Gave my '08 WRx some love

My bike has 18.5k miles. I bought it with 2.5k miles. Never had any major problems. I don't ride nearly as much as I used to, so it will sit for a few weeks and still fires right up.

Last time I rode to work, on the way home the fuel started getting low (light on) which it does all the time. However it started acting like it was starving for fuel, cutting out when giving it throttle and finally died on the side of the road. I messed around with it for about 5 minutes, then it fired right back up again. Drove another 3 miles or so and same symptoms, pulled over, 5 minutes later it ran for another few miles. I got home that way.

So: classic signs of failing fuel pump. I did run it completely dry once a few months ago, so maybe it took some damage when that happened.

I went with the $27 eBay special KEMSO fuel pump. The swap was painless, took maybe 20 minutes total. I didn't take any photos, there are plenty on here and around if you need to see what it looks like.

I haven't had a chance to ride it for any distance yet, but it primes strong, and ran for a few minutes of testing...

After that same fateful trip home from work, I noticed fork oil pouring down both lower fork tubes. I never noticed it before, but I don't really check that often. But after 12 years and 18.5k miles, I figured the forks are probably in need of some fresh oil anyway. I went cheap on the fuel pump, but I decided to go all in for the new fork seals and went with the SKF kit from Rocky Mtn for $74.

It was my first time doing fork seals, and it actually went pretty smooth, but it was a bit messy. I used the electrical tape hack method as a seal driver and it worked perfectly, and saved me $$ from buying a seal driver or going to HD to buy PVC and hose clamps. (Details found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yF9udCtZ_Rg)

I noticed the very bottom of the fork tubes were starting to get slightly pitted. I cleaned them up with some steel wool and it feels smooth, but I might need to get them coated or machined sometime in the not too distant future.  

I keep a log of service on the bike, and saw my last entry was in November 2018 at 17k miles. I still love this bike, and I am amazed at how it just keeps going with such little maintenance.

My homemade bike lift, from an old air suspension truck seat. Works perfectly!


Here's a picture just for fun:

look on youtube cleaning fork seal for next time, very easy to do, remove dust seal use a peace of thin hard clear plastic to clean under seal, I clean often when I see oil on tubes but I ride mostly dirt, plus you where do on fork oil change

I have 2 wrr and I always push them to the limit and run them low on fuel down to 1.9gal to fill, I know my days are numbered, at least it got you home

Cool bike lift!

paulie1960 wrote:

look on youtube cleaning fork seal for next time, very easy to do, remove dust seal use a peace of thin hard clear plastic to clean under seal, I clean often when I see oil on tubes but I ride mostly dirt, plus you where do on fork oil change

I don't think there was any dirt or debris in the seal. I ride 90% on-road. I think the pitting on the lower tubes may have damaged the seal. Either way, I've got new seals and polished the lower tubes so it should last.

paulie1960 wrote:

I have 2 wrr and I always push them to the limit and run them low on fuel down to 1.9gal to fill, I know my days are numbered, at least it got you home

I ran it completely dry only one time, and this problem started about 2 fill-ups after that. The new pump was cheap and easy to replace. Still waiting for decent spring weather around here to try it out. It's rained almost every day.

JemmyOtis wrote:

Cool bike lift!

Thanks! It is pneumatic, so hook up the air compressor and use the controls to raise and lower. It likely couldn't handle much more weight than the WR though...

paulie1960 wrote:

I have 2 wrr and I always push them to the limit and run them low on fuel down to 1.9gal to fill, I know my days are numbered, at least it got you home

I ran it completely dry only one time, and this problem started about 2 fill-ups after that. The new pump was cheap and easy to replace. Still waiting for decent spring weather around here to try it out. It's rained almost every day. [/quote]

Did you notice any debris in the bottom of the tank, or anything on the old pump that you might have been sucking in when the tank ran dry?

I had the same fork issues as you. The lower part of the tubes were starting to pit. WD-40 and 600 grit sandpaper worked well for me. My fork oil was fresh, so I decided to clean the seals with a piece of film negative to get out the grime. Took me a while to even find an old piece of photo negative... not like they are used much anymore. Worked like a charm.