1200gs won't start....help!

[ExpatinIstanbul]

I was gettting ready to go out and meet the guys riding from the UK to Istanbul, to guide them in to where they're staying....but the bloody bike won't start! It turns over and sometimes almost catches but won't fire up.

I put a new battery in last week and did a 150km ride, but haven't used it since. It got washed by my neighbour, with a jet wash and I'm wondering if that might have caused any damage.

Any ideas? I'd like to get this sorted to day so I can go out and meet the guys coming down.

 

[Decster]

jet wash

Manual says not to jet wash

 

[boxerjack]

It sounds like the fuel pump relay

Search this site under 'fuel pump relay' and you will probably find the source of the problem and how to fix it.

Good luck, hope you can get your hands on a new relay quickly or WD40 the old one well enough to get you going.

 

[Deleted account 211025001]

Search this site under 'fuel pump relay' and you will probably find the source of the problem and how to fix it.

Good luck, hope you can get your hands on a new relay quickly or WD40 the old one well enough to get you going.

If that does turn out to be the problem one of the very recent threads on here gave a link to a step by step (with piccies) article on ADVrider on how to bypass the relay to get yourself going.

Good luck

Andres

Edit: Here's the link

 

[ExpatinIstanbul]

I took a look at the fuel pump, there was only a small residue of water in the main cavity although the ali fins do look a bit corroded. I gave the connectors a liberal dose of WD-40 anyway but as I've managed to run the battery flat I'll have to wait for it to charge before I can see if it fires up now.

 

[dudlow]

Sounds a bit stupid but.......................
when mine did the same it was a loose negative lead on the battery, it looked ok but was not tight. Worth a check.

 

[John Armstrong]

Checked that the fuel tank only has fuel and air in it. Jet washing might have forced water into the tank and most internal combustion engines don't like running on water ..................

Or have the fuel injector connections been disturbed or have the plug leads been waterlogged?

 

[DrFarkoff]

Do you have EWS or anything unusual in the LCD display?

Another vote for check terminals and listen carefully for the fuel pump!!!

 

[ExpatinIstanbul]

I checked the battery leads and nothing's loose. There's no EWS warning other than at start up as usual. I'll check the injector connections and plugs, although I glanced at them quickly before and found nothing amiss. The guy who cleaned mine offered to do it as he was cleaning his 1150 as well, he's a careful type so I doubt he pointed the jet wash at anything sensitive. I reckon it is the fuel pump so once the battery's charged I'll try starting it with this exposed, so I can hear if it's working.

It's bloody annoying, the bike's just out of warranty and now I'm starting to get niggling problems. I was just about to throw lots of after market bits on it to get it ready for a few tours this year, but now I'm beginning to wonder what might go wrong next!

 

[Deleted account 211025001]

Any joy

Andres

 

[tigerjohn]

Put battery on a trickle charge for a few hours and try to start it again. Standard battery fitted to the GS is useless (even 'unfit for purpose' I'd say, but I'm no lawyer!). If that works, avoid the problem in future and invest £105 in an Odessy battery from Motorworks, as I've just had to do.

 

[ExpatinIstanbul]

Any joy

Andres

Not got around to it yet, I'll tinker with it today and see what happens. Good call on bypassing the pump, a few others have suggested the same thing. If it doesn't start after refitting the battery I'll give it a shot.

 

[ExpatinIstanbul]

Put battery on a trickle charge for a few hours and try to start it again. Standard battery fitted to the GS is useless (even 'unfit for purpose' I'd say, but I'm no lawyer!). If that works, avoid the problem in future and invest £105 in an Odessy battery from Motorworks, as I've just had to do.

Can't find Odessy bike batteries here, and shipping one in would cost several arms and legs.

 

[Captain GSA]

JETWASH

Even if it has nothing to do with the jet wash......

If you are going to jet wash your bike.........Then you have to be very, very careful about the strength of the jet or the distance from the bike, then be very selective where you point it at. I have on three occasions washed the bike with a jet wash because of the condition (dirt,sand etc) it was in.

I would never ever give it to someone else to do.............

 

[ExpatinIstanbul]

Put the charged battery back on the bike, and............clickety clickety click. This a new battery, bought from BMW only two weeks ago.

Called Motoworks to get a quote to ship an Odyssey out here......50 quid!

To describe myself as a little under the weather about this is a very slight exageration.

 

[cookie]

i think you should establish if it is really a battery problem before spending any more money. bit of a coincidence getting two duff batteries in a fortnight. a bmw battery will have nearly 2 years warranty on it anyway.

does a jump start from a car work? or test the battery on something else.

if it turns over and won't start, my money's on the fuel pump energiser. duff seal, and the jetwash filled the well with water maybe? take it out and have a look. 10 minute job.

 

[John Armstrong]

Put the charged battery back on the bike, and............clickety clickety click. This a new battery, bought from BMW only two weeks ago.

Called Motoworks to get a quote to ship an Odyssey out here......50 quid!

To describe myself as a little under the weather about this is a very slight exageration.

Thought about trying to buy one on ebay. Delivery from the US, for example, might be cheaper.

 

[ExpatinIstanbul]

i think you should establish if it is really a battery problem before spending any more money. bit of a coincidence getting two duff batteries in a fortnight. a bmw battery will have nearly 2 years warranty on it anyway.

does a jump start from a car work? or test the battery on something else.

if it turns over and won't start, my money's on the fuel pump energiser. duff seal, and the jetwash filled the well with water maybe? take it out and have a look. 10 minute job.

The fuel pump has already been suggested as a problem, which was when the battery was fine, the bike would turn over but wouldn't start. The battery went flat trying to start it after trying different things to find what the first problem was! Now the bloody thing won't charge. There's no water in the fuel pump well, well a small residue, but the fins do look quite corroded.

There's a bypass fix in a thread on here, but I don't know if I need particular connectors to do this.

 

[ExpatinIstanbul]

Thought about trying to buy one on ebay. Delivery from the US, for example, might be cheaper.

I checked ebay and the American sellers won't ship outside of the USA, the British one....Motorworks, are the ones who gave me a 50 quid quote.

I really should have asked one of the boys who came out here at the weekend to bring one. I could have paid in Kebabs.

I'm giving the BMW battery one last charge, before I take it back and throw it in someone's face.

 

[cookie]

....but the fins do look quite corroded.

i'm talking about the well underneath the fuel pump energiser. you need to take the unit out to check.

getting the right connectors to bridge out the energiser would be tricky. lower (blue) one could be taken from an old unit, but the top one is recessed into the aluminium. splicing is the most obvious way.

check by substitution? borrow one? buy one? even if you don't need it, i'm sure you could sell it on, or keep for a spare.