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Bams
21st February 2019, 08:55
I have a problem I'm trying to solve .
I went to start bike after a stint of not using it and turn key on no start.

SYMTHOMS
-EWS on dash,
-No neutral
-No gear neutral indicated on dash.
-No fuel pump sound
-Low beam' is on which is not normal .

I have put battery on charge since and back on bike (no luck).
I did alot of reading online so decided to replace ring antenna (no luck)
Thought have i brought a dud ring antenna so plugged it into my r1200gs started up. So tested old antenna on r1200gs started up.
Took battery out of r1200gs put in f800gs (no Luck).

Went to dealer he said change battery it has a reading of 12.60 volts (f800gs) which he said is low should be 12.80 volts the (r1200gs) has 12.50 volt and starts it fine.
I tested all my other vehicles batterys and ranged from 12.40volts to 12.75 volts all start fine.
Is 12.60 volts stuffed??? I looked at date on battery 10 yrs old its the original battery Is this the problem?.
So I put (f800gs) battery in r1200gs started bike better and stronger than is own battery.
I put battery on charge again and took to auto electrician to load test battery he tested it standing voltage 12.90 volts and passed load test without a hint of trouble he said this battery is 10yrs old but healthy not my problem.
I have read online wires chaffing and breaking in lome ( I have not gone this far yet).

Also read the computer not booting up properly after battery been removed and you are to turn key off and on two times to sort this (no luck).
I have also read people having had to replace the engine control unit under the seat BMS-K $1500- $2000 ouch ?
I have also talked to a BMW expert not dealer ( dealership trained) he is currently working on another f800gs with similar problem (but no low beam on ) and he is going through the loom looking for a break and will take a look at mine if I have no luck once he can work out his current one

Also note as part of my routine I store my bikes un ridden for months on end so will disconnect battery from bike and trickle charge to maintain battery health every 3 months bikes are only disconnected for the night when doing this.


I really would appreciate if you have experienced the above symptoms especially the low beam on I would like to here from you .
cheers ken

Saarg
21st February 2019, 09:49
I have a problem I'm trying to solve .
I went to start bike after a stint of not using it and turn key on no start.
.


I really would appreciate if you have experienced the above symptoms especially the low beam on I would like to here from you .
cheers ken

Hi ken
I had a similar problem on my 2001 f650gs Dakar
There was 3 things needed replacement

My headlight was fixed by replacing the headlight relay, $16
When the current dips the relays can start to fail (due to age)
New battery - even though it was holding close to enough current, and recharging well it wasn’t holding charge over longer times between rides $135
Blown brake light.
The light was on, but the second filament had blown, so when I touched the brakes there was no brighter light.
I don’t know if the tail light was incidental or parallel to all the problems, but my Ecu boot up, starter and pump worked like normal after those 3 things were fixed that day



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Bams
21st February 2019, 11:48
Thanks for your reply
So you had a ews fault on dash and low beam light was on no gear indication on dash and no start
and those where the things to remedy problem?

sidecar bob
21st February 2019, 12:49
My background is in BMW car repairs, and from what I gather, the bike & car equipment is very similar electronically.
When the A EWS equipped car displayed the symptom your bike is, the usual repair route was to purchase a new EWS module from BMW by chassis number & Programme it to the car.
Alternative more cost effective route on older EWS 1 & 2 vehicles, was to purchase a key chip, EWS module & ecu from the wreckers all from the same vehicle & install all three. Wreckers usually had these taped together as a set for this purpose.
This became more difficult on the later cars, due to availability & cost, also compatibility of components.
Has the bike been on a GS901 scanner to get some hard facts about the fault? Otherwise you are throwing good money away on guesswork.
Call OBD Tech on 09 5798246 & have a chat with them for a start. They understand these systems better than anybody else I ever dealt with.
Your dealer is an idiot suggesting you change a battery with 12.6v without testing it.
I assume you mean BMW dealer, but honestly, you could get better advice from a drug dealer.
Also, what's the chances of a wire chafing through on a loom of a bike that has been parked up.
You can dismiss that theory too.

buggerit
21st February 2019, 13:18
Tried the spare key?

Bams
21st February 2019, 13:35
My background is in BMW car repairs, and from what I gather, the bike & car equipment is very similar electronically.
When the A EWS equipped car displayed the symptom your bike is, the usual repair route was to purchase a new EWS module from BMW by chassis number & Programme it to the car.
Alternative more cost effective route on older EWS 1 & 2 vehicles, was to purchase a key chip, EWS module & ecu from the wreckers all from the same vehicle & install all three. Wreckers usually had these taped together as a set for this purpose.
This became more difficult on the later cars, due to availability & cost, also compatibility of components.
Has the bike been on a GS901 scanner to get some hard facts about the fault? Otherwise you are throwing good money away on guesswork.
Call OBD Tech on 09 5798246 & have a chat with them for a start. They understand these systems better than anybody else I ever dealt with.
Your dealer is an idiot suggesting you change a battery with 12.6v without testing it.
I assume you mean BMW dealer, but honestly, you could get better advice from a drug dealer.
Also, what's the chances of a wire chafing through on a loom of a bike that has been parked up.
You can dismiss that theory too.

hi thanks I rang them but they only deal with cars
I plan to get bike put on gs 911 maybe next week when the guy from BM Glendene rings me to bring it in he's currently working on another bike with similar symptoms going through the loom and wants to sort that one first before looking at mine.
As to the wire chaff the bikes done 25000kms on a mix of gravel roads off road and tar its had plenty of time
of chaffing conditions and it seems not that uncommon on these bikes and the last ride this bike had was over some ruff terrain . I had an XT 660 strand me in queenstown for near on 3 days it took me to find that chaffed wire and that bike had only 20000km on it.

I find it hard to believe that the ECU is stuffed is BMW tech that rubbish ???

Bams
21st February 2019, 13:37
Tried the spare key?

yep tried spare key and a new ring antenna

Saarg
21st February 2019, 16:22
Thanks for your reply
So you had a ews fault on dash and low beam light was on no gear indication on dash and no start
and those where the things to remedy problem?

Yup


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sidecar bob
21st February 2019, 16:55
hi thanks I rang them but they only deal with cars
I plan to get bike put on gs 911 maybe next week when the guy from BM Glendene rings me to bring it in he's currently working on another bike with similar symptoms going through the loom and wants to sort that one first before looking at mine.
As to the wire chaff the bikes done 25000kms on a mix of gravel roads off road and tar its had plenty of time
of chaffing conditions and it seems not that uncommon on these bikes and the last ride this bike had was over some ruff terrain . I had an XT 660 strand me in queenstown for near on 3 days it took me to find that chaffed wire and that bike had only 20000km on it.

I find it hard to believe that the ECU is stuffed is BMW tech that rubbish ???

Regardless of mileage, id be prepared to bet that a wire didn't rub through since you last rode it into the garage & put it on the stand, but if you want to pull the wiring loom to bits then don't let me hold you back.
Disconnecting the battery is probably the ignition source of your issues.
And yeah, BMW stuff is no better than anything else.
If you tell OBD tech that the ECU is the same to look at as one from a BMW E90 car he may soften, but he seems to think in fairly straight lines.

layton
21st February 2019, 17:44
I had some crazy issues with a ducati I parked up for a period of time, turns out spider webs can cause some serious electrical issues! Probably not the issue but may be worth mentioning.

StephenP
8th June 2022, 21:58
Hi Bams, I have the exact same problem across the ditch that you had with your GS 800. Originally I had to have several goes to get the pump to kick in and it would start. Now after some weeks of not riding; turn the key, EWS warning, headlight comes on, no fuel pump and no gear in the selector. I have pulled the plugs and tried to refresh the connectors, inclusing the key switch and RF ring. I have replaced the RF ring and cant quiet figure out the root cause of the problem. Guessing its in the wiring loom as the bike is now 14 years young and 95,000kms. could be computer... Any clues to how you solved your problem are very much appreciated. thx Stephen.