Fuel Strip Failure symptoms question

I've read about these failures and most of what I've seen either applies to do-it-yourself repairs or simply complaining.
Now that BMW is warrantying fuel strips for 12 years, the DIY approach is not something I'm considering. Mine went out (or I think it did) shortly after I bought my 2009 R1200RT and I've got an appointment with my dealership next week to get it fixed.

I do have a question: Since the warranty only applies to the fuel strip, I want to be pretty sure that's what failed. I'd like to know what the symptoms are, including any I might not have seen.

Here is what I experienced:
With a very near full tank, my fuel gauge went to zero and the warning light came on.
This continued for several days without change.
Then upon one restart, the warning light was off and the fuel gauge went to full even though I'd ridden about 140 miles on that tank. It continues to show full 40-50 miles later after multiple restarts.
The miles to empty is obviously wrong, showing zero when the fuel gauge showed empty and now tells me I can go 280 miles on less than half a tank.
Meanwhile, the mpg readout continues to give me numbers that are at least quite believable.

Is this typical of fuel strip failure? I just don't want to get to the dealership and learn my fuel strip is fine, but something else probably more expensive failed.
It seems likely this question is answered elsewhere, but at this point it's buried beneath thousands of posts that don't answer it.

Thanks.

On my 07RT I have experienced two fuel strip failures and both times "With a very near full tank, my fuel gauge went to zero and the warning light came on." In both cases it stayed that way until replaced.

Sounds like fuel strip to me. One thing you could try is to disconnect the battery for a few minutes. If the problem is computer related this may clear it up. Also you could try to get your hands on a GS911 and see what codes are being produced. My bet is on the fuel strip.

rangerdog said:

I've read about these failures and most of what I've seen either applies to do-it-yourself repairs or simply complaining.
Now that BMW is warrantying fuel strips for 12 years, the DIY approach is not something I'm considering. Mine went out (or I think it did) shortly after I bought my 2009 R1200RT and I've got an appointment with my dealership next week to get it fixed.

I do have a question: Since the warranty only applies to the fuel strip, I want to be pretty sure that's what failed. I'd like to know what the symptoms are, including any I might not have seen.

Here is what I experienced:
With a very near full tank, my fuel gauge went to zero and the warning light came on.
This continued for several days without change.
Then upon one restart, the warning light was off and the fuel gauge went to full even though I'd ridden about 140 miles on that tank. It continues to show full 40-50 miles later after multiple restarts.
The miles to empty is obviously wrong, showing zero when the fuel gauge showed empty and now tells me I can go 280 miles on less than half a tank.
Meanwhile, the mpg readout continues to give me numbers that are at least quite believable.

Is this typical of fuel strip failure? I just don't want to get to the dealership and learn my fuel strip is fine, but something else probably more expensive failed.
It seems likely this question is answered elsewhere, but at this point it's buried beneath thousands of posts that don't answer it.

Thanks.

Click to expand...

Ranger - My original fuel strip lasted 54K miles, and I'm now on #5 in the 20K miles since then. Yes, what you are seeing is consistent with the failure. Mine has failed by showing empty when full, full when empty, showing erratic numbers (at one time the "miles to go on tank" and "miles driven since last fill" totalled 540 miles - impossible) and any combination thereof.

As far as I know there is no definitive objective diagnostic for fuel strip failure. You take it in to the dealer, tell them it's gone, and they replace it. Don't be surprised if you have to do it several times.

On that cheery note, have a good one.

JayJay

(BTW, I don't believe mpg is calculated from the fuel tank level. I believe it's calculated from actual fuel usage as metered through the fuel injection system).

Mpg and fuel strip...no connection as far as I can tell. Any radical variations associated with fuel indications are your classic fuel strip failure. They work until they don't, and when they don't, they really don't.

My first fail it said I had 50 miles to empty, on my way to get fuel about a mile later it left me on the side of the rode. Got new strip, now it is just all over the place. Anywhere from 450 miles to empty to saying empty when it is full. I just use the trip meter now. Maybe get another one at my next planned visit to the dealer.

Fuel strip failure leads to new discovery!

Thanks for the answers. I am now confident it’s the fuel strip and can only hope the next one I get is the magic golden never-fail version.

I did try akbeemer’s suggestion about disconnecting the battery. That led me on a mechanical adventure!

First, I had trouble taking the screw out of the battery post. Then the screw fell into the depths of the motorcycle. I tried a magnet, coat hanger wire and compressed air but nothing dislodged the screw. Meanwhile, I found another screw and hooked up the bike to learn that didn’t have any effect on the fuel gauge.

After a very exasperating hour of trying to fish out the screw, I gave up and slept on it. This morning I re-examined the situation. I could just see the screw opposite the left foot peg. Finally, a light went on. There are only three bolts really holding that aluminum panel onto the bike. (Anybody know what it’s called, the panel the foot pegs attach to?) I removed those bolts and wiggled the panel and the screw fell right out. Plus another screw fell out, also the right size for a battery post. That might have been there since 2010 for all I know.

Then I take another look at the battery and something seems amiss. Why was it so hard to get that screw off? I looked at the manual and realize the battery was in the wrong way. The posts were toward the front of the bike when they should be towards the back where you can reach them! So I turned it around and starting hooking it up. Zap! Oh yeah, when you turn the battery around the posts are reversed. Doh! But the negative wire won’t reach its post. The battery wasn’t turned around. It was simply the wrong battery!

Well, nothing to do about that at the moment. I put it back in the only way it’s going to fit, hooked it up with some difficulty because the posts were hard to reach and got it all back the way it was. Since the battery works fine, I don’t feel like immediately going out to get a new one, but I’ll go figure out which one I want and keep track of where to buy it. First, of course, when I’m at the dealership getting my fuel strip replaced, I’ll ask them why they put the wrong battery in the bike before I bought it. Maybe they’ll do something nice for me.

Of course, maybe the previous owner put in the wrong battery since he had the bike for more than five years and put less than 6,000 miles on it. My guess is he wasn’t any more of a motorcycle mechanic than a rider. He probably put in whatever battery he could find from another bike to get it started and take it to the dealership so they could do the 6,000-mile service then find some sucker like me to buy it. Actually, I’m loving this bike and don’t feel like a sucker at all for what I paid for a bike that acts and looks like it was first sold five months rather than five years ago.

So there you go. A failed fuel strip turns into the partial dismantling of an R1200RT to find a battery post screw.

And the adventure begins! Good job.

Update on the fuel strip:

Took it in to the dealership having made an appointment and planned to wait for it. I was told it may take a while and they would be happy to give me a loaner bike to ride home and could come back the next day.
I decided to take them up on it and was glad about that. For one thing, they loaned me a 2015 K1600GTL which I'd been wanting to try anyway. Whoo-boy, that's one powerful machine!
They called me early the next morning to say my bike was ready. Rode the GTL back and got my bike. Turned out taking the loaner was the right decision because the sensor replacement took longer than expected. The first two installed failed during calibration. Glad they failed instantly rather than later. Hope third time is the charm!

Also, I am very happy with my dealership:
Brown Motor Works in Pomona, California.
They are not the closest to me. That would be Irv Seaver but I could never get them to give me the time of day. They're a little stuffy with quite an attitude. Being the only BMW dealership in the county means they get enough business without having to put forth much effort. Brown is well worth the 20+ mile longer ride. They proved to be far friendlier, have better prices and now my experience with the service department makes me very happy about doing business with them. I purchased BMW's engine protectors while I was there and they did not charge me for installation since I was in for service anyway. Just good people.

I did not expect to be offered a loaner bike, much less the top of the line demo. Fortunately, although the GTL is an awesome machine, the ride confirmed the R1200RT is the right choice for me.

That is good service and well worth the extra ride to get there. Hope that replacement strip lasts longer for you than mine did!