Fuel line quick connects?

[hjsbmw]

Do my fellow owners change them to the metal type? Or maybe I should ask, has someone had problems with leaks due to the OEM plastic parts? Occasionally one reads about how bad the original parts are, but I haven't had a problem so far. Just wondering.

[dbrick]

I imagine there are many who've changed them because they had difficulties, and many who changed them to reduce the liklihood of difficulties. I'm in the second group: I have not had a mechanical problem with them, but I changed them on both my R12R and prior R1100RSL.

[deilenberger]

I can't recall any leaks happening on R12R's.. but it certainly doesn't mean we're immune. We may be a bit less likely due to the routing of the hoses and fittings. I was thinking on it (BeemerBoneyard sells a nice kit) - but worry a bit about replacing the one going on the pump since the flange it screws into is known to fail (and is the target of a NHTSA investigation), and the stainless threads will be less forgiving then the plastic ones.

I think it's most important to replace the male ends of the fittings. They seem to be the ones that fail (cracking at the groove for the O ring seal.)

I do carry several spare O rings in my tank bag.. they're Grainger size "011" - in Viton (which is fuel resistant.) About $0.12/each when bought in bulk. Since I carry them - and the dealer replaces them whenever he does my fuel strip (which is much too often) I haven't had one fail (yet.)

[dbrick]

...I was thinking on it (BeemerBoneyard sells a nice kit) - but worry a bit about replacing the one going on the pump since the flange it screws into is known to fail (and is the target of a NHTSA investigation), and the stainless threads will be less forgiving then the plastic ones.

For exactly those reasons, I deliberately did not open or change the joint on the pump. I did add an external compression ring (someone on the advrider list was machining them for awhile) which fit in place without removing the existing plastic fitting.

[Mike Figielski]

Hey Guys,
I'll chime in here. Obviously I am biased since we sell the quick disconnect kits but here is my 2 cents:
The problem with the OEM set up is that BMW chose to use tapered pipe threads in a plastic flange in a fuel system exposed to ethanol!! Not the best idea as the tapered threads apply expanding pressure to the plastic flange threads. Even with the OEM plastic fittings this has resulted in many bikes developing cracks in the plastic flange. The metal threads on our fittings are no worse than the plastic threads, there is still pressure on the flange's plastic threads. If care is taken when installing the metal fitting (hand tight and at most 1/4 to 1/2 turn with a wrench) there is no problem.The machine collar we sell is a good insurance policy against these threads cracking and can repair cracked threads in many cases. Once this set up (metal fittings with flange clamp) is installed it is pretty much bulletproof and you can just forget about it. BMW has gone to fitting a metal collar around the threaded boss on the fuel pump flanges on the newest OEM parts do obviously they know it is a problem. We have seen male and female fittings break on R12R models as well as all R & K series bikes with the plastic fittings. Just a bad design and bad choice of materials used by BMW. Hope this helps!
Mike

[hjsbmw]

Thanks all. Since it's apparently the male parts that fizzle, is there a source for just those, and will they fit with the OEM female portion?

[Marty2]

I have no source for only the male portion of the disconnect.

I know the the sections of the disconnects are interchangeable with kits that Beemer Bone Yard sells. I replaced all the plastic OEM, except the one on the fuel pump housing with the BBY kit on my 06 1200RT. The RT also had the cracked flange issue which the clamp that they sell stabilized. No leaks or issues.

I have no affiliation with BBY just think they sell a quality product.

[Mike Figielski]

Thanks all. Since it's apparently the male parts that fizzle, is there a source for just those, and will they fit with the OEM female portion?

Trust me, it is not just the male connectors that fail. We have seen plenty of female connectors fail as well. We sell just the complete kits for the most part because to us it just does not make sense to replace only half of the connectors. If you are skittish about doing the female screw in fitting on the pump flange then get the kit and just skip that one fitting as others have done. At least you'll have it on hand if it does fail. Hope that helps.
Mike

Oh yeah, our fittings do interchange with the OEM plastic fittings.

[deilenberger]

I have no source for only the male portion of the disconnect.

I know the the sections of the disconnects are interchangeable with kits that Beemer Bone Yard sells. I replaced all the plastic OEM, except the one on the fuel pump housing with the BBY kit on my 06 1200RT. The RT also had the cracked flange issue which the clamp that they sell stabilized. No leaks or issues.

I have no affiliation with BBY just think they sell a quality product.

The fittings are standard fittings - made in the USA (as are the originals) and you actually order the male and female parts separately. They can be found in the Grainger catalog I believe (I had several on-line sources for them at one point..) The plated brass fittings will mate with the plastic ones (dimensions are identical.) That said - BeemerBoneYard's price is quite reasonable and they've worked out which ones you need so if you're going this route you're not paying a big premium for the convenience of someone else doing the research.

Mike - what part of the female ones break? Is it the hose fitting?

[hjsbmw]

The fittings are standard fittings - made in the USA (as are the originals) and you actually order the male and female parts separately...

This is great information. If I follow up on it is secondary. It may be easier to eventually buy a set from Beemerboneyard. But, having this level of information, not only in the case of fuel fittings, makes all the difference for making truly informed decisions. I have a feeling others will find it interesting too.

[Mike Figielski]

The fittings are standard fittings - made in the USA (as are the originals) and you actually order the male and female parts separately. They can be found in the Grainger catalog I believe (I had several on-line sources for them at one point..) The plated brass fittings will mate with the plastic ones (dimensions are identical.) That said - BeemerBoneYard's price is quite reasonable and they've worked out which ones you need so if you're going this route you're not paying a big premium for the convenience of someone else doing the research.

Mike - what part of the female ones break? Is it the hose fitting?

Most of the fittings out there (not sure about Grainger) do not come standard with Viton O-rings. They come with buna o-rings which swell when them are exposed to gas, causing them to become difficult to connect and more easily broken (BMW fittings have this issue too). The 5/16" 90 degree elbows on our bikes are special order as well. We have to special order the right sizes with Viton O-rings in large quantities to get a decent price.
Don, we have seen the female fittings break on the mating side as well as the hose connection. The female screw in fittings on the flange also break although not as often as the 90 degree males. Basically BMW never should have used plastic fittings or tapered pipe threads for the screw-in fittings so metal fittings with the flange clamp is the best way to deal with a bad design.
Mike

[deilenberger]

Mike,

You might look into simply purchasing the viton O rings. They are a standard "011" size. Grainger carries them. Last time I ordered them, 100 of them cost about $10.50. Ten-cents each. Guess what BMW gets for them.. (can we say obscene markup? I knew we could..)

Here is the link: http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/ORing-2JZY5

They've gone up. 100 is now $10.84... (I think they're even cheaper at McMaster-Carr.)..

[deilenberger]

The fittings are standard fittings - made in the USA (as are the originals) and you actually order the male and female parts separately...

This is great information. If I follow up on it is secondary. It may be easier to eventually buy a set from Beemerboneyard. But, having this level of information, not only in the case of fuel fittings, makes all the difference for making truly informed decisions. I have a feeling others will find it interesting too.

Harald,

Take a look at: http://www.mcmaster.com/#catalog/119/212/=lyv6gx

I'd originally found the fittings by searching for the manufacturer's name (which is on the metal locking tab.. I seem to recall it's 3 letters) and "disconnects".. don't have the link handy, but it should turn up with a bit of Googling. The metal ones they make (chrome plated brass) are identical in dimension to the plastic ones BMW used.. the only difference is the metal ones aren't going to crack and break.

As mentioned - BBY has a nice kit available, which is probably less trouble then measuring our existing ones, then ordering them piecemeal. Also be handy to get Mike's fuel pump boss clamp, although I haven't heard of failures on the R12R (it may have to do with the fuel filter and how it mounts.. the inferior models - GS, RT, etc. don't have a fuel filter.. )