Battery drain problem

[RickG]

The joys of modern motorcycles eh? Long gone are the days of Joe Lucas and a single fuse you could bodge with the silver foil from a fag packet. Mind, there was never enough power in the system to blow a fuse in the first place..

I agree, it's hard to see how it takes 2 hours to program the module, maybe they are including the time to fit it?

Dunno about wreckers down under but most decent ones in Blighty would exchange or refund if anything they sold you subsequently proved to be faulty. If the shipping is reasonable, motor-works are reliable.

You might also think of looking for anywhere that offers repair services for automotive electronics, Dead ECU's and so on can sometimes be fixed.

As far as which ZFE unit you have, I would have thought that maybe there's an identifier on the case, or perhaps it's something the BMW diagnostic computer can read?

 

[yobro24]

Hi Guys, I have a 54 plate GS1200 with exactly the same problem. The aux socket drops voltage after a few seconds of use and there is a constant drain the battery of 140mA. this is killing my battery in a couple of days. I have taken it to BMW and they want £400 to change the ZFE (I thought he said ECU but perhaps he didn't!). The only reason I haven't gone ahead with this is that he didn't know what had caused the problem in the first place and said that the new ZFE could do exactly the same thing! Has anyone changed the ZFE and cured this problem?

 

[bilby-2007]

Greetings and commiserations Yobro24,
From what I have discovered, it seems that a ZFE failure is relatively rare. However, see in my post of 10/3/10, my nearest BMW dealer (2 1/2 hours away) has solved an identical problem on another R1200GS by replacing the ZFE. They also suggested that a likely cause was trying to charge the battery with a non-compliant charger (read non-BMW). Of course they did not suggest that it could have simply been a fault in the ZFE. As I am the third owner of my bike, I cannot be certain what the previous owners plugged into the auxilliary socket.
I have now fitted a 12V isolation switch just before the +ve battery pole. The switch is mounted in the triangular gap in the frame, immediatley to the left of the top of the rear shock absorber. (I could send you some photos if I knew how to add them to a post). I turn it off when I am finished riding for the day. Next ride, I turn it on before stepping onto the bike, turn ignition on, reset the throttle postion sensor, reset the clock, then start the engine. That cost me ~AUD$30. It will suit me just fine until I have saved up the AUD$1000 for a new ZFE.

 

[RickG]

So essentially you've reinvented the ignition switch. That'll show the computer who's boss.

 

[yobro24]

Thanks Bilby. I presume that the switch you used is pretty heavy duty, in fact, shouldn't it be a solenoid to cope with the current when the starter motor kicks in?

 

[RickG]

It just needs beefy enough contacts to handle the current demanded by the starter. Battery isolator switches do have these.

 

[bilby-2007]

That is correct Rick. It is a relatively small switch (about 40mm in diameter) with a flat red handle which is rotated thru 90 degrees to turn it on or off. I'm sure your auto electricians would have one to suit. My auto electrician also made up the short length ( ~ 300mm ) of red battery cable I needed, to go from the isolation switch up to the +ve pole on the battery. They had the correct lugs and clamping tools, which I don't have.

 

[bilby-2007]

I finally received the OK from my Treasurer to get the ZFE checked and replaced if necessary. This was a 2 step process as there were no ZFE's on any shelf in Australia, and I wasn't prepared to purchase one without being sure it was the culprit. So off to the nearest BMW Shop for testing (350Km round trip), and received confirmation it was indeed a failed ZFE. Then pay a deposit of $AUD450 for them to order one in from Germany. Two weeks later it arrived, so another 350Km round trip to have it installed. The problems have now been fixed, with virtually no current drain (~0.7ma), and both power outlet sockets now working as they should. The ZFE cost $AUD830, plus two visits to the workshop for diagnosis, replacement and programming the new unit, for a total cost of $AUD968. The technicians still think the most likely reason for failure of the ZFE is a previous owner plugging a non-BMW battery charger into the power socket under the seat. As the consequence of this simple act are so expensive to rectify, I think BMW should include a large warning sticker near the power socket to warn owners of the danger.

 

[Beemerman59]

I finally received the OK from my Treasurer to get the ZFE checked and replaced if necessary. This was a 2 step process as there were no ZFE's on any shelf in Australia, and I wasn't prepared to purchase one without being sure it was the culprit. So off to the nearest BMW Shop for testing (350Km round trip), and received confirmation it was indeed a failed ZFE. Then pay a deposit of $AUD450 for them to order one in from Germany. Two weeks later it arrived, so another 350Km round trip to have it installed. The problems have now been fixed, with virtually no current drain (~0.7ma), and both power outlet sockets now working as they should. The ZFE cost $AUD830, plus two visits to the workshop for diagnosis, replacement and programming the new unit, for a total cost of $AUD968. The technicians still think the most likely reason for failure of the ZFE is a previous owner plugging a non-BMW battery charger into the power socket under the seat. As the consequence of this simple act are so expensive to rectify, I think BMW should include a large warning sticker near the power socket to warn owners of the danger.

One part of me finds it hard to believe the explanation for the duff ZFE being caused by a non-OEM charger is the culprit, but then another part of me knows how fickle electronics mixed with power can be. Glad you got it sorted in the end. I'm just glad I have all my accessories including accessory sockets running of a seperate fuse box and well away from the Canbus system.

 

[cookie]

I'm just glad I have all my accessories including accessory sockets running of a seperate fuse box and well away from the Canbus system.

and me.

all very well taking power from a canbus controlled skt. but feeding power back in doesn't seem such a good idea.