K11 Owners Group

[Allen Nelson]

Just a hunch considering all the things that have been suggested.

Try checking the side stand switch....sometimes dirt and grit get in there and cause the contacts to tell the computer brain your side stand is down. For the 10 years of ownership with my last K11, I had rigged up a jumper cable that I could plug in to the side stand circuit to completely by pass the stupid thing. Course I didn't leave it in all the time....to many times I'd ride off with the side stand down only to have a rude reminder that it was down.

BTW....after I made this jumper and had it set up as a bypass, it came in very handy when trouble shooting.

The previously mentioned gas filter can be a pain in the patut2.....when I first bought my last K11, I had it about 3 weeks and then the loss in power thing started popping up. Ended going down to Marty's to see Ann and ask why she gave me a bad bike....which went over real well. Anyway...the long and short of the story is, a brand new bike got a bad load of gas at some local gas station and every thing got clogged up. Cost me nearly $100 and a scolding from Ann.

Moral to the story???now I always carry a spare gas filter for any bike I own.....you never know when your going to get some bad gas

Bottom line suggestion....find the circuit for the side stand switch and rig your self up a jumper cable that you can plug in to see if that is your problem..............AND.....add a gas filter to your tool kit too
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REDBRICK, '96RS (formerly owned), K11OG#5
2011 Triumph Sprint GT
Not a turncoat...and do miss my special K

[Glawseagle]

[Flying Duck]

That little ground terminal on the Moronic doesn't do squat. Mine came off on my 94 RS and the bike still ran fine until I discovered it once when I had the seat open.

Pins 21 and 26 in the connector are what ground the electronics. That other one just grounds the housing.

Take the Moronic apart for a better understanding of how it is grounded.
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93 LT (x2)
94 RS
86-97 K75F(K75/100/1100 Frankenbrick)
86 K75C w/paralever, hi perf cams,TURBO!
91 & 92 K75Ss
91 K1
86 custom K100
14 WR250R
IBA #17739 (SS1K, BBG, 50CC)
Buy parts HERE

[Glawseagle]

[tmarshall57]

Update on my issue (now solved) maybe this will help the OP.....

The problem was best described as an intermittent partial loss of power once the bike had warmed up - though never bad enough to cause a complete cut out i.e. when the throttle was released a normal idle ensued. Following advice on the forum I tried fuel additive (injector cleaner) and also checked the wiring harness connector leading from below the fuel tank.

The more I thought about this, the more I felt it was an electrical issue as full power would resume at random = and very suddenly.

To cut a long story short I checked the spark plugs (Bosch XR7LDC) and noted that cylinder 3 plug was dirtier than the others. I also noted that cylinder 1 spark plug lead was fitting a little loosely. The inside of the spark plug lead was corroded due to a previous owner running the NGK spark plugs without terminal ferrules. I ordered a replacement spark plug lead from Motorworks, fitted this and retested - still the same problem. I then ordered a new set of spark plugs (NGK DR7EA) which are provided without terminal ferrules and fitted these using ferrules from an old set.

The bike now runs perfectly - strange considering the Bosch plugs have done less than 7000 miles - albeit over 3 years.
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K1100RS Special Edition 1997
Arctic Silver/Black

[Al.]

I had similar problem - new filter - all gone !!!!!!!!!!

[Che sera sera]

Thanks for all the input - quick update. Changed fuel filter and cleaned the fuel sender unit connector. Also permanently disconnected the alarm/imobiliser. Problem seemed a bit better, although still with the odd hiccup, but was very bad this morning - 10 miles of coughing and spluttering.

Almost certain it's electrical rather than fuel since I had a couple of major back-fires (ignition being cut then recommencing with a cylinder full of fuel?). Will now look at sidestand switch/wiring and other ignition parts.

I hate intermittent faults!!
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'96 K1100rs
'93 r1100rs (probably on the way out)

[jcate]

I had the same problem with the engine of my 96' K1100RS suddenly quitting, however I was fortunate in that the problem finally came steady and I was able to diagnose it. When it quit, I found that the fuel pump was not running. There was 12V at the pump; however there was about 1.8K ohm of resistance in the pump ground wire, measured between the pump (black wire) and the fuel tank ground wire (brown) at the 4 pin fuel tank connector.

The 4 pin fuel tank connector cable carries 4 wires to a molded white plastic plug in the base of the VDO fuel sending unit, mounted in the bottom of the fuel tank. Three of the wires: 12v to the fuel pump, fuel level, and low fuel warning, pass through the plug into the fuel tank. The fourth wire is the common ground for the fuel tank, grounding the fuel pump, fuel level and low fuel warning. The ground wire in the cable (brown) is soldered to a ground lug inside the plug which exits the side of the plug outside the tank and is spot welded to the base of the fuel sending unit. I cut away the plastic plug an exposed the ground lug and found a classic cold solder joint. There was a blob of solder on the wire but no solder on the lug. The cold solder joint measured 1.8K ohm. Re-soldering the connection brought it to 0 ohms.

Blame the problem on poor VDO quality control 14 years ago. I ordered a new fuel level sending unit from MAX BMW for $105. The new unit may be a ticking time bomb if it was manufactured 14 years ago. However, the ground resistance of the new unit measured 0 ohms.

Believe it or not, but the bike is running stronger and idles better with the new fuel sending unit. I'm guessing that over 14 years, as ground resistance increased, fuel pump delivery pressure and volume may have declined, perhaps eventually dropping below the regulator pressure, before quitting completely. Current fuel pressure is 36 psi.

PS: Short of replacing the fuel level sending unit, a temporary solution is to install a ground wire from one of the mounting screws of the sending unit to a frame ground or direct to the negative terminal of the battery.

Good luck
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John Cate
Randolph, NJ
1996 K1100 RS SE

[Che sera sera]

John,
Thanks for your thoughts.

I spent most of Saturday going through possible problems. (It has to be said that much of this time was on coils, HT leads and plugs. When I eventually managed to shift the HT leads from the spark plugs the insides fell out of three of the four plug caps. I'll be ordering new leads shortly). I also bypassed the side stand switch.

Anyway, given that none of my efforts have made a difference to the problem, your tip about fuel pump sender sounds a good next step. I'll investigate and report back.
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'96 K1100rs
'93 r1100rs (probably on the way out)

[supercat1]

[bmwdude]

[quote="Flying Duck"]That little ground terminal on the Moronic doesn't do squat. Mine came off on my 94 RS and the bike still ran fine until I discovered it once when I had the seat open.
quote]

On my 97 LT, if the ground connector (via lug) comes off the Motronic the bike stops.

Check the ground cluster ("-" terminal) on the battery carefully. With the bike running on the center stand, wiggle each of the various wires that enter the big ground lug. I found one of mine had broken internally. Wiggling the bundle just right would make the bike cut out. I took it off and I could see one of the individual wires moved in and out when wiggled. I recrimped the connector and it stopped being stupid. Will replace the lug soon.

[Flying Duck]

[bmwdude]

A fixed spade terminal is often referred to as a lug.

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lug_(electrical_connector)&redirect=no

[Geoff]

BMW dude is correct, if the Motronic ground wire comes off, the bike stops. (A lug and blade are the same thing.)
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2000 R1100RT
2008 H-D Electra Glide Ultra Classic

[Flying Duck]

[Bob T]

[Ernie-NH]

G'Morning all....

I keep the "spade lug" side of the Motronic case ( rear ) connected, BUT remember that the front of the case is secured by a screw to then frame, so the case is grounded no matter what ! The internals are isolated from the case in any event and function via a separate cable ground.. Bike runs whether case is grounded or not, BUT if grounded it serves to nullify transient eddy currents. ( IMO )

Best regards all.....// Ernie in NH
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AMA,, American Deaf Bikers
Airhead Beemers Club
'11 G650gs
'95 K1100LT
'76 R100/7

[Che sera sera]

Grrrrrrr. Things have been really bad with this this week, cutting out a number of times on every journey. Only does it when at full operating temperature never when cold), and most prevalent when slowing down from a 60+ cruise.

Today I've changed fuel pump and cut out/bypassed the often troublesome 4-wire elec joint. Also checked all fuel lines and put a mulitmeter across the plastic pump controller - everything seems OK. 20 mile ride seemed perfect just now(YEAH), but cut out 100yds from home (£$%^&).

Really stumped, so have decided to order a new pump controller following advice here, and have to see if that helps. Keep you posted on tnis.
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'96 K1100rs
'93 r1100rs (probably on the way out)

[Flying Duck]

If it's quitting once it's warmed up that's a classic symptom of a Hall Effect sensor going bad.

A few things to try:

Take the cover off of the Hall Effect sensor (the squarish cover on the upper right front of the engine) and hit the Hall Effect sensor with a heat gun to see if that makes the bike fail.

When the bike fails while riding, trying pouring some cold water on the Hall Effect sensor cover to see if that brings the bike back to life.
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93 LT (x2)
94 RS
86-97 K75F(K75/100/1100 Frankenbrick)
86 K75C w/paralever, hi perf cams,TURBO!
91 & 92 K75Ss
91 K1
86 custom K100
14 WR250R
IBA #17739 (SS1K, BBG, 50CC)
Buy parts HERE

[Che sera sera]

I'll look at the HES next, but am keen to eliminate the fuel side of things. Just wondering if I could bypass the fuel level wiring on the bottom tank plate (which some have reported gives trouble) by running two wires from the 4-way elec connectors outside the tank and in through the petrol cap to connect to the pump. Any thoughts on why I shouldn't do this as a temporary test?
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'96 K1100rs
'93 r1100rs (probably on the way out)