Thanks to Dirk De Knegt of the HFTC, I recently learned that there is a good substitute for the Honda Turbo main and fuel pump relays. These identical relays are mounted in rubber housings on the underside of the sensor tray behind the battery. The fuel pump relay is on the left side, and the main relay is on the right side. When one of these relays “fails,” you will be stranded for sure. Fortunately, these are robust relays designed for thousands of duty cycles and many years of service.
The Honda part number for these relays is: 36130-MC7-003. These are in short supply from Honda parts dealers and are pricey, at about $67 each. The good news is that a readily available Subaru / Toyota relay is the same as the Denso part—the fit and function is 100% equivalent to the Honda item.
- Subaru part number: 82501GA240
- Toyota part number: 90987-02004-83
- The Denso part number: 056700-5260
These Subaru/Toyota relays are typically less than half the cost of the Honda relay. The Denso direct version is typically even less.
Beware: Amazon offers inexpensive Chinese “knock-off” relays that match Subaru/Toyota/Denso part numbers at extremely low prices. These “knock-offs” have notoriously low quality and very short service lives. Some of them are even DOA straight out of the box! Don’t waste your time or money. Insist on genuine Denso relays from Japan!
Replacement is straightforward. You will need to remove the seat, side covers, battery and battery box to gain access. You can gain additional useful access by temporarily disconnecting some of the sensor connector blocks on the right side. The photo below shows the fuel pump relay on the left side (noted with star). The main relay is directly behind the fuel pump relay (on the right side).
Take care separating the relays from the rubber covers to avoid ripping them. A light spray of lubricant inserted into the cover via an aerosol “straw” helps. When installing the new relays into the covers, remember that the larger half of the cover must be oriented “up” to prevent water intrusion.
I recently replaced my original main and fuel pump relays with Subaru relays. My original relays still worked fine, but at 43+ years old, I suspect they were near the end of their life. Replacing these critical relays provides some peace of mind and many more years of trouble-free service.