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Replace fuel strip with warning switch on 2012 R1200R?


wallyging

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In 47,000 miles the fuel strip on my 2012 R1200R has been replaced eight times and is bad again. I just recently purchased the bike, and my tech tells me the fuel strips in the R bikes always go bad so replacing them is never a permanent solution. So I'm looking at alternatives.

 

I am about to install the fuel strip spoof devised by TXJames over on ADVrider, but before I do I thought I would ask if anyone has replaced the fuel strip with the warning switch (p/n 16 14 8 547 989) that BMW uses on the later model R bikes and R nine T bikes up to 8/16. From what I've read the instrument panel is different on those bikes and I'm sure the computer is programmed differently for switch than it is for the fuel strip, but perhaps there is a way to modify the circuitry of the warning switch and/or reprogram the computer to make the warning switch turn on the low fuel warning light. If not, the spoof should at least keep the warning light from staying on all the time.

 

Apologies if this issue has been addressed before - I searched the forum here extensively but didn't find anything. 

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27 minutes ago, wallyging said:

In 47,000 miles the fuel strip on my 2012 R1200R has been replaced eight times and is bad again. I just recently purchased the bike, and my tech tells me the fuel strips in the R bikes always go bad so replacing them is never a permanent solution. So I'm looking at alternatives.

 

I am about to install the fuel strip spoof devised by TXJames over on ADVrider, but before I do I thought I would ask if anyone has replaced the fuel strip with the warning switch (p/n 16 14 8 547 989) that BMW uses on the later model R bikes and R nine T bikes up to 8/16. From what I've read the instrument panel is different on those bikes and I'm sure the computer is programmed differently for switch than it is for the fuel strip, but perhaps there is a way to modify the circuitry of the warning switch and/or reprogram the computer to make the warning switch turn on the low fuel warning light. If not, the spoof should at least keep the warning light from staying on all the time.

 

Apologies if this issue has been addressed before - I searched the forum here extensively but didn't find anything. 

 

Afternoon Wally

 

You are not going to be able to reprogram your computer or dash but with some research & some trials you might be able to get that low fuel switch to change the circuit resistance in the fuel strip spoofer enough to allow it to make the dash show low fuel level & have the low fuel light to come on.

 

You would also have to figure out how & where to mount that low fuel switch so it actually trigger at the correct low fuel level. 

 

You could probably bring the low fuel switch inputs & outputs  out of inside the tank through the exiting fuel strip wiring passthrough in the fuel pump assembly.

 

It sounds doable  but probably not worth all the effort if you have functioning trips sets. 

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Thanks, Dirtrider, that is helpful. I'll have to check out the inside of the tank some day to see if there might be a way to mount the switch and, if so, experiment with resistance values.

 

I just found a modified spoofer on ADVrider that adds a third resistor to simulate the heater which makes it possible to spoof the computer without cutting into the wiring harness. I'm going to give that a try and see if it works on the R bikes like it does on the GS models, and will post my results.

 

fuel strip spoof.jpg

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  • 1 month later...

Are the R bikes fuel strips different from the RT's?  I had a 2007 for nine years and the fuel strip never failed.  Now I have a 2013 R and it invariably fails a few months after it's replaced. 

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1 hour ago, Bob_Minor said:

Are the R bikes fuel strips different from the RT's?  I had a 2007 for nine years and the fuel strip never failed.  Now I have a 2013 R and it invariably fails a few months after it's replaced. 

 

Afternoon Bob

 

Yes, R bike fuel strips are differe3nt than the RT fuel strips. 

 

Does both your 2013 R  & did your  old 1200 R have the dash computer?

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  • 2 weeks later...

I tried the fuel strip spoof (see above) this afternoon and it worked! It took about a minute for the gauge in the display to rise and the warning light to go out,  just like it used to do when I filled up the tank when the fuel strip was working. It will be a week or two before I can get some time on the bike to see if it continues to work (I tried it today with the ignition on but the bike not running).

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Just to be clear, I used the modified spoofer mentioned above which avoids cutting into the wiring harness. The spoofer uses a 2.0 k ohm resistor across pins 2 and 3 (the sender part of the fuel strip) to simulate a full tank.

 

Now the intriguing part...  In later models of the R1200R, and some of the R nineT models, BMW substituted a "warning switch" (p/n 16 14 8 547 989) in place of the fuel strip, which makes me think maybe, just maybe, the switch could be substituted for the 2.0 k ohm resistor in the spoofer. (It's possible BMW programmed the computer differently for the switch since I think these models also have a slightly different dash configuration.) I routinely reset the odometer as a 'safety' check, but I have come to rely on the warning light activated by the fuel strip to remind me to fill up.

 

The switch costs $115, a little pricey just to find out if it would work, so I'm wondering if anyone here happens to know what its is resistance values are with a full (and empty) tank of gas.  

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24 minutes ago, wallyging said:

Just to be clear, I used the modified spoofer mentioned above which avoids cutting into the wiring harness. The spoofer uses a 2.0 k ohm resistor across pins 2 and 3 (the sender part of the fuel strip) to simulate a full tank.

 

Now the intriguing part...  In later models of the R1200R, and some of the R nineT models, BMW substituted a "warning switch" (p/n 16 14 8 547 989) in place of the fuel strip, which makes me think maybe, just maybe, the switch could be substituted for the 2.0 k ohm resistor in the spoofer. (It's possible BMW programmed the computer differently for the switch since I think these models also have a slightly different dash configuration.) I routinely reset the odometer as a 'safety' check, but I have come to rely on the warning light activated by the fuel strip to remind me to fill up.

 

The switch costs $115, a little pricey just to find out if it would work, so I'm wondering if anyone here happens to know what its is resistance values are with a full (and empty) tank of gas.  

 

Morning wallyging

 

I haven't ever measured one but as a rule when it says 'SWITCH' it is just that, a switch, not a sensor with changing or varying resistance.

 

According to my parts book the fuel pump assembly was also changed when BMW went to the low fuel  switch so there is probably something different with the fuel pump assembly also. 

 

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Thanks, DR. Maybe the change in fuel pump assembly was to provide a means for suspending the switch in the lower portion of the tank.

 

The parts fiche for the R1200R (10-14) shows the switch (#10) with a harness and plug that appear identical to the fuel strip. I have half a notion to buy one ($130) to see if it plugs into the back side of the fuel pump assembly in place of the fuel strip. Assuming the switch is closed with a full tank, and open with an empty tank, wiring it in series with the 2.0 k ohm resistor in the spoofer should keep the warning light off with a full tank, but activate the warning light with an empty tank. This assumes that the warning light comes on when I break the circuit between pins 2 and 3, and I'll check that out this afternoon. 

 

Too good to be true?

Capture.PNG.d7ff8788872f9b00d2f61228ada1d540.PNGT

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More results from my experimentation...

 

Here is the circuit I am using to spoof the computer to show that the tank is full and turn off the warning light:

 

20200227_171926.thumb.jpg.c3424ef30fe40575a92a121ef5413219.jpg

 

Now some results I get when trying different combinations:

  • all 4 leads connected = tank full, light out
  • leads 1, 3 & 4 connected = tank half full, light out
  • leads 1, 2 & 4 connected = tank half full, light out
  • all leads disconnected = tank empty, light on 
  • all 4 leads connected but 1.0 m resistor between leads 3 & 4 removed = tank empty, light on

 

So it appears if the switch were inserted between the 1.0 m resistor and lead 3 the warning light would stay off when there is gas in the tank (switch is closed) and come on when the tank is empty (switch is open). If I understand the discussion in the forums this would remove the bias the 2.0 k resistor needs to spoof the computer. Is there any reason to think connecting and unconnecting the bias would harm the computer or anything else?

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This is the spoof I am using on my 2012 R1200R (in place of the defective fuel strip) that spoofs the console into showing a full tank of gas and no low fuel light. Thanks to TXJames and dad2bike for figuring out what was needed and showing how to fabricate the device, and thanks to dirtrider for explaining what the switch does. I'll keep my eye out for a used switch (p/n 16 14 8 547 989) from a late model R1200R camhead or R nine T so I can see if I can get the low fuel warning light to come on when the tank is low.

 

1533474215_spoof2.thumb.JPG.0610a7ab4bb27d431dbcaaf6e0bed29f.JPG

 

 

I've done all my testing with the tank off the bike, fuel pump harness connected, ignition on, motor not running. 

 

1623770543_fuelspooftesting.thumb.JPG.a53efe6ef27063578bfab6f22f7716a5.JPG

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  • 3 weeks later...

In my never ending quest to replace the faulty fuel strip in my 2012 R1200R I came across some photos of the fuel pump and warning switch from an R nine T Pure listed on ebay. The photo shows the warning switch (blue) and the two wires from it attaching to the electrical connector that plugs into the back side of the fuel pump assembly. Interestingly, one of the photos (not uploaded) shows a resistor between one of the leads from the switch and a lead from the pump (like the 1 meg ohm resistor between pins 3 and 4 of the spoof?). 1205782896_fuelpump3.thumb.jpg.a07c6410afd02e794681da915dd49821.jpg

The fuel pump/warning switch assembly for the R nine T Pure (pictured above) and later models uses only one connector for both the pump and the switch whereas my 2012 R1200RT has two connectors, one for the fuel pump and one for the fuel strip. The fiche for the R1200R (see my February 27 post above) shows the switch connector simply replaces the fuel strip connector, making it easy to access outside the fuel pump assembly. Although the later R nine T models use just one connector it looks like it would fit in the fuel strip socket, so either version of the switch should work. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

I bought a new low fuel warning switch ($130). The wiring harness plugged directly into the back side of the fuel pump assembly where the fuel strip had been, and the switch itself attached to the body of the fuel pump. I disconnected the 100 ohm resistor that bridged the two leads from the switch, which left a simple SPST switch that was open when submerged and closed when the fuel level fell below the switch.

 

cP1050401.thumb.jpg.7dfb34b836c1c6ffd8d2ddd073668759.jpg

 

 

I connected the leads from the switch to pins 2 and 3 of the spoof, which effectively removed the 2.0 k resistor when the switch was closed and turned the low fuel light on (and the gauge showed empty). 

 

1658870282_spoofwithswitch.thumb.jpg.289a4242189b2f5346fa2ee5ca149bab.jpg

 

 

I discovered that the connector on the O2 sensor for this bike (I found a used one) fit the plug on the bike harness, and the connector on the removed fuel strip fit the connector on the fuel pump assembly, making it possible to fabricate a simple plug-and-play spoofer that utilized the fuel switch in the tank to turn on the low fuel warning light.

 

cP1050408.thumb.jpg.418059a974cf7b052b962d7ba2b9f07b.jpg

 

 

The fuel strip connector had a ridge on it above pin 1 that I had to shave off (see below) to make it work. It is not a moisture proof design, however, and if that becomes an issue I can replace it with pn 83 30 0 402 337, a replacement connector that connects to the O2 sensor.

 

cP1050409.thumb.jpg.66784ae91c767f33a2f75d0c7f7a6082.jpg

 

 

Since the leads from the O2 sensor connector are stainless steel I used crimp connectors rather than solder to attach it to the spoofer. 

 

cP1050404.thumb.jpg.a9a54f80be2ccf6e554364d649f7a50b.jpg

 

 

This makes for a nice plug-and-play work around for a defective fuel strip. Many thanks to  TXJames and dad2bike for their work on the spoofer, and to dirtrider on this forum for advice on the switch.  

 

cP1050413.thumb.jpg.59f4a8d515d43da91af34836526c13a8.jpg

 

 

To get a sense of when the fuel light comes on I ran the bike completely out of gas and poured in exactly one gallon. The fuel light went off so I know the warning light indicates less than one gallon of gas remaining. The specs for the bike indicate it has a reserve of .79 gallons and I'll get a better read on this next time I fill it up. I had 250 miles on the tank when it ran dry and it took 5.27 gallons to fill it up to the bottom of the neck. This suggests I should get a little over 200 miles before the light comes on, and then have another 30+ miles before running out of gas. 

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I've run the tank empty several times now and verified that the low fuel light consistently comes on when there is about 3/4 gallon of fuel left, enough for about 35 miles before running the tank dry. It is reassuring to know that I'll get a warning when I get low on gas, and to know that I have 30+ miles to find gas before running out. 

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Wally,

 

I have the identical bike in my garage. Thanks for finding this solution. I've owned the bike since last summer and it has had 2 fuel strips replaced during that time. 

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  • 9 months later...

Wally,

 

That's a very neat solution.  Thanks for a clear explanation of what you did.  How is the switch system working after 9 months?  Any problems or updates to share?

 

Thanks,

 

Steve.

 

 

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Steve, it's working great - no updates needed. I made the same modification to my 2007 K1200GT, and it's working perfectly also.

 

The warning switch is expansive, but I've not found an alternative. The switch for my K12 had to come from Germany.

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  • 2 months later...

Good bye fuel strips!  Thanks to Wally for a detailed explanation of the process. 

The hardest part was disconnecting the connectors on the fuel pump.  The warning switch had to come from Germany, so order it in advance.  I managed to find an O2 sensor on ebay for $10, and used its female connector to mate with the original wiring connector and the connector from the faulty fuel strip for the connection to the warning switch on the external side of the fuel pump.

It's a minimally invasive fix for an annoying problem. 

Thanks again Wally.

20210407_145037.jpg

20210407_145706.jpg

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  • 2 months later...

If I want to use pins to ensure the connections to pins 1 - 4 are solid for the "modified spoofed". Does anyone know what pin size or spec to use? I am purchasing my resistors from mouser electronics and not sure what wire I will get. Thank you

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Hi everyone! This is a great solution to the fuel strip problem. I want to attempt it myself for my wife's 2007 r1200r that's on its 5th failed fuel strip and is now out of warranty.

 

Out of curiosity, which warning switch did you order for the mod, Wally? I see there is one available on the diagram for my model year r1200r, which I'm assuming is what I should order. The r nineT appears to have two versions: on from before 2019 and one after. I'm working on ordering the parts and will hopefully attempt to do this soon. Making the plug and play spoofer will definitely be the toughest part for me and I'll probably have more questions when I get started on it. Wish me luck!

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The switch I used is item # 16148547989 it cost $130.  My BMW dealer ordered it and it had to come from Germany, which took about 2 weeks.   The O2 sensor (of which you only need the female connector) which I got off eBay is item 11787674452 for $10.  Together with the resistor network makes a really neat plug and play solution.  The low fuel light comes on when there is about a gallon of gas left.  All other times the fuel gauge shows full.  But the average fuel consumption still works.

 

Steve B

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On 7/1/2021 at 6:21 PM, MoteroNC said:

If I want to use pins to ensure the connections to pins 1 - 4 are solid for the "modified spoofed". Does anyone know what pin size or spec to use? I am purchasing my resistors from mouser electronics and not sure what wire I will get. Thank you

You should get resistors rated at 1 watt, they have heavier gauge wires.

The spoofer (with resistors only) will extinguish the fuel light only.  If you do Wally's full modification by adding the switch then the low fuel light will come on when you have about a gallon of gas left in the tank.

The switch I used is item # 16148547989 it cost $130.  My BMW dealer ordered it and it had to come from Germany, which took about 2 weeks.   The O2 sensor (of which you only need the female connector) which I got off eBay is item 11787674452 for $10.  Together with the resistor network makes a really neat plug and play solution.  The low fuel light comes on when there is about a gallon of gas left.  All other times the fuel gauge shows full.  But the average fuel consumption still works.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Steve B

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