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Fuel line issues

swall

New member
In the latest issue of MOAN Paul Glaves wrote about common/often reported problems on on Hexheads one of which was the fuel line quick disconnects . I have a 2007 R1200R and am wondering what action I should take, if any. Paul indicated that the 2007 machines had plastic male and female ends on the quick disconnects vs metal male and female per current practice. He also mentioned the potential cracking issue where the threaded fuel line fitting attaches to the fuel pump body. My question is what to do? There has yet to be a NHTSA recall. On my bike, I have never taken the fuel tank off and messed with the quick disconnects. Do I replace the parts? Do I wait for a recall? Do I call the closest dealer service (3 hours away)? Or do I just leave it alone (and maybe carry a fire extinguisher)?
 
There are two issues and I'm not sure which one you are referencing.

1) plastic fuel disconnects.

2) cracked flange where the disconnect screws into the fuel pump housing.

Regarding the latter... some crack, some don't. My '05 GS is still fine (and the tank has been off many, many times). No guarantee it will stay that way, though. If you want to be pro-active you can always get one of these: http://www.beemerboneyard.com/rk12fuelpmpclmp.html which is probably the after market device Paul mentioned. And if changing to all metal fuel disconnects don't over torque the disconnect when screwing it into the flange or you will crack it for sure.
 
no guarantees

I've had the tank off a couple of times and looked at the disconnects suspiciously over the years. They did not fail over 7 years, but all the reports of failures must have significant if not certain validity. If you are not about taking chances, the metal disconnect kit and fitting clamp are a great 'solution.' It wasn't harder than normal maintenance. The only thing that I didn't know how to do was remove the crimped stainless hose clamp. I used a dremel tool to cut them off. The metal disconnects are much more substantial.
 
The flange clamp available from BB is easy to apply and will prevent any cracking that might develop at the flange.


The problem with the plastic qd's is that the male end sometimes splits. (At least some of the time this is caused by ham-handed manipulation of the fuel tank during service or recall work as for the brake line recall for some hexhead RT's). The male end only can be changed and it will be compatible with the plastic female end. Unless you are quite careful and used to tightening plastic wedge thread fittings with a lubricating sealant on them, it is all too easy to over tighten and split the receiving piece rom the wedge force as several have found out the hard way. If you do split the flange at the tank, be aware it is not available as a spare part and will cost you $500 for a new pump assembly unless you happen to find a used one.

On my 08 RT, I have left the qd's alone but have applied the clamp as a preventitive measure. I do my own work so have no need to b e concerned about anyone else's ham-handedness leading to cracked male qd's.

This mess is one of BMW's cost saving measures gone bad and at least one post exists where a person who claimed to work for the supplier of the qd'said BMW was advised not use the plastic parts in that application....
 
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On my 2007 R1200S, the whole top of the fuel pump cracked off, spewing fuel all over my legs. Thanks to an extended warranty, it cost me $50 instead of $550 or more.
 
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