94 VFR750 fuel light issues

All good ideas, as they all are. Appreciate your insight for sure.

I just went out and hooked it back up, turned the key on (light came on briefly as usual, then went out), took a small soldering butane torch, and heated up the canister. After a few seconds, the fuel light on the dash started to glow lightly, then got brighter and brighter until it was as bright as the oil light. Removed the heat, let it cool, and the light flickered off. Did this a few times, and results repeated.

So, it apparently WILL work under the right circumstances. Now I just need to figure out if I want to wrap it all up as is and see if somehow it works, or spend the cash and wait a week for a new/newish one. Hmmmm.....

 

Here's one more thing I noticed:

When I heat the canister up, the light comes on, and when dipped in gas it cools and goes off. However, when it's cool and I just turn the key and let it sit in my 70+ degree garage with the door open...the light doesn't come on even after 5+ minutes. This makes me wonder if I had a problem at all, thinking that the temp inside the tank didn't get warm enough to set the light off (when it is NOT covered by gas). But the light SHOULD be designed to work in all temps, right? In the winter, when the inside/outside of the tank is cold, it still should come on when the key is turned and stay on until it's re-covered by gas, right?

Wonder what the temp needs to be for this thing to light the dash light? GOT to be a small window of temp swing when it works correctly, right? Seems like it'd be a better design if it sent a signal to the dash light when it was DRY, vs. when it's WARM. Dry vs. wet seems a lot easier to decide than cool vs. warm.

You guys with a Gen 4....when your lo fuel light comes on, it comes on and stays on, right? Each time you cut it off and ride a little later, it comes right back on and stays on till you fill up, right? I THINK this is what I remember, but I usually went right to the station when I saw the light.

 

It looks light the thermal properties of the switch still work, but not the electical part. Did you check to see if it got warm, when power was applied? It's probably toast.

Now that you mention it, the light usually comes on intermittently, at first, while gas is still able to slosh on it. My tank is full, or I would test out the theory of how long it takes to come on for you.

Any mad scientists out there, willing to verify the timings.

 

Well, I got the new switch installed yesterday. I hooked it up outside of the tank, and then turned the key again once it was inside the dry tank, and did not get the lo fuel light at all either time. I would have thought it would have worked right away, no?

Anyhow, I got enough fuel in there now to cover the canister, so I guess I'll put a few miles on it this week and see if it works when the canister gets exposed. All of which makes me wonder if my original one had a problem to begin with if this new one doesn't work?

More to report later.

 

Hmmmm......today on my way to work I watched...nay..HOPED for the lo fuel light to come on. And alas, it did not. I got uncomfortably close to walking by my guess when the needle aligned with, then slightly passed the E mark, so I gave in and got a couple gallons. Since this is a new fuel switch, I haven't yet figured out "when it gets to the E, it's out, or NEARLY out" thing, so I have nothing to go by, so I got gas. Never saw the light though. I looked in the tank to see if the canister was dry (i.e. OUT of the fuel line) but I didn't have my flashlight and couldn't tell if it was out of the fuel or not.

So, I'll drain some gas out when I get home to do just that, and see if the light comes on. If not....other ideas on where to start looking for the problem?

Still would love to know (you 4th gen owners) whether or not, when your light comes on, if it's an instant "as soon as I turn the key, and before I start it, or even while it's running, the light comes on and stays on "kinda thing, or it's a "comes on slowly after I've been riding a while" kinda thing.

 

Is the part new, or new to you?

You know the wiring is good, because the light came on when you tested it earlier, when applying the heat.

 

It's all new, straight from Honda. And yep....the light came on with my old one when heated. I'll go out, drain the tank to lower the gas I got yesterday, and see where we stand. Otherwise, I'm stumped.

 

Looks like I'm all fixed now. Took the last one back to the dealer since it didn't light the light, and after hooking it up to the switch (not putting it in the tank) he saw that it didn't light and ordered me a new one. When the new one came in, I rode over again, we hooked it to the clip, and the light came on right away, so it was an even swap. Thanks for all the insight with this one.

 

BTW, if anyone's wondering: The light, when working properly, comes on RIGHT AWAY when it's dry (inside or outside the tank) or above the fuel line or you're just about out of fuel. When it's wet from sloshing gas, it'll go off, but it only takes a second or two to dry out and read as LO FUEL again and relight the light. And (the part I was wondering about) if you turn the key and you're low, it comes on and stays on when you hit the starter button.

 

Glad to see you finally got it working. I thought I was losing my touch. I hate it when new parts don't work. It really messes with your mind.

:crazy: