Fuel strip to float conversion complete guide.

It only works if you have a ZFE low or basic as its called. If you have ZFE high then i'm pretty sure it wont work

its the other way round...

it looks like all bikes with both socket's J1 and J2 on the ZFE high can be coded to either (if you have ESA you can have a float)

all those with the ZFE basic with a trip computer at present don't play ball... but it's possible there's an extra step they need to discover... when you turn OFF the strip on theses bikes it doesn't turn off the strip heater circuit and with it not reporting the correct info on all four wires, the bike throws its teddies

the intriguing bit is early bikes pre adventure all had a float sensor (although slightly different design) so they must have been coded for a float of some description... and when they moved to trip computer they stupidly went with the unreliable strip....
 
hunting where they hid things

what's a drop sensor - Float switch ?

2711 Drop sensor MRBMSKP2
2718 Crankshaft sensor MRBMSKP2
2722 Oxygen sensor 2 MRBMSKP2
2723 Oxygen sensor heating 2 MRBMSKP2
2736 Fuel pressure sensor MRBMSKP2
2740 Oil level switch MRBMSKP2
2741 Oil level not OK (too high or too low) MRBMSKP2
2751 Cylinder-head temperature sensor 1 MRBMSKP2
2752 Cylinder-head temperature sensor 2 MRBMSKP2
2760 Secondary air injection system MRBMSKP2
2765 Secondary air valve MRBMSKP2
2772 Tank vent valve MRBMSKP2
2774 DME: Internal control unit fault MRBMSKP2
2778 Clutch switch MRBMSKP2
2779 DME: Internal control unit fault MRBMSKP2
2783 Gear selector sensor MRBMSKP2
2784 Shift-lever sensor MRBMSKP2
2785 DME: ABS/ASC button MRBMSKP2
2786 DME: ABS front wheel speed implausible MRBMSKP2
2787 DME: ABS rear wheel speed implausible MRBMSKP2
2788 Wheel speed sensor, speed reading MRBMSKP2
2847 Throttle valve sensor MRBMSKP2
2848 Throttle adaptation MRBMSKP2
2849 Exhaust flap servomotor MRBMSKP2
 
Firstly, many thanks for the write up.

Just wanted to share my experience, and pass on a tip.
I have just done this on a 2010 GSA, with ESA.

Everywhere that I had read about how to do this suggests that once the recode has been written the error goes away and all is good in the world.
Mine did not clear immediately, leading me to waste hours (probably 2) checking and rechecking the pin re-location, and taking the sender back pout to double check that.

I decided to just take it for a ride.
Within 70ft the error had cleared and fuel gauge started giving a reading.

So, if you are in the same boat and the error just will not clear, don't waste time re-checking just ride it down the road a few feet :)


Note: I think someone above did hint that theirs did not clear immediately, and that even manually moving the float did not "trick" the ECU.
 
Firstly, many thanks for the write up.

Just wanted to share my experience, and pass on a tip.
I have just done this on a 2010 GSA, with ESA.

Everywhere that I had read about how to do this suggests that once the recode has been written the error goes away and all is good in the world.
Mine did not clear immediately, leading me to waste hours (probably 2) checking and rechecking the pin re-location, and taking the sender back pout to double check that.

I decided to just take it for a ride.
Within 70ft the error had cleared and fuel gauge started giving a reading.

So, if you are in the same boat and the error just will not clear, don't waste time re-checking just ride it down the road a few feet :)


Note: I think someone above did hint that theirs did not clear immediately, and that even manually moving the float did not "trick" the ECU.

playing ONLY in the workshop, unless a functioning fuel strip is on the bike you can't seem to clear the fault code (for the previously broken one), been playing a fair bit- neither Hex GS911 wifi or motoscan ultimate will clear the fault code of a failed strip... (lots of forums will highlight that silliness - note it doesn't need to be in the tank or even in fuel, just working - so the piezo ignitor fix is perfect to clear the old code when moving to the float), I guess what your saying is it gets over itself after a while anyway ?

was that one long trip, or x key on off cycles? on some vehicles, for some error codes, they can go away if the fault isn't detected during key three on off cycles
 
playing ONLY in the workshop, unless a functioning fuel strip is on the bike you can't seem to clear the fault code (for the previously broken one), been playing a fair bit- neither Hex GS911 wifi or motoscan ultimate will clear the fault code of a failed strip... (lots of forums will highlight that silliness - note it doesn't need to be in the tank or even in fuel, just working - so the piezo ignitor fix is perfect to clear the old code when moving to the float), I guess what your saying is it gets over itself after a while anyway ?

was that one long trip, or x key on off cycles? on some vehicles, for some error codes, they can go away if the fault isn't detected during key three on off cycles

Mine had an existing fault. If the bike was still in extended warranty, it would have been the 12th replacement/recallibration.
I literally thought "sod I will try going for a ride, then". The plan was to fill the tank, as I had a 100 mile commute on Monday.
Hopefully everything would sort itself out, as on the face of it everything should be working.

I already had about 1/3 of a tank (112 miles).
By the time I came of the drive (about 50 foot) the flashing FUEL and orange triangle had cleared. In another 50ft it was reading just under 2/3 full.
 
Hi guys,

thanks so much for the solution posted here.

My adventure with blinking triangle started with broken strip and so I bought and installed Float Control 1 (I have 2008 GSA), the Dutch product. It has helped me to get rid of bloody yellow trangle but it (at that time I was preety sure that was the root cause) caused the range on the display went crazy. No matter how many miles I did and how empty the tank was it was showing 500-700 kms of range. Then I found this forum, did the pin change, uninstall float control unit etc and the triangle isn't showing up any longer but... the range remained crazy.

I am just wondering if it is not the float (I bought used one on ebay) that is causing the problem... Even when I am pushing it to the very bottom of the tank it shows there is still fuel and behaves like it would be still floating. After 300km from full tank there is a drop of 1 bar, apparently the signal the computer is getting is wrong, like there is still plenty of fuel in the tank. The first post said there is no calibration needed, just plug and play.

Any ideas before I'll go to the BMW dealer to spend money for brand new float? Motoscan says I have basic ZFE. Is there any way to caliber the gauge?

Thanks

Simon
 
My adventure with blinking triangle started with broken strip and so I bought and installed Float Control 1 (I have 2008 GSA), the Dutch product. It has helped me to get rid of bloody yellow trangle but it (at that time I was preety sure that was the root cause) caused the range on the display went crazy. No matter how many miles I did and how empty the tank was it was showing 500-700 kms of range. Then I found this forum, did the pin change, uninstall float control unit etc and the triangle isn't showing up any longer but... the range remained crazy.

I am just wondering if it is not the float (I bought used one on ebay) that is causing the problem... Even when I am pushing it to the very bottom of the tank it shows there is still fuel and behaves like it would be still floating. After 300km from full tank there is a drop of 1 bar, apparently the signal the computer is getting is wrong, like there is still plenty of fuel in the tank. The first post said there is no calibration needed, just plug and play.


Simon
if you have a ZFE basic then you can't just fix it with a float and re pin

you bought the wrong product from the dutch guy (and you need to move the pins back where they were)

For a GS (WITH ZFE BASIC) you must therefore order the Float Control 2 (FC2) separately and order the BMW float with number 1614854064.

Please indicate whether you need the FC2 for the RT or GS. This has to do with the different software version compared to that of the RT.

For the GS, the FC2 can be purchased separately for €127.50-

https://www-proebeemer-nl.translate..._x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB&_x_tr_pto=nui,elem
 
This is the reply I was afraid to get the most. All the money, hope and effort is a waste.

I sent a message to the FC1 seller, let’s see what the response I’m going to get.

Thank you anyway, at least I know what to do. So there is no other way to mix the pins to make it work?
 
either the
FC1 for ZFE High (fully monty toy spec)
or
FC2 for ZFE Basic (single socket - No ESA option bikes)
are to save modifying the bike's wiring and coding the ZFE to float. A nice solution that can be done on either bike to rid it of the crappy strip.

you could sell on the FC1 to someone who wants a stock bike and not have a dealer yap one day that its not standard !!! (which would be the case if a bike gets an I-level software update). Nothing would happen but a grown up would need to code back to float, as a dealership would just be confused and crying.

For anyone that gets what they are reading - note the maker of the plug and play gadget is saying it need the GS version of the FC2 which does maths differently to the RT
 
as a matter of record:

because I added a second fuel sensor socket and wired this to the Float pins - thus leaving the bike able to be wired up as std for a fuel strip bike - and then having all four fuel strips wires connected by the resistor trick (which continuously fakes a full tank of fuel, removes and fault condition and turns off the triangle) and with the Float sensor in place and connected to the float inputs of the ZFE.

Coding to the float still throws the fuel strip fault, empties the display and flashed the errors.

I had previously tried to connect a working strip and code to the float (which gave the same fault conditions as above). But not sure I'd been brave enough to try with both connected to the ZFE before. But just tried in case some magic happens. It doesn't.

As eluded too previously either there is some further coding that isn't yet understood and or the Basic ZFE can't do the float at is doesn't know how. But if that's the case why would BMW have wasted money putting the pins on the ECU module its cheaper to leave then blank. And how did the early bikes operate where in 2003 they had a float and no trip computer see Parts ITEM 1 below

diag_a80m.jpg


maybe... that's what the difference is between a Basic low (float capability) and the Basic high (strip only ??) is all about
 
Top Top - I found with a 2009 GSA, that routing the aux pump crossover hose either above or below fouled the full range of the float sensor - it was impossible to get it completely out of the way! The solution was to use a piece of bent wire as a tool, to hook the hose up and over the old mounting bracket for the strip sensor in the filler neck, now it is completely out of the way. A cheap bendy usb LED lamp on a lithium battery pack was very useful in shedding light on this problem, though less easy to tip the tank up to check the float movement at the same time! I'm very happy that i didnt throw the old strip bracket away. J
 
- I also bent the rod section of the strip bracket, with pliers, to move and hold the crossover hose a little further back, i.e. out of the way of the tip valve weight on the filler neck assembly.

An alternative to passing the crossover hose over the strip bracket, would be just to cut short the crossover hose - so that it lies on the bottom of the tank and still fills the LHS ventrical of the tank, but without passing or obstructing the float. This way the suction pump won't have to work so hard.
 
After the modification (at my 2010 RT) and the semi-optimal and frustrating result I´m looking for clues.
Problem is, the fuel display stays for a long mileage at full and gets only slightly under half where it stops.

I took off the pump-floater-combi and checked the resistance of the floater.
It wents from 6 to 90 Ohm.
Then I bypassed the two middle contacts at the floater plug by a resistor and got no change.
(It took me about an hour til I detected the fact I had to get the side stand in or recode the ZFE. :blast)
Then I got a change at the display.
This means, the floater has to be adjusted and probably is stopped from the waterhose leading from tank filler cap to the mounting cap.
I found in the neighbor tavern, that it should be extended to prevent this.
So I now will look for a longer hose and report then...

Greetings Frankie
 
I recognized that the display never shows empty, even though the floater arm is in deepest position.
But we well see...
 
The float units that I have measured have been 0 to 100 ohms, Have used cheap after market 0 to 100 ohm float assembly's but probably more trouble than it is worth after making mountings and modifying the float lever.
The later float assembly that mounts to the filler neck is the better option than the earlier float that mounted to the fuel pump assembly.
 
Yeah, no longer hose was needed, just a little bit adjustment.
Now the bar shows at an empty tank ca. 1/5 level.
Warning sign lights too.
I´ll have to drive and fill up and watch.

Greetings Frankie
 
F***!

I just asserted I bought the floater as a used original BMW R1200RT spare part.
(07/2020)

Greetings Frankie
 
Help please
I did this conversion some weeks ago, and nothing happened. Ive given it a bit of time to settle in as suggested (1320miles) still no change, so ive taken it all to bits again to check my work, all is correct, but i still have the fuel warning light on and empty reading on gauge.
I have just been reading about the fc1 & 2, are these different float units? Maybe ive got the wrong one? How would i know which ive got? Any any other hints?
 
Help please
I did this conversion some weeks ago, and nothing happened. Ive given it a bit of time to settle in as suggested (1320miles) still no change, so ive taken it all to bits again to check my work, all is correct, but i still have the fuel warning light on and empty reading on gauge.
I have just been reading about the fc1 & 2, are these different float units? Maybe ive got the wrong one? How would i know which ive got? Any any other hints?

if you read the last few pages from post #103 on page 7, rather than pages 1 to 6, you'll see there are limitations as to what bike's can successfully swap from silly heated unreliable strip at £230 to a reliable float at £120 (with currently software tools and or understanding)

if your bike has ESA suspension it will have been fitted with a far high capability ZFE HIGH (chassis electronics module), these can work with either a float or a strip
if your bike doesn't have ESA it is highly likely it has a ZFE basic. For bikes that have a ZFE basic and the trip computer on the instrument cluster the change and re pin to ECU does NOTHING

however not that anyone seems to have clicked the links, a bod in NL worked all this out years ago and makes a conversion gadget.
So you can have a ZFE Basic and trip computer bike without ESA, working with NO wiring changes, by replacing the strip for a float and one of his FC2 gadgets for a 1200GS (for the same cost as one strip)

Further reading where you think it should work .. if you have the right hardware and did the job correctly there is lots of anecdotal evidence (that appears to the same on my bike), if you don't fit a working strip and clear the strip fault code before commencing the conversion the bike doesn't get over itself - and that original fault (that started you on the conversion) won't clear.... and for this reason alone we should not re pin but buy the pin bush housing and fit two NEW wires leaving the fuel strip wiring stock !!!
 


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