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[Dusty]

If you follow my dumbass attempts to do my own mechanics you know that I just changed out my fuel pressure regulator....that was not broken.  Refer to....if it ain't broke don't fix it!!!!!! 
Anyway, after this install, my bike ran like sheet. Surely, I left something disconnected, broke a wire or something. Couldn't find a problem. 
Called a mechanic I know and he said.....Dude, that's a no brainer, you couldn't have screwed anything up. Chances of getting a bad regulator....slim to none. Never had a problem with a bike running worse after an install, usually the performance increases drastically....which is what old Bill was hopeing to experience. 
Then, just making conversation I went through what I had done prior to putting the bike on the jack to install this anticipated improvement. One and the main things was running the gas out of the tank.  I ran it so low, that at the last stop light before getting home, the bike died....done this many times, nooooo problem!!!!
At this point of the conversation I heard.......WAIT, YOU DID WHAT!!!!!! I stalled the bike because it was VERY low on fuel but I drove it another mile before getting back to the house to start the install.
The mechanics response was...you fried your fuel pump. To which I said......no way DUDE, I have done that at least 5 times in the 57,000 miles I've riden it. He siad, well, that was your last time.
I'm thinking SPRANG THANG IS GONE!!!!!! 
The explanation was very simple and one that made a lot of sense to me. He said....are you familiar with the water pump on an outboard motor. To which I said yes, they have a rubber impellor. He said yes, that is correct and that is what is in the fuel pump of the VTX except it turns at many times the RPM that that water pump does and when you run it dry, even for a milly second, those blades are turning at such a high RPM that the rubber blades heat and harden and can become brittle and can break.
Now, I question the blades being made of rubber, maybe something similar, but I trust this guy.
So, if the light comes on, GET GAS! You are looking at close to $400 for the pump not to mention missing SPRANG THANG!!!!
Input welcome, I'll be draining that fresh tank of gas out so I can tear out the pump. 

[Crewsn]

dusty, make dang sure you didn't pinch a vacuum line in some way. before you replace the fuel pump have it checked. the dealer can do a pressure check and there is a way you can check it. check out this link. if you don't feel comfortable just take it in. good luck and keep us posted.

http://www.vtxoa.com/forums/showthread.php?t=115105&highlight=fuel+pump+pressure+check

[Dusty]

Thanks Crewsn, but it's a time issue. I don't have enough of it. I would have had to haul the bike to the dealer and then wait for them to get to it and diagnose the problem.
I chose to roll the dice and ordered the pump which will be here Monday. The tank is off, empty and waiting on me to remove the pump. I started to take it out last night but decided I better read up on the removal before I tear into it. I will be mad at me once again if a new pump isn't the answer.
I wonder if the pump can be tested out of the tank?

Bill

[Dusty]

dusty, make dang sure you didn't pinch a vacuum line in some way. before you replace the fuel pump have it checked. the dealer can do a pressure check and there is a way you can check it. check out this link. if you don't feel comfortable just take it in. good luck and keep us posted.

http://www.vtxoa.com/forums/showthread.php?t=115105&highlight=fuel+pump+pressure+check

Well, you were close afterall...I hope. Just went out, in the daylight assisted with a flash light and found a rubber cap from the desmog that apparently I had bumped and torn partially off. Got to get to work, but this may be the culpret. Little &%$ was in behind an electrical plug and I had just been looking right past it. Got my fingers crossed.
Hope to get off early and put it back together this afternoon. 

[hooter]

So what your trying to tell us is that Spring Thang might be back on the burner again!

[TomVTX]

  The mayor of Billville absent?     We can't have that!   

Get that thing fixed Mayor Dusty Bill!!!!

[Dusty]

I'll be there with or without the bike. 

It's looking like Wed may be a little damp. 

[Crewsn]

dusty, make dang sure you didn't pinch a vacuum line in some way. before you replace the fuel pump have it checked. the dealer can do a pressure check and there is a way you can check it. check out this link. if you don't feel comfortable just take it in. good luck and keep us posted.

http://www.vtxoa.com/forums/showthread.php?t=115105&highlight=fuel+pump+pressure+check

Well, you were close afterall...I hope. Just went out, in the daylight assisted with a flash light and found a rubber cap from the desmog that apparently I had bumped and torn partially off. Got to get to work, but this may be the culpret. Little &%$ was in behind an electrical plug and I had just been looking right past it. Got my fingers crossed.
Hope to get off early and put it back together this afternoon. 

hopefully that was it. vacuum leaks will cause a bunch of problems as well, good luck.

[TomVTX]

I'll be there with or without the bike. 

It's looking like Wed may be a little damp. 

  

[Dusty]

Was able to get off around 3 and got the vacuum capped and everything back together. She's running better than she has in a long time. I got to put in about 40 miles. The throttle response is better, it idles better and at 120 she was still pulling. I'm taking her in tomorrow to have the fuel pump pressure checked by the fellow that said I may have burned up the pump by running it low on gas. I'm sure if a person was to continually grind on an empty tank they could crater the fuel pump. But running low or out of gas isn't gonna do it.

Hey hipshot.... you know the washer I was missing at the banjo connection? I lost the other one. Crush washers that you buy for the oil drain bolt fit perfectly. So far, no leak....a whole 40 miles.

[hipshot]

Yeah, I think there's only like two different sizes of crush washer on the whole bike.

[hipshot]

BTW, you CAN fry the fuel pump by running low on gas -- it's not a 100% thing but it's quite possible.

[Dusty]

BTW, you CAN fry the fuel pump by running low on gas -- it's not a 100% thing but it's quite possible.

I'll have one on the shelf incase it happens to someone. I won't get it until Monday and won't be using it unless he says my pump isn't doing what it's suppose to. I called to cancel the order and expected to have to pay the shipping to HDL BUT THEN THEY HIT ME WITH A 20% RESTOCKING FEE. They must not sell too many of them. So,.......I'm gonna have one. 

[Ironhorse1800]

OUCH! Maybe somebody will need that new pump real bad and throw in a case of cold  for high speed delivery.

Just my .02 cents worth:

Virtually any small fluid pump cools and/or lubricates by virtue of the fluid flow it is pumping. Running out of fluid (lubrication) is not a happy thing for them. IMHO, by design an in-tank pump is also kept cool by virtue of the fluid flowing around it. That makes them cheaper to build and small leaks are no big deal.

Does putting the pump in the tank keep them from freezing up in Canada? That's way too  for me.

Running low on fuel would put part or all of the pump out of the fluid and it starts running warmer than designed. Sucking air means no lubrication on fast spinning parts. No internal cooling; No external cooling; No good.

I have pulled the tank out of three Chevys to replace the fuel pumps.

One, a pickup was running great. It was run out of gas one and only one time according to the owner. He refilled, started and drove a total of ten miles in two trips. We changed that in-tank pump in a mall parking lot with a full tank of gas. 

My daughter-in-law had a habit of running out of gas. The outside of the plastic housing for the pump had burn spots from getting too hot. I told her that it almost caught fire and blew up like on TV.  (Visions of flaming cars with the tail-end flying up in the air.) She keeps gas in her tank now.

Back in my heavy wrecker days I had a driver run a big-cam 400 Cummins out of fuel. How do you do that with a 300 gallon tank capacity and a company cc in your pocket? A 100-mile tow home and a $700.00 injector pump got it running again.

When the light comes on I filler-up sooner rather than later.

Stolen quote, "Your results may vary."

[Dusty]

Now that I know this, I will not wait to get to my favorite station anymore. I am spoiled with pay at the pump. I have been known to drive off with the gas light on if they didn't have pay at the pump. I hate to have to get off the bike and go inside. But from now on, I won't gamble on another station being close.
He didn't do the pressure test on it the pump, but dynoed the bike, which was the plan before I got all side tracked. The pump performed just fine even at top in. However, Mike said if you have a long trip planned for this summer, you may want to take that pump with you just in case. 

Two years ago I had it dynoed and at that time, he had a Superflow WynDYN and my average was 96.4 HP with 113.8 lbs. torque
Today he had a Dynojet machine and my HP is 94.22 and the torque is 108.12
Wish I would have made a note of the miles on the bike back then as apposed to now.

Anyway, I guess the old girl is good for a couple more years.