| Author | Message | ||
     Dirt |
I have been chasing a frustrating problem with my Uly for the past week or so. I no sooner replaced the throttle body and get the bike running decent when something else pops up. It's a constant cycle. Here's the scenario - Start bike up to go to work. Starts and runs normal for the first 10 miles or so. Then without warning the speedometer cuts out. All the lights on the dash remain lit and the odometer mileage is still visible, but does not increment. Everything else on the bike works fine. Later in the day on the way home, the bike acts the same as the morning, i.e. starts normal, ride 10 miles, speedometer cuts out and no odometer miles logged. Repeats over and over, it's like ground hog day. I assumed a wire harness issue because just last weekend I repaired several wires that I found with insulation rubbed away exposing the copper strands. Well now I'm not sure this is the problem. I did some continuity testing and all the wire paths from the instrument panel to the ECM to the VSS sensor test good. Through trial and error I discovered that if, when the speedo cuts out, I momentarily disconnect and reconnect either the gray ECM connector or the gray VSS connector near the front sprocket that the speedo starts to work again. When I tried disconnecting and reconnecting the instrument panel connector, nothing happened. Moving wires and rearranging cables made no difference. The only way to make the speedo work again (except for waiting several hours) is to disconnect and reconnect either the ECM or VSS connectors. I'm not sure what to make of this. It's almost as if the above procedure resets the bike electronics. Anyone else experience this? Could my ECM be bad, VSS? I believe the instrument panel to be good. I checked all the grounds in the flyscreen and elsewhere. Everything checks good. This one has me baffled. Mechanical problems I can fix. These types of problems are a different story. Thanks for any ideas. | ||
| Rwcfrank |
There was a thread on here a while back about clocks resetting to zero on start up. Search the threads and there is some specific info on which wires to check for similar symptoms you are experiencing. | ||
| Dirt |
RWC, I read the post you referenced. The ground for my instrument panel is good. | ||
| Mnrider |
The wiring spices in the steering head may be pulled apart. | ||
| Dirt |
Maybe so, but what I don't understand is why the speedo starts working again when I disconnect and reconnect the VSS or the cable to the ECM. It shouldn't make a difference if the problem was due to a faulty splice near the steering head. | ||
| Ratbuell |
If your gauges all work (light up like normal), your tach works (you didn't mention), but your speedo needle drops and the odo quits counting...sounds like speed sensor to me. Focus on that end of things. | ||
| Rwven |
My stock ECM does that. Speedo goes out, CEL lights up. If I ignore it it resets after awhile or I can simply cycle the kill switch and restart on the fly to reset it. In my case I believe it is due to a cracked connector on the ECM, my seat was rubbing on it. The Erik Buell Racing ECM doesn't do it. And with the latest flash the bike runs superbly...so far... | ||
| Dirt |
Rat, all the gauges work like normal including tach. One of the first things I did was pull the speed sensor, inspect it and clean it off. Not much to see. There are a few more voltage checks I want to try today before I give up and shotgun the sensor. Without a speedometer tester, the troubleshooting method described in the FSM kind of boils down to, if you think you have a bad sensor, replace it with one that is known to be good. If the speedo now works then the other sensor is bad. A new sensor costs $60, so I want to be fairly certain it's the problem before I go down this route. Rwven, the ECM was my first thought, but the gray connector is on the side next to the block that prevents the seat from making contact. I could see no signs of the seat rubbing that connector. New ECM is $350+ so, once again, I would like to be confident this is the problem before I order a new one. Using the search feature, I found a few older posts with people reporting similar problems with their speedo, but that was all they were, reports. No mention of resolution. Anyone out there actually experience this problem and fix it? I'm a little stumped. | ||
| Barclaypierce |
Mine does the same thing as described by Rwven. A quick cycle of the kill switch will temporarily fix the problem. I checked all my frame grounds, speedo sensor, etc. and have not found a fix yet. Might try the racing ECM when I get the extra money. | ||
| Ratbuell |
Dirt - if you have a schematic, do a wiggle/continuity test on the vss wires to the ECM. IIRC, they route through the rat's nest under the front pulley cover; it's entirely possible you have a pull or a rub in one. | ||
| Dirt |
Cycling the kill switch does not correct my problem. I did a search on XB Board. Looks like the speed sensors were an issue in 2003. The description of the problem mirrors what I'm seeing. The fix is a new speed sensor. I'll give that a try. Hope they are not on back order for 3 months. | ||
| Ratbuell |
Before you spend money...check wiring. At least...I would. | ||
| Dirt |
Rat, I have been all over the wiring harness. Spent practically the entire day yesterday troubleshooting this. If it is in the wiring, I can't find it. I'm running low on patience right now. Was looking for an easy fix by posting here. I have other plans for today, but I'll get back to it tomorrow. BTW, I assume you received the manual I sent. Took a little while to get to the post office. | ||
| Balloyd66 |
Pull the ECM and check for cracks in the goop around the connectors. Wiggle the connectors around; look closely. That's what my problem was, but I had total momentary electrical shutdown, not just speedo. Luckily my ECM was replaced under warranty. My thread is in knowledge base in the electrical section. I think it's labeled Momentary Electrical Shutdown. | ||
| Dirt |
Good news, I don't think there are any wiring issues. I pulled the speed sensor from my S3T and put it on the ULY. I then did about 60 miles of spirited riding without any speedo failures. With the original sensor installed, the speedo would fail after about 10 miles. Time to find a new sensor. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
Nice! Also good to know that old tuber parts pug in  | ||
| Metaldude |
When your speedo doesn't work, does it completely konk out and stay stuck at zero? Or does it just hang around the 10 - 20 mph range? Mine does the latter and I was wondering if we have the same issue. My problem seems to only happen when I really crank on it and accelerate very quickly, and mine seems to fix itself if I leave it shut off for a few hours. | ||
| Barclaypierce |
Mine completely rest at zero without any movement. | ||
| Dirt |
The speedo completely "konked" out (dropped to zero mph). The gauges remained illuminated and the tach displayed rpm. The odometer mileage is visible but does not increment. | ||
| Barclaypierce |
Dirt, You believe that the new speedo sensor fixed this problem? Because mine does exactly what you described above randomly about every 200-300 miles. | ||
| Flynuly |
WOW thanks for posting this info. I had this very problem yesterday. Speedo started working again after I got home and let it sit so was in wait and see if it happens again mode. | ||
| Dirt |
Barclay, Yes I believe the sensor I borrowed from my S3T fixed the problem. I'll feel better about it after tomorrows trip to work. The speedo failed every day last week, so a clean ride tomorrow will do plenty to convince me the sensor was the problem. I will post again if I have any further issues. | ||
| Augie_dogie |
Howdy Folks, I have a similar problem. Speedometer cuts out intermittently. Odometer Freezes. All other functions within speedo/tach cluster still work. Frequency: It happens at least once in between fill-ups. (160 mi) Seems to happen after a hard bump or railroad tracks. Speedometer bounces, zeros, bounces and then zeros Originally occured in conjunction with intermittent turn signal failure. Roadside fix is to pull over cycle power and reset system. Tried to repair with the following: Relocated 3X1 power and 3X1 ground splice from below the main harness clamp to above the main harness clamp. (fixed T/S problem) Re-routed Aux. & HID wires outside main harness clamp. Traced and inspected wire harness (looks okay) Removed, cleaned and reinstalled speed sensor. (lessened the frequency of failure) Removed, cleaned and VSS connector. (contact cleaner and dielectric grease) Does this sound familiar? I do have a speed sensor on order. So one way or another it's going to get fixed. (Message edited by Augie_Dogie on July 06, 2010) (Message edited by Augie_Dogie on July 06, 2010) | ||
| Skifastbadly |
What a coincidence. A couple of weeks ago my speedo was jumping around. Someone suggested it might be the speed sensor. "Great, perfect. Where's that?" If you look in the service manual, you'll see a perfect example of a photo that gives absolutely no hint as to location. I finally figured it out, and reached with my finger to see if I could feel the nut that was shown in the photo to loosen it for removal. I thought "I can get at that, I guess." Since that moment, my speedo has worked like a champ. So I'm assuming there was some weird connection issue. But it's working now. | ||
| Pkman |
I just had this problem yesterday. I also have had the turn signal act up. I was going to check the grounds on the steering head but I haven't had any other issues. Does anyone have a pic of where the VSS is located? (Message edited by pkman on July 07, 2010) | ||
| Barclaypierce |
Dirt, Have you had the intermittent speedo problem since you changed the sensor? I figured you would have had enough riding time by now to tell. | ||
| Dirt |
Barclay, I have not experienced any speedo problems since swapping the original speed senor with the one from my S3T. I have put over 1k miles since the swap. I'm convinced. |
