VanZapp
Registered user
Has anyone done the 'zapp' fix on the fuel strip? Mine has just gone on the blink. Bike is an 08 GSA.
Fuel strip fix
- Thread starter VanZapp
- Start date
Bendy toy
Registered user
Get a peizo spark "gas match" - barbecue lighter. Wire the spark terminals across terminals 2 and 3 of the fuel sender bock (located by the fuel pump). Click the lighter two or three times and repconnect the sender. The fuel strip should work again.
The strip has a heater resistor and a resistance measuring track bonded into a mylar plastic strip. When the strip is heated the resistance will vary according to fuel level - Petrol cools part of the strip to ambient. Sadly, the resistance track eventually cracks somewhere along it's line so the strip packs up. Zapping it carbonises between the cracked ends and it works again. It can be zapped again (a few times) but eventually it will be toast.
The strip has a heater resistor and a resistance measuring track bonded into a mylar plastic strip. When the strip is heated the resistance will vary according to fuel level - Petrol cools part of the strip to ambient. Sadly, the resistance track eventually cracks somewhere along it's line so the strip packs up. Zapping it carbonises between the cracked ends and it works again. It can be zapped again (a few times) but eventually it will be toast.
I've done it lasted a month so bought a new one £139 and fitted myself using a GS-911wifi .what I would advise is to remove from the tank before you Zappa it and all this zapp it 3 to six times is shite as first one makes circuit and that stops the piezo working any further as there's no gap to jump . It all depends on how many times you like stripping bike to remove it and yes you can do it whilst still in tank but I wouldn't
VanZapp
Registered user
Thanks guys.
Bendy toy
Registered user
The copper tracks are sealed inside petrol proof plastic. The spark can only jump across the fracture so it's safe. Even with a small amount of fuel in the tank the vapours are too dense to burn so even if the spark was open (it's not) it could not cause a bang.
I went for a completely new sliding float stick sender and separate gauge. There is another thread where we are discussing fitting a float gauge to the OEM fuel strip system. It needs "stuff" to fool the OEM system into thinking its got a fuel strip attached, but not "that" bad.
I went for a completely new sliding float stick sender and separate gauge. There is another thread where we are discussing fitting a float gauge to the OEM fuel strip system. It needs "stuff" to fool the OEM system into thinking its got a fuel strip attached, but not "that" bad.
buncobooth
Registered user
I have had this problem now for the 6th time. But don't worry because BMW UK have mailed me to say (and I quote) "The fuel strip failure isn’t a known issue." Idiots 
Bendy toy
Registered user
It has to be worth spinning back some statistics on that and see what they have to say.
I had my seventh strip fitted just before I left for Norway 3 weeks ago so far it's still working on after doing another 4.500 miles. This was my fourth one in 2 years . Not a known problem my ass.
Bendy toy
Registered user
A bike with a big tank and dodgy fuel tank is a problem. You fill infrequently with little fuel anxiety then suddenly you have no idea how much is in the tank. We don't all ride at predictable speeds and/or road conditions so the trip mileage is only partially helpful.
I have been getting a 450 mile tank range in Scandinavia. Low speed limits. Fast motorways I have had 280 miles. Trip metre is worthless with these extremes.
I have been filling up after 330 miles sometimes and only putting in 23 litres. I've never had such good full consumption as on this trip. It pays to go away with a harley road king and an m1800r intruder. And the harley rider rarely goes over the speed limits.
I have been filling up after 330 miles sometimes and only putting in 23 litres. I've never had such good full consumption as on this trip. It pays to go away with a harley road king and an m1800r intruder. And the harley rider rarely goes over the speed limits.
It certainly does thats 65 mpg your getting
Bendy toy
Registered user
With all that riding boredom, I'd be glad to run out of fuel just to break the monotony.
Boredom, lol, you've never been to Norway then, the low speeds help you appreciate the view, I lost count of how many times I said WOW every day, truely beautiful country.5134 miles in the 3 weeks we were away, according to my nav 5 we rode for 101 hours, hours and averaged 51 mph,
Not exactly monotonous imho, you do come out with some weird statements at times, anyway I ended up with a trip average mpg of 54.2 mpg by the time I got home, fairly good I think.
Woland
Registered user
My float works perfectly, with 9 km's left on the range display I filled 33,04l today.
Figure that's about as exact as it gets
Figure that's about as exact as it gets
Bendy toy
Registered user
You are right I haven't, but putting up with really slow riding pals is something I stopped doing in the 1970s. I got sick of watching for them slowing down with no good reason and therefore missing the great views. Alternatively I spent more time standing about waiting for them to catch up.
I don't take silly risks but I also don't run about with a squared off back tyre.
Bendy toy
Registered user
My float works perfectly, with 9 km's left on the range display I filled 33,04l today.
Figure that's about as exact as it gets
The floats have never been a problem.
RonnieG
Registered user
Had a similar issue on my '07 GSA with having to Piezo Zap my faulty Fuel Strip about 4 / 5 times over the past couple of years to avoid the dreaded yellow warning light on the dash..... Got well fed up with BMW UK's response to my complaint and basically treating UK customers as crap because they can get away with it as UK customers just take it and still come back and buy more of their products.......
I have only got between 4 and 6 months between 'zappings' and got fed up with this cycle a couple of months ago and decided to go down the non harness damaging electronic fuel spoof electronic circuit made up of 3 resistors soldered together as in this post I saw on the Advrider forum;
http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/fuel-strip-fix.844902/page-10#post-32123591
Probably only done a couple of thousand miles so far on this set up but looking good to date and I don't feel the same uncertainty of when is the yellow light going to come back on. For info - The fuel guage just reads full the whole time with the electronic spoof in place.
I have only got between 4 and 6 months between 'zappings' and got fed up with this cycle a couple of months ago and decided to go down the non harness damaging electronic fuel spoof electronic circuit made up of 3 resistors soldered together as in this post I saw on the Advrider forum;
http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/fuel-strip-fix.844902/page-10#post-32123591
Probably only done a couple of thousand miles so far on this set up but looking good to date and I don't feel the same uncertainty of when is the yellow light going to come back on. For info - The fuel guage just reads full the whole time with the electronic spoof in place.
Does the later model twin cams 2012 suffer with this? i thought they had a float fitted..
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