Fuel gauge / pump flange orientation

[RSMike]

My fuel warning light is on when it should be off, and off when it should be on.

This to me indicates the possibility that last time someone had the fuel pump/filter/gauge flange out they oriented it incorrectly when re-assembling.

I know the best way to find out is open it up, and I will do that when I assemble all the necessary parts to replace everything when I open it up. So far I had a look from the outside when I replaced the cracked external external hoses. Here is a shot of the assembly in place.

Does anyone have an equivalent shot of their assembly ( R1100R preferred) for comparison of the orientation?

Thanks




BTW, here is how it looked when I first got the tank off ( The oetiker clamp on upper FI line was loose the hose slipped off easily when I pulled it!, just luck that it was staying in place)

[CycleRob]

To me it is absolutely incredible that BMW did NOT make the installation foolproof and easier to reinstall with an offset mounting stud. They repeated the stupid mistake on the R1150 series sweeping re-design!
You can set the flange orientation correctly just by removing the flange enough to confirm that the long surface of the fuel sock filter is parallel to the ground. Looking at the high pressure fittings orientation, yours might be 1 lug toward a CCW direction from true.
The worst part of getting the correct position wrong is running out of fuel when the fuel level is low, when the fuel sock is now off the bottom of the tank, sucking air.

[RSMike]

Thanks for the reply CycleRob, I never considered that the fuel pump sock might be too high
Though thinking about it, because the behavior of the light is so truly reversed, I'm wondering if it could be some sort of electrical fault.
Next rainy Saturday, I'll be opening it up, I need to do the filter and hoses so it will all be coming out anyway. The tip about keeping the sock parallel to the ground for refitting correctly is a good one.

[CycleRob]

When you do get it correctly oriented, be sure you both heavy scratch and line paint flange alignment marks.

[RSMike]

Rainy day today, so tackled all of the in tank stuff, replaced everything, all hoses, filter and pump using the Euromotoelectrics kit. It turned out there was no problem with orientation, and mechanically the level float and arm seems fine and unobstructed. So, I have to conclude either the unit is faulty or some logic in the electronics elsewhere is somehow reversed . I'll post some pictures later in case I have missed something.
After I reassembled and reconnected everything, I fired her up, she started but then ran very rough, backfired and cut out, , thoughts of reversed filter, bad pump connections etc. a few minutes of cursing and frustration followed, but.......

.......You may have guessed, it looks like I was just tripped up by the right side throttle cable being knocked out of its ferrule , fixed that and she ran fine, road test tomorrow to confirm.

Here are the pictures:
Old pump and filter (filter turned out to be original- 94date stamp- so unlikely anyone has opened up since the factory) :


Enduralast pump kit fitted though with a Mahle fuel filter that I got in a separate service kit from Motorworks
http://www.euromotoelectrics.com/BMW-R- ... itplus.htm:


Vent Hoses, at filler end, found this especially difficult as the hard black plastic thingy detaches so easily and falls into the tank, forgot the o-ring on reassembly forcing me to take everything apart a second time when this thing fell into the tank yet again (BTW, whats it for?)


Close up of the fuel sender resistor slider (still no idea why the system continues to operate in reverse):

[sstein]

From your pics, looks like the R1100 has a totally different fuel level sending unit mechanism from the R1150. If you play with a continuity tester, you may be able to figure out what is going on with that switch ..

[RSMike]

Right, I figured it was different to what you encountered, it looks like a simple variable resistor. There is an associated damping unit/relay under the seat, beginning to suspect that as a possible culprit. I'm afraid a screw-up of my own making attaching the pump leads delayed me so long. I never got around to playing with the sender. I can still do some measurements via the external contacts though. If I'm lucky replacing the relay under the seat might solve it, I think I can pick up a 2nd hand one cheaply.

[CycleRob]

RSMike,
The black plastic thingie on the R1150R is white and it is called a roll-over valve. It's internal float shuts off the tank fuel vapor vent passageway when the fuel level gets too high, as in a bike tip-over or refuel overfill, so liquid fuel does not pass into the charcoal fuel vapor canister. Your black plastic thingie is likely the same type of fuel/vapor separator component. If it "detaches easily", there is a serious problem that must be repaired !! It seems like it's attaching points are/were damaged by a combination of aging and/or removal or installation forces. If it is not securely re-attached (with something like JB Weld) it could either allow fuel into the canister vapor line or less likely, keep the vent line shut off. Since gasoline is involved, I would take it apart again (easy enough) and give it a thorough inspection and a strong repair.