Changing the fuel filter

[Mark Darlington]

I bought a major service kit from motobins, which comes with a fuel filter. The kit alledgedly comes with all the washers you need to complete the service.

From reading the manual, it seems that I have to remove the pump through the bottom of the petrol tank to change the filter, which would require a new o-ring to be fitted when reassembling.

The service kit from motobins doesn't include a new o-ring for this. Has anyone else come across this? :help:

I assume I'm right on how to change the fuel filter? All help gratefully appreciated.

Thanks
Mark

[dbrick]

I'm going way out on a limb here, Mark, because I've never done this job, I've only read about it.

I'm pretty sure I remember that the gasket (a big o-ring) can be reused. In use, however, it gets saturated with fuel and swells, and can't be pushed back into its recess. The cure, IIRC, was to put the o-ring out in the sun for some hours, which would dry it and cause it to shrink back to its origiinal size.

[Skyenet]

Mark

I bought a service kit, though not sure if it was from Motobins or Motorworks, and it included the fuel filter and a rubber ring about 4" in diameter. Its a job I plan doing sometime soon.

Iain

[DougM]

I just did this (lucky me) a couple weeks ago. Major PITA, next time I may do the external filter relocation mod, if I can find an unobtrusive place to mount it. Mark the plate orientation with a marker/scribe before unbolting it. You have to be patient getting the pump assy out and back in without bending the level sender arm, plus not losing the ends of the internal vent lines in the tank. And remember not to overtighten the plate bolts.

I'd buy a new o-ring if you didn't get one in the kit, they are only a couple $/£/€ and a fuel leak there would be a real pain as you'd have to remove the tank again.

Some directions on this fun process at ibmwr.org (http://www.ibmwr.org/r-tech/oilheads/R11-fuel-filter-change.shtml).

[chris d]

Yes it is a PITA, yes you will need a sealing O ring for the access cover.

In addition, you might consider a couple of small hose clamps to secure the rubber vent lines to the tank fixtures. These are secured at the factory (on my '95 anyway) with nylon tie-wraps and if slightly loose will cause the tank to empty its contents down through the vent if not tight on re-assembly!

Even bigger PITA!

[cagiva50]

Go w/ Doug's sug and get a new o ring. Save the old one for the next filter change (unless you opt to locate it external to the tank :D ), and you can reuse it! This way you'll not need another new o ring for a long time. Works great. While you're in there, check the condition of ALL the hoses and if they look questionable, swap all of them w/ new.

[Oil cooled]

Having recently gone through this, wanted to second the good advice here. Worth doing a thorough job as it's not nice to do it once, let alone twice.

My problem was that one of the rubber vent lines in the tank had either split or gone porous whilst I was changing the filter. Therefore, despite using new clamps on them, after refitting and refilling the tank one line continually dripped fuel :bang:

Removed tank second time in 2 days, and replaced the rubber hoses at a cost of about £1 and all was/is fine. BTW, what sparked off this long weekend was water entering the tank from a blocked drain hole - worth checking this out also.

Good luck.

[MikeH]

I think that all the relevant point are covered in the replies above, but I'd pay particular attention to Doug's comments about not bending the fuel sender arm or your gauge and fuel light will be messed up.

I assume you're aware that the fuel filter does not need replacing every major service? - Only every 24 K. miles.

Good luck!

[Mark Darlington]

This sounds much worse than I thought. On that basis, it's sorely tempting not to change it at all.

Are there lots of horror stories about not changing the filter and the bike grinding to a halt or similar?

Should I expect some sort of performance drop off if I don't change it?

Cheers,
Mark

[Stitch]

That's gotta depend on how much c**p is in the fuel you're buying. I kept my previous RS for 5 1/2 years without a filter change and all was well. The reason I didn't change it (having taken off the tank to do so ) was that the state of the bolts holding on the plate was such that I decided to leave well enough alone!
Cheers, Stitch.

[TREE]

Mark, it's NOT as hard as some describe...... just take your time. :)

I have done this by the roadside in a paved parking lot when I thought it was the problem ( would you believe it was bad Bosch Platinum 4 spark plugs ).

One tip is to mark the plate and tank with tape, crayon, anything, before you remove the plate so they line up same orientation when you reassemble.

Consider the first filter swap as a good training mission for that day when you are stuck down the road after some gas station sells you crap . It will make you feel a whole lot more confident on any ride. I carry a filter, 4 screw clamps and a spare O ring.

It just sounds worse reading about it than when actually pulling the tank and getting your hands dirty. I was surprised how fast the fear factor disappeared, and I had the old filter in for 60K kms since new.

:Beer:

[JimVonBaden]

Another option is the external fuel filter modification. No more need to go into the tank after the mod.

See this thread to see how: http://www.ibmwr.org/r-tech/oilheads/extern_fuel_filter.shtml

Jim:cool:

[Mark Darlington]

I'm half way through this now - the fuel pump/filter assembly is out and on the floor, with the filter removed.

I have to say it is the most difficult job I have done so far. Very fiddly and awkward to get the assembly out.

2 particularly interesting moments:

Removing the breather tubes from the pump assembly only to see them disappear back into the tank and wondering if I was ever going to see them again
The realisation that the clips holding the filter and breather pipe on were not screw types and wondering whether they can be reused
I've tried to find some replacement clips locally but to no avail - so I'm going to have to reuse the clips.

I am thinking now that if I can get this lot back together without any leaks or other problems it will be a minor miracle :dunno:

Cheers,
Mark

[MikeH]

Mark,

The screw type hose clips (as fitted to R1100RS) are still available from BMW at 56p each. Part No. 13 31 1 460 928
I just ordered a bundle to do the same job you're tackling.

[bjaanning]

I wasn't able to reuse the clips that were original to the tank. The screw clamps work great if you get the stainless steel type.

[Mark Darlington]

This job is a major pain. I am amazed that I had no leaks or problems after I'd put it all back together.

Major pains:

Getting the pump assembly out
Finding replacement clips (but thanks to MikeH for part numbers)
Getting pump assembly back in
Trying to hold the vent hoses whilst jiggling the assembly into position
Understanding whether the vent hoses should be in front or behind the float arm
Trying to get the new o-ring to stay roughly in place whilst getting the plate back on and held in place
I have no intention of rushing to do this job again! If you intend to change the filter on a regular basis then previous advice from Jim Von Baden to carry out the external filter mod should be taken very seriously :)

I would further suggest that TREE deserves a medal for carrying out this work at the side of the road. RESPECT.

Cheers,
Mark

[Mark Darlington]

Took the bike out today. Noticed straight away that the fuel gauge on the RID is permanently on full :bawl:

This obviously means that the float arm is caught up - probably in the vent hoses.

Does anyone know if you can get your hand in the tank and rummage around if you remove the filler assembly? This would be far, far preferable to stripping the whole thing down again.

Once again I find myself without the right tools. I went to take the filler assembly off to have a look and find they are star shaped bolts and not allen bolts, so naturally I don't have any of those in my socket set. :bang:

Cheers,
Mark

[JimVonBaden]

Took the bike out today. Noticed straight away that the fuel gauge on the RID is permanently on full :bawl:

This obviously means that the float arm is caught up - probably in the vent hoses.

Does anyone know if you can get your hand in the tank and rummage around if you remove the filler assembly? This would be far, far preferable to stripping the whole thing down again.

Once again I find myself without the right tools. I went to take the filler assembly off to have a look and find they are star shaped bolts and not allen bolts, so naturally I don't have any of those in my socket set. :bang:

Cheers,
Mark
Mark, as crazy as it sounds, it would be easier to take the tank off and fix the problem from the other end. The filler assembly can be a real pain in the A$$ to get back together. If you decide to do it through the filler, you will need two longer screws and some washers to pull it down far enough to get the regular screws back in. The gasket expands and makes it very difficult.

Jim:cool:

[Oil cooled]

Welcome to the "do it twice" club - major PITA.

Agree with Jim - there is no way you could do anything useful through the filler IMHO (although I found removing and replacing the filler quite simple - maybe a different design?).

You might want to consider leaving it a week or 2 while you chill a bit - only thing worse than doing a job like this is doing it when you're stressed, although obviously you'll have to live with the lying guage.

On the bright side, the next replacement is a long way off (and I intend to stretch the replacement interval somewhat), and this is prolly the nastiest routine servicing job you'll need to do.

[DougM]

Agree you're better off removing the tank, rather than trying to go through the filler. I've had the filler assy off and on several times, pretty easy, but you need small hands to get through the hole and reach down into front right side of the tank. It can be done--in my case I managed to contort my hand to get it into the tank, and was able to reach down inside around the float arm (I was actually fishing out a dropped vent hose during a swap of my filler neck for one off an RT). However, when I tried getting my hand out, I almost couldn't! I ended up scraping off a major chunk of skin getting my hand out of the top of that %#@* tank. I was envisioning having to walk into the BMW shop with my arm inside the tank, and having to ask them to cut the tank off...!

Use your odometer and refill before you normally do, and pull the tank off as a winter project.

[Mark Darlington]

Very funny Doug! I can imagine you marching in to BMW with the tank up your arm.

I took it all apart again today to understand why the tank was reading permanently full. Turns out I had somehow managed to rotate the whole assembly round whilst putting it back in the tank and the float had gone past a shoulder inside the tank and couldn't drop back.

I further assume that in bolting the assembly back on in this position I had put some pressure on the float assembly - hopefully not damaged it.

On having to do this a second time, it did seem much easier - knowing what to expect counts for a lot. I made sure the float arm was free before bolting up, but I'm a tad worried because the tank now reads empty, although I've only put just over 4 litres of petrol in and the low warning light is on.

One question though. I managed to undo 3 of the six bolts holding on the filler assembly before I thought better of it and did them up again. However, I can't get one of the bolts to bite on the thread, no matter how tight the other bolts are. As I sit on the bike, the one in the 2 o'clock position won't bite, so I can't do it up.

Any ideas? I don't think I've stripped the thread but can't be certain. The bolt is the same size as the others. Not a major problem but irritating.....

Cheers,
Mark
Cheers,
mark

[MikeH]

Possibly the O-ring seal has popped out of the groove at that point. Buy a new one from the BMW dealer or Motobins and fit that. It's easily done - you don't need to disconnect pipes from the filler - just stretch the O-ring over the whole assembly. Don't try to re-use the old one as the fuel causes it to swell up.

[cagiva50]

I saved the old o ring, and w/ time it will return to 'normal' size. Still works good as new (assuming no cuts etc.) and ready for the next attack on the fuel tank :D .

[Mark Darlington]

I've filled the bike with petrol, and when the tank is full, the fuel gauge reads 3 bars off full :rolleyes:

That means I've obviously managed to bend the float arm enough that a full tank only reads two thirds full. Oh well, I'll have another go sometime over the winter and bend that arm back again.

Not really a major concern at the moment. If I do the job enough times I should be able to do it in the dark, by the roadside, using just a tooth pick and an old paper clip....

Cheers,
Mark

[TREE]

Hi Mark. Been gone a while........ sorry about your 'pain' having to go back into the patient twice but I think you have now reached that state of tech nirvana that I reached before I was willing to tackle it on the side of the road.

Once you have been in twice then it is a no brainer, you can tour anywhere on the planet with impunity ( as long as you carry 4 clamps, a filter and O ring that is ).

What you just went thru ( PITA ) allows you to now travel with an advantage....... fear of the ughknown is not a factor anymore. The vent hoses are easy to recapture if you keep a needle nose plier on your bike also.

I mentioned you should mark the flange/tank alignment with anything, a scratch works too. I guess that one bit you the first time , but look what you learned. It made you go back in again just so you could get really proficient.

Yes, I'm a cruel man...... but fair ! :bang:

I never got excited about the external filter mod, guess I'm a Luddite.
I find the RS is crowded enuff as it is, routing extra hoses and filter space was not attractive to me.
I also prefer my pressurized components in the tank .... there are enough outside already.

People should know what is in the tank and how to work on it IMO. I had a EFI problem last yr which resulted in 95 psi in all hoses , even in the return line !

When I removed the pump there was some black plastic jammed in the last 2 inches of the return dump line in the tank. It was in my fuel system from 12K to 75K kms and finally blew around two 90 deg bends ....... hard to believe. One in a million I reckon. It took no time to fix it because I knew how to remove the pump and filter.

Wrenching is good for the RS owner's soul ........ IMHFO. :Beer:

[jimstinnett]

That's gotta depend on how much c**p is in the fuel you're buying. I kept my previous RS for 5 1/2 years without a filter change and all was well.
Cheers, Stitch.

Hmm.
Mine just crapped out the freeway while on my merry way home the other day. After a couple of ill-fated restarts and more crap outs, I called the mc tow dude.

Now it is in the garage, semi reassembled after getting a new filter and gasket.
I trimmed some of the dead wood off the hoses, too as the ends where they get shoved in were slightly frayed. ( I know, I know)

This filter replacement thing is a f*cking messy chore, at the very least. Whatever you all do, make sure you have something to PLUG the main fuel lines coming out of the tank, and or a funnel and a large enough gas can to catch it all in when it gushes out :lick: . And I siphoned off most all of it before I started.
Now my whole garage smells like the Exxon Valdez farted in it.
notes:
I found that used ear plugs make a nice tool for plugging the fuel lines, too. Just roll up one end between your finger tips to make it easier to slip into the hose when you pull it off the hard lines.
This also seems to be a good time to change the air filter as nothing is in the way. I also did a bit of housekeeping with a rag and can of WD-40, cleaning the various under tank stuff. No that anyone notices that stuff when you park it someplace. :laugh:


Jim
'94 Beta

[Scotboxer]

Yep it is a b****r of a job and I had to take my tank off twice too ... for the same reason. Taught me what I should have known already at my age ... the most important thing about any work is thinking it through before hand! When in doubt , stop and have a cogitate! Also shows the usefulness of this forum again.

[MikeH]

I've just replaced the fuel filter. It really is a PITA and the next time I'll be carrying out the external filter mod.

One problem I've had is getting suitable clamps for the small vent lines. The BMW crimped type can't be refitted without special pliers. It's only possible to use a screw type hose clamp on one of the vent lines - there's no space on the other as it fouls the side of the hole on the tank. So I've had to wire that hose on with some plastic coated steel wire.

What type of clamps do other people use? Are the special pliers available to attach the OEM crimped clamps ? - my dealer said not to the public. :naughty:I thought of using nylon cable ties but I suspect that they would expand with the petrol (gas) and become loose.

[Ed Miller]

I found some small spring clamps at the local auto parts store that do the job just fine. They were in a multipack with various sizes, so I had to buy two packs to get the four I needed. They were pretty cheap, and the rest went into my bin of hose clamps for some other unknown future use.

[dbrick]

Are the special pliers available to attach the OEM crimped clamps ? - my dealer said not to the public. :naughty: Your dealer's full of it. Put "Oetiker" into Google and you'll quite quickly find appropriate pliers, like

http://www.chadstoolbox.com/oetiker.html

I've no doubt you could find Oetiker clamps, too. Try "Oetiker UK" to see what comes up, too.

[AntonL]

One problem I've had is getting suitable clamps for the small vent lines... What type of clamps do other people use? Are the special pliers available to attach the OEM crimped clamps ? - my dealer said not to the public.
The actual fuel lines use Oetiker clamps as mentioned... you can easily buy these clamps from the dealer and buy the tool in the internet or from an auto parts store. But, you're asking about the clips on the vent lines. I push the two sides laterally to separate them, and snap them back together by squeezing them with thin-blade cutters. The cutting blade on my wiring pliers worked well yesterday to close the similar clamp on the airbox vent.

Overlapping spring clips would also work well for the vent lines.

[MikeH]

Thanks Folks, I purchased a pair of the Oetiker pliers today which are ideal for the job. I didn't feel confident just leaving the vent pipe wired on - Sod's law dictates that it would have probably started leaking in the future at the most inconvenient time, miles away from home. :)

[breyfogle]

Are the special pliers available to attach the OEM crimped clamps ? - my dealer said not to the public.

Nonsense, the proper name for the clamps is Oetiker clamps. The clamps and the crimpers are widely available, just not at your local corner hardware store. I bought mine from McMaster.com but I have seen the crimper tool for sale in local auto parts stores sold as "CV Boot Pliers" - same thing.

[MikeH]

Nonsense, the proper name for the clamps is Oetiker clamps. The clamps and the crimpers are widely available, just not at your local corner hardware store. I bought mine from McMaster.com but I have seen the crimper tool for sale in local auto parts stores sold as "CV Boot Pliers" - same thing.I maybe gave the wrong impression - the parts manager said that the BMW dealership wouldn't supply as it's a workshop item, but he gave me details of a trade outlet where I bought the Oetiker pliers. So he is quite a helpful and decent chap really. ;)

[photomd]

I apologize if this has been covered. A search didn't reveal it. I've got a RSL with the lower fairing. Has anyone relocated the filter with this fairing? Any problems? Thanks y'all! :Beer:

[AntonL]

...the parts manager said that the BMW dealership wouldn't supply as it's a workshop item...
That is an unacceptable position to take. There are MANY shop tools that are sold to owners, and all of the BMW tools have a part number and can be ordered like any other part (well, all except the Moditec and GT-1).

Nonetheless, the BMW tool is probably more expensive so you did OK in this case.

[flars]

MikeH - There is no pressure in those vent lines. You can use tie wraps on them and they will work fine.
You can also buy fuel line clamps at NAPA, PepBoys and many other places, so there shouldn't be any reason for fuel spills except heavy drinking or bad weather in the garage.
Overall, changing the filter is a minor pain, but it ain't rocket science. I would think that by now, with all the hand wringing and cursing, everyone would know what to expect, and wouldn't screw it up. :laugh:
Maybe BMW ought to supply digital cameras with every bike so we would all get in the habit of taking 'before' pictures of everything we take off so we would know how to put it back on correctly.