Fuel gauge on my 09 GS has decided not to work

commandoallan said:
Alex,

I understand from your post that you have a slightly earlier model than mine and also a GS? If you do find you have a spare kit suitable for a 2008 GSA I would be willing to take it off your hands if it is available.

Keep posting your experiences especially when it comes to the fitment as I would assume there will be quite a few interested parties
Click to expand...

Yes I have a 2007 GS, I have not looked into any details for GSA, but given there were few (if any?) changes to the fuel tank on the GSA prior to the LC, the choice of float type may be a non-issue for GSA owners (and visually it appears the same as an early GS float).

My intention is to take photos and write this up on here...unless someone else gets it done first.
I'll try and remember to measure resistance, range of movement, angle of mounting etc before fitting anything.
 
The sender I fitted has a resistance range of 0 to 180ohm. The fuel strip is around 2Kohm. The strip resistance decreases as fuel level drops conveniently my sender works the same way (less = less).
It would be good to know the actual resistance values from a strip when full and when empty.


Sent somehow.
 
A piezo zapper is obviously capable of lighting a combustible mixture. However a full tank of fuel is not combustible it should be well known that Hollywood cops blowing up cars with 44 Magnum bullets is rubbish.
Fuel lying on the floor will of course burn but that's still not likely to explode a fuel tank.

When the tank is full there is no air to create a mixture. No explosion risk.
A nearly empty tank contains air but the vapour ratio is too strong to allow combustion. A tank that has been purged with air is potentially very dangerous as just the right explosive conditions exist. This can happen when a GS tank is run dry with filler and pump access covers removed.

The fuel strip is three layers of Mylar bonded around two printed copper tracks. The tracks are totally insulated from the environment. A repair spark in a copper track does not have the energy to escape the track.
Even if a super spark could blow a hole through, the fuel and air in the tank do not form a combustible mixture.
 
Thanks Bendy,

I feel a lot better.

I have received my quote from Henk and it is just shy of the 100 EUR mark for supply, delivery and payment via Paypal for the conversion kit. I am required to purchase a float separately as this is not included in the kit and he did state that the new system does not require any calibrating.

Is anyone aware if the float off an 09 model clips straight onto the fuel pump assembly of a GSA 08 with no extra mods required? The rest according to Henk is just plug and play with full instructions included with the kit.
 
AlexG said:
I ordered one at the start of the week, just waiting for it to turn up.
Click to expand...

I ordered one too. Awaiting delivery.
My strip failed 2 years ago, I kept using the bike normally of course (I ran out fo petrol only in london, never while traveling) but I agree with what Bendy Toy says in his post #6.


Yes I have a 2007 GS, I have not looked into any details for GSA, but given there were few (if any?) changes to the fuel tank on the GSA prior to the LC, the choice of float type may be a non-issue for GSA owners (and visually it appears the same as an early GS float).

My intention is to take photos and write this up on here...unless someone else gets it done first.
Click to expand...

Mine is a 2007 GSA too (produced 7th May 2007 according to the VIN #).
I got the vlotter as an "impulse buy" a few days ago, haven't looked into which float to get yet :blast
 
The float sensor used on twin cam bikes does not begin to move until the tank is 1/2 empty. I imagine the bike electronics are doing some sort of mpg interpolation until the gauge shows a value less that full.

I used one of these. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/POLE-TANK...927938?hash=item4b0300bfc2:g:k98AAOSwRQlXc5Ye

The output is 0 to 180 ohm. I had to make brackets for top and bottom but it works well. Being totally immersed has caused no problems.

PS I was really glad of it in London (A4 into town). The place seems to have very few petrol stations.
 
Bendy toy said:
The float sensor used on twin cam bikes does not begin to move until the tank is 1/2 empty. I imagine the bike electronics are doing some sort of mpg interpolation until the gauge shows a value less that full.

I used one of these. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/POLE-TANK...927938?hash=item4b0300bfc2:g:k98AAOSwRQlXc5Ye

The output is 0 to 180 ohm. I had to make brackets for top and bottom but it works well. Being totally immersed has caused no problems.

PS I was really glad of it in London (A4 into town). The place seems to have very few petrol stations.
Click to expand...

Bendy,

Just looked at your float on Ebay, could you please advise the following for comparison?

Actual length of item you ordered.
How you mounted withing the fuel tank.
How you made the electrical connections.
How deep within the tank it is sited (from the top).
If any type of electronic converter is used to connect to the bike.
Exactly how accurate this device is with regard to the read out on the gauge. i.e how may miles left?

Cheers, Al.
 
Mine is 400mm long. I had to curve it slightly to be sure the float didn't catch on the tank side.
The top has an aluminium bracket bolted through the tank between the filler cap screws with a countersunk M6.
The bottom end has a bracket to stop it lifting as the level gets near empty. Again it's bolted through the tank I used washers and loctite 518 gasket replacer. Silicone is not petrol proof.
Electrical connectors are two M4 studs through the fuel pump base with the same Loctite.
I could have used the original fuel strip wires and connectors but wanted to keep them in case I can rig up a signal converter to the OEM system.
It would be great to find connector plugs to fit.
It will read 0 with bone dry tank but the bike usually stops with the gauge showing 19.
The readings go in steps. It doesn't have a smooth 0 to 100 readout.
At around 60 to 40 the level falls more slowly. This is due to tank right hand side being pumped across. When that runs dry the remaining level falls quickly (shape of tank).
My plan is to use a resistor bridge or an arduino to drive the OEM system but not had time to fiddle with it.
It would be good to fit a thermistor (as Honda do) as a low level warning. They remain cool when covered by fuel. When uncovered they warm up and switch on a warning light.
 
Sounds very complicated though not beyond my skills. Not sure about drilling hols in the bottom of the tank though, unless I have miss-read???

I must admit that a float off an 09 or later connected straight to the fuel pump assembly and a convertor from Henk seems a much simpler option...
I can source a float for 60 GBP and the converter for just over 90 GBP.
I think I will go for that option if i'm honest...Should give a slightly more reliable readout also???? Tried the zapper so I am now back up and running albeit temporary maybe..
Now all I have to do is fix the tyre sensors.
 
Drilling the tank is fine if you undersize the hole and use integral gasket washers. The old metal tank fuel taps were screwed into place with a simple gasket.
The BMW OEM fuel tank access covers are really quite awkward to fit. It's all too easy to flip the gasket. You only find out when you fill the tank and then you have up to 5 gallons of petrol above the leak.
Try finding enough cans to syphon that into.
 
Hello from a new GSER. I got my 2008 R1200 Adventure last year. It was newly serviced including a new fuel sensor. Not long after, the fuel gauge stopped working, no problem, still under warranty. Fixed again although I was skeptical it actually was fixed...

Parked the bike up for most of the winter and after pulling the cover off and starting it the fuel gauge is once again showing empty. In it goes to BMW for them to have another go and now they are telling me they are getting an open circuit (somewhere above someone suggested these things are open circuit whatever that means). Long story short, they are telling me the problem is the ZFE (£360 plus VAT plus fitting = £700). Could my lack of fuel gauge be linked to the ZFE? The bikes running fine other than the flashing fuel warning and no fuel gauge. Gutted of Aboyne...
 
The open circuit that is referred to above is talking about a break in the circuit in the sensor (a bit like if you run over the flex with your lawnmower and cut the wire).

The ZFE is the computer trickery bit that takes the signal from the fuel sensor and sends it to the gauge.

It is possible that the ZFE is FUBAR, but I don't recall seeing many cases of them going wrong on here, and I would not have thought that such a complicated component would have a fault that manifests as a simple open circuit (not that I know anything at all about the test procedure for the ZFE, so this is conjecture on my behalf based on attempts to fault diagnose similar things!).

At that potential cost is there somewhere you can go for a second opinion?
 
I'm asking the main dealer who diagnosed the problem as being the ZFE to provide some more info. Anyone got any recomendations for good independents in North East Scotland? My fear is I pay this money and still have SUSFU!

Dave
 
RedEvo said:
Hello from a new GSER. I got my 2008 R1200 Adventure last year. It was newly serviced including a new fuel sensor. Not long after, the fuel gauge stopped working, no problem, still under warranty. Fixed again although I was skeptical it actually was fixed...

Parked the bike up for most of the winter and after pulling the cover off and starting it the fuel gauge is once again showing empty. In it goes to BMW for them to have another go and now they are telling me they are getting an open circuit (somewhere above someone suggested these things are open circuit whatever that means). Long story short, they are telling me the problem is the ZFE (£360 plus VAT plus fitting = £700). Could my lack of fuel gauge be linked to the ZFE? The bikes running fine other than the flashing fuel warning and no fuel gauge. Gutted of Aboyne...
Click to expand...

Try the fuel level spoofing resistors mod. It makes the fuel gauge show full and costs about 2-1/2p. If that works there is nothing wrong at the ZFE.

FuelStripSpoof_v2.jpg
 
£700 to replace a ZFE of which £340 is the labour & vat..

So assuming they take 3 hours to remove your side panels, tank

Remove and replace ZFE, tank &side panels that's a whopping £113 PH:eek:

Ask them for the part, and you'll do it yourself, or get an indy to do it.

its one, or two plugs depending on what level ZFE it is .

Mart
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

A tale of two or three bikes and a starter. (Or my trail to GS happiness)
Replies
6
Views
309
Paul Young
Paul Young
Fuel Gauge
Replies
1
Views
625
CNC-REPAIRS.Co.UK
CNC-REPAIRS.Co.UK
my 1150GS - new to me today (with a couple of photos)
2
Replies
25
Views
2,537
Fireblade
Fireblade
600 (s)Miles from Scotland to London on my new GS
Replies
14
Views
4,756
Rusty
Rusty
Santa-2512
  • Locked
Low fuel - what warnings are given?
Replies
18
Views
2,669
Santa-2512
Santa-2512


Back
Top Bottom