For pre-'03 V11 owners

[Skeeve]

Might this be useful?

 

... to avoid vapor-lock on the '02 & earlier f.i. bikes w/ the fuel filter outside the tank.

 

Just ran across while looking for something else, thought it might be helpful here.

[al_roethlisberger]

Indeed, if you check out my fuel pump relocation thread, I used it extensively.

 

It is made by a number of different folks, and is aluminized mylar over a fiberglass weave.... generally.

 

Good insurance, but it didn't cure my problem.

 

al

[Guest Nogbad]

I experienced this vapour lock problem after slow town traffic and leaving the bike parked for about 30 minutes. Thought the bike was totally buggered, but after stopping for another 30 mins in the shade, it restarted and I haven't had the problem again. It was about 35° at the time.

 

I consulted an expert MG dealer and his opinion was that it was vapour lock brought on by "abusing a big air cooled twin by riding it in town excessively". Sorry, I won't do it again.

[al_roethlisberger]

hah.... that dealer needs to be slapped

 

 

It's not due to "abuse"... it's due to a poor design of the location/routing of the 99-2002 EFI circuit and its associated parts, especially the fuel-pump(suspected).

 

All we know is that as of 2003, the pump and filter went into the tank, and viola... no more VL issues <_>

 

Those of us that have suffered from VL have had it happen after long high-speed runs just as often as not.

 

al

[friskycutter]

Hads the same problem but personally I think it has almost nothing to do with how you ride, just pump location. Mine failed after stopping for gas (0 airflow obviously) in 40 degree weather. pump just sat there soaking up the heat off the cylinders. Nothing more enjoyable than sitting at a gas station for an hour in the summer!!! Think Ill do a search right now for the pump relocation thread before summer hits again. Question--- If I install K-Ns is there room between them somewhere for the pump? Filter too?

[bmwclay]

Ok, my 2002 LeMans would start but would not run for more than 2 minutes, acting as if were flooded. This was in about 72 degree weather and after about a 20 mile easy ride and a ten minute break. I popped the fuel cap thinking the vent was clogged but it didn't help. The bike acted exactly like my 78 R100S if you left the choke on, no power and eventully died. After about 20 minutes the bike started and ran normally. Is this vapor lock? I called the dealer and he told me he thought it was a cracked stator, it seems this has some to several Guzzis in his shop. It seems more like running out of fuel than electrical to me though. I thought my fuel pump on my 2002 is IN the tank, at least thats what the dealer told me for the reason for the 700 dollar tune up bill.

Any ideas for a new Guzzi owner? If I can't trust it I'm selling it!

[Guest Nogbad]

Might be a faulty crank rotation sensor. Certainly sounds as if it could be electrical. There was an old piece of advice I was given as a tinkering youth, that "if you think you've got a fuel problem, overhaul the ignition system!"

 

Anyway, don't sell it, the bike will really grow on you and if you are anything like me you'll get to the point where you will forgive it anything.

 

Having said that, my V11 has been as reliable as the Jap bike I had before, but I'm only 4000 miles and 7 months in so far!

[luhbo]

....Nothing more enjoyable than sitting at a gas station for an hour in the summer!!! ....

46254[/snapback]

 

I once ran out of fuel when I was in Italy, about a quarter past noon or so. Luckily I found a gas station, Agip even, just to find that they close down the whole country from 12 to 4 pm. I can see your point

 

In case you have to stop just because of vapor lock I suggest to remove the right hose from the tank and fire up the pump for some seconds. Without the backpressure it should be possible to bring the vapor out. Anyway, with this procedure you could also fire up the whole bike, so be carefull.

 

Hubert

[tikkanen]

Good point, Hubert. I tried the hose trick once and it worked (on one of my previous Jap bikes).

 

Søren

[al_roethlisberger]

Ok, my 2002 LeMans would start but would not run for more than 2 minutes, acting as if were flooded. This was in about 72 degree weather and after about a 20 mile easy ride and a ten minute break. I popped the fuel cap thinking the vent was clogged but it didn't help. The bike acted exactly like my 78 R100S if you left the choke on, no power and eventully died. After about 20 minutes the bike started and ran normally. Is this vapor lock? I called the dealer and he told me he thought it was a cracked stator, it seems this has some to several Guzzis in his shop. It seems more like running out of fuel than electrical to me though. I thought my fuel pump on my 2002 is IN the tank, at least thats what the dealer told me for the reason for the 700 dollar tune up bill.

Any ideas for  a new Guzzi owner? If I can't trust it I'm selling it!

46339[/snapback]

 

 

OK, well two things...

 

1) The symptoms do sound like classic Vapor Lock, however the temperature at which your condition occurred sounds a bit cool. Although, we have had a few folks at higher altitudes, or perhaps their fuel components were unluckily placed even closer to the engine, etc....

 

2) Having a 2002(in North America) you should have an external pump/filter. I suppose it is possible that if you have a very late 2002(almost 2003) that you could possibly have the 2003 style tank, but I've never seen this from the factory. However, it's easy enough to tell. If you can see a silver petcock under the left side of the tank, and a silver fuel-return/pressure-regulator mounted under the right side.... and you have a "tank pad" on the top of the tank, you have the standard 00-2002 externally mounted fuel pump and filter. The 2003+ bikes that have the in-tank fuel system only have their twin plastic quick connects up under the module on the right side of the tank, and the tank itself has no "tank pad" on top, just a painted stripe. The 2003 tank is also longer.

 

For some pictures and a little more info on the 2003+ tank, see this thread:

 

http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...ic=2459&hl=tank

 

 

 

 

 

And go to about page 3 on the following thread for pics of the 2002 tank underside:

 

http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...=fuel-pump&st=0

 

 

(Disregard the extra black plumbing in the center of the tank for my custom fuel return, on the old tank)

 

[Anthro]

Side note,

I know you guys (you'll in texan) have V11 sports or simmilar but I am having the same problem with my California 2003, sometimes it happen every 30 to 40 miles the air lock is bad enough to make the engine's performance decay, and when I open the cap air rush inside and the metallic tank sounds like a tin can going back to its shape. Is so bad that vacum can stay for days before I open the cap. I talked to the dealer at the 1000 miles inspection and they did charge MG for something but the problem remains.

I guess a discrete hole will fix what couple of thousend years of European metall handling.

Anthro

[Guest ratchethack]

Anthro, discrete or not - drilling a hole's not likely your best option.

 

See: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=462

 

Rgds

[al_roethlisberger]

Side note,

I know you guys (you'll in texan) have V11 sports  or simmilar but I am having the same problem with my  California 2003, sometimes it happen every 30 to 40 miles the air lock is bad enough to make the engine's performance decay, and when I open the cap air rush inside and the metallic tank sounds like a tin can going back to its shape. Is so bad that vacum can stay for days before I open the cap. I talked to the dealer at the 1000 miles inspection and they did charge MG for something but the problem remains.

I guess a discrete hole    will fix what couple of thousend years of European metall handling. 

Anthro

46386[/snapback]

 

 

Now this is not Vapor Lock, but is tank-suck. You need to remove your tip-over valve under the tank.

 

al