Fixed a stuck ESA rear shock (preload) on 2005 K1200S

[durinkos]

My problem of calibration could not be completed at that Gearboxes from the rear shock was hooked and he could not rewind motor. As shown in the picture 4 in my post fourth gear, I had to manually rotated. But as you're writing it's not your problem.

[Old goat]

Hello again durinkos
I had a bit of time with the bike today. I put the rear suspension spring to the fully compressed position as you suggested, but this has not changed anything. I then tried the unofficial calibration with the GS-911 again, but the results are as before – same error messages. I’ve cleaned the connectors (again) and checked continuity from the ZFE to all of the connectors, front and rear – all OK. Powering the spring motor from an external 12V supply, I also checked the resistance at the potentiometer for different spring positions and this seems OK (resistance of between around 300 and 2200 ohms) so I’m satisfied that the spring preload adjustment works at the strut at least.
I don’t know how to measure or check the damper adjusters - they’re stepper motors I think.
With no official support for this early ESA in the GS-911, I think that I’ll have to take the bike to a BMW dealer for calibration with their diagnostic machine, though that won'y be for some time. If that fails, I may just abandon the ESA, either living with whatever damper settings I have and rigging up a switch under the seat for the rare occasions I need to adjust the preload, or buy non-ESA suspension units. The bike is old and does not justify the huge cost of even secondhand ESA parts.

[schuppi]

Hi,
did you read this post?
http://forum.hexcode.co.za/forum/index.php/topic,80.msg370.html#msg370

I'm just looking for any further repair informations.

Are there faults like this in your ZFE?

ZFE-High
ZFE type:   ZFE-High
Factory I-Level:   K024-05-02-510
Actual I-Level:   K024-06-01-510
Part No.:   7699829
Hardware Index:   C6
Coding Index:   7
Manufacturing Date(YY/MM/DD):   2004-04-15
MCV:   0.5.8
FSV:   1.10.3
OSV:   3.3.0
Manufacturer:   Loewe Lear
HWOE No.:   27222163
   
Configuration   
   Speed sensor manufacturer is Beru   
   Speed sensor type is DF11   
   ABS fitted   
   DWA fitted   
   Heated grips   
   Rear bulb replacement   
   Film type fuel sensor   
   Manual low beam off switch   
   Storage of temperature indication when engine hot   


2 fault codes found:
41777   Front rebound adjustment, open-circuit
The fault is currently present.
41775   Rear rebound adjustment, open-circuit
The fault is currently present.

[Old goat]

Hello Schuppi

Interesting post: it confirms that the GS-911 does not support the potentiometer type ESA…

When I first got the bike there was one fault code:

“41769 Windscreen sensor / Front ESA sensor malfunction. The fault is currently present.”

The screen was not working, but I cleared the fault code and ran the screen calibration, after which the screen worked and the fault code had disappeared and has not been seen again since. An odd combination I thought: Windscreen sensor and Front ESA sensor malfunction

There is currently no fault code listed (well there is one for the fuel gauge sender, because the tank is off).

Thank you again for your trouble.

[Old goat]

Hello again
I'm not sure whether the continuing story of my 2005 R1200RT's ESA properly belongs here, but I have been impressed by the interest shown so far.
So, I finally got the bike on the road and took it to my local BMW dealer. They reported that the bike "failed the ESA configuration". I allowed them an hour of diagnostic time, but they did not identify the cause of the problem - they wanted to dismantle the bike and suspected the ZFE. I'm always a bit suspicious of control units being condemned, and in any case was not prepared to go any further with them. The bike is of course, perfectly useable as it is. I don't know what damping setting I'm on (but I can live with it) and I can easily adjust the rear preload with a couple of wires if carrying my wife on the pillion.
However, I can't rule out that the ZFE might be faulty. Could anybody advise what the implications are of replacing the ZFE with second-hand one of the same type (mine is a "High"):
- where are the VIN and the mileage stored? In the ZFE or in the instrument panel?
- does a ZFE configure itself (in the way a PC identifies what it is connected to) or would this be a job for a BMW dealer again?
Thank you far any advice you can give me.

[MikeSF]

I know that this post is now quite old, but it does have a lot of relevant information for someone that is experiencing ESA problems. I too have been suffering them on my 2007 K1200R. When I first purchased the bike the ESA button functioned as normal and the stepper motors on the front and rear all worked as they should do. The only thing that did not work was the preload adjuster. I went to CW Motors of Dorchester and they advised me that sometimes the rear ESA preload jams but you can apply 12volts directly to the blue connector and sometimes get things moving again. Following this you will need to have the device calibrated. I went away and did as they suggested and the ESA preload would go through the routine fine. I then got in touch with someone who had a GS-911 and asked them if they would calibrate the ESA. He was aware that the software was not designed for the ESA with potentiometers (just Hall Effect type) but was prepared to give it a go by doing as Trickflow has suggested.

After trying the routine several times we conceded that it wasn't going to be fixed. What I hadn't anticipated was that after connecting and running the routine my ESA button and associated display Icons had completely malfunctioned.

The purpose of my post was to give everyone the background to my problem and then some information that I was given when I returned to CW of Dorchester to get them to try and calibrated the ESA.

CW tried the calibration but their diagnostic system reported that there was a wiring issue. It wasn't very specific and as such CW recommended that I book the bike in for further checks. Like so many other owners I did not want to rack up a bill only to find that this was going to cost a fortune to fix. CW were quite understanding so I asked asked them what I could do as far as second hand replacements were concerned, i.e. if I had to replace the ZFE. They advised that in the past they would be able to connect to the BMW diagnotics and reconfigure the unit to run, however the situation has now changed such that BMW will not allow a second hand control board to be fitted. CE also advised that if anyone does this then there is a possibility that the unit will work fine providing all else is okay, but should be aware there are consequences. If you take your bike and subsequently plug it into the BMW diagnostic system it will render the control board inactive. There was also an indication that other boards could be affected in that the diagnostic system would write a new serial number to other boards and that they too would be rendered inoperative. This all sounded so outrageous to me but thought that perhaps BMW might justify this by saying it stops people stealing bikes to sell the parts. Whatever the reason, it has given me the incentive to buy a ZZR1400. I still have not given up on the K1200R, but am really frustrated that BMW's cost so much to maintain, and compared to my experience of Japanese bikes BMW are far more unreliable. 

[Old goat]

I gave up with the ESA, not wanting to waste any more money on the problem. I bought a pair of second-hand non-ESA suspension units in lovely condition and at reasonable cost and removed the ESA switch from the handlebars. I'm perfectly happy with the bike as it is. Would I like to have working ESA, well yes, but not at any price on a 10-year old bike.