Here we go again... 2008 GSA shuts off while coming to a stop

Hi all,

Just recently went through the process of chasing a bad ground because my bike would shut off at random times. Complete loss of power.

https://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?91961-2008-GSA-Battery-Ground-Location

So now on my way to work this morning while coming to a stop, the bike just quit. But not same way as before. Had battery power. The gauge cluster was still alive as if I just turned the key on. It did restart and was fine for the remainder of my commute.

I do believe that I remedied the ground problem, but not sure what this could be. Fuel pump seems to be in working order. The little electronic unit (not sure what it's called) on top of the fuel pump looks to be of the newer style. Some have discussed that the silver colored ones are the old style and have been updated and are now black in color. My fuel pump has the black style.

Debris in the tank and or dirty fuel filter ? The bike did sit for about two weeks.

Don't think it's the ignition switch. When I got to work, before shutting down the bike, I played with the key while it was still running. I thought maybe some sort of vibration in the ignition while the key was in, would cause the bike to shut off. But that didn't work either.

Any suggestions ?

Thanks,

Dave

Maybe side stand or kill switch intermittent or bad wire run/pin crimp to/from switch.
I would put a meter on circuit and stress harness/connectors to see if it drops out.
Tough if it is so intermittent.

shoen1200 said:

Maybe side stand or kill switch intermittent or bad wire run/pin crimp to/from switch.
I would put a meter on circuit and stress harness/connectors to see if it drops out.
Tough if it is so intermittent.

Click to expand...

I bypassed the side stand switch when working on my grounding issue. So I believe I can rule that one out.

Before you cross the fuel pump controller off, I'd pull it and check. If the silicone gasket has deformed when put in you could still have a corrosion problem. Its not too hard to get to and then you can clean and inspect power connector and gasket. I just did this as preventative maintenance. Lubricate the seal with silicone and dielectric grease on the connectors.

My 2008 GS does the exact same thing every time the Clutch switch is acting up. When your bike shuts off do you have to put it in neutral to start it? Mine would randomly shut off when downshifting from 3-2 or 2-1. Once I cleaned and adjusted the switch on the handle bars so that it would start in gear no more stalls.


But! Yesterday it stalled for the first time in several thousand miles. Sure enough , no start in gear. The switch was no longer clicking as I pulled the in the clutch lever. Replacing the switch is on my to do list.

catbird said:

My 2008 GS does the exact same thing every time the Clutch switch is acting up. When your bike shuts off do you have to put it in neutral to start it? Mine would randomly shut off when downshifting from 3-2 or 2-1. Once I cleaned and adjusted the switch on the handle bars so that it would start in gear no more stalls.


But! Yesterday it stalled for the first time in several thousand miles. Sure enough , no start in gear. The switch was no longer clicking as I pulled the in the clutch lever. Replacing the switch is on my to do list.

Click to expand...

catbird,

When mine shuts off I do not need to go back to neutral, so I think my clutch switch is operating fine. I do hear an audible click, not while riding of course, but while in the quiet of my garage.

So yesterday morning (when this shut down happened) I was exiting the highway and coming to a stop. Clutch was in, brakes applied, throttle closed & shifting all the way down from 6th to 1st, at a fairly rapid pace, with no pause between gears. Engine shut down.

So I did an experiment on this mornings work commute. Same route as yesterday, no changes.

As I made my way down the exit, did the following:

• Clutch in
• Brakes applied
• Throttle closed
• Shifted only part way down, rapid pace (6th to 3rd)
• Engine hesitated for the briefest moment (RPM gauge bounced off of "0" zero and then back to around 1100 RPM)
• Engine did not shut down, remained at idle
• Came to complete stop, then shifted from 3rd to 1st

I did this one more time, but only shifting down two gears at a time (6th to 4th, 4th to 2nd and then to 1st).
With this second try there was no shut down nor was there any hesitation from the engine.


So I guess the one thing I noticed is that when shifting down 3 or more gears (at a rapid pace) while coming to a stop could cause they engine to hesitate and/or shut down completely. Still a mystery...

It's not exactly the same situation, but you may want check the fuel line couplings to make sure they are all firmly seated. I had a situation where my engine stopped dead and would not restart. It turned out that the return line couplings lock had been fouled by the tank and it had come lose. No fuel spilled etc., but the motor cut out as if a wire had been clipped. Apparently the engine control system insists on having the return like connected.

Anyname said:

It's not exactly the same situation, but you may want check the fuel line couplings to make sure they are all firmly seated. I had a situation where my engine stopped dead and would not restart. It turned out that the return line couplings lock had been fouled by the tank and it had come lose. No fuel spilled etc., but the motor cut out as if a wire had been clipped. Apparently the engine control system insists on having the return like connected.

Click to expand...

Anyname,

I agree, not quite the same.

Although I did have them disconnected while working on my ground problem (had to displace the fuel tank).

I do remember an audible check when they were re-seated, but I'll double check the connections.