2001 R1150RT ABS Pressure Module failure

I am looking for opinion if it is worth spending to get my motorcycle repaired!!... I am not a mechanical expert and I have always relied on my service tech to counsel me on repairs and such!!.
I just moved to Calgary, Alberta and had to find a new dealer. I found one and I have been happy with their service. Although not a BMW dealer they were able to service my bike.
Last summer I had a very unpleasant surprise after the ABS light blinking and not resetting I brought it in and after a couple of days of investigation the Tech told me that the ABS Pressure modulator need to be replace and the parts alone cost $3990 CAN so with the labor etc it will likely come to close to a $5000CAN bill to repair!!.... I was really discourage and decided to NOT do the repair right away.
I am pretty much a loner and have no connection with the riding community here and could not really ask anyone....
SO I am opening this thread to get opinion...and also potential answer to questions like....Is this part known to fail? Has anyone had the same issue? Do you think it is worth spending that money for the repair?

Hope someone can provide feedback

Thanks

Denis

Not sure which ABS you have on that RT, but you may want to give these folks a call/email and see what they think. https://modulemaster.com/rebuilds/shop/brakes/abs-modules/abs-fte-abs2/

My C has ABSII and I have found a piston fault code. 113,000 miles with fluid changes every year or every other year and still get fault codes. A couple of years ago the fault code occurred and fluid change (flush) resolved it, but it returned last year and I cannot get it to clear, hence the need for Module Masters. I plan on removing and sending out the ABS pump sometime this summer. For now I just right without the aid of ABS. I have read somewhere that if the ABS does not get "exercised" enough on a regular basis that a small amount old fluid may never really get flused out of the pump. I guess mine was due to fail eventually. Who knows? The price to have it rebuilt with a 5 year warranty cannot be beat, though.

Welome to the forum.

A common problem on that series of bike.
Your bike has servo ABS3 which if not serviced/flushed on a yearly basis is prone to failure.
There is a company that rebuilds these modules and offers a warranty. Contact them by phone (they were doing them a few months ago)
https://modulemaster.com/rebuilds/shop/brakes/abs-modules/abs-fte-abs3/
Another option is to bypass the module, many have done that. The bike will brake normally but not have the ABS option.
Lots written on these forums on how to.

Question: Does your bike have the original black rubber brake lines? If so your problem may linked to them
They are all deteriorating and can cause ABS faults. (no to mention balloning on hard braking causing total loss of braking on that circuit)
As this is a safety issue I would get them replaced with Stainless Steel Teflon lines - Spiegler is my preferred brand. I have replaced many sets.
It would not be the first time that I replaced a set of lines, flushed thoroughly and then was able to reset the ABS fault.


Note: if you look at the bottom of this page you will see links to similar questions.

GSAddict said:

Welome to the forum.

A common problem on that series of bike.
Your bike has servo ABS3 which if not serviced/flushed on a yearly basis is prone to failure.
There is a company that rebuilds these modules and offers a warranty. Contact them by phone (they were doing them a few months ago)
https://modulemaster.com/rebuilds/shop/brakes/abs-modules/abs-fte-abs3/
Another option is to bypass the module, many have done that. The bike will brake normally but not have the ABS option.
Lots written on these forums on how to.

Question: Does your bike have the original black rubber brake lines? If so your problem may linked to them
They are all deteriorating and can cause ABS faults. (no to mention balloning on hard braking causing total loss of braking on that circuit)
As this is a safety issue I would get them replaced with Stainless Steel Teflon lines - Spiegler is my preferred brand. I have replaced many sets.
It would not be the first time that I replaced a set of lines, flushed thoroughly and then was able to reset the ABS fault.

Click to expand...

Interesting about the brake lines. I still have rubber brake lines, although they have been replaced at one time or another. I may need to double check those first, before I pull the module. Thanks for the info, GSAddict.

WWeldin said:

Not sure which ABS you have on that RT, but you may want to give these folks a call/email and see what they think. https://modulemaster.com/rebuilds/shop/brakes/abs-modules/abs-fte-abs2/

My C has ABSII and I have found a piston fault code. 113,000 miles with fluid changes every year or every other year and still get fault codes. A couple of years ago the fault code occurred and fluid change (flush) resolved it, but it returned last year and I cannot get it to clear, hence the need for Module Masters. I plan on removing and sending out the ABS pump sometime this summer. For now I just right without the aid of ABS. I have read somewhere that if the ABS does not get "exercised" enough on a regular basis that a small amount old fluid may never really get flused out of the pump. I guess mine was due to fail eventually. Who knows? The price to have it rebuilt with a 5 year warranty cannot be beat, though.

Click to expand...

My '00 GS has ABS II. I flush every year since 8 months old.
SS lines since 2007
Modulator has 200,000+ miles on it. Never shipped a beat.
And yes, I do exercise it once every couple of months.

Good stuff. Thanks.

Thank you

WWeldin said:

Not sure which ABS you have on that RT, but you may want to give these folks a call/email and see what they think. https://modulemaster.com/rebuilds/shop/brakes/abs-modules/abs-fte-abs2/

My C has ABSII and I have found a piston fault code. 113,000 miles with fluid changes every year or every other year and still get fault codes. A couple of years ago the fault code occurred and fluid change (flush) resolved it, but it returned last year and I cannot get it to clear, hence the need for Module Masters. I plan on removing and sending out the ABS pump sometime this summer. For now I just right without the aid of ABS. I have read somewhere that if the ABS does not get "exercised" enough on a regular basis that a small amount old fluid may never really get flused out of the pump. I guess mine was due to fail eventually. Who knows? The price to have it rebuilt with a 5 year warranty cannot be beat, though.

Click to expand...

GSAddict said:

Welome to the forum.

A common problem on that series of bike.
Your bike has servo ABS3 which if not serviced/flushed on a yearly basis is prone to failure.
There is a company that rebuilds these modules and offers a warranty. Contact them by phone (they were doing them a few months ago)
https://modulemaster.com/rebuilds/shop/brakes/abs-modules/abs-fte-abs3/
Another option is to bypass the module, many have done that. The bike will brake normally but not have the ABS option.
Lots written on these forums on how to.

Question: Does your bike have the original black rubber brake lines? If so your problem may linked to them
They are all deteriorating and can cause ABS faults. (no to mention balloning on hard braking causing total loss of braking on that circuit)
As this is a safety issue I would get them replaced with Stainless Steel Teflon lines - Spiegler is my preferred brand. I have replaced many sets.
It would not be the first time that I replaced a set of lines, flushed thoroughly and then was able to reset the ABS fault.


Note: if you look at the bottom of this page you will see links to similar questions.

Click to expand...

Thank you to you both WWeldin and GSAddict.
I do not remember having ever change the break lines. I will suggest it to my mechanic. Also I have sent an email to Module master. looks like I can get something done less expensive than getting a new module and that what was I was trying to understand....
Again Thanks

Denis

Denis, let us know what Modulemasters has to say about the repair.


Edit: 2/20/2019
Sent an email to Modulemasters - reply below.

"We are not officially rebuilding these modules- Currently we're working through our waiting list. Once we've served everyone on the list, then the service will become available. If you would like to be added to the waiting list, please let me know."

I talked to Tyler (ModuleMaster) a few weeks ago. They are rebuilding them but they are working through a substantial backlog so maybe they are not taking in new work yet. It seems that the most common failures are the pressure sensors, the motors and the circuit boards. The valves and solenoids, not so much although it's simple to pull out a valve body and inspect the screen for debris. I've replaced a motor, and sensors would be similar (it's just some careful disassembly and reassembly); you just need a donor unit. I also repaired a blown trace on a circuit board although I will send those to MM given the chance. I have a second R1150RT with a bad pump motor in the shop now and will probably replace that one today. It may also have another issue like a bad switch.

Bottom line is these are repairable and sometimes it's pretty basic. It starts with knowing exactly what is wrong, and that starts with a bit of understanding and a diagnostic tool like the GS911. The GS911 will list a "bad motor" fault.

AntonLargiader said:

I talked to Tyler (ModuleMaster) a few weeks ago. They are rebuilding them but they are working through a substantial backlog so maybe they are not taking in new work yet. It seems that the most common failures are the pressure sensors, the motors and the circuit boards. The valves and solenoids, not so much although it's simple to pull out a valve body and inspect the screen for debris. I've replaced a motor, and sensors would be similar (it's just some careful disassembly and reassembly); you just need a donor unit. I also repaired a blown trace on a circuit board although I will send those to MM given the chance. I have a second R1150RT with a bad pump motor in the shop now and will probably replace that one today. It may also have another issue like a bad switch.

Bottom line is these are repairable and sometimes it's pretty basic. It starts with knowing exactly what is wrong, and that starts with a bit of understanding and a diagnostic tool like the GS911. The GS911 will list a "bad motor" fault.

Click to expand...

I have done a couple as well, the trick is to have donor units on hand.
Tamper proof 5 point torx bits are mandatory for earlier unit disassembly. On later units the Triangle heads are drilled off and the bolts replaced with new Phillips head.
The power Mosfets that short when the motor fails are available on eBay.
The GS911 is invaluable for troubleshooting/monitoring.

Hi Denis... PM me if you want to discuss some options.

Does anyone know what it is about +1 year old brake fluid that causes these things to fail?

Rinty said:

Does anyone know what it is about +1 year old brake fluid that causes these things to fail?

Click to expand...

Part of that may be the moisture (from atmosphere) getting absorbed into the fluid, but the real question is how old are the brake lines? Are they rubber? The degradation of the interior of those lines may add to the "+1 year old brake fluid that causes these things to fail"

My C has the ABSII on it and a piston fault code is the culprit. 2000 model with 113,7xx miles on it, the fluid is flushed annually. The brake lines are OEM rubber, but not the originals. Each have been replaced at least twice, but I often wonder about the interior of those lines getting sediment in the ABS unit, even though the fluid gets flushed regularly. However, another thought is that the ABS unit itself really does not get exercised enough (if at all) to thoroughly flush out the unit.

Just a thought.......or two