R1200RT fuel strip repair

[corrcullen]

Hi all, am new to this forum, so looking forward to learning loads from it.

Just picked up a 2007 R1200RT, and the fuel strip is not working.

I tried repairing the fuel strip with the Piezo lighter trick that I read about, but am not sure if I am doing it right.

Attached is a photo of the Piezo lighter that I removed from a gas fire in the house.
It has one wire, which fits perfectly onto the terminals of the fuel strip.

I noticed in the tutorials that guys are using two wires simultaneously, so not sure if the second wire is needed or it's just because the Piezo lighter they are using already has two wires.

I tried blasting each of the four terminals 20-30 times each, but didn't work.

Do I need to split the wire and try it that way?

 

[Myke Rocks]

Electrical circuits require just this-----

That is, a circuit.
A wire coming out of one end is not a circuit.
Look on the side of the button unit. You will see an earth tag.
This is the other half of the circuit. The spark jumps between the two.
This completes the circuit.

Be sure the tank is full of fuel when you are doing the "repair".

Hope this helps.
Myke

 

[dr nosh]

I'm really lost on this one

Is the fuel level strip a conductive strip that uses the fuel level to 'bridge' a gap in the metallization or carbon of the strip.

What is the conductive material - carbon, copper, other?

How is a gas fire piezo lighter going to repair any of these materials?

Or have I totally misunderstood

 

[Beemerman59]

I'm no expert but I have replaced two of these on my GSA. They have a conductive element fitted in them which is heated up when the bike is switched on. I assume it can then tell where the fuel level is by means of a temperature drop caused by the fuel. The "repair" has been well documented although there seems a variable success rate. The small electric shock as it were is supposed to fuse the tiny gaps that can occur in the strip.

 

[corrcullen]

Thanks for the help everyone.
Managed to do the procedure correctly but still didn't work, so I am going to replace the fuel strip.
I already own a GS-911 so I will be able to calibrate it as well.
Is it necessary to drain the fuel tank prior to changing the strip?
At what stage or how do I actually calibrate the strip with the GS-911?

 

[seahorse]

I zapped mine and it was fine for about 3-4 months. Failed again, zapped again, good for another few weeks. Failed again, no reviving it this time. Just lived with it after that but then when I decided to sell the bike last year, I decided to fit a new one as I didn't want to sell the bike with any faults. Bought a new one from Motorworks, fitted it , calibrated it with my GS911, job sorted. It had probably done 30 miles when I sold the bike. Buyer rode it back to Scotland, and it failed on the way! Not unheard of I am told. The problem is that although you can buy and DIY, unless it is fitted and calibrated by a BMW dealer BMW will not replace it. Doing the job is easy enough with a GS911, as long as the software is recent enough. If you are keeping the bike it may be worth getting a quote from a dealer so if it dies within two years you are covered under the warranty on the part. This is not the case if you do it yourself. The part IIRC is about £110 . I have heard that supply and fit by BMW is around double that, so may be the better option. Or just live with it and use the trip meter, which is what you should be doing anyway, right

 

[corrcullen]

Thanks all.
Is it necessary to drain the fuel tank prior to changing the strip?
At what stage or how do I actually calibrate the strip with the GS-911?

 

[steadysteve]

Mine failed and cost £210 at the dealers. It failed very shortly after and was replaced under warranty.

The original guage used to show empty on the display and start flashing for low fuel with 50miles range remaining. The new one however is empty when the guage says its empty, I.e no reserve...!

To set it up properly I think you need to drain it and then add a measured quantity,maybe 4 litres, and then set it up with the gs911 to show empty when the 4litres is in there.

Mine was half full when it was repaired so I assume the dealer didnt the want the hassle.of removing and draining the tank to then set it up the same way it leaves factory.

 

[corrcullen]

Thanks all.
Can anyone confirm if it necessary to drain the fuel tank prior to changing the strip, as my fuel tank is almost full now?
I might not bother with calibration if they come from the factory calibrated.

 

[Beemerman59]

The procedure requires the fuel strip to be dry when its calibrated with the GS911 so it either needs to be out of the tank or the tank drained fully. You would still need to ensure the strip is fully dry though if you did it inside the tank and that would be difficult to do. I did mine connected outside of the tank. If you don't calibrate it then you're gambling on it being accurate or not so what's the point?

 

[corrcullen]

The procedure requires the fuel strip to be dry when its calibrated with the GS911 so it either needs to be out of the tank or the tank drained fully. You would still need to ensure the strip is fully dry though if you did it inside the tank and that would be difficult to do. I did mine connected outside of the tank. If you don't calibrate it then you're gambling on it being accurate or not so what's the point?

Thanks Beermerman.
So what is the procedure after the tank is drained?
I have the GS-911, just don't know what the procedure is after I drain the tank.

 

[GSTourer]

Mine (2010) goes in for its 24000 service next Thursday and will have the fuel strip replaced (under extended warranty) after it was replaced last year at the same time.

I hope this one lasts longer than 12 months, but I'm not holding my breath!

 

[Beemerman59]

Thanks Beermerman.
So what is the procedure after the tank is drained?
I have the GS-911, just don't know what the procedure is after I drain the tank.

Bear in mind I have an R1200GSA not an RT so you'll have to work out specifics. You need to remove the old fuel strip from the tank. To do this on a GSA you disconnect the fuel lines and connections to the fuel pump as the pump has to be removed to gain access to the fuel strip connector inside the tank. Disconnect fuel strip and remove from the tank. You can try and recalibrate the old strip or take a look at what's happening with it using the GS911 but it needs to be dry. If you're doing that then take the strip and put it somewhere warm and dry for half an hour. Then reconnect to the fuel pump outside the tank and reconnect the fuel pump connections (not fuel). Then use the GS911 to recalibrate - make sure you have latest software downloaded.

If your fitting a new strip then just connect that to the fuel pump outside the tank, connect the pump connections (not fuel) and then calibrate using the GS911. Its all fairly intuitive really. Refit in the opposite sequence.

As a word of caution, the strips are not exactly robust so when removing/refitting, you'll need to be careful not to bend them, drop them or otherwise fiddle with them too much.

 

[corrcullen]

Bear in mind I have an R1200GSA not an RT so you'll have to work out specifics. You need to remove the old fuel strip from the tank. To do this on a GSA you disconnect the fuel lines and connections to the fuel pump as the pump has to be removed to gain access to the fuel strip connector inside the tank. Disconnect fuel strip and remove from the tank. You can try and recalibrate the old strip or take a look at what's happening with it using the GS911 but it needs to be dry. If you're doing that then take the strip and put it somewhere warm and dry for half an hour. Then reconnect to the fuel pump outside the tank and reconnect the fuel pump connections (not fuel). Then use the GS911 to recalibrate - make sure you have latest software downloaded.

If your fitting a new strip then just connect that to the fuel pump outside the tank, connect the pump connections (not fuel) and then calibrate using the GS911. Its all fairly intuitive really. Refit in the opposite sequence.

As a word of caution, the strips are not exactly robust so when removing/refitting, you'll need to be careful not to bend them, drop them or otherwise fiddle with them too much.

Thanks again Beemerman.
I will be removing the old strip and replacing with a new one.
I guess I can calibrate the new strip outside of the tank so.
Do I need to drain the tank before I start the procedure, in order to remove the old one and install the new one?

 

[Lord Snooty]

I had to have mine replaced also, in the end the GSA had to go in for a recall issue and I had it done then as they had to work in that area anyway. But what a load of unreliable shit this fuel strip is, WTF is wrong with an old fashioned electro/mechanical sender such as fitted in the 1150 oilheads? The more complex these things become the more prone they are to fail and fcuking BMW use their customers as test mules. These things should be tested to destruction before making their way into production and if they fail during testing they should be abandoned.

 

[Beemerman59]

I don't know the location of the pump on the RT - I only know about a GSA. If the fuel pump fits in the tank then the fuel level needs to be below the pump as (I assume on an RT) that the fuel strip connects to the fuel pump and you have to remove it from the tank. If it's all very different from a GSA then you'll need to work it out but the basic procedure is the same.

 

[corrcullen]

I don't know the location of the pump on the RT - I only know about a GSA. If the fuel pump fits in the tank then the fuel level needs to be below the pump as (I assume on an RT) that the fuel strip connects to the fuel pump and you have to remove it from the tank. If it's all very different from a GSA then you'll need to work it out but the basic procedure is the same.

It's the same as the GSA am pretty sure.
So once the level is below the pump, it's ok to remove the pump and replace the strip?
Does calibration need to be done in stages, the first time when it's dry before it's fitted, that would be an empty reading, but do you have to add known quantities of fuel into the tank for calibration, or is it just a once off with the fuel strip dry?

 

[Beemerman59]

It's the same as the GSA am pretty sure.
So once the level is below the pump, it's ok to remove the pump and replace the strip?
Does calibration need to be done in stages, the first time when it's dry before it's fitted, that would be an empty reading, but do you have to add known quantities of fuel into the tank for calibration, or is it just a once off with the fuel strip dry?

Yes, once the fuel level is below the fuel pump you're ok. Calibration is done just the once, with a dry fuel strip - the GS911 will show an error if there's been a problem but there shouldn't be with a new strip. Once calibrated you can disconnect the strip if you need to so the fuel pump goes back in and then you connect it all back up again. The feul guage will show empty for quite a while, infact the last time I had to run the engine to get a reading.

One word of warning, if its similar to the GSA, the fuel pump has a rubber seal that will come out with the pump. It can be fiddly to get that seal sitting right otherwise you can end up with fuel gushing out when you refill the bike - I learnt the hard way!

 

[seahorse]

Regarding software for the GS911, fuel strip calibration was added in version 1411.2 so if you have an earlier version you will need to update via the Hexcode site.

 

[corrcullen]

I replaced the strip today, job was successful.
Thanks for all the help and advice guys.