honestly I have no idea how they still worked.............until they didn't.