EWS!!!

Mark H-W

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Help!!!

My 2014, 800GSA, 6,000miles has been in storage for almost a year. When it was collected they tried to jump start it with a booster. It initially stated then died a death. I’ve now got it back, new Motobatt Battery fitted. Bike fails to turn over, EWS warning.
Prior to it having been laid up all was fine and dandy.
To add insult to injury all my tools are in storage.
It’s now on a Canbus charger in the vein hope that the good look fairies will pay me a visit over night.
 
Check this out from this very site Mark...
EWS= Elektronische Wegfahr Sperre=electronic immobilizer CAN based




Ews failure - common,

But luckily easy to fix -

before you go and sepend £30 odd on a replacement which may not be faulty, try the following.


Ignition off and key out


With the steering in the straight ahead postion
insert key and turn ignition to start position

Does EWS show on the kombi (dash) Y/ N does bike start Y/ N - turn ignition off remove key


Turn steering to full LH lock
insert key and turn ignition to start position

Does EWS show on the kombi (dash) Y/ N does bike start Y/ N - turn ignition off remove key

Turn steering to full RH lock
insert key and turn ignition to start position

Does EWS show on the kombi (dash) Y/ N does bike start Y/ N - turn ignition off remove key

If you get a failure in any of the positions but a start in one or more other positions, its unlikley to be the EWS ring antenna

Its more than likley a broken wire in the loom.

I had similar starten with the odd ews in the morning bit would be cleared in the evening ??

then as the broken wire separated, i could only get it to start on full RH lock - nothing at straight ahead or LH lock

I'd allready purchased a new Ring antenna and was getting the same fault when plugged in, so i new the fault was else where.


If it's a broken wire, its an easy fix, but very time consuming. i had to strip the whole of the front end & tank off the bike to

get to the loom under the headstock (R1200GS), then peel back the outer sheath until i found the broken wire -

Right in the middle of the bundle in an apparantly non stressed area -

( i reckon the cable tie round the sheath was the root cause).

If you do a search in the hexhead section you'll see the thread
 
When the bike performs the initialisation procedure (clocks , lights, etc.), does the main beam stay on or go off?

I'm not on my laptop, but you can search through my old posts on EWS, you will find some useful tips on how to diagnose this, mate. I'll tune in later to see if I can help.

Good luck.
 
You need access to a GS 911 for reading fault codes.
 
The bike goes through its cycle, the main team doesn't come on at all stays off
 
That's a bugger as I'm in deepest darkest wales. I will have to get the bike recovered 50 miles to get it to a good garage
 
That's a bugger as I'm in deepest darkest wales. I will have to get the bike recovered 50 miles to get it to a good garage
 
The bike goes through its cycle, the main team doesn't come on at all stays off

[[ Sorry I was talking nonsense, just went tot he garage to double-check ]]

If the main beam comes on with EWS and stays on, then the ECU is likely not booting up. If it goes off, then it is booting but not speaking to the Ring Antenna / not recognising the key. GS911 (or a laptop with Rheingold), or indeed BMW dealer will be able to help, but only if the ECU is booting up.

IF you have a (relatively cheap) multimeter and a bit of patience, you can work out the continuity/voltage and help yourself diagnose the issue. It is worth it. Ranges from nothing (broken wire), ~30-quid for a ring-antenna all the way to £1200 for new ECU (from Motorrad)
 
Last edited:
Thanks for that.
Please excuse my ignorance, continuity from where to where?
 
I am afraid it will involve a bit of research first, mate... there are a few components to contend with.

Have a look at my post (#18) on this thread . That should get you started...

Here it is again, just to save you clicking over, but you should check that and other threads on EWS too. This one has the pins you should check and a basic explanation:

abraxas said:
I typed bits oft this in a PM the other day, but thought it may be useful to others...

Disclaimer: I am no expert. Take the below as exactly what it is: ramblings of a random bloke on t'Internet. It is a pointer to start googling and investigating further. My motive is only to offer info to try to offer some info to help fellow bikers.

So, that out of the way, EWS (Electronische Wegfahrsperre) can come up as an error for many reasons, but thinking logically... Simplistically speaking, the bike key holds a passive "chip" inside it with a code, it goes in to the antenna which [given that the electronic power is there] agitates the key chip and "reads" the code off the chip, sends it to the ECU, which, then, compares it with the stored value and allows the bike to be started if they match. So, components involved : Key, antenna, some wiring, ECU [and indirectly the battery].

So... if the low-beam stays on, there is no whirring from the idle-actuator, no pulse on the fuel pump and no gear indication on the LCD... those symptoms are the same as it the ECU [BMSK-P] was actually completely disconnected. It would then not be illogical to think that the ECU is not booting up. If you can use a multimeter, you can do some basic tests. Head to the smaller of the two ECU connectors under the seat. Disconnect it and do some continuity/voltage tests. If I remember the pinouts correctly (let me know if they are not as expected and I will double-check/correct the post for future reads):

1) Firstly, check that you are getting power to the ECU. You should have the battery voltage [~12V] across pin-3 (-) and Pin-6 (+). (Pin-34 should be the switched +12V [i.e. ON when IGN ON]). The belts-and-braces method is to wire a consumer (like a small automotive (12V) light-bulb) to those to check for the solid current under load.

2) Check you are getting good earth too.(continuity to the frame/engine/battery(=) @ pin 3) may as well check the brown cable going from the battery(-) to the engine on the left side, near the starter.

3) Since you are already at the ECU connector, If you have disconnected the ring-antenna, you may as well check the continuity to the ring antenna; Although that is unlikely to be the problem at this stage, If the theory is sound and the ECU is not booting up at all.
Pins 1234 @ ring antenna should have continuity to pins 8,43,55,57 on the smaller ECU connector, respectively. Numbers are cast into the connector but are very small. Top-tip: Use your phone camera for magnifying if your eyesight fails you in this endeavour. Ensure that there is no continuity between the ring-antenna connector pins too (in case of cables chafing against eachother)
[You may need some pins to insert into the connectors if your multimeter probes are too fat.]

If all of this is as expected, chances are the ECU has a problem and is not booting up...
Hope that helps someone...
 
Due to all my tools being in temporary storage it looks like it’s off to the garage 😞.
 
Due to all my tools being in temporary storage it looks like it’s off to the garage ��.

Chicken! :) Just joking mate. It really is not that difficult, you only need a multimeter and a couple torx 'drivers for the plastics. Charge the battery fully and try again. If the light is not staying on, your ECU [well, BMSK-P] is booting. Could be Ring Antenna or wiring. Garage should be able to help. Also... you don't have any other keys on the keyring? Your car key can interfere. Also try the spare/plastic key if you have them.
If you were closer, I'd lend you my spare RingAntenna to get that tested...

Good luck. Let us know how you get on. :thumb2
 
Check this out from this very site Mark...
EWS= Elektronische Wegfahr Sperre=electronic immobilizer CAN based




Ews failure - common,

But luckily easy to fix -

before you go and sepend £30 odd on a replacement which may not be faulty, try the following.


Ignition off and key out


With the steering in the straight ahead postion
insert key and turn ignition to start position

Does EWS show on the kombi (dash) Y/ N does bike start Y/ N - turn ignition off remove key


Turn steering to full LH lock
insert key and turn ignition to start position

Does EWS show on the kombi (dash) Y/ N does bike start Y/ N - turn ignition off remove key

Turn steering to full RH lock
insert key and turn ignition to start position

Does EWS show on the kombi (dash) Y/ N does bike start Y/ N - turn ignition off remove key

If you get a failure in any of the positions but a start in one or more other positions, its unlikley to be the EWS ring antenna

Its more than likley a broken wire in the loom.

I had similar starten with the odd ews in the morning bit would be cleared in the evening ??

then as the broken wire separated, i could only get it to start on full RH lock - nothing at straight ahead or LH lock

I'd allready purchased a new Ring antenna and was getting the same fault when plugged in, so i new the fault was else where.


If it's a broken wire, its an easy fix, but very time consuming. i had to strip the whole of the front end & tank off the bike to

get to the loom under the headstock (R1200GS), then peel back the outer sheath until i found the broken wire -

Right in the middle of the bundle in an apparantly non stressed area -

( i reckon the cable tie round the sheath was the root cause).

If you do a search in the hexhead section you'll see the thread


Come on! at least have the decency to either quote me, or link to the actual thread ;)
 
ON the hexhead, it#s more than likley a broken wire than a failed ring antenna

(mind you it does happen)


On the 600 it could be the BMSK module is fubarred - :(

Do a search , i'm sure there was thread on here recently abut the very same
 
Come on! at least have the decency to either quote me, or link to the actual thread ;)

Aye, just because you were wrong, doesn't mean you shouldn't get the proper credit! :D haha!

Just joking, Santa. Good to know you are still about. :thumb2 I linked the original thread we were chatting this through, and yes, you are right, R1200GS-es really suffered from the harness chafing and shorting at headstock.

This one looks a bit more promissing in that the headlight is staying off, seems like the ECU is powering up... could be the RA...
 
Aye, just because you were wrong, doesn't mean you shouldn't get the proper credit! :D haha!

Just joking, Santa. Good to know you are still about. :thumb2 I linked the original thread we were chatting this through, and yes, you are right, R1200GS-es really suffered from the harness chafing and shorting at headstock.

This one looks a bit more promissing in that the headlight is staying off, seems like the ECU is powering up... could be the RA...

It wasn't you ;)

It would have been easier to link the thread with pics lol -

Ive moved to a keyless LC now , let's see what issues play out on that one :)
 
It wasn't you ;)

It would have been easier to link the thread with pics lol -

Ive moved to a keyless LC now , let's see what issues play out on that one :)


Sorry:comfort ...you are right...shouldn’t have infringed on your copyright.:D...yours was just the first to come up on a search,,,...sounded so straight forward and Can-bus so different from my 1150GS...:thumby:
 
Sorry:comfort ...you are right...shouldn’t have infringed on your copyright.:D...yours was just the first to come up on a search,,,...sounded so straight forward and Can-bus so different from my 1150GS...:thumby:

Good! you managed to get yourself on the nice list ;)

Just post the thread hyper link - far easier ;)
 
Chicken! :) Just joking mate. It really is not that difficult, you only need a multimeter and a couple torx 'drivers for the plastics. Charge the battery fully and try again. If the light is not staying on, your ECU [well, BMSK-P] is booting. Could be Ring Antenna or wiring. Garage should be able to help. Also... you don't have any other keys on the keyring? Your car key can interfere. Also try the spare/plastic key if you have them.
If you were closer, I'd lend you my spare RingAntenna to get that tested...

Good luck. Let us know how you get on. :thumb2


Thanks for all the help :beerjug:

Ring Antenna ordered from Motorworks. Fingers crossed
 


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