Another Bum Bean Can Sender

[montmil]

At near zero-dark-thirty Tuesday morning, I'm geared up and hit the starter on the "81 R65 and all it does is go whir-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r. No fire.

Whip the Texas Antique Motorcycle license plate off Blackie and use two of those red plastic gem-crack & wingnut screws to transfer the tag to the Mexico Bike. Off to a boring day of state req'd school district orientation. Gag me.

By half-past five in the Texas PM, I'm back in the shop, sweating like a fresh f***ed fox in a forest fire. I know it's hot in Phoenix, too.

Between Tuesday evening and Wednesday afternoon, I check power to the coil with ignition on. Checks OK so I believe the ignition switch, kill switch and wiring are doing their thing.

Next pulled the plugs and secured them to the cylinder heads and turned on the ignition. By toggling the kill switch, you can sometimes get a spark at the plugs to confirm the ICU and coil are good. I got no spark so yanked the ICU and ran the DVOM tests as described in the manuals I have. All checks are up. Hum...

I next DVOM'd the Dyna primary and secondary windings but they were spot on.

Disconnected the three-wire plug to the bean can, "pinned" the center wire and with the ignition on, I got sparks at the plugs. This confirmed the ICU and coil were functional.

The only unknown remaining was the flippin' Hall sender in the bean can. All else having been eliminated, there was really no doubt in my little pea brain. Note to self: One of the the joys of having two R65s is the economy of scale in buying parts.

Removed the Motoraad Elektrik overhauled bean can from the '83 and eyeball timed it on the '81. Reattached the battery ground cable for something like the thirtieth time and hit the started button.

Blackie is back. The engine lit off before I could get my thumb off the starter button. Now I get to crack the can and fit one of the spare Hall senders I've acquired.

Monte  [smiley=beerchug.gif]

[Barry]

Nice diagnostic work Monte.

In case I was ever tempted to upgrade to a Hall sensor you just reminded me to stick with points in the can set up plus ignition amplifier - best of both worlds.

[montmil]

This is my second bean can fart in a year with two R65s. Points are looking pretty good right now!   Monte

[Bob_Roller]

Damm Monte, what the hell is going on there in Texas ?

Two failures in less than a year .

Looks like Ampy's chickens are sending out some bad 'mojo' in your direction .

Looks like it's time for a sacrifice, to satisfy the motorcycle god's !!!!!!!

And a little fried chicken on the side as well .

[montmil]

Damm Monte, what the hell is going on there in Texas ?Two failures in less than a year .

Looks like Ampy's chickens are sending out some bad 'mojo' in your direction . Looks like it's time for a sacrifice, to satisfy the motorcycle god's !!!!!!!

And a little fried chicken on the side as well .

It's that VooDoo hen, I'm betting. Although she is kinda cute.

Yep, it is a bit strange that both bikes would lose their Hall's within a year of each other. A planned obsolescence perhaps. The upside, if there is one, is that the failure happened in the garage and not 30 miles outside Toadsuck, Texas like the last one. BTW, there is such a place.

Monte

[nhmaf]

I have never heard of (2) Hall sensors failing for the same owner, much less in the same state within a few months -    perhaps it is all BAD luck, but you are one hell of a lucky guy, Monte ... Or else there are some really strange sources of radiation near where you live ...

[ambrose78]

I hear your pain Monte!.

It really is the weakest link of the airhead. Good to have a spare readily available.

[Dave 2]

Nice work Monte!  [smiley=bmw_smiley.gif]  I gather this is something I should expect to happen someday on my LS? [smiley=lipsrsealed.gif] Dave 2

[montmil]

Nice work Monte! I gather this is something I should expect to happen someday on my LS? Dave 2

I believe I'll go with radiation from the VooDoo Hen theory of my two failures.  

DaveDos, I couldn't say you should expect a failure as many Beemers roll their entire lives on the same electronic widget. Plan ahead might be a good mantra. The age of the component has nothing to do with the failures, in my opinion. Wife's previous Cadillac had a "crankshaft trigger unit" fail at four years. One of our school's departments had a two-year old vehicle go down with the same issue. Go figure.

The BMW Ignition Trigger Unit, aka Bean Can, is an expensive component when purchased, if even available, through a dealership. The plan ahead suggestion would be to keep a weather eye out for a serviceable spare or buy one of the vane sensors and learn how to install it yourownself. Unfortunately, this is not a roadside repair job.

Many tourers carry a spare can with them along with a 4mm and 5mm Allen wrench. Quick swap out and you're rolling again. Or swap out and return to the age of contact points...

Monte

[ambrose78]

Driving home today and pondering the world.... it struck me that the bean can is like the heart, if it stops ticking - the bike stops moving.

Only it is easier to carry a spare beancan in the glovebox......

That's what I do these days. Bought a brand spanker that is currently in service (also cured the high revs problem from the advance weights getting sticky) and I carry the old one which I fixed with a sensor from Jaycar as a spare.

Word of advice if repairing a bean can - make sure the new sensor is adequately bonded to the board inside the can - otherwise it will die prematurely by falling off and getting minced by the rotating tin part. It does create some rather entertaining bangs with flames shooting out the exhaust as it dies this way though.....

[Bengt_Phorqs]

The upside, if there is one, is that the failure happened in the garage and not 30 miles outside Toadsuck, Texas like the last one. BTW, there is such a place.

I was about to throw the BS flag on this one but decided to do a little research before I did.  Dagnabbit Monte, you're right!  http://www.texasescapes.com/CentralTexasTownsNorth/Toadsuck-Texas.htm  I thought I had been everywhere in Texas but I see now that I haven't.  I've been to the Spanish Fort Coon Hunters Association building, Dime Box, Bug Tussle, Muleshoe but now I just have to add Toadsuck to my list.  And if you ever get that bean can issue and all the other voodoo encrusted problems exorcised from those bikes I'll let you guide me there.

And like Monte, I think it's the chickens.

[montmil]

Bengt Mike, Bengt Mike... tisk, tisk, tisk,

Have I ever mislead you with a non-truthful story? Are we not both charter members of the Cross My Heart 'n Fingers Choir?

As the soccer refs say, "Play on".  

Monte

[montmil]

OK. Back on topic with a question regarding installing the new vane sensor in the Bean Can / Ignition Trigger Unit

I understand an adhesive to used to attach the electronic widget to its base or whatever. The bean can is subject to some fairly high temperatures. I'm looking for some advice on adhesives. Most epoxies will soften with heat. JB Weld? Anyone know of a heat tolerant 2-part epoxy that is readily available?

TIA,  Monte

[Bob_Roller]

I was under the impression (influence?), that the sensor was riveted to the plate, there are two metal pins that stick out of the sensor on the bottom, I saw at one time, a picture, that showed that those 'pins' were 'peened', looked like it had been hit by something like a chisel two times, and had a x across it on the bottom side and the metal had acted like the 'buck tail' on a rivet .

Any one had a canister apart, that knows for sure  ?

Here's a reference for adding a second sensor to the can, and it references 'peening', the rivets .

http://www.geocities.com/fwarner_au/mc_things/bmwr_ign_sensor.html

[montmil]

I've got one apart right now. Must've missed the rivet trick. Old eyes. I check again. Thanks for the link, Bob. I've heard about this mod but you're the first to provide a detailed explanation through the link.

Monte