Fuel strip dies again, and again, and again,.......

[Fubar]

An FYI: Just used the extended fuel strip warranty for the second time in about 9 months.

Including the originally installed strip, this should be number 8 and the first one to die at the gas station at fill up.

And somewhat sadly the shop had to put 2 in before they got one to work. Apparently the replacement parts are still shite. Yippee.

[Dann]

Sorry to hear that you had so many problems with the fuel strip.

 

I guess I'm lucky. My 07 (92,000km) still has the original fuel strip.

 

Some people mentioned that gas containing ethanol could be the cause of failing strips.

 

In my area, the Shell VPower is pure gas. That's what I use most of the time.

[Dave_in_TX]

Sorry to hear that you had so many problems with the fuel strip.

 

I guess I'm lucky. My 07 (92,000km) still has the original fuel strip.

 

Some people mentioned that gas containing ethanol could be the cause of failing strips.

 

In my area, the Shell VPower is pure gas. That's what I use most of the time.

 

My 07 RT had 140k MILES on it and the original fuel strip when I traded it in. Probably about the last 80K was with gas containing ethanol.

[racer7]

You've got a long way to go before you get to complain too loudly.

I believe the current record for fuel strip replacements on one bike is 9.

[Fubar]

Sweet, 2 more and I tie the record! Whoo hoo. And I have 5 3/4 years of the extended, 12 year, warranty.

I've only 30,000 miles on an '09 which works out to one every 4,300 miles or so. More often, on average, than service intervals.

[PZP]

For what it's worth, and nothing but an anecdotal experience...

but ever since I've been using BMW's fuel additive along with Bell Performance Ethanol Defense gas treatment, I've haven't had a fuel strip go bad in about 2 years. Prior to that, the strip was being replaced once and sometimes twice a season.

[lawnchairboy]

Strange, my 06' is still on the original. I use ethanol treatment intermittently.

[rglassma]

I have had 5 strips and 4 were replacements. I have 60,000 on mine. Please tell me what is ethynol treatment? Is that the same as the Chevron gas treatment with techron? I use that occasionally. Is there something better?

[w2ge]

Weird thing is... Why on some bikes does it die over and over and on some never.. In their I think may be a clue. I'm wondering if the voltage that goes through that strip is the culprit, and some bikes are not regulating it well. I mean why has my bike never needed one and some eat them regularly.

 

P.S. I do pray to Voldemort every PM regarding the health of my fuel strip😀

[Ponch]

The clue that the fuel strip was a bad idea was BMW going to a float on the 2010 and later models.

[CoarsegoldKid]

Weird thing is... Why on some bikes does it die over and over and on some never.. In there I think may be a clue. I'm wondering if the voltage that goes through that strip is the culprit, and some bikes are not regulating it well. I mean why has my bike never needed one and some eat them regularly.

 

Yeah, something is weird alright. My hasn't failed either and it's 10 years old. On the other hand it eats headlight bulbs to keep the designers happy.

[JayJay]

Weird thing is... Why on some bikes does it die over and over and on some never.. In their I think may be a clue. I'm wondering if the voltage that goes through that strip is the culprit, and some bikes are not regulating it well. I mean why has my bike never needed one and some eat them regularly.

 

P.S. I do pray to Voldemort every PM regarding the health of my fuel strip😀

Speaking of Voldemort, the Washington Post is reporting that in a recent poll he had a less unfavorable (or more favorable, depending on your perspective) rating than many of the 2016 presidential candidates.

 

And I'm taking my RT in next week for the rear flange recall, and having them put fuel strip #5 in while it's there. First one lasted 50K+ miles, none of the replacements have been really worth a damn.

 

JayJay

[Dann]

I'm going next week for a fuel strip replacement also.

My original one has been giving me false readings for a couple of weeks.(94,000km)

BMW will replace it as a "goodwill gesture" since their extended warranty does not apply to Canadian bikes.

[Mike T]

My 2006 R1200RT fuel strip worked fine until 20011 when I put gas it from the right side of the tank (with bike on side stand). Gas came shooting out of the tank opening when I was filling it due to the high pressure of the pump and the bad angle of the nozzle. Then the gage showed more gas in the tank until I ran out of gas with the gage showing 1/3 of a tank left. I ignored it for a few years and last Oct I had it replaced under warranty. The new one worked on the way home from the dealer then the bike was put away with a full tank for the winter. The first time I rode it this year I didn't make it out of the driveway when the yellow triangle light up saying I was out of gas. Now I have to look at the warning light all the time. Will try another fuel strip when I get the rear flange replaced.

 

Is there a way to simply disconnect the strip so the warning light isn't flashing? (besides covering it with electrical tape).

 

Thanks

[dirtrider]

 

Is there a way to simply disconnect the strip so the warning light isn't flashing? (besides covering it with electrical tape).

 

Afternoon Mike

 

Not an EASY way but there is a way if you want to make & install a resistor bridge.

 

 

[JayJay]

Is there a way to simply disconnect the strip so the warning light isn't flashing? (besides covering it with electrical tape).

 

Thanks

That's how I do it - I carry a strip of black electrical tape that is just the right size to cover the blinky light. New fuel strip it comes off and gets stored under the glovebox lid. When that fuel strip fails it goes back on again. Have done this several times now ...

 

JayJay

[w2ge]

^^^LOL!

 

 

Here's my tip, bike always on side stand, always,always fill from the left side of your bike... And pray to Voldemort. My strip has never gone bad.

[BigTup]

It can't be trusted. Use your trip odometer and quit thinking about it.

[Killian]

My first strip died around 25k.

I'm a little over 27k and my 4th strip is now toast.

The dealership is out of my way so it's always a pain for me to get there.

[Dann]

Dealer installed the new strip yesterday.

I was worried that it was defective already since I had 300km on the odo and it was showing 3/4 full.

 

I stopped for fuel expecting to add around 18-20L but it was full after adding only 7L. (Full tank is 26L)

 

They added about 1/2 tank of fuel when they changed the strip and didn't tell me.

 

Everything is working fine for now.

 

 

 

[ScottT]

I think you're you're on to something about the voltage regulation. Seems to be the only thing that makes sense. I've had my RT for 10 yrs and 2 months and the bike has 116k. Still has the original fuel strip and I've changed a grand total of three low beam headlight bulbs. That's it. I was very lucky in that I got an exceptionally good bike.

[Guest Kakugo]

I think you're you're on to something about the voltage regulation. Seems to be the only thing that makes sense. I've had my RT for 10 yrs and 2 months and the bike has 116k. Still has the original fuel strip and I've changed a grand total of three low beam headlight bulbs. That's it. I was very lucky in that I got an exceptionally good bike.

 

Voltage may be just part of the problem.

My RT has about 100,000km on it and I blew more headlight bulbs than I care to remember. Plus has two batteries go in three years.

Touching wood, still on the original fuel strip. Only issue I've had with it was at around 40,000km it did a "funny dance" after filling up, going up to full, then down a third, then up to full again, then down a quarter and finally settling to full.

Never understood what caused that and since it happened only once in almost six years of ownership I chalked it down to the Machine Spirit having a bad day.

[Fubar]

Guess I'm glad my headlights are going out. Of course, I swapped the OEM bulbs for HIDs years ago so maybe the ballast is smoothing out any voltage issues that would have cropped up?

Oh well, fingers crossed and motoring on.

[Bud]

Guess I'm glad my headlights are going out. Of course, I swapped the OEM bulbs for HIDs years ago so maybe the ballast is smoothing out any voltage issues that would have cropped up?

Oh well, fingers crossed and motoring on.

 

POST 363 on This thread

[Bud]

Had mine replaced 4 weeks ago (Foot told me it was bad when I bought the bike). The new one is now bad.

[speedybee]

Third fuel strip failed on the second ride after having it replaced. The new one lasted less than 20 miles. BMW...please figure this out!!!

[MarkieMarkH]

To the guys who have had bad luck with fuel strips: Are you using battery chargers? If yes, what is your charger voltage? Some service managers have been quoted as saying chargers under 0.75 amps should be ok, but these bikes' computers (and fuel strips) are also directly connected to the charger via the battery at that point. I'm wondering if the chargers are putting out too many amps and zapping the strip? Conversely, a question to the guys who don't use chargers and have good luck: Do you ride often, causing the alternator to not have to charge harder to bring the battery back up? I wonder if the fuel strips are the weak link in the electrical system?

Edited September 14, 2015 by MarkieMarkH

[Guest Kakugo]

To the guys who have had bad luck with fuel strips: Are you using battery chargers? If yes, what is your charger voltage? Some service managers have been quoted as saying chargers under 0.75 amps should be ok, but these bikes' computers (and fuel strips) are also directly connected to the charger via the battery at that point. I'm wondering if the chargers are putting out too many amps and zapping the strip? Conversely, a question to the guys who don't use chargers and have good luck: Do you ride often, causing the alternator to not have to charge harder to bring the battery back up? I wonder if the fuel strips are the weak link in the electrical system?

 

I use a 7A charger, but not regularly as the bike is ridden all year around.

 

Honestly I think the problem is a combination of overambitious design, defective QC (at least on some batches), fuel and God knows only what else.

[dirtrider]

To the guys who have had bad luck with fuel strips: Are you using battery chargers? If yes, what is your charger voltage? Some service managers have been quoted as saying chargers under 0.75 amps should be ok, but these bikes' computers (and fuel strips) are also directly connected to the charger via the battery at that point. I'm wondering if the chargers are putting out too many amps and zapping the strip? Conversely, a question to the guys who don't use chargers and have good luck: Do you ride often, causing the alternator to not have to charge harder to bring the battery back up? I wonder if the fuel strips are the weak link in the electrical system?

 

Morning MarkieMarkH

 

If too many amps is what is killing off the fuel strips then you don't even want to start the engine as the alternator is capable of putting out 55 amps (that is WAY/WAY above that service mananger's smoke screen comment of 0.75 amps).

 

My personal 1200RT is over 8 fuel strips now & I never use a battery charger in the summer & disconnect the battery for winter storage.

 

2 of my early fuel strip failures were right after a R/H side fuel fill up (I usually fill from the left side but could only find an open pump from the right). I thought at one time that had a bearing but my friend with a similar bike almost always fills from the right & he has only had one fuel strip failure in 60,XXX miles of riding.

 

Only real difference between my friend's bike & mine as far as fuel strip failures go is he lives in town very near a gas station so he seldom fills his tank all the way to the top. On the other hand I live a long ways from any gas stations so fill my tank to the top as far as possible & that does keep the top of the fuel strip (where all the connections are) under fuel most of the time.

 

I also live in an area where it has been suspected for a long time that some of the hazardous waste haulers are dumping their heavy metal containing waste in the fuel supply to get rid of it cheaply (mostly in diesel fuel but who knows).

[RobinW]

I've finally opened my wallet to have mine replaced so I get the dismal 2 year warranty they are offering down here.

It's been faulty since I bought the bike but she goes in next week for a new fuel pump under the recall so an ideal time.

They already did the flange but had run out of fuel pumps that day, yeah thanks for that.

This'll be the first time I've paid a bike shop for labour in over 15 years. Alert the media ...

[CrashTestMedic]

Oh man, I just bought an 08 R1200rt. Did all my research on Canbus issues and confirmed this shouldn't be an issue. Did not see fuel strip issues until now! What's the typical labor time and parts cost for this fix in the US?

[w2ge]

Oh man, I just bought an 08 R1200rt. Did all my research on Canbus issues and confirmed this shouldn't be an issue. Did not see fuel strip issues until now! What's the typical labor time and parts cost for this fix in the US?

 

Should be NONE, BMW gave owners a 12 year from date of manufacture warranty.

[CrashTestMedic]

Should be NONE, BMW gave owners a 12 year from date of manufacture warranty.

 

Well that answers another question, "How many fuel strips does one buy (and pay for labor) before just relying on a trip odo old school style?" This makes me feel better as long as the warranty transfers from old to new owners.

 

So far fuel gauge seems fine. I'll plan on stocking up on a few light bulbs and sleep better tonight.

[dirtrider]

"How many fuel strips does one buy (and pay for labor) before just relying on a trip odo old school style?"

 

Morning idcdork

 

It might not be that simple-- In a lot of cases when the fuel strip fails it illuminates a big ole bright yellow annoying light on the dash. That yellow light has a non removable bulb & is also used to signal other types of engine failures.

Edited September 17, 2015 by dirtrider

[speedybee]

Exactly DR...

 

It is very annoying being distracted by the big bright yellow idiot light AND the flashing fuel pump icon all the time on a bike that is supposedly considered an upscale ride. And there is no real f-in fix for this? So much for the superiority of German engineering.

[w2ge]

They fixed it, in late 2010 production BMW switched over to a float system.

 

Mine is still working 100%, and the original... But that's only cause I have a set procedure, time, sun position, and I've given my bikes soul over to Voldemort. :-)

[Fubar]

Speaking of Voldemort, the Washington Post is reporting that in a recent poll he had a less unfavorable (or more favorable, depending on your perspective) rating than many of the 2016 presidential candidates.

 

Let's leave FL governor Scott out of this! He's busy doing nothing useful. Besides, politics is verboten. Jeez.

[Ponch]

Speaking of Voldemort, the Washington Post is reporting that in a recent poll he had a less unfavorable (or more favorable, depending on your perspective) rating than many of the 2016 presidential candidates.

 

Let's leave FL governor Scott out of this! He's busy doing nothing useful. Besides, politics is verboten. Jeez.

 

Boehner is crying again. I saw it on Drudge. I wondered may be he had a final drive failure or leaky water pump. May be both.

[Fubar]

Speaking of Voldemort, the Washington Post is reporting that in a recent poll he had a less unfavorable (or more favorable, depending on your perspective) rating than many of the 2016 presidential candidates.

 

Let's leave FL governor Scott out of this! He's busy doing nothing useful. Besides, politics is verboten. Jeez.

 

Boehner is crying again. I saw it on Drudge. I wondered may be he had a final drive failure or leaky water pump. May be both.

I read on The Onion it was because a ladybug landed on an old rag he was going to throw away. Really sent him over the edge.

[erikrichard]

'06 with 120k miles, still on the original working fuel strip.

[speedybee]

I have an '09 and I am on my third replacement fuel strip with only 24,000 miles. I wonder if the problem is more prevalent depending on the year ('05 thru '09)? The first failure on my '09 occurred around 20,000 miles.

[DiverRay]

I just turned 67K on my '07. Dealer replaced the fuel strip, that was working, when he did the rear flange and fuel pump. San Jose BMW will NOT see me again, as I need a good shop to work on my bike when I deem it. So far, everything is working well, and yes, I went with the HID's because of the low beams going every few months...I ride a LOT.

[Killian]

I have an 08 RT with just under 25k miles.

I had no fuel strip problems prior to 19k but I've blown through 5 fuel strips between 19k and my current mileage. The most recent one didn't last 48 hours after getting home from the dealership. I've been waiting for the temperatures to dip below 104 before I take my bike in for strip number 6.

 

 

[speedybee]

I just turned 67K on my '07. Dealer replaced the fuel strip, that was working, when he did the rear flange and fuel pump. San Jose BMW will NOT see me again, as I need a good shop to work on my bike when I deem it. So far, everything is working well, and yes, I went with the HID's because of the low beams going every few months...I ride a LOT.

 

DiverRay...So the dealer replaced a fuel strip that WAS working???

 

 

[DiverRay]

Yes, as they wanted to replace ANYTHING that was on a recall. They said I had not had brake lines done, and want the bike back to do them. I'm not going back, as I have a local, VERY GOOD indy shop. They DID manage to break a fuel fitting doing the "pump recall", and charged me $54 for it and the "extra" 10 minutes it took to replace it.

I do almost ALL my own work on bikes, and had one in a show this year at Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley. Ben's shop did the work on a BMW that placed 2nd in class at the show, and I rode with the owner of the bike on the Friday before the show. It ran like new, so that is a plus for his work.

[marcopolo]

... They DID manage to break a fuel fitting doing the "pump recall", and charged me $54 for it and the "extra" 10 minutes it took to replace it.

...

 

I may have misread this, but you didn't pay a dealer for something they broke while doing a recall, did you?

[Guest Kakugo]

... They DID manage to break a fuel fitting doing the "pump recall", and charged me $54 for it and the "extra" 10 minutes it took to replace it.

...

 

I may have misread this, but you didn't pay a dealer for something they broke while doing a recall, did you?

 

It could be worse. Years ago I brought my second Triumph Speed Triple to have new steering stem bearings installed.

A few days after picking up the bike, while cleaning it, I noticed one of the headlight stays (it was the last of the single headlight models) was broken and had been repaired with superglue!

In all honesty it had been done very craftily and was only visibile if you looked close enough but still I could not but let my irritation be known....

[RoyTemple]

I have not read through this entire thread but wanted to add my story to it. My bike would not start in my garage a month or so ago and I trailered it to my dealer who was unable to diagnose the problem but said the problem fixed itself while in there shop. I rode it home and parked in my garage again. The gas gauge indicated I had about 70 miles to empty and has always been quite accurate.

 

Weather was nice yesterday so I took the bike out and headed for an intended 40 mile ride and planned a fill up on the way home. About 10 miles in, the bike sputtered and died. I have AMA Roadside service and called them. In about an hour, a wrecker with a driver and helper with experience with loading and unloading bikes arrived. They took me to the dealer, less than 35 miles and thus, "free".

 

The dealer diagnosed it as a bad fuel sensor this time. Replace the fuel sensor. They had put in maybe 1/2 gallon of gas. Gauge now reads 70 miles to empty. I filled it up on the ride home. It then read 300 to empty which has been my normal experience. I was advised to monitor my mileage per fill up as these fuel strips have a history of being unreliable. Will do. Will also probably carry a quart of gas just in case.

 

The bike is a 2005 RT with 46K miles, all mine. First and hopefully last experience the the Fuel Strip Sensor issue. They replaced it under warranty.

[racer7]

With all those bikes in your sig line surely you know better than to rely on an indirect software thing like a fuel strip!

Reset T1 at fillup and fuel every 225 miles and you'll never be short.

Edited December 19, 2015 by racer7

[dirtrider]

Will also probably carry a quart of gas just in case.

 

 

Afternoon Roy

 

On the 1200RT you are already carrying an extra quart+ of fuel with you. That much or more gets trapped in the R/H lower wing of the fuel tank. If the bike runs out of fuel when riding straight up just lean the bike way over to the left (might need help with this)-- or put your coat on the ground under the L/H valve cover then lay the bike over on the coat, then lift it up start the engine & ride off. Won't get you a long ways but should be enough to get your off the freeway & hopefully to a nearby gas station.