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BF130 High Pressure pump died. Alternative found but runs rough.

Hope you guys can help?

My vapor separator is the type with the external HP pump that is bolted underneath. The pump gave up a couple of weeks ago and the marina have told me you have to buy a whole new vapor separator now as you cant just buy the pump. As the whole unit is a bit pricy I thought I would see if there is an alternative HP pump out there that would work.

After a bit of searching I came across a WALBRO GSL392 which dimension wise it was pretty much the same as the broken one and from what I could gather, PSI looked as though it should be fine too so I decided to give it a try.
Flow Ltr/Hr @ 3 Bar (44psi):- 270Flow Ltr/Hr @ 5 Bar (73psi):- 222

I had to extend the fuel pipe on the low pressure side of the pump but otherwise it was a pretty good fit.

When it came to starting all looked and sounded good, primed the bulb until hard, turned the key, heard the pump run for 2 seconds then fired up the engine. it runs great, the trouble is, it only runs smooth for about 20 seconds, it then starts to run very lumpy.

It's probably worth mentioning that I've had the vapor separator off and on my bench to fit the new pump but I haven't replaced the filter on the HP side but it was running fine until the pump died.
I'm sure some of you will be reading this thinking just buy the new part and have done with it! The thing is, as I said, it is quite expensive and every year at the start of the season, something major seems to need doing so maybe my money would be better saved and put towards a new one. It would be nice to get another year out of this one though, or at least finish the season.

has anyone else successfully replaced the HP pump with an aftermarket one? Or does the one I fitted look like it should work and I've developed a new problem?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
Hi,
Is item 10 in the link below the pump for your outboard?

https://www.boats.net/catalog/honda...nge/130hp/bf130a1-la-2001/fuel-pump-fuel-pipe

At $915 I would say that it must be made from platinum mined on a distant asteroid! Ridiculous! HIGH SEAS ROBBERY!

I don't know about "retrofitting" on a Honda 130....never done it. But I sure would give it the old college try at that degree of price gouging !

I have replaced fuel pumps on many cars that weren't original so I'm positive it can be done. I just can't tell you if the Walbro you bought is the appropriate substitute. I have used Walbro pumps in the past with good results so I think it's a good brand if the flow rate is correct.

My question is how you went about adapting the pipe on the "low pressure" (suction) side of the pump? Could it be that you failed to get a good seal there and that it might be pulling in air?

That possibility is where I would begin looking for an issue at any rate.

Hopefully someone else has a better solution for you.

Good luck.
 
Yes, unfortunately it is the ridiculously priced item 10.

I went for the Walbro because I'd seen on hear somewhere that the HP pump on the bf130 was around 40 PSI, the Walbro states 44PSI and the other reason was the dimensions were almost identical to the original and there is no space to get a bigger diameter pump under the VST. I haven't been able to find the original flow rates though.

The pump I ordered came with an adapter kit.( https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/282043095525 ) This increased the overall length but using the original pipe on the low pressure side and with a 12mm ID hose connector and some 12mm ID fuel hose I was able to get it connected again. All I had to do then was use some hose clamps to get a good seal.
What I did notice with the kit is that the adapter for the low pressure side, the intake hole was 4mm whereas the original is 8mm. I have a new adapter with a larger bore arriving today.
 
Yes! The reduction in tge inlet could bring the volume down. That's Hydraulics 101...."do not decrease the inlet side of a pump".
I'll be interested to see what happens when you put on the larger inlet adapter.

I'm thinking that Blacktimes makes a good point about debris. If the increased sized adapter doesn't do the trick, I wouldn't discount debris in possibly the injectors as causing this. Yes it starts and runs for a short time but that could be that the debris settles but then the fluid pressure stirs it up and concentrates it into an effective restriction. You shut the engine down, the pressure falls off and the debris scatters again and the cycle repeats. The problem is that if debris got past the filter, it could be lurking anywhere downstream and finding it and removing it might be a real aggravating experience.

Many, if not most, injectors have some sort of screen or "basket" to catch debris. Often they can be cleaned but I'm no Honda fuel injection expert so take my comments lightly and as more words of encouragement than anything else.

Good luck.
 
Check the HP Fuel Filter. On the 200 it is at HP Pump output. Not sure on the 130, but on the 200 the HP filter bowl oring gets pinches and damaged easily. Not a bad idea to have a replacement first and I find it is best to lubricate the bowl oring on reinstallation with a bit of engine oil or WD40.
 
Taking onboard everyone's comments, here is what I plan to do.

1st job, when it arrives is replace the inlet connector on the HP pump, start the engine and see if this fixes the problem.

If the above doesn't work, I now have a new HP filter (BOSH F5916) but before fitting this I will try to figure out a way to flush the injector rail while it is in situ and look for any debris. Ideally I would like to remove it to flush it, and the injectors but as the outboard is a 1998 and past experience tells me that the steel bolts prefer to sheer rather than come out, I don't want to risk it.

I will keep you updated.
 
On the BF200 the fuel rail has a very fine mesh filter which I assume is to safeguard the injectors. Not sure about the 130 or older engine models...
 
The new low pressure side adaptor finally arrived yesterday, I fitted it, started the engine and it was still the same.

Interestingly though as today I removed the service check bolt from the fuel rail and petrol only dribbled out. There was no pressure at all. The engine was running just over 12 hours ago, should there still be pressure there or is it normal to drop to nothing?
 
Well, I wish I knew the answer to your question. I don't have any data for the 130 outboard.

Too bad about the adapter not working. Are you planning on fitting the Bosch pump now?
 
Generally short cuts and cheap options often lead to disappointment. Looks like your whole fuel system needs a proper service. including injectors
 
Progress, or dare i say it, success!

Over the weekend I removed the old HP filter to replace it with the new BOSH F5916 Whilst doing this I decided to push my luck and try to remove the fuel rail and injectors. I am so glad I did.

There's only 3 cap nuts that hold the injector rail and injectors in place, they came of very easily and so did the 2 bolts the hold the pressure regulator in place. The rail came of in my hand with only a little persuasion.

I popped the injectors out one by one, rigged up an injector cleaner using a video I found on YouTube (There are loads) cleaned all the injectors and the fuel rail including the inlet adapter for the banjo joint, there was quite a bit of rust in there. I then put it all back together using new crush washers, primed the injector rail by turning the ignition key 3 times, started the motor in a test tank and waited for it to see if it would run rough. Not this time...

It's going to be a couple of weeks before I can get out on the water for a proper test but by the look of things now, it seems to be fixed.
 
I couldn't get the filter out, not without destroying it anyway and I didn't have a replacement so I just flushed the rail with carb cleaner in the opposite way that the pump would push petrol. effectively back flushing it. I caught the fluid in a tub and there wasn't any debris so I think that should be ok.
 
That sounds really encouraging! Goodonya for keeping after it!

The rust in the fuel rail just goes to show how much water can travel with fuel over time and cause problems.

I hope that your test drive goes well.

Have you tried removing the rail plug after running it to see if it held more pressure than before? That might be something good to know for future reference.
 
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No, I didn't remove the rail plug again to check for pressure. Main reason was I didn't have another crush washer.

The other reason was that while cleaning the injectors it occurred to me that if an injector is blocked, more specifically blocked as in it cant close properly due to debris then this would mean that pressure couldn't be held over time in the rail?
Yes it would still start because the HP pump operates for 2 seconds when you turn the ignition on but over time it would decrease due to a minuet leak.
 
She runs!

Finally got round to taking the boat to the river yesterday and much to my relief, all went well. It was a slightly bumpy start and by slightly i mean very slightly, but after a few minutes of running in gear, the motor smoothed out and ticked over nicely.

As I was on a river with a speed limit, I only got to give it WOT briefly but there was no hesitation, she was up and off. The rest of the time I ran between 1000 and 2000 rpm without issue for over 2 hours.

So, for anybody who has the external HP Pump die on them and doesn't want to pay the extortionate price to replace it or replace the whole vapor separator which includes a pump. The WALBRO GSL392 can be made to fit, and will get you running again but as discovered, you must replace the HP Filter and clean the injectors too.

Thanks for your help and suggestions guys, we did it! ;)
 
Very good! Glad to hear that it worked out for you. Thanks for the update!

It's great to know that someone that's willing to put in the effort to defeat the "strategy" of outrageously priced parts some manufacturers try to shove down our throats can be rewarded!

And to share your success with everyone willing to listen is a BONUS!

I hope that she runs strong for a long, long time!
 
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I have a 130, no pump issues so far but thanks very much for this. Been following along to see how it worked out.
 
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