Cheeky-Thomas
INDEPENDENT VESPA SPECIALIST
Fuel Pump Fitting.
This How-to is about replacing the fuel pump on the injection model GTS, the example is a 300 but the others are very similar, any differences will be noted at the appropriate points.
Right then first things first we need the machine ready to be worked on, in this case a 2008 GTS300 Super...
Remove the lower side panel trims both sides, its a single screw at the front and a 10mm nut from the inside at the back..
Open the seat and remove the seat tub as we to do a few bits under here...
Now remove the fuel cap and the lower grommet as we will be taking the cover off completely..
Now undo the 4 allen bolts holding the cover down and remove it upwards over the fuel tank filler neck.
Remove the fuel tank breather pipe from the filler neck.
Remove the rear indicators, its a simple screw in each lens, dont try under the wiring just twist the whole bulb holder out.
Also remove the rear light unit, its a single screw underneath amd then pull the light downwards as its got lugs holding in it, then disconnect the lights multiplug.
Now undo the 3 airbox screws and lift it off its mounting lugs as we need the extra movement it provides to the shock absorber sitting behind it.
Now add something under the machines stand to allow greater movement by the engine when we undo the shocks. Ive used this block of wood, you can use bricks or whatever you fancy just make sure its stable.
Before we drop the engine we need to do a few bits..
Remove the HT cap from the sparkplug.
Unclip the wiring harness from the top of the engine so it doesnt get stressed...
Youll find the fuel pipes are held in place to the tank by a 10mm bolt.. there will be either one pipe or two depending on the system design.
Now its time to drop the engine, so back under the seat and undo the top shock mountings both sides, dont worry nothing will move just yet.
It will look like this from the side, now place your hand on top of the exhaust system and push downwards and youll feel the engine pivots and the rear wheel will touch the floor.
So itll now look like this, look at the increased gap weve gained to get the tank out into...
Now its time to unbolt the fuel tank, theres 3 8mm fixings.. one at the front of the tank.
Theres one at the back near the shock mountings... its a long bolt and the hardest to get back in.
And finally the one behind the rear light.
The fuel tank will now be able to drop downwards, youll need to give the filler neck a push and wiggle, and maybe even bend the shocks down slightly to help it come down.
Unplug the power connection from the fuel pump, theres a clip on top and its easy to undo..
Theres also a electrical connector to undo on the fuel level sensor... its a push down tab and pull it out jobbie.
Now we need to remove the actual fuel pipes, this example has only one but some have a return pipe too, you need to push the collar down while lifting the hose fitting upwards.
Thats it the tank can now be taken away from the bike, isnt it a wierd shape, no wonder the gauges arent very accurate.
Now you just need to unscrew the locking ring on the pump and lift it out of the tank completely... refitting it all is the same but in reverse, it may look a hard job but it isnt really and should be less than an hour for anyone.
Fuel Pump Recalls.
Piaggio had issues with there fuel pumps and issued a recall to replace faulty ones with a new designed item, it effected 2008-2010 build dates (not registration date). To identify if your replacement pump needs replacing or is the newer type look at the photos below.
IThe faulty pump is the top one, youll notice the motor at the bottom is black in colour where as the redesigned item now has a brown motor... so easy to check if you have the pump out, if not you can tell without removing it by looking for 3 blue dots on the top instead of 2.
Brown motor or 3 blue dots = Good Pump
Black motor or 2 blue dots = Bad Pump
You can contact any dealer with your chassis number to see if it needs the fuel pump recall done, its all free of charge regardless of age or service history etc.
