Fuel gauge on my 09 GS has decided not to work

spen

spen

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After leaving the bike sitting over the winter when I decided to go out for a spin ,the fuel gauge flashed up the range warning of 50 miles then counted down within 3 miles to zero I had no bars on the gauge and that f..kin flashing triangle would do your head in !!! I have the fuel pump out to see if anything is stuck in there but can't really see much ,any thoughts on how to fix this apart from paying £200 to a dealer .


Cheers Spen
 
I did a search but i'm not sure what the signs of a faulty strip are ?? can something else cause the gauge to f..k up ,can the float in the tank stick ? bad connection or something else ? I just need someone with experience to let me know before I head to a dealer.

thanks
 
Gauge

In the old days, before gauges, haha. We knew how much fuel we could put in and how far the bike would go before top up. Is the gauge really important or is it the annoying light?
 
Does zapping it just fool it into thinking you have a full tank or does it repair the strip
 
Traffic893 said:
In the old days, before gauges, haha. We knew how much fuel we could put in and how far the bike would go before top up. Is the gauge really important or is it the annoying light?
Click to expand...

In the old days we had a nice, simple reserve petrol tap. These days we have all sorts of gismos that don't work.

My bike does anywhere between 37 and 47 mpg. You tell me when it's about to run out of fuel.

spen said:
Does zapping it just fool it into thinking you have a full tank or does it repair the strip
Click to expand...

Zapping it repairs the broken connection in the resistance sending circuit. It might last months or fail again quickly.

I've fitted a separate fuel gauge with sliding float. Yesterday after some thrashing it was showing 29 = very low (19 the next step = dry). I put 33.9 litres in and had done 270 miles. To be fair I usually get closer to 45 mpg but without the gauge I'd have been walking.
 
In the first instance try brimming the tank and zapping it can be a low cost option.
I have known in some instances for zapped strips to last longer than replacements. ( plenty of info on the net on this)
As a permanent fix this has come to light, http://hposkam.nl/en/product/bmw-vlotter-converter/ Thanks to a vigilant member.
Might well be worth investigating and be the answer.
If I still had a strip instead of a float this would be my next step.
 
£217 fitted !!!!!!!!!!!! £133 to buy from a dealer and fit yourself
 
Alright fitting it yourself but doesn't it need setting up on the computer, or is this just myth/smoke and mirrors
 
Yeah i'm gonna bite the built and leave it in the F..king flashing triangle would do my nut in :rob
 
The fuel strip on my 09 GSA failed a coulee of years back. I paid BMW to fit a new one, about £180 and came with a 2yr guarantee. It failed again just before the 2yrs was up, but by the time I visited my dealer they said the guarantee had expired a few days earlier! I just live with it now, set the trip when I brim the tank, and refill when I get to about 280 miles. Though I have ran out of fuel twice using this technique! Thankfully my gauge always reads full so no flashing light.
 
After filling the tank my fuel gauge reads full, then empty then full then empty, it goes on with this cycle every 10 or 15 minutes until I have done about 70 miles, it then reads full until I run out of fuel.
I have learnt to fill up at 250 miles.
 
spen said:
£217 fitted !!!!!!!!!!!! £133 to buy from a dealer and fit yourself
Click to expand...

I don't think you will get the warranty if you fit it yourself, false economy,
I paid for 1 to be fitted in Sep 2015,
It failed again in July 2016, replaced under warranty.
It failed again in Sep 2016, replaced under warranty.
I now have 5 months of warranty left, 3 so far for the price of one, whatever happens it will still cost me over 100 quid a year to have a working fuel gauge, unless by some miracle I get one that lasts a few years?
 
I leave my fuel cap open now, and have inserted a fishing float. When I can't see the top of the float I know it's time to fill up. Evaporation is a killer on my mpg though.
 
This is probably a load of rubbish, but I feel that if the tank is left less than full the upper part of the fuel strip will dry out.
( when re-calibrating a strip they advise to leave it a few days to fully dry out).
When the ignition is switched on the heater element overheats the dry section of the restive film ?.
I have no facts to back this up at all.
I always brimmed the tank on my previous bike after a run, 60K miles on original fuel strip.?
 
I have had three replacements, one lasted around 2000 miles the other 1350 miles, BMW will replace them FOC if within 2 years, I had my last one fitted by an independent, he never charged me fitting either and BMW sent the part direct to him, they do also require setting up on the computer thingy.

BMW parts man did say failures tend to be on bikes that are not used, if ridden regularly they are not prone to failure.
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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