Coil issue?

[Newman7096]

[size=22px]Bmw 1200 RT developed spluttering below 3000 rpm especially when riding slowly i.e. Filtering. I strongly suspect it's one of the stick coil. The bike is booked in to on the 12th June to have fuel strip replaced.[/size][size=22px]1st question, will I cause any damage to the bike by continuing to use it until 12th?[/size][size=22px]2nd question, is it best to replace could as a pair?[/size][size=22px]Thank you that is all [/size]

[Cleverbee]

Nah, no damage apart from a blackened spark plug and a tad of carbon on the cylinder, but if it only happens below 3000rpm, just ride faster !
:alas:

[Newman7096]

That's good. 10 days to go until it's fixed. One cylinder is definitely hotter than the other. I can tell by the color of the down pipes.

[Newman7096]

Bike BMW R1200RT 2005 has been to dealer yesterday to have new fuel strip which has sorted my fuel gauge. They also had to replace the block connector to the fuel strip as it had been butchered in a previous life. It also went in to have coils looked due to the hesitation and lumpiness below 3000rpm however despite me telling them I believed the problem to be coil related I turned up to be told they had no coils in stock!! Disappointed. Bike has had to stay overnight whilst I wait for coils to arrive. It only happens when the bike is hot but they don't seem that keen on taking the time to get it hot! All four spark plugs to be replaced as well just to eliminate them. Fingers crossed I get it back today and it's sorted.

[David.]

It also went in to have coils looked due to the hesitation and lumpiness below 3000rpm however despite me telling them I believed the problem to be coil related I turned up to be told they had no coils in stock.

Has the dealer diagnosed the fault to be one related to the coils.

[Newman7096]

They've said they can't replicate the problem. The problem is they haven't taken it out and got it hot. It only does it when hot. They haven't taken it on the road at all. I've told them that I had the identical problem on my 1150gs adventure and it was the coils. Hopefully later it will be sorted. I need to find a good independent that has got the time and inclination to solve a problem. This is my 4 th RT and I've had 6 GS's. I'm not new to the boxer engine.

[David.]

They've said they can't replicate the problem.

I'm sure I've read somewhere on here that the coils can be bench tested.

The Haynes manual says, "In order to determine conclusively that an ignition coil is defective, it should be tested by a BMW dealer equipped with the diagnostic tester."

[Newman7096]

Got the bike back. Two new primary coils, one fuel strip and four spark plugs. £587!! Although it rides much better, 90% better it still has the odd lurch around 2000rpm and 3000rpm which I've never encountered before. Perhaps the second coils need doing as well??? What do the secondary coils do? The dealer never test ride it and the engine was totally cold when I got on it.

[guest2360]

Got the bike back. Two new primary coils, one fuel strip and four spark plugs. £587!! Although it rides much better, 90% better it still has the odd lurch around 2000rpm and 3000rpm which I've never encountered before. Perhaps the second coils need doing as well??? What do the secondary coils do? The dealer never test ride it and the engine was totally cold when I got on it.

Four spark plugs, four coils.

[David.]

What do the secondary coils do?

The R1200 has a twin spark system, "during low speed engine operation, the primary and secondary plugs (coils) fire independently of each other to ensure maximum fuel burn efficiency".

[Newman7096]

Another £200 to find!

[lipsee]

Just been out on my 05 RT and it ended spluttering on one cylinder so perhaps mine has the same issue as Mr newmans... Actually I had planned to go to Greece on it in May ,but *hit got in the way,,Its just been serviced for the said trip...so would have been really pee off (insead of just pee off) Update,later that day I took the bike out again and it was perfectly fine,,but still I ll get my mech to take a look.....

[Newman7096]

Well I've replaced all four coils with brand new BMW ones, new air filter and it's better but I still feel it could be better. My 1150 GSA was so much smoother. Maybe a throttle bodies need balancing at some point. Feeling a bit disappointed in it at the moment. Don't get me wrong it's 85% better but not quite perfect.

[LAF]

Seems you have spark taken care of now, i would do fuel next for sure.  I would bet a Throttle Body Adjustment will fix you up.  I would make sure you have someone do it who takes their time and does it right.  It also may need a cleaning.  The butterflies and throttle bodies can get varnished and not seal when closed and not open fully and evenly side to side.

We have a product called Sea Foam that you can buy as a fogger.  You heat the bike up, spray the throttle bodies down with the fogger .  Remove the plugs and spray into the cylinders.  Then start the bike.  If you have bug issues you will not any longer as the smoke that comes out is amazing.  It will clean the throttle bodies and the piston tops and valve seats up.  Then have your throttle bodies synced.

If it has improved with replacing the spark, then it should continue to improve with a good cleaning of the throttle bodies.  After that it would leave injectors to be cleaned and flowed and that is not to expensive to have done.

Sorry to say our fuel is crap for the most part here in the USA so varnish is something you will deal with down the road here unless you use a fuel cleaner.