Bad gas?

    The last 2 rides, as my gas gauge got down to around 3-4 gallons left, my engine started bogging down, usually when accelerating at around 4000 rpm in 3rd or 4th gear. I had filled up after the last ride with what should have been a good Premium gas at Stripes (Sunoco) or Circle K (which sells Valero gas around here), both of which I've been using for a long time. The same bogging occurred during tonight's ride= when the tank got down to around 3-4 gallons. I stopped at Wal-Mart and bought a couple bottles of Heet gas antifreeze and added a bottle (Supposed to treat 20 gallons) to the 3 gallons or so left and tried driving home. At first, after adding the Heet, the Slingshot seemed to drive better, but then the bogging returned, now at slower rpms. It was bogging as low as 2500 rpms and it was almost impossible to accelerate to the speed limit. I limped to the nearest Valero that sells a lot of gas in hopes of finding some good gas and filled the tank. Pulled back out onto the Interstate and the Slingshot seemed to be running normally, so I tend to believe I did have some bad gas.

    Would folks agree with me that I probably had some bad gas that somehow left some water in the bottom of the tank? Now for the $64 question - How can I dispose of the bad gas once I get the tank down to where it starts bogging again? Could I mix it with some old motor oil and turn it in at a local oil recycling spot (aka, local auto parts shop)?

    After experiencing 2 instances of bogging, I'm not looking forward to going through this again and would like to get rid of whatever bad stuff is in the tank.

    Edited once, last by BKL ().

    Water is heavier than gas and the fuel pump pulls from the bottom of the tank so if you had water in the gas I don't think it would matter how full the tank is. The fact that it runs better on a full tank then starts bogging closer to empty sounds like something is going on with the fuel pump pickup. Someone on here should know more than I do about the pump setup.

    Thanks for the response. I'm afraid you're probably correct.

    I was hoping the problem wouldn't be associated with the fuel pump/fuel system and for some silly reason I was ignoring the fact that gas floats on water, not the other way around.

    I wasn't planning on visiting my dealer for another 3000 miles, but it looks like I'll probably need to make the 110 mile drive sooner than that. I guess I'll keep driving and for a while longer and then finally give my tow dolly I bought from AllThingsSlingshot last year a test-run to the dealer. There are several dealers here in the Houston area, but I've never developed a relationship/trust with any of them.

    FWIW, when less than a year old our 2015 SlingShot would quit, (run out of gas?), still showing bars on the gauge, and then only taking seven gallons or so to fill-up. The dealer said that they could not find anything wrong, but at the same time we had the ECU programming updated and it has never happened again.


    Coincidence? :/


    Bill

    Per the 2015-17 Service manual, the fuel filters (2 of them) are a non-replaceable part of the fuel pump. Naturally, Polaris doesn't offer just the fuel pump as a replacement item.

    I checked 6 Slingshot Parts sources and the best prices I found for the fuel pump assembly plus the fuel pump gasket was $418 from Cycle Parts Nation and Power Parts Plus, both of which operate from the same address in Kalamazoo, MI.

    I also found that Fuel Pump Factory offers a replacement in-tank fuel pump for $80 shipped which I assume replaces the fuel pump portion of the Polaris fuel pump assembly. I emailed FPF asking if I could get a copy of the installation instructions to see if I wanted to attempt such a transplant myself.

    Per the 2015-17 Service manual - 80% of all EFI problems are caused by wiring harness connections. It would be nice if things were as simple as checking the wiring connections, but I need to remove my Top, roll hoops and rear deck plastics to get to everything, not to mention finding the proper wrench to torque the fuel pump nut to 70 lb-ft. I've seen some wrenches online for between $17-66, but haven't found any with Polaris' specified nomenclature.

    Guess I'll need to learn enough to figure out if I want to try it myself (:thumbsup:) or take the more expensive, easier way out of going to the dealer ($$$:().

    Edited once, last by BKL ().

    Quote from BKL

    Per the 2015-17 Service manual, the fuel filters (2 of them) are a non-replaceable part of the fuel pump. Naturally, Polaris doesn't offer just the fuel pump as a replacement item.

    I checked 6 Slingshot Parts sources and the best prices I found for the fuel pump assembly plus the fuel pump gasket was $418 from Cycle Parts Nation and Power Parts Plus, both of which operate from the same address in Kalamazoo, MI.

    I also found that Fuel Pump Factory offers a replacement in-tank fuel pump for $80 shipped which I assume replaces the fuel pump portion of the Polaris fuel pump assembly. I emailed FPF asking if I could get a copy of the installation instructions to see if I wanted to attempt such a transplant myself.

    Howdy. I'm not making any recommendations, but check out this link to an eBay add for the pump only (verified the part number). It might be worth the chance to try it out at the $70 price level since you're not even sure if that's the problem


    https://www.ebay.com/itm/FPF-F…Sw2YZbx7A0&frcectupt=true

    Nobody gets outta here ALIVE

    Quote from funinthesun

    Howdy. I'm not making any recommendations, but check out this link to an eBay add for the pump only (verified the part number). It might be worth the chance to try it out at the $70 price level since you're not even sure if that's the problem


    https://www.ebay.com/itm/FPF-F…Sw2YZbx7A0&frcectupt=true

    I was wondering if FPF was assuming their standard Polaris fuel pump would just fit the Slingshot, too. When I went to the EBay listing and actually tried to select 2015 Polaris Slingshot, no mater which model I picked, it said the listed part didn't fit.

    Hopefully, FPF will respond to my email and answer my concerns about fit/use.

    I looked at the Polaris part number for the entire meter assembly (2521242) and that's what they are saying this pump replaces. A bit of a stretch, but I'm sure they are saying it mounts and has similar volume and pressure. But like I say, It IS ebay after all

    Nobody gets outta here ALIVE

    BKL yah I think a lot of those aftermarket automotive selection matrix's don,t have any slingshot listings so they all will be found as not fitting, not because it doesn't fit , but because they have never bother to work into their matrix slingshot info .


    But typically if it is a filter problem , there's a simple test for this, as Filter blockage is consistent and will always start at higher rpm and work its way down but consistently, a filter has to partially clog before it can fully clog. But as it starts to clog you will notice it at the same high rpm in the higher gears cruising consistently, it will always bog at the same rpm and never reach a higher rpm as it can never access the more fuel needed, as it can never source more fuel than then unclogged filter area remaining provides. Only until it becomes more clogged will the rpm it misses at become lower, and again consistently, but you can't test for this racing through lower gears, cruising under a constant steady load only.

    If the loss of power is not consistent in the higher gears every time you reach a certain rpm at a steady cruise then I would think you can rule out a filter problem ,


    That's the easiest to eliminate , determining whether its fuel contamination problems , a mechanical pump problem (albeit electrical) or a software (FLASH) problem is another matter . But if I had to bet on the pump being the problem I would go with it either runs or it doesn't, as is the case in most automotive electrical fuel pumps.


    Good luck and keep us posted please on what you find out.

    I'm going for a ride tonight, so I guess I'll get to see if the bogging becomes a problem at lower rpm. While I can understand placing the fuel filter(s) before the fuel pump to protect the fuel pump, I never have liked the idea of using non-replaceable fuel filters, but I guess the cost of pulling and replacing just the filters is the same labor cost as replacing the entire assembly. Overall, though, I think the added manufacturing costs of routing the gas line from the fuel intake out the side of the tank to a replaceable fuel filter and then back into the tank to the fuel pump would make more sense in terms of long-term maintenance costs for the buyer, but, of course, manufacturers seem more concerned with their own costs far more so than with the cost of ownership.


    Post-ride update - Only remember 2 instances of bogging, but they had somewhat confusing circumstances. One instance was mild aceleration in 5th gear and the rpms were well below 4000. The second occurred during a brisk acceleration event and the rear wheel started spinning. I took my foot off the gas to recover from the overspin and when I shifted up and applied more gas, I got hit with the bogging down. Oddly, I had a couple other accelerations w/o any bogging as I ran thru the gears, but it may be possible I managed to miss the bogging by shifting earlier.

    Edited 2 times, last by BKL ().

    Quote from War Hoop

    Fill her up and add in some sea foam...see what happens.

    I may try some Sea Foam after my next fill-up since I put 20 gallons worth of Heet in for my last fill-up and don't plan on letting the tank go below 1/2 before adding more gas.

    Quote from Shatneyman

    can you hear the ocean like holding a sea shell to your ear?8o:00008356:

    My Wife gets to hear noises all the time. You'd think after all of my Army time and all the shooting (guns:)) I did when younger that I'd be the one with tinnitus.

    Quote from BKL

    I may try some Sea Foam after my next fill-up since I put 20 gallons worth of Heet in for my last fill-up and don't plan on letting the tank go below 1/2 before adding more gas.

    My Wife gets to hear noises all the time. You'd think after all of my Army time and all the shooting (guns:)) I did when younger that I'd be the one with tinnitus.

    I always use the Lucas

    The exact same thing happened to me in Clarksville last year. Immediately after a fill up the SS just would not run at all, couldn't build rpm's or even get up to 55. Avi8tingTom poured seafoam in the tank and cured it in a matter of minutes. SS only had 6 thousand miles on it at the time. Has run fine ever since.

    2018 SLR LE
    Bullet Speed Top

    Hawk 5.0 Pads


    My girlfriend loves SS more than me but can't drive a manual laugh-squaredlaugh-squared Lucky me!!!

    Quote from Shatneyman

    can you hear the ocean like holding a sea shell to your ear?8o:00008356:

    No but that stuff will kick ass clean the carbon buildup out of your engine. Had a chevy s10 4x4 and I could tell when I was going to lose my brakes cause the engine would idle rough at stop signs but could not tell at highway speeds so the high speed no brakes worky sucked. Pulled off the vacuum line from the brake booster (which runs to the back of the carb) and stuck it in a can of sea foam and that cleaned all the gunk out of the engine so the brakes would work again. Sea Foams good stuff Maynard.