Hi guys, I’m looking for some advice … I have a ‘98 916 which has recently developed an intermittent fault with the fuel pump not always priming with the ignition on, but will prime randomly after turning ignition off and on again and will then start normally. It then runs but will ‘splutter’ occasionally and lose power briefly but then recovers immediately (might happen twice during a 10 mile ride) Has also just cut out completely at low speed but then started up again with no problem Guess it’s electrical/ fuel pump related?
Try a new relay https://www.ducatiforum.co.uk/threads/yellow-relay-916-supersport-etc.86084/#post-1847207
as above, I hope it's ignition related relays and/or connectors as easy and first port of call. If this doesn't cure it, and your 916 has a 1.6M ECU where the rubber bung has not got "VOID" or similar tape completely covering it, then might be worth having a look inside for moisture as although unlikely, your symptoms are the same as i've experienced on a 748 due to water ingress.
Check the pipes inside the tank too. I recently had a dodgy fuel pump on my 98 916. The fuel pipes had melted due to the fuel etc. Blobs of the rubber pipe not only blocked the fuel filter at the bottom of the fuel pump, but some bits got through and blocked the pump. I took pump apart, put 12v to it, tapped it on vice and it spun up and dumped out lots of rubbery detritus. The pipes made a mess inside the tank too. Hopefully yours is just the relay.
New replacement relay at the top, but oddly has 5 pins, whereas the old one has 4 pins (connector block has 5 slots) Seems to work, fuel pump primes and bike fires up ok
As well as the relay, check the fuse associated to it. The fuse holder on my 916 melted along with the plastic of the fuse - the whole assembly was just a sticky glob of melted plastic though, oddly still working.
quite common on Italian fuseholder designs, a case of sub-standard conductivity due to age but often also too many ancillaries/wrong wire rating for that duty fuse.
