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Conversion from fuel strip sensor to float without converter box as permanent fix - oil cooled bikes

9235 Views 27 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  SnowMec
10
UPDATE (12/24/2022): I was able to solve the calibration problem with the new float sensor. The accuracy is now very good, but I believe the fuel tank on the 2010+ R1200GSA must be shaped slightly differently. Previously, the fuel level would go from 100% to around 75%, then start heading back up again, after completing the modification. I took the tank back out and measured the resistance of the new float sensor, which is 4 to 88 Ohms. Also, with a 10-turn potentiometer, I measured the bike's reported fuel level (from the computer / ECU side) to be empty (warning light) at 82 Ohms and 100% full at 16 Ohms.

Further investigation revealed that the problem is mechanical, not electrical or software. The metal wire "arm" of the float sensor is not quite the right shape. It actually hits on the bottom of the tank and can't clear the transfer tube either. It needs to be bent up to clear both.

With some trial and error, I was able to bend the wire arm into a shape that gives a pretty accurate reading of the fuel level from 100% down to 0%. For the most part, you only need to bend the arm "up" (to a tighter angle), as shown in this picture (red line is the approximately original shape):

Safety glove Fluid Gas Electrical wiring Science


--------------------- Original Instructions ---------------------

Just wanted to let you know that I did the conversion from the defective fuel strip sensor to the float potentiometer sensor on my (newly acquired) 2008 R1200GSA with electronic suspension (ESA).

I followed the instructions at this UK GS forum: Instructions

One word of warning, the English at this British forum is barely comprehensible to me. As a result, it took all day to complete, but it worked without a problem.

The parts you need are float sensor 16148554065, a OBD Solutions MX+ Bluetooth adapter and OBD port cable adapter and the MotoScan ultimate app.

Remember to remove the old fuel strip sensor, which hooks on to a metal hanger that is suspended from the gas cap inlet area.

Loop the two blue wires from the new float around something, as pictured, so that they won't touch the float, or your reading could be affected.

Also, when you insert the new fuel pump/float assembly, the float will get lodged between the tank and the fuel transfer hose in the tank bottom. You'll need to then use a hook or long screwdriver to pull the float up and free.

UPDATE (12/24/2022): It is necessary to bend the wire "arm" of the new float sensor up to clear the tank bottom and the transfer hose. See the instructions at the top of this post. Otherwise, the fuel reading will stop at ~75% and never go any lower.

You must fully remove the tank to do the work because the ZFE computer wiring harness is under the tank, and you need to swap the pins. The instructions aren't clear, but the connector with the pins to swap is the upper one with the fatter wiring bundle.

To remove the inner wiring pin holders from the ZFE harness, you need to remove the top shell cover. To do this, carefully pry the back and front corners of the cover's flange up with a small screwdriver while sliding the shell forward. Do this successively in both sides until it is free.

I'm not sure if it's necessary to first clear the fuel strip fault with the resistor network pictured below, as is the case with the preobeemer.nl signal converter, but I did it anyway just in case. I doubt it's necessary, however because you are deactivating the fuel strip during programming.

Please ask if there are any questions. I don't recommend doing this work unless you are pretty good with mechanics and electronics, however.

REMEMBER TO BEND THE WIRE ARM OF THE FUEL SENSOR UP BEFORE INSTALLATING! SEE INSTRUCTIONS AT THE TOP OF THIS POST.
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Nice!
Just wanted to let you know that I did the conversion from the defective fuel strip sensor to the float potentiometer sensor on my (newly acquired) 2008 R1200GSA with electronic suspension (ESA).

I followed the instructions at this UK GS forum: Instructions

One word of warning, the English at this British forum is barely comprehensible to me. As a result, it took all day to complete, but it worked without a problem.

The parts you need are float sensor 16148554065, a OBD Solutions MX+ Bluetooth adapter and OBD port cable adapter and the MotoScan ultimate app.

Remember to remove the old fuel strip sensor, which hooks on to a metal hanger that is suspended from the gas cap inlet area.

Loop the two blue wires from the new float around something, as pictured, so that they won't touch the float, or your reading could be affected.

Also, when you insert the new fuel pump/float assembly, the float will get lodged between the tank and the fuel transfer hose in the tank bottom. You'll need to then use a hook or long screwdriver to pull the float up and free.

You must fully remove the tank to do the work because the ZFE computer wiring harness is under the tank, and you need to swap the pins. The instructions aren't clear, but the connector with the pins to swap is the upper one with the fatter wiring bundle.

To remove the inner wiring pin holders from the ZFE harness, you need to remove the top shell cover. To do this, carefully pry the back and front corners of the cover's flange up with a small screwdriver while sliding the shell forward. Do this successively in both sides until it is free.

I'm not sure if it's necessary to first clear the fuel strip fault with the resistor network pictured below, as is the case with the preobeemer.nl signal converter, but I did it anyway just in case. I doubt it's necessary, however because you are deactivating the fuel strip during programming.

Please ask if there are any questions. I don't recommend doing this work unless you are pretty good with mechanics and electronics, however.


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Hallelujah!!!
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Hi
Brilliant thanks
Can you confirm motoscan app will do this. Just got mine and only reference I saw was to recalibrate strip.
Thanks
Mark
Hi
Brilliant thanks
Can you confirm motoscan app will do this. Just got mine and only reference I saw was to recalibrate strip.
Thanks
Mark
Yes, Motoscan ULTIMATE for Android is all that you need. By the way, I found it also lets you do the throttle body stepper motors calibration, so no more dealer rip off for that service!

By the way, I updated the instructions. I had an issue whereby the fuel reading would only go down to ~75% and stop. After some investigation, I determined that the wire arm of the float sensor needs to be bent up to clear the tank bottom and the transfer tube. The 2010+ R1200GSA tank must be shaped slightly differently. Anyway, after this change, the reading seems very accurate from 100% to 0%.
Thanks for the instructions, I appreciate you taking the time.

I am curious to find out if anyone had any luck fitting the new float sensor to a bike with a completely dead strip sensor? I am unable to zap mine back to life and not sure about making that resistor work around.

Is it necessary to have a functional strip sensor before starting the process?

I have an 08 GSA

Thanks!
Thanks for the instructions, I appreciate you taking the time.

I am curious to find out if anyone had any luck fitting the new float sensor to a bike with a completely dead strip sensor? I am unable to zap mine back to life and not sure about making that resistor work around.

Is it necessary to have a functional strip sensor before starting the process?

I have an 08 GSA

Thanks!
Yes, my float sensor was completely dead when I did the conversion. You do not need a working strip sensor.

The purpose of the resistors is simply to trick the bike into thinking there is a good fuel strip sensor attached, to clear a fault code. I do not think it is required however. Actually, I suspect it is an unnecessary step that is only used if you are NOT converting to a float. The motivation for the resistors came from the strip to float "converter" box that is sold by the Dutch gentleman. With that box, the bike still thinks a strip is attached, hence the need to fool it into thinking a good fuel strip is attached.

That said, it's quite easy to build if you know elementary electronics, but again, I think it is unnecessary.
Yes, my float sensor was completely dead when I did the conversion. You do not need a working strip sensor. The purpose of the resistors is simply to trick the bike into thinking there is a good fuel strip sensor attached, to clear a fault code. I do not think it is required however. Actually, I suspect it is an unnecessary step that is only used if you are NOT converting to a float. The motivation for the resistors came from the strip to float "converter" box that is sold by the Dutch gentleman. With that box, the bike still thinks a strip is attached, hence the need to fool it into thinking a good fuel strip is attached. That said, it's quite easy to build if you know elementary electronics, but again, I think it is unnecessary.
Wanted to report back that it worked perfectly! No error codes to start. Followed your instructions and I now have a working fuel gauge. THANKS!!!
Wanted to report back that it worked perfectly! No error codes to start. Followed your instructions and I now have a working fuel gauge. THANKS!!!
Great to hear that it is working for others. The fix really isn't that hard. This is what BMW should have done instead of increasing the fuel strip warranty to 12 years. The fuel strip is defective by design, and in 2010, they switched back to the float. For the cost of replacing thousands of fuel strips, they could have just converted the bikes to floats. But then you wouldn't need to buy a new bike!
Well it happened for the 14th time
Since you have 14 bikes, let me ask you this: Have you dealt with the dead fuel gauge on the GS/A ?? Mine is a 2007 GSA. The stupid fuel gauge stopped working & I found out about the Electrical strip inside the fuel tank and that it always fails. Is there a solution to this, other than the expensive $500 repair and calibration cost each time? Thank you.
We’ll there are two fixes

1. Have a BMW install a new stop and it is the warranted for two years. Then hope it fail short of two years and get a replacement that is warranted for two years more

2. do the float conversion That requires wiring modifications and will cost you sever hundred dollars in parts

3. Make a spoofer out of resistors so the tank always shows full and use the odometer to gauge fuel usage
We’ll there are two fixes

1. Have a BMW install a new stop and it is the warranted for two years. Then hope it fail short of two years and get a replacement that is warranted for two years more

2. do the float conversion That requires wiring modifications and will cost you sever hundred dollars in parts

3. Make a spoofer out of resistors so the tank always shows full and use the odometer to gauge fuel usage
From what I read, there is no float conversation that actually works and gives accurate gas level measurement.

The tank now always reads empty, I just fill it and use the odometer and fill it before it gets to 275 miles. Even with this, somehow it ran out of fuel one time on the freeway, that was not fun.

I think my next bike will be a Honda, had it with BMW and their endless problems. I can just imagine the new bikes with all the electronics when they get few years old and all the problems they will have. NO, thank you.
From what I read, there is no float conversation that actually works and gives accurate gas level measurement.

The tank now always reads empty, I just fill it and use the odometer and fill it before it gets to 275 miles. Even with this, somehow it ran out of fuel one time on the freeway, that was not fun.

I think my next bike will be a Honda, had it with BMW and their endless problems. I can just imagine the new bikes with all the electronics when they get few years old and all the problems they will have. NO, thank you.
I say get rid of your BMW and its endless problems and get that UJM of your dreams.
From what I read, there is no float conversation that actually works and gives accurate gas level measurement.
@BMW Pains I moved these comments to a more relevant thread. If you are interested in a float solution read from the top.

Worth noting the comment in the first post: “I don't recommend doing this work unless you are pretty good with mechanics and electronics, however.
I say get rid of your BMW and its endless problems and get that UJM of your dreams.
What is a UJM ??
Universal Japanese Machine
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Yes, Motoscan ULTIMATE for Android is all that you need. By the way, I found it also lets you do the throttle body stepper motors calibration, so no more dealer rip off for that service!

By the way, I updated the instructions. I had an issue whereby the fuel reading would only go down to ~75% and stop. After some investigation, I determined that the wire arm of the float sensor needs to be bent up to clear the tank bottom and the transfer tube. The 2010+ R1200GSA tank must be shaped slightly differently. Anyway, after this change, the reading seems very accurate from 100% to 0%.
Forgive my ignorance as I am NOT a big cell phone fan, in fact I hate cell phones.

This Motoscan Ultimate app you mentioned. I assume it is free ?? Once I install it on my phone (Can I install it on my laptop instead)? How do I hook it up to my 2007 GSA bike??

I assume it needs to be attached somehow to the Round plug under the seat ??

I appreciate the help. As I too have the stupid fuel gauge strip issue too. Thank you.
@BMW Pains c’mon now…

No MotoScan Ultimate is not free but if you plan to keep your GSA it is a good diagnostic tool to have. Worth noting it is only compatible with Android (very cheap tablets/phones can be had)and does plug to the round diagnostic connector under the seat.
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UPDATE (12/24/2022): I was able to solve the calibration problem with the new float sensor. The accuracy is now very good, but I believe the fuel tank on the 2010+ R1200GSA must be shaped slightly differently. Previously, the fuel level would go from 100% to around 75%, then start heading back up again, after completing the modification. I took the tank back out and measured the resistance of the new float sensor, which is 4 to 88 Ohms. Also, with a 10-turn potentiometer, I measured the bike's reported fuel level (from the computer / ECU side) to be empty (warning light) at 82 Ohms and 100% full at 16 Ohms.

Further investigation revealed that the problem is mechanical, not electrical or software. The metal wire "arm" of the float sensor is not quite the right shape. It actually hits on the bottom of the tank and can't clear the transfer tube either. It needs to be bent up to clear both.

With some trial and error, I was able to bend the wire arm into a shape that gives a pretty accurate reading of the fuel level from 100% down to 0%. For the most part, you only need to bend the arm "up" (to a tighter angle), as shown in this picture (red line is the approximately original shape):

View attachment 34997

--------------------- Original Instructions ---------------------

Just wanted to let you know that I did the conversion from the defective fuel strip sensor to the float potentiometer sensor on my (newly acquired) 2008 R1200GSA with electronic suspension (ESA).

I followed the instructions at this UK GS forum: Instructions

One word of warning, the English at this British forum is barely comprehensible to me. As a result, it took all day to complete, but it worked without a problem.

The parts you need are float sensor 16148554065, a OBD Solutions MX+ Bluetooth adapter and OBD port cable adapter and the MotoScan ultimate app.

Remember to remove the old fuel strip sensor, which hooks on to a metal hanger that is suspended from the gas cap inlet area.

Loop the two blue wires from the new float around something, as pictured, so that they won't touch the float, or your reading could be affected.

Also, when you insert the new fuel pump/float assembly, the float will get lodged between the tank and the fuel transfer hose in the tank bottom. You'll need to then use a hook or long screwdriver to pull the float up and free.

UPDATE (12/24/2022): It is necessary to bend the wire "arm" of the new float sensor up to clear the tank bottom and the transfer hose. See the instructions at the top of this post. Otherwise, the fuel reading will stop at ~75% and never go any lower.

You must fully remove the tank to do the work because the ZFE computer wiring harness is under the tank, and you need to swap the pins. The instructions aren't clear, but the connector with the pins to swap is the upper one with the fatter wiring bundle.

To remove the inner wiring pin holders from the ZFE harness, you need to remove the top shell cover. To do this, carefully pry the back and front corners of the cover's flange up with a small screwdriver while sliding the shell forward. Do this successively in both sides until it is free.

I'm not sure if it's necessary to first clear the fuel strip fault with the resistor network pictured below, as is the case with the preobeemer.nl signal converter, but I did it anyway just in case. I doubt it's necessary, however because you are deactivating the fuel strip during programming.

Please ask if there are any questions. I don't recommend doing this work unless you are pretty good with mechanics and electronics, however.

REMEMBER TO BEND THE WIRE ARM OF THE FUEL SENSOR UP BEFORE INSTALLATING! SEE INSTRUCTIONS AT THE TOP OF THIS POST.
View attachment 31408

View attachment 31414

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View attachment 31409

View attachment 31407

View attachment 31410


View attachment 31412

Hallelujah!!!
View attachment 31415

View attachment 31413
Hi,

I have a 2007 GSA with the fuel strip problem....at least I assume that is the issue. The fuel gauge does not read the fuel and I have the yellow triangle.

My question is this:

If the Original fuel strip lasted this many years, why do the new replacement strips don't seem to last as long from what I read ?

2- What is the cost of the parts for this float conversion ?

And is it accurate and worth the trouble & cost ?

Thank you.
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@BMW Pains c’mon now…

No MotoScan Ultimate is not free but if you plan to keep your GSA it is a good diagnostic tool to have. Worth noting it is only compatible with Android (very cheap tablets/phones can be had)and does plug to the round diagnostic connector under the seat.
I do have an Android phone. So the obvious question is How much is it? And how much is the cable to attach it to the bike? I assume it will have usb plug at one end to plug into the Android phone ? This is why I hate this endless technology which keeps breaking down. Fuel floats did not do that.
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@BMW Pains c’mon now…

No MotoScan Ultimate is not free but if you plan to keep your GSA it is a good diagnostic tool to have. Worth noting it is only compatible with Android (very cheap tablets/phones can be had)and does plug to the round diagnostic connector under the seat.
No, I did find it in the Google store. But it doesn't say if it free or how much and I did not try to download it because I am on a laptop.
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