Fuel strip to float conversion complete guide.

mine just died, has ZFE basic and trip computer.

a new strip is 200 the float is 100, I got the float and been reading up what to do and got to the bit if you have a GS and a trip computer with 4 wires and ZFE basic its a pain. Can't really be arsed to take the tank off to re-pin and now I think it says in these pages for my set up whilst the gauge will work the trip computer will not....

Its seems a bit odd as my ave consumption is still live and still working and if you reset it works just as you'd expect. I guess the ave speed is off the ABS sensors, as that's still working too.

Which leave me with, could you not use two wires (I guess in the heater circuit bit) doing however it does stuff as something for the trip computer and then connect the float to the other two pins for the gauge and end up mix and match?

Something seems to be going on, on this dodgy website he's selling a bit of stuff to save the repin job, but he has two different units

a GSA one at 92 euros and a GS one at 127 with the more expensive one seeming to have two other wires to play / connect up, with I guess somehow doing what the other 2 of the 4 need...

https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&u=https://www.proebeemer.nl/producten/

the actual site in funny money https://www.proebeemer.nl/producten/

start of his video (with strange results in part2) shows an home made anti nag fix https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gb2g0Eoyk8
any thoughts ?
 
mine just died, has ZFE basic and trip computer.

a new strip is 200 the float is 100, I got the float and been reading up what to do and got to the bit if you have a GS and a trip computer with 4 wires and ZFE basic its a pain. Can't really be arsed to take the tank off to re-pin and now I think it says in these pages for my set up whilst the gauge will work the trip computer will not....

Its seems a bit odd as my ave consumption is still live and still working and if you reset it works just as you'd expect. I guess the ave speed is off the ABS sensors, as that's still working too.

Which leave me with, could you not use two wires (I guess in the heater circuit bit) doing however it does stuff as something for the trip computer and then connect the float to the other two pins for the gauge and end up mix and match?

Something seems to be going on, on this dodgy website he's selling a bit of stuff to save the repin job, but he has two different units

a GSA one at 92 euros and a GS one at 127 with the more expensive one seeming to have two other wires to play / connect up, with I guess somehow doing what the other 2 of the 4 need...

https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&u=https://www.proebeemer.nl/producten/

the actual site in funny money https://www.proebeemer.nl/producten/

start of his video (with strange results in part2) shows an home made anti nag fix https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gb2g0Eoyk8
any thoughts ?

Regarding the average consumption still working, I would imagine this is calculated by engine speed / road speed / injector pulse width / with a basic input from the fuel strip or float.

The wiring needs to be re- pined at the ZFE ecu as the float uses pins 21 & 37 whereas the resistive film on the fuel strip uses pins 34 & 35. So connecting a float to the fuel strip wires will not work.
 
The wiring needs to be re- pined at the ZFE ecu as the float uses pins 21 & 37 whereas the resistive film on the fuel strip uses pins 34 & 35. So connecting a float to the fuel strip wires will not work.

thanks for the reply

I have a RT loom I'm trying to pull apart (but I've currently run out of enthusiasm to fight it, those multiplugs are mad, as is the overlap and going round in circles of the wires inside that wrap - do they just ask blind people to guess how to wire up the bikes ?) the plan, to get the wires and work out where they need a home to put cruise on the GS. Motoscan can turn on cruise no issue, just like it can turn on ASR (TC) but unless the vehicle order is lined up and some magic wand tells the module to wake up to the new world, it doesn't function.

Both Wlad with Motoscan and the boys in SA at Hex are "thinking about vehicle order updating" but haven't got there yet.... this week I bit the bullet went to see the dealer, who did the VO and module coding and I now have 630 ASC cheap, But they wont add 538 cruise (I really didn't expect them to - thought they'd say that for cruise, but then didn't expect them to accept I fitted the correct left switch gear and just needed coding for ASC. What a phaff, more than a month to get a slot in the workshop, and then they didn't know it takes a 24hr overnight delivery for an email with a keycode so couldn't actually do the job !!!!!!! which then took 5 days for another slot in the workshop so they could plug in for 7 minutes to enable ASC. It then took in total 3 hours for parts dept. to process the paperwork to bill the job).

But they got there own back and blew the fuel strip, just like last time when a recall gave me a new fuel pump for free and they blew the brains out of the ABS module - got to love BMW, our service records show we haven't robbed him during a service for a long time, next time you see the bike ensure you plug in, dial home and enable a random self destruct coding option !!!

Back on the fuel strip, so yes I need to pull the tank for cruise wiring, so could redo the tank sender, but its currently full of fuel, and that horrid flashing crap and having no reserve offends me, I just want it off now. For me an interface that converts the float tank sensor info to the gibberish a fuel strip gives must be and easy fix ? and that's exactly the plug and play thing in the link https://www.proebeemer.nl/producten/…. But not sure it works well... and I wonder what he's doing with the second version he sells, the one for the 4 wire bikes and the wrong ZFE ? And a 5 pence resistor and two BMW 4 quid multiplugs, is not worth 120 quid delivered

According to Wlad, what you see on Motoscan is what's in your ZFE, and I'm pretty sure the second GSA (ZFE High) option isn't there in mine ???

Go to central chassis electronics ZFE
I'VE GOT THIS: Thermo Coupler FLS 08 and change the value to Potentiometer. Press CODE
NEVER SEEN THIS: Find INDUCTIVE FUEL SENSOR change to"deactivate" press code.
 
GS

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GSA

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Okay so the bit that confused the hell out of me was NOTHING holds the white and black multiplug blocks in the main housing, it just time and the weather seal makes it seem they are locked in by something hidden. Once stripped back they push out towards the wires (they don't pull through). I placed a hex screw driver tip and pushed the housing down around it with the blocks aligned with the driver tip. The purple weather seal and the top of the plug do not need to be dismantled - the blanking bit on the new locations can be pushed out from the pin end out.

here's write up someone did (good pictures on the multiplug mods) - that said a neighbour is a controls tech and immediately knew why the 4 wire one has the heater circuit and it adamant a simple resistor mod will do the signal mods so pulling the tank and fighting is just pointless. If my strip worked I'd work it out - as is, as I have the RT loom I stripping for cruise I'm going to have either or connection to the ZFE

FYI BMW looms are a disgrace about 4 tonnes of crap going back and forth in circles and bodged connection everywhere

https://www.k-bikes.com/attachments/changing-petrol-strip-to-float-pdf.28807/
 
this is NOT going well.

using motoscan ultimate 1.72 and unicar scan adaptor

ZFE basic - other forums say UNLESS you have a working strip and clear the fault codes first its unsuccessful and indeed it seemed to be like this....
so flash a piezo ignitor over pins 2 and 3 of the strip 20 times it does indeed fix the strip !!! then clear the code and it stays GONE
then switch to potentiometer from foliengeber, connect pins 2 to plug 21 black block, and 3 to 37 white block and the ORINGAL fuel strip fault comes back A2E9
there is NO choice to do this next step on my ZFE and not other forums I found mention its required - Find INDUCTIVE FUEL SENSOR change to"deactivate"

However as I have either set of wires on the bike I can test and play without a fight...

if I have new float working wired up and coded, I still get A2E9 code in diagnostics, AND I'm not getting a level (regardless of potentiometer angle) and the low tank level and fuel message don't clear
if I have the old strip coded and its NOT broken I can clear the fault but as the strip isn't in the tank I still get low fuel warning. But the fault code stays gone.
if I have the new float coded but nothing connected from either strip or float I get 2 codes. One for each strip A2E9 and float fault A332
if I have both a working strip and the new float working together I get no fault codes in diagnostics, BUT I'm not getting a level (regardless of potentiometer angle) and the low tank level and fuel message don't clear
if I make the resistor gadget as per the video from the dutch guy and plug it in and code back and or leave on foliengeber, (and disconnect float sensor from the set up) once I clear the fault, cycle the bike on and off twice, then I get a full tank, no low lever triangle and no fault flashing message and no errors codes
 
Fuel strip

Hi
I have done a couple of these conversions and all worked. After recoding the ZFE to a read the potentiometer I couldn't see the inductive sensor function. Float still worked as did the computer.
They were adventure models though.
I did have a problem on the GS model as opposed to an Adventure model, where it wouldn't work, so it may be down to the ZFE version. Al the high version have swapped over no problem.
I have also managed to do a K1200r yesterday, that had a high zfe. Same pin swap and a went OK.
Regards
Nige
 
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Thanks Nige T, does that mean you also switched "inductive sensor" to deactivated? or you just never saw it and it worked regardless? I was fairly sure mine never had it and still haven't seen it. And when I read the K1300 PDF they don't seem to mention it (my K1300GT had a ZFE HIGH).

There are differences in which pins do what between a ZFE high and ZFE basic - On the changes for ZFE HIGH pin 21 and 37, are these all on the same major ZFE connector - its not split over BOTH ?

As I'm stripping out a fully specc'd RT loom playing with cruise control (in the hope of a retrofit). This also gives me the pinout to the Ambient air temp and these are completely different between BASIC and HIGH. On the ZFE HIGH both ambient temp connectors go on the second connector, with Blue Green pin 37 and Blue Brown pin 38 . But on my ZFE basic Blue Brown is Pin 12 Black block of the first and only ZFE connector.... BUT NONE of the wires anywhere on the ZFE have continuity for the second wire Blue Green (which I can see at the temp sensor) so I have no idea so where the hell they connected that. But my air temp worked before and still works now.

The cruise feature uses ONE Purple Yellow connection on Pin 26 Black Block of the second ZFE plug of the HIGH models - with it also running back to Pin 7 of the diagnostic socket. And a thick Blue Green wire on White block pin 33 which I guess powers up the Cruise module. So I think I'm stuffed without a ZFE HIGH (and neither Motoscan nor GS911 support retro coding other modules for config let alone with mileage / chassis immobiliser info yet) The other four cruise wires I think would have a home with two sending info about on an off and two to the engine plug.
 
Two other thoughts...

on the potentiometer - the brand new BMW part has a lot of "oil" on the reed switch bit, I guess to stop corrosion... And when riding this washes off and might give a better electrical connection ? But I shouldn't see the error code for A2E9 (fuel strip) ? So I suspect that's just noise.

Thus I suspect the stupid ZFE Basic, might need a resistor across the heater circuit to fool the bike in to thinking the heater circuit of the strip is a live and working and its BMW magic throwing owners in circles as that's what they do. After all, the fuel strip anti nag fix it resistor trick connects all 4 pins together?

That anti nag feature is well worth doing for 50p all in
 
It only works with ZFE - Basic or low

If you have a high zfe - it wont work
 
I think you muddled your point...

on OEM it shows early GS1200's without a trip computer with a float using a ZFE Basic Low
then they did the later ones with the trip computer without the float in conjunction with a ZFE Basic High
the float either or strip option seems to come back in for GSAs in 2010 bikes, but on OEM it shows they can have either a ZFE Basic High (single plug) or the ZFE High (double plug)

I suspect when you have ESA you always get a ZFE High (with both the std J1 socket and the second socket J2) and ALL these can do either or option. Lots of people say ZFE High converts no issue across multiple bikes

I can find pictures today of
ZFE Basic Low (Single socket J1)
ZFE Basic (Single socket J1)
ZFE Basic High (Single socket J1)
ZFE High (Double socket J1 and J2 - Cruise splits wires across both plugs, ESA not sure. seat heating not sure, Ambient Temp ONLY on J2)

The guy that shows how to make the one quid resistor mod that makes faults gone from cluster and from diagnostics, removes the fuel flashing message and makes the gauge read full, says that's for trip computer single ZFE plug bikes... IT WORKS - I HAVE ONE ON MY BIKE AS WE SPEAK


he also doesn't believe in the silly re pinning idea (choosing to do a plug and play signal converter so the float info talks to the bike just like a strip) But on the single socket ZFE bikes the gadget is different - clearly - as per pic below - the extra power leads connect somewhere.... I guess to fake the heater circuit so the bike doesn't know any better that it isn't a fuel strip talking to the bike

image.jpg



Pin 34 and 35 are just inputs accepting crap from a fuel strip
Pin 21 and 37 are inputs for a grown up float signal (but maybe the logic isn't programmed in the Basic ZFE modules ???)

On bikes where you can't disable the heater garbage, I guess the bike still says that part of the strip isn't sending its status (as its's not connected) throw the strip fault and no petrol messages
and with BMW being BWM, it deliberately cancels any level reading reaching the cluster regardless of whether its a valid float signal or not
 
Can anyone say if they think it will cause damage to code the potentiometer (float) to on, and still have all four original wires of the fuel strip connected with the resistor trick faking a full tank and no faults) so the bike doesn't throw the wrong error codes (due to its belief the Fuel strip is still broken). But then connect the Float inputs to the other ECU pins and see if without errors on the bike (from the strip the coding isn't turning off) if the gauge comes to life ?

FYI trip computer works without any strip connected as it uses injector pulse data and ABS for wheel speeds. Of course range don't function as tank level isn't changing. But ave consumption and ave speed can be reset and operate as before.
 
Hi there, i am trying to follow your instructions, the 2 wires in the top connector block are as you said, and in the bottom block pin 21 is empty as you said, but pin 37 has a blue& green wire in it. ( im not miscounting as 36 & 38 have wires as well) any ideas what to do now?
 
Thanks for posting that, the pictures were much more easy to understand .
I have 2 of these big black plugs on my bikes computer, i thought the initial thread from Denz0 meant move pins from one connector to the other, hence why i said there was a wire there already, but now I see it meant change pins between 2 blocks within the same plug.
Mystery solved, thanks for your help.
 
I was back re setting adaptions yesterday and had tried using motoscan and can't find it

which when looking about using v1.72 I saw in the Kombi (instrument cluster)

Fuel algorithm activate - Deactivated
I wonder is this some of the fun you need to swap from the strip to float on ZFE basic bikes ?

and

Range in reserve - Deactivated
strange what's it do ? my trip features work and this is all stock settings
 
Fuel strip conversion

Hi
I have discovered this by mistake...I was working on the ESA r1200gs and it makes change from my suspension posts...
The main thingis it works!
And you don't need any magical devices!!!
So before you start you will need
1 OEM FLOAT TYPE SENSOR FOR YOUR MODEL
anyK25 After 2010 should have one...(not early 2010 gsa this comes with strip)
GSA float is mounted on the pump
GS float is mounted on the fuel cup
This includes models from 2006 to 2010 ADV (I'm working on 2010ADV)
2 Moto Scan App with OBD linkLx
3 basic mechanical skill and tools

FIRST Make sure your tank is fairly empty!!! REMOVE THE FUEL STRIP AND INSTALL THE FLOAT (I DON'T HAVE THE PICTURES SHOWING THAT )float for GSA on the fuel pump picture one

Now time to make it work
For the ZFE to be able to read the new sensor you need to swop the pins in the main connector pin 34 (green with red trace )and 35(brown with blue trace) needs to be moved to 21 and 37 on the ZFE connector
Picture 2
Check the pictures on how to disassemble the connector and remove blanking pins.
After removing transparent retainer push on the black and white inserts they will come out then remove the top part by pressing four little clips in every corner
Next, remove blanking pins in the location 37 black connector and 21 white connectors.
Swop the cable and insert blanking pins in the old locations 34,35 this will stop moisture going into the connector
On the pictures below...

Programming!
Without this computer "ZFE" doesn't know you just installed float type sensor...
Connect the cable find your bike on the list K25ADV in my case...
Go to central chase electronics ZFE
and find Thermo Coupler FLS 08 and change the value to Potentiometer. Press CODE
Next, find INDUCTIVE FUEL SENSOR change to"deactivate" press code.
You're done! Your old lady finally knows how to measure fuel properly no more yellow triangle...
Install the tank and other connectors.
Why BMW didn't do that on the recall???
You can get fuel float on ebuy or Motorworks for about 40-80 subject to availability I guess...
If anyone needs more explanation just ask If not me maybe someone else will assist you

I'm using a spare pump with sensor to demonstrate how it works
float is already in the tank...
Good luck with the conversion.


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Hi
This conversion works on the adventure, I have tried several normal GS models with a low ZFE, and no joy.
Must be due to the ZFE as everything else is the same.
Regards
 
Hi
This conversion works on the adventure, I have tried several normal GS models with a low ZFE, and no joy.
Must be due to the ZFE as everything else is the same.
Regards

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
 
Sorry to throw a spanner in the works of your theory Santa, I have done a 2008 GSA with ZFE- High and it has worked .
 


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