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Fuel Gauge Failure

29K views 28 replies 18 participants last post by  Cruzer 
#1 ·
Hi Guys

Has anyone had to have the fuel gauge sensor (often referred to as the strip) replaced on their 1200R/R Sport? I'm just finishing off a 2 month trip across the US. I flew my bike from the UK to Miami and within a week the fuel gauge read zero and flashed Fuel no matter how much was in the tank. I had the sensor replaced in Florida and all was well until today in Vancouver when the damned thing failed again.

It's starting to look like a persistent problem and I'm wondering if it's a weak part.

John
 
#3 ·
guls said:
If 2nd one failed, it just may be more then a faulty strip/ sensor. Maybe some electric problem. Mine takes few minutes to update too, may be it is on its way.
That's one of my fears. I can almost see the repeat visits I'm going to have to trawl through before I can get the dealer to do a thorough check. :(
 
#6 ·
nmK12 said:
Mine failed for the third time this morning. BMW blames crappy American gas with too much sulphur.
Sounds like another lame effort from the BMW rolodex of off the shelf excuses. They already know the sulphur content of the countries in which their target demographic live. If it is indeed the case then the sensor should be engineered to take this into consideration.

I expect the next one to be 'Which hand did you use to hold the gas nozzle?....left hand?...well there's your problem!'
 
#7 ·
i have run out of gas on my k12r three times now!! the gauge always read between 18 miles left and the last one said 44 to empty.

i talked to the dealer about it when i was there last and they told me to hold down the info button to reset the sensor which i know did not work because there was no positive feeback on the on-board computer. then i ran out of gas on the way home!!!

i am pretty upset with their service (Cliff's in CT). They basically just told me some BS to avoid rectifying the problem (that and a vibration issue they don't want to address). I must say, I have owned other bikes (honda, kawai) and never dealt with this type of dismissive customer service. this will most likely be the last BMW bike I own.

good luck with your situation.
 
#8 ·
Hello Chaps

My 2008 K1200GT fuel gauge has just gone. I was stopped on a pretty steep downward slope at the time that it went from half full straight to zero, but this may have been coincidence. It's not the end of the world, but the yellow triangle and flashing fuel pump gets a bit irritating after about three seconds!

I did wonder whether the light stayed on once it had triggered an "empty" reading, but have been through the on-off cycle a few tiems and riddne another 50-odd miles and it still shows empty. I'm interested in the reset procedure mentioned by NJ above - I've tried holding it down while on the "miles to empty" reading and nothing seems to happen. Fuel gauge still showing empty.

Any other suggestions (other than the obvious one of get it back to the dealers to have a new one fitted!)

Thanks,

Robin.
 
#9 ·
I've had one re-calibrated after a year of ownership and have just had the whole strip replaced under extended warranty. The bike is 07 with 10k miles on the clock. With the other liability issues I've had the extended warranty was no-brainer.
 
#10 ·
My new bike's fuel guage has not worked properly from day on. I ran out of gas in the delaer's parking lot as i was bringing it in for the 600 mile service. of course I had 220 miles on the odo since the pevious fillup. The warning light never came on nor did the guage go too low.
It has been in the shop twice for repair, the last one was almost 2 weeks and who knows what they replaced?

Got it back and the fuel light goes on at "40 miles remaining". The countdown always works to a degree.

When I fill up, the guage never resets properly and shows less than a half tank and 100 miles to go. Nothing happens until I use up half a tank and then it functions normally. Bit it is erratic as to the amount at fill up.

It is going in again for service and this time, i am going to push for a proper "fix" or invike a lemon law case. And my bar grips do not heat. I found this out today on a ride when I turned on the bar heat for the first time since I purchased the bike. Fortunately, the owner of the dealer was on the ride and saw it with his eyes. He said" Don't worry we will make it right along with the fuel guage"..All other functions working normally.

A few stall during the ride fast shifting into 1st gear made the day completre.
The ride was awsome watching the fall foliage in Southern NY State and CT.

Still love the bike in spite of its faults.
 
#11 ·
Larry, I know what you mean - after riding other bikes I can't wait to get back on the K - but having the rear bevel drive go, corrosion problems and the fuel gauge I don't think I can call the bike a premium product to go with the premium price.

Envy your ride out though :yeah:
 
#12 ·
Fuel Gauge

My 08 K1200GT's gauge did not leave the full mark when I got it last year until I got about 150 miles on the each re-fill. The dealer replaced the fuel strip and upgraded the software and it worked fine until a month ago. I started the engine with 3/4 of a tank of gas and the gauge and it went to zero. They replaced the fuel strip a second time and it works ok once again. It does not go all the way to fuel when I refuel, It does how ever after about 20 miles. I wonder how long before it does it again. I always reset the Trip Log and the Zumo Gauge after each fill up because I never trust the gauge.
 
#13 ·
Stinkboater,
I never had a problem on my 06GT. I don't need this crap on a $22K bike. Yes, i always reset my trip odometer and also my Zumo guage. But the bike should have a working unit. They even could have put a flip switch like my old earlier bikes in the 60's...
 
#15 ·
Fuel Strip failure is not limited to the K12R's but all BMW's with the strip type sensor. The sensors are bad from the factory. Have nothing to do with the type of gas. My K12R has had two so far. We did some checking, the good strips have about 40 ohms resistance across sensor.

BMW has gone back to the float type sensor in K13R.

I always use the tripometer as a gas gauge. I agree the strip should work! Maybe I can retrofit the float type to my bike.
 
#16 ·
Yes, I have the float sensor in my bike and it just is not working. So far, several trips to the delaer and not fixed as of yet. They get one more chance and then i will ask for my money back under the lemon law... Fro $22K, I should have a fully fuctioning bike..
 
#17 ·
It looks like I get to add my name to this list. :(
 
#18 ·
Fuel strip

I just got my k12r sport and the fuel gauge did't work. This was fully disclosed before purchase. He had three put in and all failed. I guess it's track mileage. Not that big a deal to me. Anyone know how far my bike will go on a tank? My other bike has the float with no float. Richard
 
#21 ·
I have an '07 Sport with just over 20k on the clock. Been mine since 6k. Fuel gauge just stopped working this past weekend. Weirdest thing. Wondering if the battery might play a part in this. Low voltage, etc. Mine is at least 3 years old. Didn't out a meter on it, but I remember my R1100S used to experience ABS readout errors when the ambient voltage dropped below 12.6v or whatever. What if the strip experiences the same faults when the voltage drops enough?
 
#22 ·
fuel strip

This is a known problem and covered by warranty. From what I have heard it is caused by the gasoline breaking down the finish on the sensor. The dealer took care of mine and told me the finish has been changed to solve the problem. There is a 12 year warranty on this. Richard.
 
#26 ·
Spoke to the service manager and apparently not all the bikes have the electronic strip sensor, it depends on the computer installed. My bike does not have ESA or all the additional read outs on the dash display so it does not have the warranty replacement on the fuel gauge. I'll take a look at the tank and see if any wires are off but I may just end up at the dealer anyway. Make sure you know this difference before you show up expecting a free repair.
 
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