In-Tank Wiring - R1150RT

[MarkAZ]

Greetings all..

 

It's been a LONG time since I was on here. Due to a move, the pandemic, and lately some health issues my 2004 R1150RT has been parked for the past few years. I have run it periodically but haven't been able to ride it. I think I'm ready & able to ride now but it wouldn't start the other day. I traced it to a non-functioning fuel pump so pulled the tank & opened it up. Of course the several month old gas was bad despite having used Stabil...yuck! I found quite a mess...the strainer sock was completely disintegrated, the vent tubing is all cracked, and almost all the insulation has flaked off the wires.  I last replaced the filter & hoses shortly after I bought the bike in 2014 so maybe I shouldn't be surprised.

 

To get the the point, I've ordered new pump, filter, hoses, etc but I'm not sure what to do about the insulation on the wires. I read in another thread about using tygon tubing and I have some of that. The problem would be slipping it onto the wire over the connectors. I can un-solder the wires from the feed-thrus and slip it on from that end & re-solder but I'm not sure if I could do that without damaging the feed-thrus, I don't know if they'd withstand the soldering heat. I also have some teflon insulated wire that's about the same gauge as what's there but I don't know if it's fuel resistant and I'd have to solder it too. So, what's the conventional wisdom on that? I don't know where to get fuel resistant wire & I'll bet it'd be pricey.

 

Also, I have some tygon tubing that's the same ID as the vent hoses. Would it be usable for them?

 

Any advice will be appreciated.

 

Mark

[Redfoxx]

Mark

 

I did some googling and sounds like you want Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)/(Teflon). PTFE is resistant to lubricants and fuels, very flexible, plus it has excellent thermal and electrical properties. And you have some. 

 

https://www.euromotoelectrics.com/  Has some of the crimp on end for some BMW connectors, Not sure if they have the fuel connector coupler pins for your bike or not. Maybe a place to start. 

 

Your bike is same model and age as mine. I am guessing the heat you have down there is more a culprit with the age. I just replaced all my hoses after 21 years of northern Minnesota and Wisconsin vent hoses where just starting to crack on the outside covering and all my wires looked good this time.  

 

RF

[dirtrider]

10 hours ago, MarkAZ said:

Greetings all..

 

It's been a LONG time since I was on here. Due to a move, the pandemic, and lately some health issues my 2004 R1150RT has been parked for the past few years. I have run it periodically but haven't been able to ride it. I think I'm ready & able to ride now but it wouldn't start the other day. I traced it to a non-functioning fuel pump so pulled the tank & opened it up. Of course the several month old gas was bad despite having used Stabil...yuck! I found quite a mess...the strainer sock was completely disintegrated, the vent tubing is all cracked, and almost all the insulation has flaked off the wires.  I last replaced the filter & hoses shortly after I bought the bike in 2014 so maybe I shouldn't be surprised.

 

To get the the point, I've ordered new pump, filter, hoses, etc but I'm not sure what to do about the insulation on the wires. I read in another thread about using tigon tubing and I have some of that. The problem would be slipping it onto the wire over the connectors. I can un-solder the wires from the feed-thrus and slip it on from that end & re-solder but I'm not sure if I could do that without damaging the feed-thrus, I don't know if they'd withstand the soldering heat. I also have some teflon insulated wire that's about the same gauge as what's there but I don't know if it's fuel resistant and I'd have to solder it too. So, what's the conventional wisdom on that? I don't know where to get fuel resistant wire & I'll bet it'd be pricey.

 

Also, I have some tygon tubing that's the same ID as the vent hoses. Would it be usable for them?

 

Any advice will be appreciated.

 

Mark

Morning Mark

 

Personally I wouldn't unsolder/resolder those pass-through joints if you can avoid it as those can start leaking if the soldering is bit too hot.

 

There are a couple of work-arounds, there is a fuel submersible convoluted wire covering (it isn't split but you could split it for short runs). It is used a lot in OEM in-fuel-tank wire protection. 

 

I have no idea where you can purchase it but  it is available. If you have a friendly BMW dealer you might ask them if they have any old BMW 1200 failed fuel strips. Those fuel strips use a fuel resistant convoluted covering (you would probably have to split it then use a couple of very small zip ties to hold it closed.

 

Or you could split your Tygon tubing then use those small zip ties to close the gap in a few places to hold it on the wiring. 

 

The wires really can operate bare, the covering is mostly used to prevent shorting to other wires, or to the float arm (if it ever touches), or the to the pass through (doubtful if a wire could touch that but you never know. 

 

You might also try a couple of nearby auto dealers or repair shops as they might have an old (removed) fuel sensor from a past repair laying around), as I mentioned above, a number of those use fuel resistant convoluted wire covering. 

 

If you want to spend the time then you can split a small diameter Tygon tubing, then slide that over the wire,  then split a larger size Tygon tubing then slide that over the smaller diameter Tygon that was already installed. Just run the tubing gaps at 180° from each other.

 

You might need a couple of zip ties to begin with but after it is immersed in fuel for a while  that Tygon will harden up somewhat  so the outer Tygon will retain it's shape. 

 

[jascoi]

good practice for a surgeon.

[MarkAZ]

Update on this...I managed to get some tygon tubing on all the non-ground wires on the fuel pump assembly. On a couple I managed to slit the tubing and get the wires into it. On the hot lead to the fuel pump I cut the wire near the pump connector, slipped the tubing over the wire, and the soldered the wire back together. I think it will work to keep them from shorting to ground, esp. once the tubing hardens. The next owner will have to deal with that. :)

 

One more question...is the float arm on the pump assembly the fuel gauge sender? I checked it with an ohmmeter and the only connectivity is near one end of the rotation. If it's the fuel sender I'd expect the resistance to vary as the arm moved. Or is it the low fuel warning sender and the other assembly, the long tubular one, the fuel gauge sender? I haven't checked it yet. The wires to it need some insulation also, that's the next phase. The Clymer manual is not very detailed.

 

Onward & upward...

 

[dirtrider]

7 hours ago, MarkAZ said:

Update on this...I managed to get some tygon tubing on all the non-ground wires on the fuel pump assembly. On a couple I managed to slit the tubing and get the wires into it. On the hot lead to the fuel pump I cut the wire near the pump connector, slipped the tubing over the wire, and the soldered the wire back together. I think it will work to keep them from shorting to ground, esp. once the tubing hardens. The next owner will have to deal with that. :)

 

One more question...is the float arm on the pump assembly the fuel gauge sender? I checked it with an ohmmeter and the only connectivity is near one end of the rotation. If it's the fuel sender I'd expect the resistance to vary as the arm moved. Or is it the low fuel warning sender and the other assembly, the long tubular one, the fuel gauge sender? I haven't checked it yet. The wires to it need some insulation also, that's the next phase. The Clymer manual is not very detailed.

 

Onward & upward...

 

Morning   Mark

 

That float is the LOW FUEL sender (puts the low fuel light on), the actual fuel gauge sender is the vertical tube near the center of the tank  with a sliding float inside the tube. 

 

That float tube has 2 wires coming from it that plug into the back of the fuel pump pass through plate. 

[MarkAZ]

Thanks, DR. That's what I thought but wanted to confirm.