Help, broken down in Africa! Fuelling issue?
 

Hi everyone,

I have a broken down 2005 XT660R in Liberia, West Africa. I am not a bike expert, and there are no professional mechanics here (and no parts). When I turn the ignition, the bike tries and very very occasionally manages to start, only to die in a few seconds.

Any thoughts? I have done the basic tests, all to no avail. I think there could be a problem with the fuelling system. The gasoline here is terrible and the tanks rust badly due to humidity. Could this be something as simple as a blocked fuel filter? If so, how would I test it, and can it be cleaned?

Thanks in advance for any help!

Any error on the display?

No error shown on the display. I'm a bit at a loss!

By way of background, basically the bike worked, then worked with a loss of power, then stopped working. At present it will start one in a hundred times, cranking for a long time before doing so and only with the throttle open, and will then quickly splutter to stop.

At some point, the plastic bit that you screw into the tank, where the pipe that leads to the fuel injector joins on, has been repaired. I think it is still airtight. I replaced the TPS as I know XT 660R's had an issue there, and also put in a new battery, but no change. The electrical stuff seems okay, there is no fault code. I'd basically narrowed it down to blocked fuel filter or blocked fuel injector (the gasoline is so dirty and the air so humid) but I don't know much about bike other than reading the manual!

I am not the best one who can help you, but.... just to not be allone there...
can you hear the fuel pump?
do you have a spark?
clean air filter?
battery voltage?

You might not be the best person, but you know more than i do!

I can hear the fuel pump on turning the ignition, as it is meant to. The battery voltage is correct. I think I have a spark (how do i check that?), and the air filter is brand new.

Unscrew the spark plug, connect it with the spark plug wire, ground the side electrode of the spark plug and crank the engine watching for the spark. If it is ok, maybe you can empty your tank in some plastic clear can and see what you will find there, water, dirt�

https://picasaweb.google.com/1135537...eptember112011

here is the guide from the manual, maybe it will give you some ideas

Have you drained the fuel tank & check the fuel or tried new clean fuel?

I have drained the fuel tank and tried fresh fuel, but to no avail. It just won't start.

In response to the earlier post, there is a good spark from the plug.

Any other ideas, thoughts on fuel filter or injector issue possibility?

Thanks for help so far!

Air filter?
 

Do check the air filter again even if it is brand new (that is unless it is so brand new that you installed it now, not 100km ago). It's amazing how much crap can get on the filter in no time at all if one drives on dusty roads.

I hope someone can help you with the whereabouts of the fuel filter, you should check that too or even better, just replace it if a generic part fits. I would also flush the whole fuel system if that's a possibility, it might be hard to get all the dirt out of the fuel tank if it really is the problem. I have never cleaned an injector on the road (I have been stranded by a blocked one once), but even carbs are nasty enough to clean at the roadside.

Even if you get a strong spark, change the plug anyway. BTW. how does the spark plug look like after trying to start? Wet, dry and what color? Wet -> no air or no spark. Dry -> no fuel. Black, too rich -> too little air.

Take care and good luck!

I hope the fuel filter on an xt660r is not in the same place as the tenere: in the fuel pump, in the gastank, because then you have a problem. So first try to locate the fuel filter. When you changed the fuel in the tank, was the old fuel dirty? Then try starting without the air filter (don't drive it without the filter) and change the sparkplug.

The plug is dry when i try to start it, suggesting no fuel. Would this support the idea that there is a blockage somewhere in the fuelling system? I replaced the spark plug already.

When I drained the tank, there was a bit of dirt and the fuel smelt a bit funky.

I took out the fuel pump and took it apart as much as is possible. The filter is inside the pump (assuming the filter is the square tea-bag sort of thing that points down the way, and seems like it is integrated into the fuel pump (can't be taken off, as far as I can see).

The pump itself sounds like it is working fine. I'd like to isolate the problem. How can I test that it is sucking up the fuel and passing it through the hose? Would placing it in a bowl of gasoline then connecting it up be okay?

If it is a blocked injector, how would I go about cleaning that? I don't want to damage any components.

Also, one other possible source of problem: I notice the part of the tank/pump unit that the hose joins onto (I think it is meant to be an L-shape) has at some point been broken off, and a metal nozzle sealed in its place. A 4 inch rubber tube then joins this nozzle to the fuel injector. Could this be part of the issue? it has run with this set up before, though never at its best.

Thanks for all help so far! i really need to get this bike moving.

You have found the fuel filter, yes it's the tea bag on the pump.
If there is any watchmaker near you, you may take the entire injection unit and bring it o the watchmaker for ultrasonic cleaning. The Injector nozzle itselve may be clogged, take it out and let it be cleaned by the watchmaker as well.
Check the fuel pump without the fuel line connected, - take care though, if the pump is free, it will produce quite some pressure!

good luck!

How did the story end?
 

I assume you got out of there? How did you do it and what happened?

Hello again, sorry for the slow response and thanks for the guidance so far!

I'm still in Liberia, and the bike still won't start. I did some more tests, and I would like to hear what people think:

1) I took out the injector. It seems to work (sprays gas when I hook it up to battery)

2) i took apart the fuel pump. the fuel filter is not blocked. the fuel pump is running, as in, the diagnostic system finds no problem, and it vibrates when i test it. however, it doesn't seem to be sucking up any fuel. I tested it out with the hose disconnected, and no fuel spurts out. I can feel no suction running it dry, outside the tank. fuel drips out, but that happens whether the pump is connected or not.

So, it would seem to me that the pump is the issue?

Is there some way I can get fuel into the engine to see if it will start, as I would with an old bike with a carburetor? I want to test if the fuel pump is the only barrier to starting, or if there is another issue.

Also, is there somewhere in the UK/Europe where I can purchase an XT 660 R fuel pump? I would have it shipped out to Liberia, but I looked online and couldn't find one for sale anywhere.

Thanks again for your help. Look forward to guidance on the above!

Fin

I hope this price is a mistake: 870�
XT 660 R fuel pump

If 870 pounds is accurate then I'm in bigger trouble than I thought! I can't find one for sale currently anywhere.

BUT, I have found one very similar which is more widely available. The fuel pump on the XT 660 R is a 5PW 13907-01 I think. Now, you can find a 5VK 13907-01. It is for the R1 to R6 range of yamahas apparently. It looks very similar. Are these things interchangeable, or will I need the exact one for my model?

Apologies for newbie questions, but I don't know that much about yamahas at all.

One other thing: does my reasoning in the previous post seem indicative of a faulty fuel pump? And is there some way to check definitively if this is the only fault?

I'm quite desperate, so if you have guidance, please offer it!

Thanks

Quick post - sorry not too much help with the technical stuff but ......

My XT660R parts book would indicate that the fuel pump part code for the (european) version is indeed 5VK-13907-02

I assume this is just a slightly later version of the 5VK-13907-01 model.

There have been some previously on ebay at around 200 pounds but nothing showing available at the moment :crybaby2:

Hope this helps. Good luck.

Came across these guys - worth a try

http://www.kedo.de/

And scroll down to the new arrivals and search under the XT660X/R/Z choice - up pops a fuel pump and its in stock - sounds like you would need a separate filter tho.

Too cheap to be true I know, but might be worth a phone call.

You should be able to use any 324kpa/46psi/3bar submersible fuel pump even from a car. Check the link below near the bottom for in tank fuel pumps.

If you can't get a submersible pump to fit inside the fuel tank, get a outside inline fuel pump with the pressures above & fit it on the outside of the fuel tank. Keep the existing Yamaha connectors for the fuel rail & tank, cut the Yamaha pipe in half & fit some hi pressure fuel hose & fit the inline fuel pump in between. Remove the Yamaha fuel pump from the the tank so there is no restriction.

Any of these ones with 3 bars will do.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_npmv=3&_trksid=m570.l2736&_nkw=3 +bar+fuel+pump

Actually, there's one available from Italy:

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Pompa-benzina...item20bbad9c7b

..worth a try, i guess.

Good luck,
Joe

Wow just read this one, how are you doing?? Did you get the bike running??? I guess that fuel injection is tricky in countries with poor quality fuel. Should you fit an extra fuel filter?? Should you be using STP to keep the injectors clean?? Are there other extra precautions that can be useful in cases like this??? Mind you I guess carbs also get clogged so I would vote for an extra filter prior to the fuel getting to the injectors. Good luck!!!

Jeez, bad luck bud. Of all the places to get stuck, Liberia would be hard enough on a fully operational bike.
Have you tried asking for help on

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/

Hope I'm not breaking forum rules here. But there's loads of bikers on this who are world travellers.

Best of luck. Let us know how you get on.

Clean a fuel filter or injector

Undo the fuel filter and see if there are dirt in the fuel that comes out
Fuel seems to be the problem, if you checked all the other stuff

I do hope he's still not stuck after all this time guys!!!:thumbleweed: