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Melted high beam connector on 2005 R1200gs, anybody else experiences this?

espressoforyou

New member
Question 1: I have been having electrical issues with my bike for a while and this afternoon I decided to troubleshoot one of the issues. Every now and then I have the headlight out indicator light appear on the dashboard. Sometimes it stays on for a while and then goes back out. It has been doing this for 12 plus months. When the indicator light is "on" the high beam bulb does work but the low beam works fine.

So today I removed the high beam bulb and noticed that the connector that plugs into the bulb is melted. I have also notice for several months that the actual inside of the glass lens of the headlight look "frosted" on the high beam side, like the bulb is getting too hot. I vaguely remember getting a non-stock high beam bulb from the local BMW dealer the last time a replaced the bulb. BTW, I always ride with the high beam turned on.

Has anybody else had this issue before? I plan on getting a new connector and bulb from Autozone and splicing it in to replace the melted connector unless anybody has a different suggestion.

Question 2: Now comes the real question. As I mentioned I have had several electrical issues over the last 12 months. Here is a brief recap: I lost the use of my blinkers, horn, flashers, trip meter, heated hand grips and ABS(flashing brake failure), the rear brake light stayed on the whole time, along with the headlight out indicator light showing on the dash for several months. But after several months everything started working again except the ABS and the brake light. I replaced the micro switch on the handlebar for the brake and the brake light works fine now. 98% of the time my ABS(flashing brake failure light) and servos do NOT work but every now and then while riding the flashing brake failure light goes out and my ABS and servos work great until I turn the bike off. When I restart the bike the flashing brake light appears and the ABS and servos do not work.

So here is my second question. The first indication that I remember 12 months ago when all this started happening was that my headlight out indicator would appear every now and then on my dash. If I remember correctly the other electrical issues started after the head light issue. Do you think that the melted high beam connector could have caused all of the issues considering the bike uses a canbus? Thanks for any input you might have. The dealer suggested to replace the entire wiring harness as a first step to diagnosing the problem, which would cost over $1,000, I said no to that. Thanks again.
 
Headlight connector isn't causing all your other problems and is easily fixed. Buy a ceramic one off the web and next time use some contact grease on the bulb contacts.

Other stuff- might indeed be harness issues- miore than one bike has had wires bad from the factory by over tight tie wraps, for example...But it ould be a mix of other stuff also..One thing certain, if your description is accurate, troubleshooting it will be a pita and require high level skill- not a job for the newest kid tech...
 
Thanks Racer

Do you know of a link to a ceramic connector?

I agree that it will take a well trained tech but I don't think the local dealer in Memphis or Nashville is able to fix the problem. Their method is to replace the wiring harness as a first step and then try something else until they luck up on the problem, all at my expense.
 
The light aren't on the CAN-bus. Very few things are. Light circuit current sensing is a function of the ZFE. With that nit out of the way....

HEAT is only partially the result of current. A 55 watt headlamp in an 12 V (closer to 14 V when the vehicle is running) system pulls about 4 amps. Push those 4 amps through a large enough conductor and all is well. Make the conductor small or add some corrosion at contact points and you can generate LOTS of heat, all without exceeding 4 amps.... enough heat to melt the connector. Or, as often happens, enough heat to make the connector brittle such that it crumbles in your hand when you try to change a bulb. That's not including the additional heat generated by the bulb.

I was reminded of this just last week when removing fog lights from a bike I'm selling. The lights were installed using the vendor's (Hella) wiring harness and attached to power through a fuzeblock with a 10 amp fuse. The vendor wiring harness also had a 10 amp fuse which I left just so I wouldn't have to make modifications. What I found when I removed the wiring was that the Hella fuse holder was a charred and melted mass of wire and plastic. Neither fuse in the circuit blew blew because the draw never exceeded 10 amps. I'm guessing that the fuse blades got slightly corroded causing excess heat due to limited current carrying capacity.
 
As for just the headlight, a loose connection at the bulb connector and spades can cause increased resistance and heat. The original intermittent faults with the headlight failing and coming back on later screams loose connector to me. And the melted or crystalized connector mess also screams loose connection to me. I had exactly that issue on Voni's F800S with an H7 bulb and cured it by tightening the connectors that slide onto the bulb spades.
 
Yup, exactly what I had in mind originally marchyman's explanation should be noted and serve as a reminder to look closely when doing a routine bulb replacement. Failing to see some building corrosion or leaving a connector a bit loose because large hands have problems with access is all it takes to help precipitate connector disintegration from heat.

Troubleshooting all of the described electrical difficulties is going to be a real nuisance if one wanted to just replace or repair the bad wires or connectors and the dealer idea to do a wiring harness replacement, despite the cost, may well not be off the mark. That reduces any remaining issues to sensors, switches or connectors. Remember that it takes TIME and SKILL to run down stuff like this even for folks who are comfortable and able to do it. That TIME has to be paid for somehow..It can include having to strip a whole lot of the bike to get at stuff- not very far off the kind of stripping that it takes to do a clutch job- a std figure for which is about 10 hrs of shop time. Dealerships can't afford to give away a day or more of a mechanic's time. Its no coincidence that a whole lot of vehicles covered by lemon law issues have electrical rather than mechanical problems.

The only obvious shortcut that might lead to a simple fix that comes to mind is to carefully think about any all work done just before the problems appeared that involved taking apart any of the front of the bike- perhaps whoever did the (probably bulb replacement) work that left a headlight connector loose also failed to properly reinstall one or more other connectors or damaged some wiringin another way. Fixing front end crash damage or having to acess electrics under the tank are some examples of the kind of work that could lead to disruption of electrical systems and connectors.
 
Thanks to Paul, racer7 and marchyman for your responses.

Thanks for your detailed explanation of what happened to the bulb connector. Electricity was never my strong point so I really appreciate you guys taking the time to explain it. Now I would really, really, really appreciate it if one or all three of you would spend a couple of days in Memphis figuring out the other electrical issues with my bike. LOL

Thanks again and I am sure I will be posting more questions.
 
Thanks for your detailed explanation of what happened to the bulb connector. Electricity was never my strong point so I really appreciate you guys taking the time to explain it. Now I would really, really, really appreciate it if one or all three of you would spend a couple of days in Memphis figuring out the other electrical issues with my bike. LOL

Thanks again and I am sure I will be posting more questions.

I am going to go way out on a limb and take a shot at the solution to multiple erratic electrical problems. The issue with the headlight provides background and some possible insight.

The issues described in the original post scream dirty connections and or a bad ground. The first thing to do is to find the few main ground points where brown wires converge and attach to the chassis. Take each of these loose, clean everything, and properly tighten the fasteners used to secure the wires to the chassis.

If cleaning the ground points fails to fix the problem (but I think it will) then start identifying the various connections for the flaky things, and individually make sure they are all clean. Some electrical contact cleaner and compressed air is your friend here.

Just getting the stuff that covers the chassis out of the way will take some time, but cleaning every connection you can find will take less than an afternoon. Go for it. Do things one at a time. Stay organized. Be sure you know what connects where before you take a whole bunch of things apart.

Be particularly attentive to spade connections where a flat tang goes into a socket of sorts. The metal contacts can be loose even when the two plastic parts go together tightly and rigid.
 
I agree that the symptoms sound like a bad ground.

On the '05 GS there is one ground between battery and the engine. It is on the left side of the bike just behind the alternator. See image. Most devices do not use the chassis/engine as ground, but instead get a pair of wires for hot and ground. The ground leads are tied together in "connector 31l" or "connector 31" which is tied to 31l. Sorry, I don't know which connector that might be. I assume it is part of the wiring harness, but we all know what assume means. Given that the grounds are in a connector your other choice -- dirty connections -- also makes lots of sense.

p-20061025-1314-2105.jpg
 
Thanks marchyman and Paul, I think you might have something.

The first thing that I remember electrical acting up was the headlight "out" indicator and then the other electrical problems started happening. Last year when I was headed to Bloodworths in Nashville, after a 200 mile ride on I-40 and at the Bloodworth BMW exit everything electrical started working again. I could not believe it. I had been having problems for several months with the electrical issues appearing and then going away for a while and now I am within 1 mile of the dealer and everything starts working correctly again. I stopped at a gas station and started the bike several times and everything worked fine, but as I was driving the last 1/2 to the dealer all the problems came back.

A little background information: If you remember, I am the guy that has had all the engine seal problems and my bike has been broken in half at least 7 times. Maybe that has something to do with it. But the electrical problems were happening before I had the last engine output seal replace and I was still having the same problems when I got the bike back. But like I said, I can ride the bike for 10 outings and the electrical problems are there every time. But during the middle of one of the rides everything comes back until I turn the bike off and try restart it.

I hate to admit it but I use to pressure wash my bike for 10 minutes and put the spray wand up very close to the engine and even under the gas tank. That could be part of the problem also. I don't do it any more.

I just thought of one more possible clue. I took the bike to Bloodworth one time because the right cylinder would not fire some times during the middle of a ride. Bloodworth could not fine anything wrong with it. So I picked it up and was about 10 miles away from the dealer when the right cylinder stopped firing again. I went ahead and drove it back to Memphis with it firing part of the way home. When I got home I did a little research and figured out that it might be the coil pack. When I remover the right coil pack there was a tear in it and a good bit moister. I put a new coil pack on and the bike had run fine every since. Might not be related but I thought I would mention it.

After reading the quote at the bottom of Paul's posting: ("The greatest challenge to any thinker is stating the problem in a way that will allow a solution." - Bertrand Russell) it encouraged me to spend time thinking of any other issue that might help with a solution.

Thanks for everything. I will try and work on it this weekend.
 
bulbs

I had a 2006 R1200GS and the same thing happened to me. I replaced the plug with the OEM BMW part. Which is the plug and a short quick connect harness
I bought two at the time to carry a spare since I was riding down Baja.
I have the extra. It is part number 83 30 0 444 440.
Check it out. Maybe we can make a deal . It cost $51.

I have a 2010 R1200GS now.

Paul C
 
... I lost the use of my blinkers, horn, flashers, trip meter, heated hand grips and ABS(flashing brake failure), the rear brake light stayed on the whole time, along with the headlight out indicator light showing on the dash for several months. But after several months everything started working again except the ABS and the brake light. I replaced the micro switch on the handlebar for the brake and the brake light works fine now. 98% of the time my ABS(flashing brake failure light) and servos do NOT work but every now and then while riding the flashing brake failure light goes out and my ABS and servos work great until I turn the bike off. When I restart the bike the flashing brake light appears and the ABS and servos do not work..

I also think you have several issues. First of all, if the dealership installed a high-wattage bulb they really did you no favor. That goes for pretty much any BMW; I have seen damaged wiring from high-wattage bulbs on many models going back to the K75.

Moving on, it looks like most of that laundry list is run by the ZFE. It could be that you lost everything on the ZFE; I just can't see all of those things failing individually. If the ZFE goes offline, you will have a fault code for that. You might pull the tank and check the connector for the ZFE.

The brakes are the only thing you list that is not on the ZFE, and you seemed to get results with the microswitch. I just diagnosed a bike with very similar symptoms; it could be that you still haven't gotten the position of that new switch exactly right. Again, your fault codes should give you some direction.

If you are too far from a dealership, it might pay to buy a GS-911 or similar diagnostic tool. Fault codes would definitely be my starting point on this bike.
 
Thanks Anton

I agree with you about the "laundry list" of items all going bad at the same time as being unlikely. Also the the laundry list items all started working again after several months. Everything except for the servos and ABS are working work all the time. And as I mentioned the ABS and servos come back on every now and then and work fine until I turn the bike off and restart it.

Anton, as I mentioned in the earlier post the bike has been broken in half at least seven times to have engine output, counterbalance, and transmission input and output seals replaced. I am not sure if the wiring, connectors or grounds were damaged during any of the repairs. I have access to a GS-911 reader and will try to get a print out of the error codes.

Once I replaced the front brake micro switch the rear brake light has been operating correctly.

Paul and marchyman suggested that I check out all the grounds and connectors for corrosion and for being tight. Last summer I removed the tank and check the ZFE connector for corrosion and did not find any.

My main riding buddy as a 2005 GS just like mine. We have talked about swapping out ZFE and seeing is I have the same problems. But we are not sure it the ZFE is programmed specifically for each bike. Would it be okay and useful to swap ZFE's to see if that corrected my problems?

Thanks for your suggestions.
 
I might have some good news. but maybe not.

I stopped my Autozone and picked up a new connector for my headlight connector that was "fried". Unfortunately the new connector that I picked up had the wires going straight back instead of at a 90 degrees angle like the BMW factory connector. Which meant that I could not screw on the the back cover for the headlight. So as a stop gap measure until I order the correct part I removed the "fried" plastic and was able to attach the wires directly to the back of the bulb. One of the wires looks a little burnt about 1 inch back from the connector but I was able to attach both wires So now my dashboard does not show an intermittent headlight out warning symbol and the the headlight and high beam worked fine on the way home.

Now here is the weird part. On the way home the Brake Failure flashing warning light went out after 10 minutes of riding and my ABS and servos worked fine. Now this has happened before but not usually after riding only 10 minutes. So I pulled off the road and turned the bike off and then restarted it after letting all the dashboard warning lights "do there thing" before hitting the start button. When I started the bike the flashing brake failure light came on and stayed on. I drove it about 1/2 mile; and the brake failure light went out and the ABS and servos worked fine. So I turned the bike off by turning off the kill switch but not the key. When I restarted the bike this time the brake failure light did not appear and the brake worked fine. I rode for a mile and pulled off and turned the bike off and restarted it. This time the brake failure light reappeared and stayed on while riding the last 3 miles home and the ABS and servos did not work.

So, after a temporarily "fixing" the headlight connector the ABS and servos seam to working a little better.

UPDATE: I just got off of work and had to get home and ride the bike to see if the ABS and servos would work. I rode the bike about 10 miles and had the flashing brake failure light the whole time and no ABS or servos. Needless to say that I was disappointed that the brake failure light did not go out.

But on the good side my headlight out warning light did not come on.
 
You must be the most patient person on this planet.

Your bike seems to have had all the "standard" problems and many that have been previously unknown. By this time I think most of us would have dumped the bike on some unsuspecting buyer or parted out the darn thing. I wish I could give you a solution, or a perseverance award, but I can't, so I guess you'll have to settle for a hug:hug, before you resume :banghead
 
Thanks Larry, I hug or even a new bike would be great.

I am not sure if I have that much patience or if I am just hard headed. I am persistent and do not mind asking, and asking and asking to have something made right. Your right most owners would have just paid to have had the seals replaced or just ignored the minor leak until the parts and labor warranty ran out. A lot of BMW owners do not realize that there is a two year parts and labor warranty on dealer installed parts. I just keep track of the warranty period and drop the bike back off before the warranty runs out. I am getting a little tired of messing with it but I am not going to let BMW get away with this defective seal situation. On the current electrical issue I am just going to have to devote a weekend to taking the bike apart and look for broken or loose connections.
 
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