Fuel pump went out, gas cap stuck.

So here is a strange one. I bought a 2010 VFR1200 last March. This weekend I decided to get it out to ride on some nice days. I charged the battery put it in and pulled the bike out. Turned the key to the on position and it didn't make the normal fuel pump hum that I am use to. Tried starting it and nothing. Clearly everything was working except it won't pull fuel in. Seems like the fuel pump is non-operational. Crazy thing is that the bike has 1,046 miles! The fastest I have gone in it was 85 mph and I have taken it to red line only a couple of times (very conservative driver I know!) Before I put it away for the winter I topped the tank off put 1 oz of Sea-Foam for every gallon of gas and let it run for about 10 minutes. Pulled the battery out and put the cover on.

Now here is the kicker. Every since I got the bike I could never get the fuel lid open without a screwdriver to pry it off. The key will release the lid but the suction is so hard that you can't pull it open without a tool. I have taken it to the dealer and they lubed the gasket up and said they couldn't figure it out. Now after sitting for 3 months I tried opening the fuel lid and it wouldn't budge even with a pry bar. I didn't really want to jerk on it so I gave up and had it towed ($100 freaking dollars!) to the local Honda dealer. He thinks the problems are related. Possibly vapor lock has forced air into the fuel pump causing it to non-operate? I am no mechanic and they can't work on it for a week due to the Honda mechanic out of town on training for their newly acquired Victory line. I purchased the bike on March 26th, 2012 so I believe I am within warranty except I think I remember back when I bought the bike that they accidently activated the warrenty a month before I bought it so I might not be within it anymore. I didn't really care since I figured I would never have to use a Honda warranty (this is my 7th brand new Honda and never once have I had to turn it in for warranty service). Luckily my mother works for Honda and is going to pull the data this week to make sure before I get the call from the dealer.

Has anyone every experienced these two issues? I am afraid I am going to be in quite a battle with Honda on these issues. Not how I wanted to spend the first couple weeks of riding season.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

Maybe you could have your mom work on it.

 

That's just wrong dude.


The gas cap thing is a known problem. I had mine replaced under warranty a few months ago, after it nearly left me stranded a few hundred miles from home. I don't think it's suction related. I think I read where someone figured out that the inside of the ring the cap latches to has some burrs that catch the latching tabs on the cap and won't let them release. You've got me on the fuel pump though. Are you sure the battery is in fact showing 12+ volts? Any chance you've blown a fuse? I'd check battery voltage with a meter, and while you're there, pull the lid off the fuse box and check them all with a meter and verify they have power on BOTH sides of them. Do NOT pull them out and visually check them, it will tell you nothing. I hope you're still in warranty for both issues. I bought mine just a few weeks before you, but I also bought the extended warranty. Small price for piece of mind. Keep us posted.

 

I am with Dave on just about everything. If you don't hear the whine of the pump, sounds to me like it isn't even trying to pump. Now we need to find out why that is. Regardless of this lack of fuel pump whine, will the motor turn over. Someone may correct me here, but regardless of the fuel pump, the motor should still turn over, just not fire. If it does not, sound to me like there is a total power failure somewhere. Could be something as simple as possibly a fuse. I hope.

As far as the warranty goes on the bike for the filler cap not releasing. Two things here.

First of all the fact that they activated the warranty one month prior to you buying this bike is their mistake. I presume you still have the bill of sale showing the date of your purchase. That should stand as the true start date of the warranty. I can't see Honda kicking up a stink about that. because it is easily explained away.

Secondly, you have had the bike back to have that stuck fuel cap looked at and their response was, They don't understand. Well, regardless of how you feel about that dealership, what they don't understand, they need to get educated on. You brought the bike back on warranty to have that fixed and they didn't fix it. Even if the warranty has expired by a few months or so, I would think that if you produced the paperwork from that shop visit, they should honour their work and repair what they failed to do in the first place.

You mentioned that the technician is away for a week. I would wait for his return unless you are very competent mechanically speaking. I would also talk to them about the tow bill but you may not be successful on that point. Considering you have bought seven brand new Hondas I would think that you a good customer of Honda. This is all good ammunition to get them to fix things on their own dime. You mom may be able to pull a few strings on your behalf. I don't care if it is your mom, dad, little sister or your kindergarten teacher turned Honda Janitor who helps out, use whatever leverage you can.

 

update

Update - Called Honda and found out somehow they gave me a 2 year Honda Protection Plan. I never paid for it but not complaining! Dealer came back and said my 50 amp breaker blew out. Honda agreed to cover it under warranty. You were correct Dave on the gas cap. Honda told them to adjust something in it and they said it is working good. Parts are on order and wont be in till next week but we are getting a foot of snow tonight so no loss there. Thanks Randy and Dave!

Also my mom does help frequently badbilly, I get Honda cost on all parts. Pays to have someone working at the parts warehouse!

 

Damn! I sure wish I had a deal with your mom too. Honda cost on all those R/R's that crapped out on me and others could have saved us a bundle.

Since everything on VFRs is engineered according to current conditions, standards ect., those sticky gas caps might be caused partially by the addition of ethanol to the gasoline.

 

Usually when I see that at work, it's because somebody either connected the battery backwards, or tried to jump start it backwards (reverse polarity fries the main fusible link). Any chance that's what happened here??

 

HWHELL wat's next? You ave to fight for things all the time. Now Honda has gone and done it! They are giving you things you didn't pay for and paying for repairs you are not entitled to. I just don't know where we are headed. WHEN ARE THESE BIG CONGLOMERATES GOINT TO START REALIZING WE PAY THEIR WAGES AND SUPPLY THEIR PROFITS!!!!.................Um............just a sec now.........................forget I said anything.

 

my 50 amp fuse blew at around 1500 miles (about 2 or 3 weeks old)...Honda accused me of hooking the battery up wrong...told them i had never touched it...charged me about $250 in diag time and $5.50 for the fuse ...then i found out that my warranty started 6 months before i purchased the bike new with zero miles.... ??wtf??? due to sme promo scam of some sort....... Honda is not the same company it used to be.....

 

I wouldn't be too quick to blame Honda for this one. I have heard this before. If I recall it went something like this. A dealership purchased the bike from Honda so soon as it was registered in the dealership's name, the warranty clock started. This is beyond Honda's control. I would be talking quite sharply to the dealership if my warranty had started ticking down before I bought the bike.

I have always been (well since around 1978 anyways) a paper trail pak rat hound type of person and it has served me very well. Not bike related, but when I made application for Disability Pension many years ago, I was told there is no record of me receiving a duty related injury. When I pulled out the old "type written with manual typewriter" memos I sent and received, from higher ranks, they very quickly granted me my pension. So save the paper. Print the e-mails and put them in a file somewhere.

 

yeah the warranty thing is the dealers fault, but i'm very disappointed in their handling of the fuse situation, they even sent someone to help with the diagnosis, but refused to cover it....

 

One of the nice things about this kind of forum is we can name the businesses we have problems with so long as our post is not malicious and it is in fact truth. Not that I am likely to patronize the same dealership as you did, others here may so a heads up to your fellow New Yorkers most likely would be appreciated.

On the same train of thought, give credit where it is due too. We can take our business to where our fellow members here have been treated right.

Go Gerbings!

 

If any of you ever need to get in under duress.... if you have the key and it turns the lock in the cap, you can undo the three screws that hold the caap to the tank. Then with the key turned the entire cap and trim ring will come off. The lock tab MUST BE TURNED to do this or you will damage the tank.
As for the pump going out, glad it was just a fuse.

 

i blame my fuse on my ignition switch, which has been sticky and hard to operate since day one, and has spun 360 degrees on a few occasions ...i was trying to get key to turn when it happened....every time i asked for the lockset to be replaced they lubed it and said it was fine....started going to a new dealer late last season...will sit down with them in the next few weeks....if the snow stops !!
the old dealer said they were ordering the locks but......

 

When mine started failing, I was a few hundred miles from home and heard a very loud and distinct "crack" when trying to open the gas cap. It took awhile to finally get it open, but I was pretty convinced something had actually failed within the latch mechanism, which actually latches to the tank itself. Not sure removing the bolts would have helped. It is interesting to note that unlike most motorcycle gas caps, there is no hidden bolt underneath the cap! Those three bolts (12 o'clock, 5 o'clock, 7 o'clock) are it!

It took my selling dealer well over a month to get my new lockset! Totally inexcusable, since a friend of mine at another Honda dealer verified the lockset was in stock at the local warehouse. Then when parts finally did show up they kept the bike for three days because they couldn't figure out how to get the seat lock out. And that kids, is why I almost NEVER let the dealers around here work on my bikes.

I had a helluva deal going with my local Yamaha dealer when my FJR was still under warranty. After buying multiple bikes from them and taking them in for various warranty repairs, I became convinced that they were both crooked and incompetent...but don't get me started. So it got to where I'd bring in the bike, show them the problem, then take it home and take it apart myself and bring them the defective part. They'd trade me for a new part and send me on my way. I'd install it myself and they'd make the warranty claim and get paid by Yami for the work. I'd get the parts for free (under warranty) but didn't have to let those morons touch my bike. It was a win-win for me. I've bought enough new bikes over the last 15 years or so to know I can't trust a single one of the local dealers. Crooks and idiots. I rode my FJR1300 150 miles for an extensive warranty motor repair to get to a dealer I felt I could trust. Sad!