Corrosion Problem with 50A Fuse Holder on 2016RT

While helping find this 50A fuse on a 2014RT as posted by user 61249…I discovered a problem on my own 2016RT.

My location of the 50A fuse is right under the riders seat on the RH side of the ECU, where it's shown in the Owners Manual on Pg 14 & 148.

The issue with mine was that one of the 2 terminals (on the aft end) of the 50A fuse is only covered with black fabric tape, and the plastic housing that holds the fuse is clipped tight to the ECU.
The thickness of this tape is so thin that any moisture that gets between the edge of the ECU and the terminal of the 50A fuse covered in this tape can cause current to flow to the case of the ECU. There is no way to prevent all cases of water intrusion into this area under the seat, so it could happen to anyones bike I'm afraid.

In my case, I can see evidence of white oxidation on the edge of the ECU case and the tape covering the terminal of this direct connection to the battery thru the 50A fuse.


My solution was to insulate the connection from contact with the ECU with a couple of thick/wide zip ties.
I didn't want to make any kind of layer of plastic/insulator that would trap additional water or change the way that this fuse is designed to be cooled/protected/housed…whatever the BMW engineers had in mind.


I'm looking into a more elegant solution, and will post something if I figure it out, but wanted to get this out there so you may be able to discover any issue with your bike.
This may have been a contributing factor in my unexpected dead battery at a normal fueling stop last year when my battery seemed to just "die".

Well done
OM

SOLUTION TO PROBLEM

I worked out a simple resolution to the issue of current leakage from the lugs of the 50A Fuse to the alloy case of the ECU because of moisture.

The first pic is an excerpt from the Repair DVD showing the fabric adhesive tape that absorbed/held water that was my problem I discovered.

My zip tie method is pretty simple and shouldn't allow water to bridge the small gap between the high current wire directly from the battery thru the lugs to the ECU.
I wanted to prevent a continuous layer type of insulating shield along the bottom of the plastic fuse holder that could trap and then hold water between either the lugs or the ECU.

You may not EVER have a problem, but it may be the cause of a totally drained battery that left me stranded at a fuel stop.

No Corrosion on my 2017 RT

After seeing the corrosion of Boxflyer's '15 RT above, I thought I would look at mine to see if I had a similar issue. As it turns out, mine is fine. My 2017 RT has 20k miles, and has been operated primarily in the dry mountain west. And I rarely ride on roads that have been mag'd. So, I have fewer miles, fewer years, and less exposure to corrosive road treatments.

Cap