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iABS warning lights 2004 R1150RT


RoanokeRider

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RoanokeRider

My warning lights are behaving strangely beginning this past weekend and continuing thru today. With key turn on, sometimes they will behave normally but other times one or both lights are on steady. After starting the bike and riding off, most of the time the top (general warning) light will go out but the bottom (brake failure) light will stay on steady. Less often the top light stays on and the bottom one goes out. Even less often both stay lite. Once in a while they both go out as is normal. Turning the key off and restarting the sequence does not seem to change things.

 

Both brakes seem to be working normally. I have not tried the ABS. The riders manual says that with the top light off and the bottom light staady, only residual braking is available. Apparently my bike has not read that part of the manual and has normal braking. Any advice or assistance is greatly appreciated.

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Some suggestions. For the brake light failure I would check the rear bulb and make sure both elements are working, 21w for stop and 5w for taillight. It make need a bulb replacement or the contact is bad. If both elements are working clean up the bulb contacts and maybe apply some bulb grease to improve the electrical contact. Have you completed a brake system flush this season? I have an 04 R1100A ABS with servo pump system and make sure I do a flush every year to keep things clean. Maybe the system is not meeting the required pressure and throwing the warning light.

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Morning Bill

 

When the brake warning lights start acting erratic in a lot of cases the brake fluid level is low in one of the ABS wheel side circuits (controller under gas tank).

 

You can sometimes tell if this is the case by prying back the front & rear brake pads then slowly riding off (under safe circumstances as you will have to pump the brakes to stop first stop)

 

If the warning light go off & stay off during the ride off then you have a good chance of having a low wheel side brake reservoir.

 

Otherwise you might need to check the wheel speed sensors for rub-through & operation.

 

As for "Both brakes seem to be working normally" that is sometimes difficult to tell as you might only have one end working but that end works OK from both brake lever & foot pedal. (usually front works but rear doesn't)

 

Find a slick dirt road & see if you can get wheel lock-up on either or both front & rear wheel.

 

A rear tail light or brake light bulb being out will not put on both the brake & general lights (only the general light)

 

Otherwise you might need a GS-911 or dealer computer to read the captured brake failure codes.

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sometimes they will behave normally but other times one or both lights are on steady. After starting the bike and riding off, most of the time the top (general warning) light will go out but the bottom (brake failure) light will stay on steady. Less often the top light stays on and the bottom one goes out. Even less often both stay lite.

 

Morning (again) Bill

 

I guess I should add that the brake failure light being on steady with the general light not being on is not a usual failure mode (usually flashes fast or slowly or on steady with general light also being on).

 

I'm not sure what that is telling us but last one I worked on that had no general light on & a steady brake failure light on needed a new brake controller (lets hope your problem is something simple)

 

Added: can you hear the brake light switch lightly click when you slowly operate the front brake lever (key-off)? --can you hear the brake light switch lightly click when you slowly operate the rear brake pedal (key-off)?

 

Does the rear brake light work from both the front lever & rear pedal (key-on)?

Edited by dirtrider
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RoanokeRider

DR, I just went out to the parking lot and tried to here the clicks from the brake switches but it is to noisy. I will try tonight in my garage. The brake light does light with both the lever and pedal and the wizzy brake activates with both.

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RoanokeRider

Brakes were done in the summer when new lines were installed. I'll clean the bulb and socket but that is generally the top light.

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RoanokeRider

The battery is less then a year old and starts the bike fine. Since it looks likely that I'll be pulling the tupperware, I will check the connections anyway.

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DR, I just went out to the parking lot and tried to here the clicks from the brake switches but it is to noisy. I will try tonight in my garage. The brake light does light with both the lever and pedal and the wizzy brake activates with both.

 

Afternoon Bill

 

If the brake lights are working from both lever & pedal then most likely the brake switches are working. (they aren't occasionally sticking ON are they?)

 

You can probably save yourself a lot of Tupperware removals & problems if you can find someone in your area with a GS-911 to read your trapped brake codes.

Edited by dirtrider
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RoanokeRider

I don't know anybody with GS911 that does not need all of thier slots. :( The dealer can read them Fri AM. Anything special I should ask about? This will be the bikes first visit to a dealer shop since I bought her in 2008.

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I don't know anybody with GS911 that does not need all of thier slots. :( The dealer can read them Fri AM. Anything special I should ask about? This will be the bikes first visit to a dealer shop since I bought her in 2008.

 

Afternoon Bill

 

Shouldn't need any slots in the GS-911 just to read brake codes. The GS-911 is set up that way so a rider with a GS-911 can help a fellow rider if problems on the road.

 

You do need a slot (or unlimited GS-911) to do some service resets & service things though.

 

 

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RoanokeRider

Ok, latest update, only person that I know that still has a GS911 is out of town. Both the front and rear switches do click when activated. On the way home yesterday the bottom light was lit, as I turned a sharp corner to the right, I noticed that the top light came on briefly. This morning the lights acted normally on start up. This time I paid attention and the top light came on briefly at each tight corner. Is it time to check the wheel circuit reservoirs now? Keep in mind that I have a sidecar so the bike stays upright on corners. Could all of this be related to low fluid? I sure hope so.

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Yes, maybe.

What type of setup?

As in leaning/etc, is the side car tied in w/brakes?

Did it happen with turns, bumps, both?

Perhaps when you had the brakes done, well, they weren't quite

right and it is appearing.

My bike has multiple resevoirs and sadly, one time a tech didn't put the right amt in the difficult to reach one.

Bike worked fine, no issues for a fair amt of miles.

Then did a 1700 mile 3 day to the mountains and yep, coming home I got warnings.

Take a look.

Best wishes.

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RoanokeRider

Tallman, it is a rigid mount with a DMC subframe. I have about 18k miles since the car was installed. No brake on the sidecar.

 

I did the brakes and hoses myself. In fact, Fri will be the first time in 250k miles of BMW riding, that any of the bikes has ever been inside a dealer service department.

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Ok, latest update, only person that I know that still has a GS911 is out of town. Both the front and rear switches do click when activated. On the way home yesterday the bottom light was lit, as I turned a sharp corner to the right, I noticed that the top light came on briefly. This morning the lights acted normally on start up. This time I paid attention and the top light came on briefly at each tight corner. Is it time to check the wheel circuit reservoirs now? Keep in mind that I have a sidecar so the bike stays upright on corners. Could all of this be related to low fluid? I sure hope so.

 

Afternoon Bill

 

Were you using the brakes during the turn?

 

Warning lights coming during a turn could be due to low wheel circuit side (under tank) brake reservoirs or might be a wheel sensor cable rubbing a brake rotor on the front or possibly getting stretched in the rear.

 

If you can get a brake failure code (or codes) that would sure help us understand what is happening.

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RoanokeRider

Not on the brakes during turn but just before the turn. The interstate has a couple of tight turns on the way in this am and light came o briefly, definitely not on brakes then.

 

I am taking it in Fri 1st thing for the dealer to read codes. He said that they will do a reset and see if they come back. I will ask that he jot down the codes both before and after the reset.

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RoanokeRider

It is looking like I should not buy a lottery ticket this week. I have used up all my luck. Took the bike in a day early and they ran the codes and it showed that it was a bad relay. They said that there could be more but the relay had to be corrected first before they could run any additional codes. Said it would be about an hour additional labor as I have an aux fuse block mounted to the fuse box cover and all the associated wires in the way. I authorized it and a 1/2 hour later they came and told me the bike was ready. The contacts on the relay were green, they cleaned it and no more codes, lights are behaving normally.

 

I want to thank everyone for their advice, esp DR. DR insisting on a systematic approach to diagnosis before any repairs has saved a lot of riders a lot of $ for parts that did not need replacing. Thank you.

 

Anybody else ever get out of a BMW dealers shop for $90 with their bike fixed? :)

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You could do what a lot of us do and that is to remove your Servo assisted braking system. However, having a sidecar, that might be the one occasion the stock system would be worth having.

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Anybody else ever get out of a BMW dealers shop for $90 with their bike fixed? :)

 

Actually yes. About 15 years ago, at the annual R90s rally in N.E. Ohio, the starter failed on my S. We were on our Sat group ride and scheduled to stop at Roman's Cycle in Youngstown for a photo op. I asked them to look at it and found out it was the solenoid on the starter. They sourced a uses one off an old Bosch unit and the total bill was about $50.

 

More than worth it since the elder Roman was with us in the stall talking old BMW's and women. :)

 

RPG

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