UPDATE!!! Someone please tell me what is wrong with my bike

Post by **chibbert** » Sat Sep 03, 2005 6:24 pm

Had my 12,000 mile service done in April. Leaving the dealership, my fuel-light was on - I was thinking I had filled it up recently and my tripometer agreed but I stopped and filled it up anyways. It didn't need much gas and when I started away, the fuel light stayed on. I decided something was wrong so I headed back to the dealership. Right as I approached the dealership, the fuel-light went off. Thinking everything had resolved, I headed towards the highway - drove about 2.5 miles and was about to go down the on-ramp when the fuel light came back on. I immediately turned around and headed for the dealership - upon approaching the dealership again, the light went back off but I went ahead and stopped at the dealership. I explained the problem - they removed the cover over the fuel-light sensor wire - unplugged it - plugged it back in and said - that should fix it.

I left the dealership and the light never came back on (and hasn't to this very day). Now - the real problem is - ever since this happened, when I get around 145 miles on the clock, the bike starts running rough. It idles ok but if I try to really give it hell, it bucks and coughs like it has almost run out of fuel. Replenishing the fuel remedies this problem immediately.

It would seem as though my fuel light no longer works, and that something they did reduced the capacity of the tank (I know this sounds ignorant). I am under the impression that they have to remove the tank at 12,000 to service the battery. I am wondering if they turned the tank upside down or something and caused a float to get out of wack or something like that. I doubt it's a pinched fuel line because I recently had the tank off myself to put an air horn on and was careful to put everything back in order.

Any ideas from anyone?

Thanks

Chris

Post by **chibbert** » Sat Sep 03, 2005 6:26 pm

P.S. It used to be that I could ride until at least 155 miles before the light came on and sometimes as high as 169 miles.

Post by **arkline** » Sat Sep 03, 2005 6:47 pm

Early on I had a fuel light that would go on whenever it pleased. Didn't matter if I had gone 5 miles since a fill or 120. I asked my dealer to find out what was going on and they ended up replacing the fuel pump for some reason. The light has become consistent and the bike runs smoother. Just a guess.

chibbert1 · Post by **chibbert1** » Sat Sep 03, 2005 7:52 pm

Thanks Ark - I plan on calling the dealership this week.

Chris

bmwkid · Post by **bmwkid** » Sat Sep 03, 2005 9:04 pm

Check on your bill and see if they replaced the fuel filter. I know it would have been early,but they may have and if they did they screwed up the sending unit in the tank.

R1150RDave · Post by **R1150RDave** » Sun Sep 04, 2005 5:18 am

There is a chance that after the service the fuel light may light up at a different fuel level.

I would stap a filled fuel can to the seat and check to see if when the bike runs out of fuel that the light had come on.

If the light does come on, all well and good and you know how many miles (km's) you can do on reserve light.

If it does not, you go back to where you had the service, explain the symptoms and leave the problem with them. If it worked ok before they touched it or it still has warrenty left then its thier problem.

Post by **chibbert** » Sun Sep 04, 2005 9:12 am

Sounds plausible but my real concern is this. . .

Before they worked on it - light comes on at 155 and I could probably ride it until 185 or 190 - never any bucking or anything.

Now it bucks at 150? it would appear as though there's 1/2 gallon less in the tank than used to be

Post by **chibbert** » Sun Sep 04, 2005 9:13 am

I will try the strapping a gas can to the seat but I thought I heard some time ago that running the tank dry caused damage to the fuel pump something about it spun too fast. Anyone remember this?

Post by **Pat** » Sun Sep 04, 2005 9:41 am

Who knows......

- BUT -

sounds almost the fella who wrote on the site of his bike running like sh it, and after miles & miles of frustration and help from the dealer.......

it was finally determined that his gas had one hell of a lot of water in it.

Post by **chibbert** » Sun Sep 04, 2005 9:44 am

Pat it has behaved this way since april and with many many tanks of fuel from Ohio - Kentucky - West Virginia, Virginia, and Indiana - SOmething's screwed up

Post by **Pat** » Sun Sep 04, 2005 9:58 am

....absolutely NOTHING more frustrating than a finely crafted machine about which you want to brag, ride, and brag some more....... and it ain't running right?!?!?!

I hope your problem can be resolved; I'm no mechanic and I haven't been laid in over a decade

- but -
an entire can of Seafoam ("one ounce per gallon" AND some) might be likened to the medicinal value of sex.

See if "clean'n yer plumbing out" (the bike's) helps. Might be build up.......

Post by **arkline** » Sun Sep 04, 2005 10:32 am

I'd get the dealer to detail what was done vis the fuel delivery system. May have mislocated the pump such that it is incapable of delivering a steady flow when the tank reaches a certain level of emptiness. And sucking air is supposed to be pretty bad for the pump. At least they say don't let the tank go completely dry...bad juju.

bakernks · Post by **bakernks** » Sun Sep 04, 2005 10:38 am

The fuel pump will be damaged each time it runs dry. It's only lubricant is the fuel. It is a high speed, ungoverned electric motor. The pumping action gives a load to the electric motor, thus governing the speed. It will go way overspeed without lubricant if it goes dry. Not a good idea.

Post by **chibbert** » Sun Sep 04, 2005 12:41 pm

Update:

I took the bike out. Strapped a gas can to the rear seat. Drove to 160 miles and then the light came on - it went on and off a few times over the next few miles but finally settled in at a full "on". So as far as the light goes - it obviously works.

The real problem:
At 150 miles on the the tank, if I start out in 1st or 2nd around 20 mph and goose it (and I mean give it all she's got), once I breach 5,000 or 5,500 RPM, it begins bucking and goes in and out all the way up to 7,000. Some of the bucking is so severe that unless you're holding on, you might be thrown from the bike - the difference in "pull" when you are at 6,000 and zero is pretty dramatice to go back and forth from several times in 5 seconds. If I drive conservatively - like never breashing 5,000 RPM, you wouldn't know there was a problem at all - even 15 miles later and light FULL ON.

To double-check it wasn't a heat issue, I stopped and filled up (premium), rode off and made sure I was still hot and then repeated my earlier climb through the revs. Smoothe as silk with a full tank.

So. . . my conclusion is that there is a crak or a small breach in something (hardware or hose?) and at below 5,000 RPM, the vacuum put on the hose or hardware is not enough to suck air through the hole but at higher revs, the vacuum is too great and therefore I suck air.

I'm calling the dealership this week and getting them to resolve it before my warranty runs out (march 2006). But I am still welcome to opinions.

Chris

FGanger · Post by **FGanger** » Sun Sep 04, 2005 9:52 pm

I have a couple of thoughts:

R1150RDave idea is a good one when done with a brand new machine. Once you have some miles on it I would forget about doing such a thing. But an excellent idea never the less.

Oops, I see from your last post you did it already, oh well.

IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ve found that what you are describing is usually the result of water in the tank. Perhaps you have another problem all together, but it does sound like water.

Good luck on all of this, please let us know what it turns out to be. These things make us all smarter Ã¢â‚¬â€œ once we find out the answer.

Frank

Post by **chibbert** » Sun Sep 04, 2005 11:17 pm

Doesn't someone make some sort of gell dessicant (sp?) that you can hang in a mesh baggie to take moisture out of a fuel tank?

Leno · Post by **Leno** » Mon Sep 05, 2005 4:44 am

The problem with water is that it sits in the bottom of the tank and only gets sucked up when you are low on gas. In normal use a little bit of water is not a big problem but if you get too much it does make the bike act like yours. But the amount is very small so if you have water in the tank it can take ages to clear. In fact it might never clear because water is always finding it's way in. So the only way is to drain and dry the tank out.

However I think you could also have a small pin hole which is pulling air in at high reves.

FGanger · Post by **FGanger** » Mon Sep 05, 2005 8:30 am

Chris,

Just remember that water and gas do not mix. However, alcohol and water do mix and the resulting liquid will mix with the fuel. So, other than draining the tank (always a good idea) adding alcohol to the fuel will slowly take it out of the tank. HEET, for example, is just alcohol.

If you have been doing this (adding alcohol), and there is no change, you do in fact have something else wrong with the bike. I like to rule out the simple, basic (read cheap) corrections before I go to the dealer - always expensive.

Frank

Post by **wncbmw** » Mon Sep 05, 2005 10:01 am

Chris - I have had water in the tank (Hungry Mother ride last fall) and although it affected the bike all the time, not just when it was low on gas, the symptoms sound similar. We finally stopped at a Yamaha dealer and put some fuel additive in the tank that removes the water and within 20 miles the problem disappeared.

Auto parts stores and bike shops should all have something similar. Worth a shot!

Post by **arkline** » Mon Sep 05, 2005 12:05 pm

If it is water in the tank, then you might count it as a sort of left-handed blessing. The steam from the water will de-coke your cylinder heads without resort to SeaFoam or the like....

There was an incident here in the specific northwest recently where Union 76 stations were delivered some really BAD gas. So bad, in fact, that the resolution of the problem was that Union 76 paid to have injectors replaced on affected vehicles.

Given your symptoms, I still think its a pump problem...but what do I know?