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Brake Failure Fault


Dale SC

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My 07 R1200 RT has this fault showing on the dash, "Brake Failure." I searched the forums and came up with these things to check:

1) Brake light/s burned out or not functioning. Mine are good

2) Low brake fluid level in either reservoir. Mine are full

3) Does the ABS pump function - spun the rear wheel and engaged the front brake and you can hear the pump engage and the wheel stops.

4) Checked the speed sensor cables on both the front and rear wheels - both are fine, held in place by clips, no where near the brake discs.

5) Tires have 9,000 miles on them.

6) I did flush the brake fluid, both front and rear, a couple of months ago. I've been doing this annually.

 

Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

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My 07 R1200 RT has this fault showing on the dash, "Brake Failure." I searched the forums and came up with these things to check:

1) Brake light/s burned out or not functioning. Mine are good

2) Low brake fluid level in either reservoir. Mine are full

3) Does the ABS pump function - spun the rear wheel and engaged the front brake and you can hear the pump engage and the wheel stops.

4) Checked the speed sensor cables on both the front and rear wheels - both are fine, held in place by clips, no where near the brake discs.

5) Tires have 9,000 miles on them.

6) I did flush the brake fluid, both front and rear, a couple of months ago. I've been doing this annually.

 

Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

Afternoon Dale SC

 

Well, it looks like you have covered most of the general failure areas.

 

A couple more things to possibly look at then you will probably need to grab the brake failure codes to find the reason(s) for failure. (that will require a GS-911 or dealer computer)

 

Are you getting the brake light coming on with the front brake lever or the rear brake pedal used alone?

 

You can try a 30 minute battery disconnect then re-connect to see if that turns off the brake failure light (seldom does but every now & then it will work)--(don't forget to do a new TPS relearn after battery re-connect)

 

Otherwise you might see if you have a real brake failure-- Find a sand or gravel road then see if you can get rear wheel ABS enable using only the rear brake pedal. Then see if you can get either end ABS enable using the just the front brake lever (be careful & keep the bike speed to around 10-12 mph for these tests)

 

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Thanks dirtrider appreciate your help and insight! I'll disconnect the battery, thats simple enough. Will have to wait until tomorrow or the next day due to rainy weather here to test the ABS on a dirt road.

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The fault code is still present after the battery disconnect. Also, brake light fires using either the brake pedal or lever. Looks like I'll be heading to a dealer.

 

I am new to Lexington, KY and the closest dealer (75 miles) is in Louisville. Would anyone have any experience with this dealer that they would share with me.

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The fault code is still present after the battery disconnect. Also, brake light fires using either the brake pedal or lever. Looks like I'll be heading to a dealer.

 

I am new to Lexington, KY and the closest dealer (75 miles) is in Louisville. Would anyone have any experience with this dealer that they would share with me.

 

Morning Dale

 

Any chance that you can find a BMW rider in your area that has a GS-911? Maybe a local BMW club or all-bikes gathering.

 

One more thing-- you say that you are new to your area, how did you get the bike to that area? Any chance that your brake problem showed up after a shipping trip? If not then EXACTLY WHEN did the brake problem show up (maybe knowing when the problem started can help us pinpoint the brake problem root cause)

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I moved here from SC last June and have been extremely busy with a big expansion project where I work, plus getting settled in from the move. I have not met another BMW riders, and don't know where to start. T

 

he bike was shipped, but it has been fine, I put a couple of thousand miles on it since then. The brake failure appeared on the dash last Thursday on the way to work. When I rode home the fault was gone, but came back again on Friday, and has been on since.

 

 

 

 

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I moved here from SC last June and have been extremely busy with a big expansion project where I work, plus getting settled in from the move. I have not met another BMW riders, and don't know where to start. T

 

he bike was shipped, but it has been fine, I put a couple of thousand miles on it since then. The brake failure appeared on the dash last Thursday on the way to work. When I rode home the fault was gone, but came back again on Friday, and has been on since.

 

 

Morning Dale

 

OK, it doesn't seem to be pointing to shipping or anything like tire change or other service. Unfortunately it looks like you are going to need to get the failure code(s) to give you a direction to look. Even then they can sometimes be vague & not pinpoint the exact problem.

 

Have you tried to get the front & rear into ABS on a gravel road yet?

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Dirtrider, Sorry for the long delay, I've been traveling for work. I got on a dirt road and successfully locked up the brakes - meaning NO ABS.

 

Since I hadn't flushed the ABS system when doing brake fluid changes in the past, I thought I'd try one last thing and bleed the system. With the bike running I got nothing out of the rear brake when squeezing the front brake lever, though rear brake pedal pumped plenty of fluid. Also, I couldn't hear the ABS motor come on this time.

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Dirtrider, Sorry for the long delay, I've been traveling for work. I got on a dirt road and successfully locked up the brakes - meaning NO ABS.

 

Since I hadn't flushed the ABS system when doing brake fluid changes in the past, I thought I'd try one last thing and bleed the system. With the bike running I got nothing out of the rear brake when squeezing the front brake lever, though rear brake pedal pumped plenty of fluid. Also, I couldn't hear the ABS motor come on this time.

 

Evening Dale

 

You have to also spin the rear wheel so the bike thinks it's moving otherwise the ABS/brake system shuts the rear brake off from the front lever apply. (rear brake is servo controlled from front lever so it shuts off at a standstill to save power)

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  • 1 month later...

Finally got access to a GS-911 and it shows the abs pump motor has failed. Pump unit will be removed and shipped to Module Master for rebuild. Again, DR, thanks for you're assistance.

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PITA isn't it. I fixed mine myself.

 

While searching I found the same/similar ABS unit is installed on ML series Mercedes circa 2002 and exhibits the same issue.

Their pump motor is bolted on instead of preened on and you can simply buy a reconditioned motor and bolt it in.

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PITA isn't it. I fixed mine myself.

 

While searching I found the same/similar ABS unit is installed on ML series Mercedes circa 2002 and exhibits the same issue.

Their pump motor is bolted on instead of preened on and you can simply buy a reconditioned motor and bolt it in.

 

Could you share more details on this? Model or part numbers, how you converted the mount, etc?

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For the life of me I don't know why this hasn't been addressed under a recall. What the heck, the bikes been recalled so many times already, what one more?

 

 

 

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Could you share more details on this? Model or part numbers, how you converted the mount, etc?

I think you misunderstood. The merc has the same or very similar ABS which has the exact same fault.

The difference there is the motor is held on with 4 bolts instead of preening.

You can just buy a reconditioned motor for them off ebay and swap them.

 

I had to cut the motor bearing off mine with a dremel, cut the brush carriers open and then put a new bearing on and reassemble. Seems fixed now.

 

It was going to cost more to ship the thing to the US and back than module masters wanted to fix it so self help was the answer for me.

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That helps me understand the installation. I was hoping you might have a part number or maybe know which Mercedes models used a compatible part so we would know what to look for.

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  • 1 month later...

Got the pump unit back from Module Master, installed it yesterday and went for a ride today. So far everything working properly and the fault has disappeared.

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