So I went to start my '04 FLSTCI and the fuel pump made a loud high pitched squeal. I turned the ignition off and tried it again and it sounded normal. It did this twice in as many days. It doesn't do it every time maybe just when sitting overnight. However after sitting overnight last night it didn't do it. Is this a sign of impending pump, or pressure regulator failure? I removed the gas cap and looked inside with a flashlight at 1/4 full and didn't see and swirling or bubbling. Anyone have this experience, and what did it lead to?

 

Yea they can get noisy , it usually means they're on the way out but not always .
I'd change it for peace of mind , gives you a chance to look inside the tank proper too..

 

Change what? The entire pump, filter, and regulator? What's this I see about a hose deteriorating inside and replacing that? Is that from the inlet to the pump?

 

It can also be air purging. I have heard many a pump make a high pitches wheeeeeeeeee when starting up and ran forever. Pinholes in lines were much more prevalent in touring models. Don't know how many miles you have but if you're getting up there you should do a filter.

 

Where would the air come from then? I just did some searches and most say to replace the gasket and the screws too. I'm kinda thinking if I have to go to the trouble to yank the whole assembly out I may as well replace the pump, hoses and regulator too. A look into the tank looks brand new and super clean. This baby's only got 36,000 miles on her! Any ideas what brand to go with? I see Quantum Fuel Systems has a smoking good deal at $39.98 but I can only find the screws on JP Cycles site.

 

Pumps will bleed down somewhat over time and need to rebuild pressure. Point is just that a whine sometimes isn't necessarily the end of the pump. I have heard some that really really sound bad and those I would replace.

 

It was a pretty loud, high pitched, schreech. Actually gave me a start. Pun intended. But it only sat overnight. Did it a couple times and now I can't get it to do it again. Of course because I wanted to record it right? I'll try again tomorrow in the morning.

 

Well I'm not sure if I should slap myself on the forehead, or pat myself on the back! I had a bad battery! Changed out the battery and after the battery change the fuel pump doesn't make the squealing noise. Or at least so far! So, I wonder. Although I've never had an electric fuel pump squeal from low voltage.

 

sportsters pumps will do that for some time if you leave them parked too long, then back to normal. is the 04 a delphi or marelli?

 

It's Delphi. Never done that before and I had it in storage for a while while I was off grid. (Went Caveman) If it sits for a week or so on the tender it goes into a kinda sleep mode where the fob won't disarm it until I turn the ignition on. But never had a noise from the fuel pump before.