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Fuel Pump Controller

23K views 59 replies 18 participants last post by  Iscadean 
#1 ·
All - I have 28K on my 2009 RT and all this talk about fuel pump controller failure leaving me stranded is starting to get me thinking. Thought I'd go ahead and get a spare for a field swapout if necessary and argue with the dealer later if it happens when I'm on warranty.

MaxBMW lists two part numbers: 16147720776 ($131.59) and 16147720777 ($170.17). They put a photo with the former and it looks like what everyone has been talking about - black powdercoat. Anyone know what the difference is between the two that justifies $40?

Thanks.

JayJay
 
#54 ·
vulch said:
Hi thanks for reply am i mistaken or does the plug end look like the same as on a fpc bypass cord
Short answer is no! Here is what the bypass cable looks like:

http://www.burnsmoto.com/bmw-fuel-pump-bypass-cable.php

If I was buying one, I would buy the one on the left, which has the Powerlet plug on one end and the other end plugs right into the fuel pump (blue connector).

Hopz - my fuse box is triggered by a relay, which powers it up only when the ignition is on (and stays on a minute after the key is turned off), and so it is better than a direct wire to the battery.
 
#55 ·
PadG said:
Hopz - my fuse box is triggered by a relay, which powers it up only when the ignition is on (and stays on a minute after the key is turned off), and so it is better than a direct wire to the battery.
My comment does not have to be taken literally. What I mean is... "battery" whether it is fused via block or whether it is tapped into any other wire that carries 12v. But, your fuse block with switched power is no doubt a good solution.
 
#56 ·
PadG said:
Short answer is no! Here is what the bypass cable looks like:

http://www.burnsmoto.com/bmw-fuel-pump-bypass-cable.php

If I was buying one, I would buy the one on the left, which has the Powerlet plug on one end and the other end plugs right into the fuel pump (blue connector).

Hopz - my fuse box is triggered by a relay, which powers it up only when the ignition is on (and stays on a minute after the key is turned off), and so it is better than a direct wire to the battery.
Hi I removed the fpc to confirm if the plug i saw would fit and it doesn't i was hopeful that maybe the previous owner wired in a bypass plug ..the plugs were almost the same Thanks for all the replies..just a comment since i had the fpc off and could see what it looked like under it i dont see how water could do any damage there is a well under the fpc if water got in it wouldn't touch the fpc Thanks
 
#57 ·
David13 said:
Hmmm. That may be right. But if so, doesn't that support my theory that it was heat, not water that was burning those things out?
dc
Yes I agree heat. Water may be a secondary cause. The pictures I've seen of ones that got wet show that the fins have built up a pretty thick layer of furry corrosion (due to them being made from pot metal I guess). That layer of corrosion would then significantly decrease the effectiveness of the heatsink, one or more components in the module overheats and pop!
 
#58 ·
JonA, that is my thought also. The circuit board is fully potted, and that is to keep out moisture. However, the potting compound (the black stuff) is not a good thermal conductor, and makes it hard to dissipate any heat build up.

The heavy corrosion of the zinc die-cast heat fins will affect its ability to dissipate heat a great deal, especially since zinc oxide is white (think back to your high school physic and what you know about "black body"). I guess that is why the "better" FPC is powdercoated black.

Incidentally, if you go to the link that I had posted earlier on the bypass cable. On that site, look at the upper right corner and you will see a couple of photos. One shows a failed FPC, and the second is a statistic on the number of failures reported for various year GS model, in the UK. Interesting statistic, and goes to show that even though there are issues, chances at least some of us will never encounter this problem!
 
#59 ·
I replaced the fuel pump thinking that the motor died.
Turned out the controller died instead of the motor. I have bypassed the controller and bike running without any problem.
My question: Is there anybody who is running his / her bmw r1200 without the fuel pump controller? I just don't want to spend $300 on it if it is not really needed.
Is there any place I can buy a cheaper fuel pump controller?

Thanks!
 
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