Fuel Gauge Error

[willem_dafoe]

I don't want my thread to cause any arguments. I can live with a broken fuel gauge, but I've just bought the bike and it should work. Well done to those of you that live without a fuel gauge, but I want to get mine fixed - which is why I posted in the first place. I do also fill my tank full every time, so calibration is not the issue here.

What is the issue, is no one (even people at BMW) seems to have any idea how this is fixed, if a new sender doesn't fix it. My money is on a new instrument cluster.

 

[claw]

When i started biking, you knew you needed fuel because the engine would splutter a wee bit, you'd reach down to the fuel tap and turn it to reserve, then start looking for a garage, fill up and turn the tap again to the main tank

Simple ideas usually are the best

 

[snerkler]

I don't want my thread to cause any arguments. I can live with a broken fuel gauge, but I've just bought the bike and it should work. Well done to those of you that live without a fuel gauge, but I want to get mine fixed - which is why I posted in the first place. I do also fill my tank full every time, so calibration is not the issue here.

What is the issue, is no one (even people at BMW) seems to have any idea how this is fixed, if a new sender doesn't fix it. My money is on a new instrument cluster.

Yep you paid good money and you should have a bike that works properly, despite whether some people dispute the worth of the faulty part I wouldn't be happy if something on my bike didn't work.

 

[Deleted account 190920001]

I don't want my thread to cause any arguments. I can live with a broken fuel gauge, but I've just bought the bike and it should work. Well done to those of you that live without a fuel gauge, but I want to get mine fixed - which is why I posted in the first place. I do also fill my tank full every time, so calibration is not the issue here.

What is the issue, is no one (even people at BMW) seems to have any idea how this is fixed, if a new sender doesn't fix it. My money is on a new instrument cluster.

Its not the instrument cluster (unless you have a very very unusual fault), which will cost you a huge amount of money to buy and find it does nothing. Its the fuel strip in the tank. When people say they got it changed and it didn't fix the gauge what they mean is it did sort it but it failed again. been through 2 of them but I am not going to bother getting it done again. No time, too far to travel, life is too short yada yada take your pick of excuse but basically I cant be arsed. Its a bad design and no BMW seem unwilling to try and do anything about it. It is what it is and its up to you if you want to keep trying for a permanent fix, getting all bent out of shape and talking about taking BMW to court (some people actually talk about doing this on the forum), selling the bike and never buying another BMW or just chill and accept it because life is too short. Good luck with whatever you choose to do.

 

[Paul Wakefield]

Fuel gauge is a regular failure item - I forget which one I'm on but it is more or less a service item (and I suspect will continue to be so until I have to start paying for it). It's the sender strip and I really think you would be wasting your money going for a new instrument cluster. The new models are reverting to a good old fashioned float system.

I agree it is a bore and should work - it's not rocket science and if you've paid you should expect it to function. I make do with the trip solution but that only works if you brim it, if you remember to zero the trip and if your consumption is fairly constant (I find consumption varies a fair amount; it's a lot worse in the Winter for instance).

 

[Scotriders]

Noticed a similar problem with my 2010 GSA on Friday.
Checked my range before heading out on a.Chippy Run and it showed 180 to go.
Travelled 30 odd miles and it still showed 170 to go.
Got on the bike to come back and the fuel warning light came on, over the next couple of miles the range slowly dropped from 170 to 25.

It really shouldn't come as a surprise to me as the demo bike I rode last year from John Clark's had a fuel gauge problem too.

It's due its first birthday service soon so I'll mention it when putting it in.

I know I can use the trip.meter to judge my fuel but it will vary with different riding and there really is no excuse for faulty instruments in this day and age.

Like the rest of you I spent a lot of money on my bike and I expect reliability, if I wanted to just throw my money away I would have bought expensive Italian pish.p

 

[willem_dafoe]

Noticed a similar problem with my 2010 GSA on Friday.
Checked my range before heading out on a.Chippy Run and it showed 180 to go.
Travelled 30 odd miles and it still showed 170 to go.
Got on the bike to come back and the fuel warning light came on, over the next couple of miles the range slowly dropped from 170 to 25.

It really shouldn't come as a surprise to me as the demo bike I rode last year from John Clark's had a fuel gauge problem too.

It's due its first birthday service soon so I'll mention it when putting it in.

I know I can use the trip.meter to judge my fuel but it will vary with different riding and there really is no excuse for faulty instruments in this day and age.

Like the rest of you I spent a lot of money on my bike and I expect reliability, if I wanted to just throw my money away I would have bought expensive Italian pish.p

My sentiments entirely. It should work, and the trip gauge method with a tank that size is bound to be pretty inacurate, my mileage varies hugely. So what is wrong with these strips? I'm a design engineer, I do this kind of stuff everyday - can we get some good ones made? Is it an analogue or a digital system? Is it just the adventure - which has a funny shaped tank which might not help - or the GS too?

 

[Michael R1150GS Adventure]

Like the rest of you I spent a lot of money on my bike and I expect reliability, if I wanted to just throw my money away I would have bought expensive Italian pish.p[/QUOTE]

but you have just bought expensive german pish?

 

[Wapping]

I'm a design engineer, I do this kind of stuff everyday....

Physician, heal thyself.

I believe that's how the saying goes.

 

[Deleted account 190920001]

My sentiments entirely. It should work, and the trip gauge method with a tank that size is bound to be pretty inacurate, my mileage varies hugely. So what is wrong with these strips? I'm a design engineer, I do this kind of stuff everyday - can we get some good ones made? Is it an analogue or a digital system? Is it just the adventure - which has a funny shaped tank which might not help - or the GS too?

Your the engineer, you tell us and it is the GS as well as the GSA. Analogue system I would think, cant think of a way to do it digitally other than a load of individual sensors down the strip. Similar system to aircraft I think? Someone said that BMW had went back to the float idea? Not so, despite the rumours the 2010 still has the fuel strip.

 

[Paul Wakefield]

Dealer told me that the new models will use a float - I don't think he was referring to the 2010 models though.

 

[willem_dafoe]

I'm going to get hold of one and have a look at it. Big problem with fuel sensors on bikes planes and cars, is having volts in the fuel - not a good combination. So designers are always trying to come up with clever ideas to over come this. Has anyone considered the fact that the GSA tank has more than one compartment, and the levels might be at odds? There is obviously a big problem with this system, and a good solution would be welcomed by many.

 

[sdcastle]

Getting mine (tank sender strip) done next week after recently running out (guage showing range of 102 miles to go!!) Dealer says parts a guranteed for 2 years . There's confidence for you!

 

[GSwadd]

My fuel gauge on an '06 model worked perfectly up until just before Christmas last year. Now it just goes from full to empty and back as it sees fit. Always used the trip meters or Zumo fuel warning anyway.

 

[Gs-ell]

Until reading this thread i thought it was just my bike!!

Went to work on the bike yesterday with 140odd miles on display got to work 8 miles away with about 120 displayed, but with driving through Leeds centre i thought it'd be calculating a lot of stop starts!
Got back on the bike to see i had 217mile to go, got about 3 miles down the road to find the warning light on!!

went and put £20 in and gauge tells me ive 80 miles to next fill.
took the missus to york on it last night still got 80 miles after york and back and now this morning i've 247 miles in it!

bloody thing, brilliant bike though!

 

[Pukmeister]

Level sensor problem

Has anyone considered the fact that the GSA tank has more than one compartment, and the levels might be at odds? There is obviously a big problem with this system, and a good solution would be welcomed by many.

I believe the fuel pump uses a syphon action via a balance tube to use fuel from both wings of the adventure tank at the same time. Not been bothered enough to take a closer look or read the REPROM info.

I would think that any water droplets from condensation or a leaky fuel filler cap seal/blocked drain tube could wreak havoc with a fuel level sensing strip which presumably is based on the conductivity of the fluid in contact with it.

Could this be the problem, and if so, could it be cured with a shot of Wynns Dryfuel, Redex, or Silkolene ProFST ??

 

[Deleted account 190920001]

I believe the fuel pump uses a syphon action via a balance tube to use fuel from both wings of the adventure tank at the same time. Not been bothered enough to take a closer look or read the REPROM info.

I would think that any water droplets from condensation or a leaky fuel filler cap seal/blocked drain tube could wreak havoc with a fuel level sensing strip which presumably is based on the conductivity of the fluid in contact with it.

Could this be the problem, and if so, could it be cured with a shot of Wynns Dryfuel, Redex, or Silkolene ProFST ??

Any water in the fuel will sit at the very bottom so shouldn't cause any problems. A tip to get rid of water in the tank is to put some acetone in the fuel. It makes any water mix with petrol and it then simply gets burnt.
That aside I thought the strip worked via weight/pressure but could be completely wrong.

 

[Pukmeister]

That aside I thought the strip worked via weight/pressure but could be completely wrong.

If it worked on weight/pressure, surely it would give some weird readings as the fuel sloshed about inside the tank as you rode ??

 

[Deleted account 190920001]

it would do the same if it was capacitive or indeed a float. Since it all goes through the ECU it will be damped in the software or via a circuit. If its software it will take an average of the readings every X seconds/minutes.

 

[Popell]

I have a 2005 GS and after fill it'll stay on full reading till about 100 miles then drop to half and progress down consistently as the miles tick by. Fuel light and count down comes on and I fill it up!
Wish I had the computer on it but haven't. Even so I can understand varying ranges and see the same on my car. I understand that the predicted range is based on calculated fuel remaining divided by a weighted average of recent driving consumption.
As such on a cold start you may be doing really poor instantaneous mpg which brings the weighted average down and hence range reading, as you warm up and get up to speed and mpg improves, so does the range - nothing unusual with that.
It does sound as though there are a number of instances where there is a real problem and that one seems to be the responsibility of BMW