Modern Vespa

The fuel pump on my 2008 GTS250ie has died. It is not part of any recall.

I was going to change it myself because I probably have more time than money.

My wife says I should just pay someone to do it. I told her I'd get some estimates but before I call around, was hoping to get a handle of what it should cost so I can see if the local prices are in the ballpark.

I'd prefer a Vespa/Piaggio shop, there are no Vespa dealers in the area, but I've got a trailer.

It doesn't look too, too difficult, I suppose any shop could probably do it for me.

Any info appreciated.

It could also be the fuel pump relay. Try that first. Easy fix.

Here's a thread that deals with this issue:

fuel pump problem on GTS 250ie

Also this article indicates that 2008 GTSs are covered:

http://www.scooterfile.com/oems/vespa/piaggio-group-recalls-2600-vespas-for-faulty-fuel-pumps/

w.

Checked the VIN list at Piaggio, mine is not listed.

Thanks for the ideas on the fuse and relay -- I'll dig into them first, but it was failing intermittently for a while, which leads me to believe it's the pump itself.

The main problem with changing out an old pump is taking the fuel hoses off without breaking them. Other than that, it's just a lot of time. I've not done one in years, and if I rememnber correctly, there is more time than mechanical skill to change one. In other words, it's simple, but a lot of work. Figure out how the hoses come off before you try to take them off and get a new gasket for it.

The pump is about $240, and you might want to order the gasket for it too.

There are a lot of aftermarket fuel pump replacements on Ebay that are a whole lot cheaper, but I've never seen one actually work on a GTS 250. They work on the GTS300, which uses a different pump design and only one hose.

My bike was part of the recall. It took about 90 minutes to replace it. Assuming $110/hour, that $165 labor. have you looked on youtube for DIY videos?

BEst
Miguel

Not the first one.
You've got to keep in mind when you quote times like that the person who did it that fast does it for a living and probably did several by the time yours got into the shop. The first one probably took twice as long, and that's still by someone who does this for a living. If you get a really good mechanic who wants to do everything right, and has never done one before, it's a three hour job. There are people out there who've done a lot of them who got it down under an hour.

And dealers don't charge real time, they charge BOOK time. So if book says 3 hours and tech has found a way to do it in 90 minutes tech makes out and it works the other way too.

It took me a very long time to replace the pump in my '06 GTS. I'm not fast but am fastidious. Cleaned every part as removed. Bagged fasteners, etc. Took notes.

Just a note here - that's a US (maybe Canada as well?) thing - not practiced in the UK, where the techs are paid a wage/salary, and the jobs are charged according to the dealer's own terms.

Just to make sure no one gets confused by the "90 minutes" quote I made above, that is the time it took the dealer to replace my pump. Not me.

Cheers.
Miquel

I just replaced the fuel pump in my 2006 GTS 250. It wasn't a bad job. Easier with an extra set of hands.

I included a few photos in this post:
Changed Out Fuel Pump - Vespa 250 (photos included)

As a guide, we used CheekyThomas's instructions, http://cheekythoma3.wixsite.com/itsme/fuelpump. It helped a lot.

Tip - Consider replacing just the pump itself and not the whole assembly. The whole assembly cost $175 - $250. I purchased an aftermarket pump on eBay for $29.

Tip - Raise the scooter high enough so that the motor can drop far enough. It makes removing and reinstalling the fuel tank much easier. When we removed it, we just had the scooter sitting on the center stand on some boards and struggled a bit to get the tank out. It wasn't going well getting the tank back in, so we raised the scooter further with a floor jack. This allowed the engine to drop further and we then had plenty of clearance. Made it much easier.

After looking @ the post links above I see a commonly sold fuel pump, ebay, Amazon,etc.. My BMW 650 MC got a new one last year. I am an experienced wrencher who doesn't time his work in retirement. Flat rate hours are for pros not shade tree or me now days.
It's either you do it or pay someone, you decide. On my MC it's was not a job for a timid wrencher to use a fuel pump kit but doable if your good for the job, not a first time repair affair IMO. I bought a Chinese kit on ebay which came with a bunch of filters-different shapes. It was sort of tricky to go back together. Mine didn't work intermittently-it stopped working. I think ethanol released residue got in there and I use Marine Stabil for storage too.
Fix cost about $25-30 for me.
My BMW G650GS MC engine was assembled in China and most all the pumps sold (the generic separate kits) look alike-I read up on one that had Japan on it but actually made in China-a story we all know well.
Again, if you are timid when wrenching-buy one assembled or pay the man.
Access on my MC was about simply removing the seat and tank pump assy., far easier than the above Vespa engine nastyness.