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BMW R100GS electrical problem BMW R100GS electrical problem
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Photo by Sean Howman, The Pamir highway in an unseasonably cold late October, Tajikistan

I haven't been everywhere...
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Photo by Sean Howman,
The Pamir highway in an unseasonably
cold late October, Tajikistan



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  #16  
Old 4 May 2014
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Magnon View Post
How old is the petrol? Have you dropped the float bowls and checked there is no water?

Mine needs full choke on nice fresh petrol to start easily. A faulty coil usually causes rough running but doesn't affect starting.
Gas has been replaced and it won't even fire with ether sprayed in the airbox and plugs are wet when immediately removed. I have clear fuel line and you can see fuel in the line. I dropped the bowls a couple times when this first started (I could get it started but not idle) and there was always fuel in them. Now it won't fire at all.
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  #17  
Old 5 May 2014
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Don't fixate on teh igntion system.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Drumboy View Post
I'm having a similar problem with my 94 gs pd. I can't get it to fire but it does have a spark. I'm wondering if the spark isn't strong enough.
Once you have spark I'd be checking

Fuel? Are the spark plugs wet after trying to start it? Too wet = flooding. Too dry = no choke or no fuel in the float bowel.

Compression? Are the valve clearances set correctly? If too tight then the bike will be very hard to start. In particular check the exhaust.
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  #18  
Old 5 May 2014
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Warin View Post
Once you have spark I'd be checking

Fuel? Are the spark plugs wet after trying to start it? Too wet = flooding. Too dry = no choke or no fuel in the float bowel.

Compression? Are the valve clearances set correctly? If too tight then the bike will be very hard to start. In particular check the exhaust.
I don't see how it could be fuel since I couldn't even get it to fire when I sprayed ether in the airbox and the plugs were wet immediately after.
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  #19  
Old 5 May 2014
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It will be the hall sensor, had the same problem with my R1150GS! Expensive but easy to fix.
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  #20  
Old 5 May 2014
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Remember these bikes are 20 to 25yrs old now. When I restored my 1989 R100GS-PD last year I was shocked at the state of the electrical connections with the build up of corrosion. How the bike worked in that state, I don't know. I cleaned each and every connection using a needle file and steel wool, and sprayed the connections with cleaners, but was only partially successful. In the end an electrician friend replaced the BMW connector blocks with new bullet connectors and shrink wrapped them. Everything then worked again.
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  #21  
Old 5 May 2014
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Originally Posted by Drwnite View Post
It will be the hall sensor, had the same problem with my R1150GS! Expensive but easy to fix.
Wouldn't a failed Hall Sensor cause it to not have a spark at all? When plug is out or with a sensor I can see both are sparking.
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  #22  
Old 11 May 2014
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Well, if the timing isn't a mile off - and there is no reason why that should change anyway then it can only be a weak spark (but you would expect at least some sign of firing when you crank it) OR it's compression related such as valve clearances too tight or some sort of valve timing issue. Does it sound 'normal' when you crank it over?
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  #23  
Old 15 May 2014
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How would the timing be off? Isn't the timing just the sensor by the bean can that senses the spot on the crank shaft and sends the signal to the ITU?

I threw on a new coil hoping the spark wasn't powerful enough but that didn't work.


I guess my next step is to reconfirm the valve clearance which I set a couple weeks ago and then check the compression.

It sounds like it always has when cranking.
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  #24  
Old 15 May 2014
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It does fire a little but won't really start.
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  #25  
Old 15 May 2014
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Drumboy View Post
Wouldn't a failed Hall Sensor cause it to not have a spark at all? When plug is out or with a sensor I can see both are sparking.

So did mine! Its easy to pull the front cover off and have a look!
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  #26  
Old 16 May 2014
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I did have a look and it all looked good. Is there a way to test it? What am I looking for?
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  #27  
Old 17 May 2014
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BMW R100GS electrical problem
Well after reading the clymer instructions again last night I believe the coil test that failed was checking for proper voltage from the battery. Now I need to start tracing wires....
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  #28  
Old 18 May 2014
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The bean can can be rotated to set the timing - it could have moved also the bean can bob weights could be stuck in the fully advanced position.

The ignition amplifier could be faulty in some way causing a weak spark.

I'm sure you've already checked/changed plugs, caps and HT leads.
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  #29  
Old 18 May 2014
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Is that something that would happen while riding? My problems started while riding when it stopped wanting to idle and eventually got to where it won't really start.
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  #30  
Old 19 May 2014
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The weights could stick in the fully advanced position whilst riding - It's not something I have experience of but I would say it's worth checking.

The amplifier (ICU) is pretty reliable but could develop a fault at any time, again if you can swap one out from a known good bike it's worth trying.
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