Stick Coil Testing?

[hellfishtat]

I did search.

Does anyone know the resistance range the coils in a R1200S should fall in? I assume there is the low and high voltage winding in each. I'd like to know if they were bad before spending the cash blindly.

My R1200S started running poorly Saturday. Almost 45K on the odometer.

[brentw1]

unfortuately a resistance test is not good enough, they breakdown at high voltage under load
usually before they fail open or shorted, out of the 20 or si I have replaced usually they still fire
but not well and a replacment fixes the problem.

[bykemike]

To second Brent, my 04 GS would run nuts on when it was cold, start going downhill when it warmed up. It did this for months until they both quit when I was 3,000 miles from home.

I ended up driving back to Florida from Portland OR on the lowers alone. Not a whole lot of power but it only shut off at idle. It would hold highway speed, just took a while getting there.

[hellfishtat]

that sounds like my issue. I looked and get get all 4 for under $500. may just pull the trigger.

[Swamper]

Only one is bad, rotate.

[bykemike]

I got mine from Beemer Boneyard, I think 80 each, new Beru coils

[square4man]

I got mine this spring from EME ($99 ea for Beru). Beemerboneyard was looking for $129. I decided to replace both as they were the originals (12/02). One of the replaced coils looked corroded while the other was in very good physical shape. I'd love to be able to test them as I now probably have a good spare. Bottom line, bike runs/starts much better.

[hellfishtat]

EME is who I got them from. Rather give my money to BBY, but not $60 extra.

$200 bucks for a smoother riding bike seemed pretty good to me. People give BMW's grief for maintenance. I've owned the R1200S for going on 6 years, and 35k miles and this and a leaky outside seal on the rear are the only two issues I've had. Fingers crossed I didn't just jinx myself.

Square4Man, did you replace the bottom two as well?

[hellfishtat]

How do you remove the bottom (angle) stick coils? I do t want to break them, and a fairly good pull

[pwillikers]

You have to give it a good pull to get it off. They get stuck. There's a plug cap removal tool under the seat but it may only work on the "spark-plug shaft ignition coil" AKA stick coil, of which by the way, there are two, one per twin spark head. The lower plugs are traditional remote(?) coil.



https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=0432-USA---259S-BMW-R%201100%20S%2098%20(0422,0432)&diagId=12_1226

[hellfishtat]

Pwillikers,

Thanks for the diagram, but I have an R1200S. They have the angled lower coil. I’m planning on looking again, with a better flashlight to make sure I’m not missing any torx retaining bolts.

[pwillikers]

My bad. I should read more carefully. For the R1200S ...



https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=0396-USA-08-2006-K29-BMW-R_1200_S_0366,0396_&diagId=12_1259

[hellfishtat]

Yep, that’s it

It was just pushed on. I got them both out last night and am awaiting the new ones tomorrow.

[square4man]

hellfishtat, lower plugs use a "conventional" dual coil. These rarely go bad and I left my original in place. If I was going to replace anything with the lower plugs it would be the HT leads. I didn't and bike runs much smoother. Based on this I'm guessing the problem was one/both stick coils.

[bykemike]

were talking R1200S here