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Coding Plugs for R1100, R1150 Decoded


roger 04 rt

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As part of my Wideband O2 project I dug into coding plugs and thought I'd share what I found.

 

For R1100 and R1150 Motorcycles, BMW devised a Coding Plug and socket located in the Fuse/Relay box as a method to control different engine configurations (intake tubes, valve cams, cylinder heads) and to manage the engine with and without a Catalytic Converter--exception see 1993 R1100RS note below.

 

While trying to figure out if there is a richer map in the 1150 (a hidden, surge-free, higher performance map) I got frustrated by the lack of a specific description by BMW of what each setting of the plug is for. Eventually I found a French BMW document (circa 2006) and BMW Bulletin 2701 dated 9/22/95 (and 10/31/2001). I also researched each configuration of 1100 & 1150 in the MAX BMW online parts database.

 

For the 1100 series, BMW 2701 indicates that there are 6 engine/exhaust configurations that can be coded. I can not find any documentation on the number of maps in the R1150 but in the US but from the parts lists, I see 3 different plugs that are used (all for bikes with catalytic converters).

 

The configurations appear to be designed to control fueling maps and spark timing maps. It is unclear how much difference there is between the individual maps or where those differences are.

 

A simple way to divide the 6 R1100 maps: 4 are for cat equiped motorcycles, and 2 are for non cat equipped. Or a different grouping of the configurations: one is for shorter, larger diameter intake tubes (and cams & heads), one is for longer, thinner intake tubes (and the cams & heads), and one is for lower power or lower octane fuel.

 

The coding plugs have four pins (numbered 30, 86, 87, 87a), pin 30 is a Motronic ground. Here is what the other 3 pins seem to signal:

 

Pin 87 Grounded: Tells the Motronic that a catalytic converter is installed. Any fueling maps would likely be designed to arrive at an Air Fuel Ratio of 14.7:1 in the cruising range.

 

Pin 87 Ungrounded: On the R1100 if this pin is NOT grounded, the Motronic would look for a CO potentiometer. Since the CO specification is 1.0 to 2.0%, which implies an AFR between 13.8 and 14.1, it seems likely to me that this fueling map would be designed to arrive at an AFR of 14.0:1--this might be a richer map. I don't know if this is true on the R1150 and in a test ride, ungrounding pins 87 and 87a on my R1150RT produced a somewhat leaner AFR than with both grounded.

 

Pin 86: On the R1100, if this pin is grounded, it tells the Motronic that lower octane fuel, lower power is expected, and/or the motorcycle was shipped to Switzerland. In the US on the R1150GS, this pin is grounded for models allowing lower octane fuel. I don't know what's special about Switzerland but I'm guessing that Pin 86 is a signal to retard timing compared to other maps.

 

Pin 87a: This pin is grounded or not, depending on which type of intake tube, valve cam and cylinder head is installed.

 

Pin 87a R1100 models: Grounded for intake tubes 137 1134 1405/1406 (longer and narrower); cams 1560--on the R1100R and R1100GS. It is ungrounded for models R1100S, R1100RS, R1100RT which use the shorter, larger diameter tubes.

 

Pin 87a R1150 models: Ungrounded for intakes tubes 1405/1406, etc.--R1150R, R1150GS and R1150GSA. It is grounded for models R1150RS, R1150RT (with the shorter fatter intake tubes).

 

Pin 87a Fueling Effect: My guess is that the longer narrower tubes have a lower Volumetric Efficiency and need less fuel at some points in the fueling map. Therefore if you signal that fat tubes are installed (ungrounded 87a on the 1100s or grounded on the 1150s), and then install the long narrow tubes, you will get a richer mixture in parts of the fueling map. I have no idea what areas of the maps are affected.

 

Summary

The Techlusion Manual probably sums it up best: before installing their product, they advise that you install the correct Coding Plug for your BMW model and then reset the Motronic.

 

If you have a catalytic converter and a stock O2 sensor the bike will eventually operate closed loop at an AFR of 14.7:1. And then its adaptation functions may reverse any gains that a different plug has temporarily brought, unless you also unplugged the O2 sensor.

 

I know that others have had different experiences and some will disagree but it seems to me that the Coding Plugs are not the best way to try and richen the mixture of R1100s and R1150s.

 

RB

 

 

N.B. The 1993 R1100RS had its coding hard-wired (no plug socket) in the harness when shipped with a catalytic converter; but if it was shipped with no catalytic converter, it had an empty plug socket so a converter could be added later.

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  • 9 months later...

On another board some guys were talking about the Coding Plug Mod for their 1150GSs. They swap their 30-87 coding plug for a 30-87a.

 

I decided to compared my Open Loop 30-87-87a warm-up to the exact same condition but with the 30-87a. The basic result is that the 30-87a has a 10% higher (leaner AFR)!(I'll check the 30-87 in a couple days.)

 

I've also compared the ignition angle, dwell angle and injector on-time during a warm-up interval. Coincidentally the air temp, oil temp and barometric pressure were quite close on the two days which makes the data easier to look through.

 

To summarize:

 

--AFRs look to be 8-10% leaner on 30-87a (compared to 30-87-87a)

--Injector On-times are shorter by roughly the same amount (confirms AFR readings)

 

Now for the surprise:

--30-87-87a Ignition Angle during Warm-up about 6 degrees. Dwell angle about 14/15 degrees (checked a few different test runs I have on file)

 

--30-87a Ignition Angle about 8 degrees. Dwell angle about 23/24 degrees.

 

I don't know how much difference this change of spark timing and dwell angle make but the difference is there and real. I haven't done a full test run over a course on this, just a warm-up test on the centerstand so I don't know how the timing would vary in other parts of the spark map.

Edited by roger 04 rt
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Just ran NO coding plug. Got the same results as 30-87a.

 

Same lean mixture and same long Dwell.

 

Could the longer dwell on a twin-spark R1150RT with Stick Coils lead to higher Coil temperature and shorter coil lifetime?

 

Will try 30-87 tomorrow.

Edited by roger 04 rt
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I worked on this some more today, including 30-87. I don't understand the results. It is somewhere between 30-87a and 30-87-87a. I'm going to be scrupulous about the test sequence and make sure I'm getting it right. We shall see.

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I ran the 30-87 (yellow) plug this morning for the second time on my R1150RT (30-87-87a, Pink, is stock). The logs are VERY interesting. I had run it the day before long enough after a reset to start Adapting at Idle speed.

 

This morning I started it up. The advance was about 6 degrees and the dwell was at 203 degrees, fuel pulse at 2.5 mS, AFRs in the 13.2 to 13.6 range. A little leaner than I would have expected based on experience.

 

Then, abruptly at the 3 minute mark, the dwell dropped to 14 degrees (advance stayed the same), the injector pulse DROPPED to 2.3 mS and the AFR DROPPED to 12.8:1. That's right, the fuel pulse got smaller and the AFR got richer! The only other abrupt change in the log was the Dwell Angle as I mentioned. In 9 months of data collection, this is the first time I've seen anything like it.

 

My take-away from all these tests is: On the 1150, RUN THE STOCK PLUG. It tells the Motronic what engine configuration (heads, cams and intake tubes) you're running. BMW knows what they're doing. There's no silver bullet here.

Edited by roger 04 rt
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Morning Roger

 

Is your evap system still hooked up? If so, any chance some of your richness variation is coming from evap can purge?

 

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Good Morning DR,

 

I had a look at that just now. Vent off (stayed off), Open Loop (hadn't reach temperature yet. The changes were:

 

Dwell dropped from 23 to 14/15

Injection time dropped from 2.5 to 2.3

RPM Dropped from 1400 to 1200

 

Tank vent, O2, Closed Loop, Air, Oil, TPS, Fast Idle bit all stayed the same.

 

Maybe just some weird glitch. Or, it could be the Motronic "getting used to" the 30-87 plug but it was the second test with it in. Motronic reset before the first run.

 

I'll post an AFR plot in a little while. Who knows ...

 

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Morning Roger

 

Was intake air temp pretty constant for the entire run? If not maybe run your test with a fixed IAT resistor that equates to the ambient temp.

 

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This IS getting interesting. Makes me wish I owned a pc, almost. Are you using an O'scope to look directly at the pulse width of the signal to the injectors? Seems to me the only way the mix could get richer is with an increase in injector on time not a decrease.

 

Another thought: Just for fun, take the bike out for an A/B test run switching between the stock CCP and the 30-87 config. I have done this several times. Of course I don't have an LC-1 and only run open loop with O2 disconnected which I think is the best compromise if one doesn't go wideband.

Edited by JamesW
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Morning Roger

 

Was intake air temp pretty constant for the entire run? If not maybe run your test with a fixed IAT resistor that equates to the ambient temp.

 

Air temp was rock steady at 51.8 F for a while before and after the switch. But later slowly moved as the air near the intake warmed (bike was stationary).

 

Oil temp was slowly moving up and when I post the graph you will see the slow leaning trend as the bike warmed in Open Loop.

 

Will get a graph up soon.

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So here's a quick plot of 30-87:

 

Closed Loop at 5:10 min to 13.8:1

 

Step Down in AFR at 3:20 min, that I mentioned.

 

Prior to 3:20 the curve was of the normal shape but higher than I expected.

 

In the pre 3:20 portion it's interesting to watch the mixture start lean-ish (due to wall condensation) then get richer to a minimum, and then as the Motronic leans the mixture slowly as the Oil Temp warms. All that is normal but higher than expected.

 

Then for some reason at 3:20 the curve and its shape dropped to what I expected. As I said this is the first I've seen of that but may be due to the Motronic "getting used to" the 30-87 plug. ??

 

The step to Closed Loop is just as expected.

 

BTW, start enrichment shows from 40 seconds to 60 seconds.

 

The more I look at this the more I like the standard PINK 30-87-87a plug.

 

plug3087.jpg

Edited by roger 04 rt
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Afternoon Roger

 

Interesting plot,

 

Must be some logical reason for what you are seeing.

 

Is battery voltage constant? A lot of fueling computers will change pulse width in response to battery voltage change.

 

Or, might be some sort of run-time timer in the Motronic causing that shift.

 

It's going to be a difficult nut to crack unless you can hold constant spark timing during the run as spark timing has a big effect on fueling burn.

 

Can you disconnect the 02 sensor input into the Motronic to see if that is somehow influencing the fuel/air ratio until the Motronic actually fuels to the 02?

 

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Very good DR,

 

I went through the battery voltage log and at that point the voltage jumped from 12V to 14V. Mystery solved.

 

A little further: Atypically I had been running the tests with my Battery Tender connected, I don't usually do that. When the engine cools off I will run the tests again, sans Tender.

 

12V is kind of low, I'll have to see whether the Tender was fooling the regulator or just what was happening. Interesting that as the voltage jumped the timing changed!

 

RB

Edited by roger 04 rt
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This gets more interesting. The same thing happened (Battery Tender connected) when I ran the 30-87a test. But on that day 11/13 it was warmer and when the BV jumped it was already Closed Loop.

 

In every prior data set the Battery Tender was not connected and the voltage goes to 14Vish immediately.

 

So at 12V battery, the dwell gets longer, hadn't seen that before.

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Top of the afternoon to you Roger.

I hate to ask but could you run through the CCP configs once more now that the battery voltage problem and air temp issue are recognized and post time versus AFR charts for each?

 

Thanks

 

Oh, how did the Battery Tender like looking at the alternator output?

Edited by JamesW
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Top of the afternoon to you Roger.

I hate to ask but could you run through the CCP configs once more now that the battery voltage problem and air temp issue are recognized and post time versus AFR charts for each?

 

Thanks

 

Oh, how did the Battery Tender like looking at the alternator output?

 

 

I will run them again. Temperature wasn't an issue, just the Tender induced battery voltage clamping.

 

Closed Loop added enough fuel to make up the battery voltage "problem"; but the Open Loop battery correction calculation of about 13% longer time wasn't enough. Makes you think twice about Open Loop, eh?

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------ Makes you think twice about Open Loop, eh?

 

Evening Roger

 

Yes, it does make you think.

 

Like run open loop, then run 14.2 volts to the injectors & 12 volts to the Motronic to get the low voltage fueling correction.

 

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Evening Roger

 

Just for an Interesting but not really relevant thing.

The later BMW 1200 hexheads (& I presume the new camhead) with the BMS-K have a low voltage idle boost ability.

 

With the BMS-K system having idle RPM control through independent idle steppers the fueling computer can try to raise it's own system voltage by jacking up the idle RPM a bit.

 

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Hello Roger,

Talked my neighbor into loaning me a Windows 7 laptop for as long as I need it. A bit late in the year to be riding around these parts on two wheels though so might wait until spring. ;)

 

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------ Makes you think twice about Open Loop, eh?

 

Evening Roger

 

Yes, it does make you think.

 

Like run open loop, then run 14.2 volts to the injectors & 12 volts to the Motronic to get the low voltage fueling correction.

 

Some day I'll try that ... I hadn't realized just how much voltage affected the injectors. Also interesting how low voltage throws it into longer dwell ...

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This morning I reran a cold-start 30-87 plug test. Bottom line: the differences aren't readily apparent, meaning I'd have to do extensive ride testing.

 

Spark Advance and Dwell during warm up were about the same as my stock pink plug 30-87-87a. Fueling looked to be a few percent leaner during warm up but that could have been the affect of fairly cold temperatures this morning.

 

Interestingly, what did happen--I disconnected the Battery Tender, and started the motorcycle and the battery still sat at 12V after start up. The alternator hadn't kicked in. Since I was watching the readings to see what happened, I blipped the throttle a couple hundred RPM very briefly and the alternator came on line and the voltage popped to 14V.

 

My question now, what signals the alternator to come on line? Voltage, time, load, temperature ... Does it wait on a cold day before adding that torque load? Or is mine acting up?

 

On the last two runs it took two or three minutes and then came online itself.

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Morning Roger

 

A bit complicated on how the alternator energies but it happens in one of 2 ways.

 

The first-- is normal rotor excitations from the regulator, the regulator gets it primary excitation current/voltage from the back fed power through the charging light. (basically at key on the ign switch side of the gen light gets 12v, that 12v passes through the bulb filament & it resisted, then exits the alternator side of the gen light & goes on to the alternator). That resisted current/voltage is then used to feed enough power to the alternator rotor through the slip rings to get it excited.

 

Option two-- assumes a burnt out or disconnected gen light. For that, after enough engine (alternator) RPMs are seen the residual magnetism in the alternator rotor is just enough to cause a very small charge output thought the stator windings, that small charge is fed through a rectifier then sent through the diode trio, the regulator then uses that rectified (pulsed DC) to feed back & fully excite the alternator rotor & it starts full cycle charging from there.

 

There is one small fly in the ointment here though-- IF your alternator sits dormant for a long period (like months) that small residual magnetism in the alternator rotor disappears & even revving the engine won't start the charging sequence. (you can jump battery power to the small alternator terminal to get it going though)

 

I assume from what you are seeing with the battery tender hooked up (IS) that is somehow fooling option one above so you need to revv the engine to allow option two to start the charging sequence.

 

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Thanks, I understand.

 

In the meantime I've been through a lot of data sets (without the Battery Tender connected) and my alternator doesn't come on-line sometimes for 30 seconds to 2 minutes--as if it has a timer or temperature sensor.

 

I'm going to play with this some more. I know the alternator is stand alone and isn't being controlled by anything else.

 

BTW, this morning's run was without the tender and it still happened until I blipped the throttle. ??

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Morning Roger

 

 

Interesting-- Does your gen (charging) light work? If so does it have the correct bulb in it?

 

If so then maybe dirty slip rings or the alternator overrunning clutch is not engaging.

 

Do you use a battery tender overnight? If so, see what happens if you don't use it. (maybe high surface charge on the battery)

 

Both my 1200 hexheads have that stretchy alternator belt (like your 04 -1150RT) & both of them slip a bit on first start up until I revv the engine a bit. (possibility???)

 

Last thought, is your I-ABS brake system running & robbing most of the output current (longshot).

 

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skinny_tom (aka boney)

Here's some "butt time" experience on the subject:

 

I use my RT mostly for commuting and have just over 100,000 miles on it. Mind you, I do get it out and flog it from time to time, but I'd say about 65% of the miles are easy highway miles. It surges, and always has. Now this is not the driveline lash surging at 3,000 RPM that a lot of people experience but the very fine fueling surge of the motronic adjusting the mixture at constant, small throttle opening RPM's across the entire RPM range.

 

Back in the day everyone talked about GS tubes, so I installed them and ran the corresponding plug. What I discovered was an increase in mid-range and a significant decrease in top RPM range performance. Probably attributable to the mis-match of my RT cam vs. the GS (and RS?) cam for which the long, narrow intake tubes were designed. This did, however, eliminate the very fine surges I felt on flat, open highway.

 

So I changed back, including reinstalling the LPB (little pink bastard as they've been called). And the surging was back. So I disconnected the O2 sensor just to see what would happen. Aside from no appreciable performance change (remember, this is all by the seat of my pants) I can no longer feel the fuel trimming while riding on flat open highways.

 

What this suggests to my uneducated mind, aside from the fact that my bike is well worn in all the usual places, is that the narrow band O2 sensor, and corresponding programming in the motronic unit is insufficient for tuning and running these engines properly.

 

Much better, BTW and I have no intention of reconnecting the O2 sensor.

Edited by b o n e y
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Here's some "butt time" experience on the subject:

 

I use my RT mostly for commuting and have just over 100,000 miles on it. Mind you, I do get it out and flog it from time to time, but I'd say about 65% of the miles are easy highway miles. It surges, and always has. Now this is not the driveline lash surging at 3,000 RPM that a lot of people experience but the very fine fueling surge of the motronic adjusting the mixture at constant, small throttle opening RPM's across the entire RPM range.

 

Back in the day everyone talked about GS tubes, so I installed them and ran the corresponding plug. What I discovered was an increase in mid-range and a significant decrease in top RPM range performance. Probably attributable to the mis-match of my RT cam vs. the GS (and RS?) cam for which the long, narrow intake tubes were designed. This did, however, eliminate the very fine surges I felt on flat, open highway.

 

So I changed back, including reinstalling the LPB (little pink bastard as they've been called). And the surging was back. So I disconnected the O2 sensor just to see what would happen. Aside from no appreciable performance change (remember, this is all by the seat of my pants) I can no longer feel the fuel trimming while riding on flat open highways.

 

What this suggests to my uneducated mind, aside from the fact that my bike is well worn in all the usual places, is that the narrow band O2 sensor, and corresponding programming in the motronic unit is insufficient for tuning and running these engines properly.

 

Much better, BTW and I have no intention of reconnecting the O2 sensor.

I'm a fan of the LPB. It tells the Motronic how the engine is configured. Like you, I'm loathe to change it.

 

Good story, I'm not surprised. Two questions: Do you run gasoline with 10% ethanol or something else? Have you tried a BoosterPlug with your bike in Open Loop (no O2) configuration? (If you do you might find some improvement. I have a loaner from BP for the cost of two way shipping to Boston.)

Edited by roger 04 rt
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Morning Roger

 

 

Interesting-- Does your gen (charging) light work? If so does it have the correct bulb in it?

 

If so then maybe dirty slip rings or the alternator overrunning clutch is not engaging.

 

Do you use a battery tender overnight? If so, see what happens if you don't use it. (maybe high surface charge on the battery)

 

Both my 1200 hexheads have that stretchy alternator belt (like your 04 -1150RT) & both of them slip a bit on first start up until I revv the engine a bit. (possibility???)

 

Last thought, is your I-ABS brake system running & robbing most of the output current (longshot).

 

I'm going to have to figure out what's going on. As of now it has a new, tensioned belt so I don't think that's it. I've had the charger off for a while. I'll have a look at how it behaves.

 

And there is a dim red bulb that is on at low RPMs.

 

One thing I know is it's been doing this for at least a year, I've data that old now.

Edited by roger 04 rt
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---- As of now it has a new, tensioned belt so I don't think that's it. ----.

 

Afternoon Roger

 

How is/was the belt tensioned? The 1150 with the elastomer belt is set by pulley spacing distance not belt stretch or tension.

 

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---- As of now it has a new, tensioned belt so I don't think that's it. ----.

 

Afternoon Roger

 

How is/was the belt tensioned? The 1150 with the elastomer belt is set by pulley spacing distance not belt stretch or tension.

 

Not sure. By a non-bmw dealer when it was replaced. I don't hear any squealing.

 

And there is a dim red bulb that is on at low RPMs.

 

One thing I know is it's been doing this for at least a year, I've data that old now.

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Hi boney,

I concur with your findings in that running without the narrow band O2 sensor connected is a very cost effective way to smooth out performance. I have installed a 3.5 BAR fuel pressure regulator which pushes a bit more fuel through the injectors and I use a modified air-input-temperature sensor to richen things up just a bit more. In general I am pleased with performance and improved ride-ability.

 

I think I get a bit better (smoother) idle with a yellow ccp (30-87) installed over the pink ccp (30-87-87a) which may be all in my head. Roger seems to think his test data refutes my seat of the pants observation and that may be true.

 

Running in constant open loop with the O2 sensor disconnected prevents the adaptability function of the Motronic. After some thought I see adaptability as a function mainly intended to extend the period between tune-ups which is primarily good for the environment which is the main reason why our bikes have a sophisticated engine ignition management system in the first place. This management system is not necessarily good for overall motorcycle performance however. Hence, we modify and discuss ways to circumvent the designers of our machines to produce a ride which is more pleasing to our senses and definition of what is desirable performance. Long and short is I don't mind having to perform tune-up functions like changing air filter, cleaning fuel injectors, and replacing spark plugs more frequently to insure the continued good performance of my machine. So, for me the best solution is to run open loop with the other minor mods to the fueling system I have described.

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Afternoon Roger

 

Next time you have the front engine cover removed check the distance between the alternator pulley & lower engine pulley.

 

The CORRECT distance between those pulley's is around 4.66" (118.5mm).

 

A Lot of those are set incorrectly as about the only tensioning data available is for the older Poly-V belt & that isn't right for the Elastomer belt.

 

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Hello Roger,

I think there is a brown ground wire on the exciter side (D+) of the alternator and it could be there is a bit of corrosion present at the ground point wherever that point is. I recall your '04 has low miles but has it seen any winter riding that could have exposed it to salt spray? I should think this could be a problem in your neck of the woods as salt is or seems to be applied in copious amounts as a winter de-icer in the east which could cause electrical connection problems.

 

When I changed my alternator belt I tightened the new belt until I could just turn the belt 90 degrees at the mid point between the pulleys. I've heard this isn't the correct way to tighten the belt and a distance between pulley measurement is the correct way but 20K miles and all seems well.

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Hi JamesW,

 

I'm going to dig into it and see what's going on. Things seem to work fine but I did notice the issue of the Alternator coming on line late. It will be interesting to figure out. Thanks.

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Ran the yellow coding plug again. That is the GS plug, as I expected, it is roughly a few percent leaner.

 

This project looks like a lot of work for not much gain on the 1150. My advice would now be, Run The Stock Plug.

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Hi Roger,

This evening I went out to the garage and fired up the 1150 with the yellow ccp jumper and let it warm up to 3 bars on the oil temp. I noted smoothness of idle in both sound and feel through handle bars and steadiness of the tach. Then I connected the third jumper to simulate the pink ccp, disconnected fuse 5, went inside showered and ate dinner. Came back out and installed F5 and reset the Motronic then started it up and paid close attention. I swear it seemed just a slight bit smoother with the 30-87 jumper as best as I could tell. My garage is heated and temp was 65. I also tried it with the stock AIT sensor and with the modified sensor. Didn't make a difference. I know seat of the pants is not as reliable as good test data and I can't argue with your logic when it comes to second guessing BMW engineering but I think the predominate operating parameters when it came to fuel/timing maps had to be emissions rather than over the road performance. In other words I think performance was compromised slightly in favor of lower vehicle emissions when our machines were engineered. When you installed the LC-1 you didn't alter operation of the Motronic in any way and by keeping the pink CCP you stuck with the recommended fueling plan. But, when you installed the Booster Plug and the adjustable fuel pressure regulator you broke with BMW engineering in favor of your own concepts to increase performance and there is nothing wrong with that, imo.

 

Could it be the yellow CCP affects not just AFR but timing/dwell to cause a difference in feel? I assume your bike was still in open loop when you ran this test. Sounds like your data shows that next to the pink CCP the most benign CCP would be the yellow one so at least there is no danger of damaging the merchandise?

 

 

Edited by JamesW
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So I disconnected the O2 sensor just to see what would happen. Aside from no appreciable performance change (remember, this is all by the seat of my pants) I can no longer feel the fuel trimming while riding on flat open highways. BTW and I have no intention of reconnecting the O2 sensor.

 

I found the exact same thing. My 1150GS went from practically unrideable on neighborhood streets to absolutely perfect by simply disconnecting the O2 sensor.

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Hi Roger,

This evening I went out to the garage and fired up the 1150 with the yellow ccp jumper and let it warm up to 3 bars on the oil temp. I noted smoothness of idle in both sound and feel through handle bars and steadiness of the tach. Then I connected the third jumper to simulate the pink ccp, disconnected fuse 5, went inside showered and ate dinner. Came back out and installed F5 and reset the Motronic then started it up and paid close attention. I swear it seemed just a slight bit smoother with the 30-87 jumper as best as I could tell. My garage is heated and temp was 65. I also tried it with the stock AIT sensor and with the modified sensor. Didn't make a difference. I know seat of the pants is not as reliable as good test data and I can't argue with your logic when it comes to second guessing BMW engineering but I think the predominate operating parameters when it came to fuel/timing maps had to be emissions rather than over the road performance. In other words I think performance was compromised slightly in favor of lower vehicle emissions when our machines were engineered. When you installed the LC-1 you didn't alter operation of the Motronic in any way and by keeping the pink CCP you stuck with the recommended fueling plan. But, when you installed the Booster Plug and the adjustable fuel pressure regulator you broke with BMW engineering in favor of your own concepts to increase performance and there is nothing wrong with that, imo.

 

Could it be the yellow CCP affects not just AFR but timing/dwell to cause a difference in feel? I assume your bike was still in open loop when you ran this test. Sounds like your data shows that next to the pink CCP the most benign CCP would be the yellow one so at least there is no danger of damaging the merchandise?

 

 

Good Morning Jim,

 

Your test method seems fine and I think you can use your senses to a degree. The only thing better would be if you were logging Motronic Data with a GS-911 and/or AFR data so that we would know what we were discussing. This makes me imagine what two owners with R1150s and Techlusions might have to say to each other. Good discussions but no concrete information to compare. I did rerun the tests of Yellow and Pink, idle timing appears to be the same.

 

When you study the parts lists and specs for R1150RT and R1150GS you come up with these differences:

 

Heads: GS Compression 10.3:1; RT 11.3:1 affects spark advance required

Valve CAMS: Different, no specs

Intake Tubes: GS tubes are longer and narrower than RT. Affects fuel table VE.

Exhaust: Different, Affects fuel table VE

Transmission: GS is geared lower.

 

I'm going to guess that all the R1150s have the same Close Loop area for the Motronic. The implication of this is that while the amount of air in a GS vs an RT for any given RPM/TPS point in the Fuel (VE) Tables is different, the target AFR that is implied from the Injector-Pulse duration stored in the Fuel Table is 14.7:1, the stoichiometric ratio for Non-Ethanol gasoline. At WOT I would believe that the target AFRs might be a bit different due to the different engine configurations. For Warm-Up and Start-Up enrichment, the curves look the same based on the data I've taken and studied. I would suspect that based on different VEs, Cams, compression ratio and torque output that the spark timing while riding is different between GS and RT but I haven't measured it. Conformance to the needs of emission regulations will be very similar since there is no variation in law.

 

So this is a long way of saying that the coding plugs are telling the Motronic to take all the elements in the preceding paragraph into account and select injector pulses that will get you to 14.7:1 in much of the table, and then select timing and dwell. In many operating modes, I bet yellow and pink aren't all that different. But recommending to someone that they ride their RT all the while telling the Motronic that is has the GS tranny, heads, cams, intake tubes and exhaust just doesn't make common sense to me. If something works, it's just happenstance since there is no data showing that a certain 1150 plug is, for example, a richer non-EPA plug (the 1100 does have a non-cat coding option as you know).

 

If I was asked to guess what your AFR was on a 65 degree day after a minute of warm-up, I would guess as follows: base AFR from table 14.7:1. Yellow Plug -2%, warm-up enrichment +8%, fuel pressure +8%, IAT +6%; therefore net enrichment of +20% which is lambda = 0.8 making your AFR about 14.7:1 times 0.8 equals 11.8:1. The only surprising thing is that you feel more of a difference with pink/yellow than IAT/non-IAT. If you had a PC (or Android smartphone) you could check the IAT with a GS-911 that you might find someone willing to loan you. ;)

 

I've decided to tell my Motronic that I'm riding an RT and then adjust the AFR for the best riding. Lambda = 0.94 seems to be a good compromise of richer but not so rich that warm-up and WOT are impacted. And I've boosted the fuel pressure to make each injector time in the fuel table squirt 10% more fuel, 4% for ethanol plus 6% for lambda=0.94.

 

RB

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Good info Roger. I keep forgetting that you can only get ethanol and that would make a difference in performance. Around here the problem with 10% ethanol is you can't be sure the stuff is only 10%. I buy my gasoline from a card lock station owned by a distributer and he tells me that there have been cases in Idaho where ethanol concentrations have been found to be as high as 30%. We are fairly close to Idaho here and most of our gasoline comes from there. Place I buy gets the stuff from Kennewick, WA. so better control, supposedly.

 

I agree with what you have done to modify your AFR. Follows the path of best logic. I certainly do like my 3.5 BAR regulator.

Edited by JamesW
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Going further about ethanol: There was a discussion in another thread about whether Adaptation affects Open Loop. My measurements and common sense says that it does. But if you think it doesn't adapt or are running Open Loop and using E10 fuel there is a strong case for the 3.5 Regulator. With ethanol you're running 4% leaner than 14.7:1 . Install a 3.5 bar regulator and your 4% richer than 14.7 on E10.

 

In my case I wanted to get the Open and Closed Loop fueling as close as possible so that Adaptation (which takes time and riding at multiple, steady RPM/TPS points) needs were minimized.

 

In the case of not trusting the ethanol content Closed Loop is all the more important. 20% ethanol would lead to 8% leaner mixtures than gasoline. I wonder if it really gets that high.

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  • 2 years later...
roger 04 rt

Earlier in this thread I posted up the best info I could find at the time on how BMW designed its Coding Plugs, or CCPs as they get called. Recently, I've come across much more accurate information from "the source". That is to say, the Motronic units themselves.

 

It turns out, as most of you know, that each Motronic unit has an EPROM. The EPROM contains instructions for the Motronic, along with over 600 tables of data that include 8 sets of fuel and 8 sets of spark tables. It also includes a table with 8 text string entries that say exactly what each of the 8 Coding Plugs has been designed for.

 

It is pretty easy to get the Motronic 2.4 to tell you what each CCP selects. You simply plug in a CCP and run an Autoscan with a GS-911. I've also confirmed the GS-911 report by having the chips removed from the Motronic and read with an EPROM reader and Hex Editor.

 

The bottom line is that the ONLY good advice one can give is to use the stock Coding Plug. The reason is that there is no formula that says a certain pin on the CCP has any particular function (e.g. Pin 86 does not effect Octane). It also turns out that even if you compare two R1150GSs, for instance, the CCP can have a different meaning based on the date and delivery-location of the motorcycle.

 

So ignore earlier posts in this thread, and since there are several different EPROMs, if you want to know which CCP is designed for which motorcycle-configuration for your bike, READ THE EPROM with a GS-911 (R1150).

 

Three bikes I have data on at the moment are:

2004 R1150RT US (USA) Twin Spark

2003 R1150GS SA (South Africa) Twin Spark

2002 R1150GS CA (Canada) Single Spark

 

Here is the readout from each bike's various coding plug configurations. You can see the differences for yourself. If for example you put a Yellow Coding plug into the SA bike it selects No Series, and runs accordingly—barely at all!

 

2004 R1150RT US (USA) Twin Spark

No Coding Plug: R1150R/GS US+ECE

Beige Coding Plug: R1150R/GS Japan

Yellow Coding Plug: R1150R-GS Ocatan 91

Pink Coding Plug: R1150RT-RS US+ECE

30-86 Coding Plug: R1150RT-RS Japan

30-86-87a: R1100S US + ECE

30-86-87: No Valid String found

30-86-87-87a: keine Serie (no series)

 

2003 R1150GS SA (South Africa) Twin Spark

No Coding Plug: R1150R/GS US+ECE

Beige Coding Plug: R1150R/GS Japan

Yellow Coding Plug: keine Serie (no series)

 

2002 R1150GS CA (Canada) Single Spark

No Coding Plug: R1150 GS ECE Kat

Beige Coding Plug: R1150 GS US u.TEV

Yellow Coding Plug: R1150 GS CH o.TEV

Edited by roger 04 rt
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roger 04 rt

Here's data taken from the Motronic from a 2002 R1150R. The variety of CCP functions is amazing.

 

2002 R1150R CA Single Spark

No Coding Plug: R1150R/GS ECE Kat

Beige Coding Plug: R1150R/GS US u.TEV

Yellow Coding Plug: R1150RS/GS CH o.TEV

Pink Coding Plug: R1150RT US/ECE Kat/T

30-86 Coding Plug: R1150RT US II Kat/TE

30-86-87a:

30-86-87: KEINE SERIE

30-86-87-87a:

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roger 04 rt

Here's a good picture for reference. It also includes a description of which pins to jumper to create a certain plug (e.g. pink is 30-87-87a) (Copyright Dirtrider)

 

CCPjumperpinsnumbered_zpsbfb87ad3.jpg

Edited by roger 04 rt
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Sam Taylor

Nice work Roger. Even after all this time the "Mysteries of The Motronic" make the Bermuda Triangle seem like Newtonian Physics.

 

Anybody know what was different about an RT shipped to Japan?

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roger 04 rt
Nice work Roger. Even after all this time the "Mysteries of The Motronic" make the Bermuda Triangle seem like Newtonian Physics.

 

Anybody know what was different about an RT shipped to Japan?

 

I've been wondering that myself. My guess is that the Japanese had a different emissions-test protocol and/or there was a requirement for a different octane.

 

And how about u.TEV, what does that stand for?

Edited by roger 04 rt
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Sam Taylor

I think u. and o. are German for w/ and w/o

 

 

Or the other way 'round.

 

As for what's a TEV, maybe something to due with horsepower limiter?

Edited by Sam Taylor
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