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Mmcn49
Posted on Friday, July 10, 2009 - 09:30 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

I'm on a trip in Central/Eastern Washington. The bike had some odd problems after going over Blewett pass.

At first the bike just started running a little rough. As I rode further it got much worst. The bike, bucks, misses and runs terrible when running at a steady RPM. When I twist the throttle and accelerate it smoothes out and runs fine. When I back down it starts bucking again. I've ridden it about 150 miles like this. Also the fan is acting intermittently. It was pretty warm here and normally when I turn it off the fan comes on for a minute or two. Today the fan hardly came on when I stopped.

Both trip meters and the clock zeroed out. This usually means that power was lost but the bike never stopped running even though it was running terrible.

I looked for loose, chaffed, shorted or broken wires but could find none. No fuses were blown. Both park plug wires are ok.

The bike has a right side air scoop, LC-1 controller & WB o2 sensor. I disconnected the o2 sensor's signal input into the ECM. There was no change in the way the bike ran. During the entire day, the check engine light did not come on once, even with the o2 disconnected, (I left the o2 & LC-1 powered-up).
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Ochoa0042
Posted on Friday, July 10, 2009 - 09:46 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

would this be a voltage regulator problem?
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Chuckanut
Posted on Friday, July 10, 2009 - 09:58 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

where exactly are you from? im in moses lake
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Mmcn49
Posted on Friday, July 10, 2009 - 10:01 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Don't think so. I ran over 150 miles with the problem and the battery stayed charged.
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Mmcn49
Posted on Friday, July 10, 2009 - 10:06 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

I'm at my daughter's in Ellensburg tonight. I live on the west side of Puget Sound. Going to try to make it home tomorrow.

(Message edited by MMcN49 on July 10, 2009)
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Pogue_mahone
Posted on Saturday, July 11, 2009 - 12:45 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

i had oil in the plugs in the snakepit,caused all kinds of electrical issues .cleaned out and started working fine.have you had any oil leaks down there or perhaps water has made it there?mine stranded me in the rain....cleaned up and worked to perfection after.i filled the plugs with di electric grease and then snapped them back together.i figured if the voids were full of grease then no water can get in.
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Iamarchangel
Posted on Saturday, July 11, 2009 - 12:47 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Check front cylinder plug and connections. The ECM monitors rear and assumes both are okay. Not always the case. Mid range bogging and good high rpm are symptoms of bad plugs.

It's more likely that your guess is right. You have an intermittent short to ground.

Unclear: did your trip meter and odometer come back? No, module is probably toast. Yes, speed sensor wiring is suspect. Have a look at the connector behind the "sprocket cover". It's a snakepit so take a picture before you take it apart so you can put it back together. (It's also where the regulator connector is located so you can check that connection as well but you're probably right, the bike did keep charging.)

Unclear: fan came on for a moment and then stopped, without a wind down? That a ground issue interrupting the ECM process, usually. That it came on at all rules out fan and fuse issues for now.

Check engine light not coming on rules out overheating.

Start up sequence is normal? Needles sweep, check engine light off in about 4 seconds?

Exploring behind the sprocket cover is your best bet.
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Johnnymceldoo
Posted on Saturday, July 11, 2009 - 01:20 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Pogue, where is the snake pit? Ive read where water can collect and cause problems with plug wires but where exactly is that? Ive been chasing a slight stumble that smooths with acceleration and rpm. Not extreme though. Just enough to irk me.
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Scottykrein
Posted on Saturday, July 11, 2009 - 01:31 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Maybe a bad tank of gas?
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Reepicheep
Posted on Saturday, July 11, 2009 - 10:41 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Look for a loose battery cable (do the proverbial "check a third time), or microscopic nick in a wiring harness (mine was where I misrouted it and it was resting on a battery terminal).

Might be worth checking the 77 connector as well...
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Iamarchangel
Posted on Saturday, July 11, 2009 - 11:41 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

I'm guessing that Pogue and I are referring to the same place: the wiring behind the front pulley cover.

Remove three torx on the cowl, you don't have to remove the cowl, it pulls back enough. Same screws on the pulley cover. There's a whole mess of wires in there. Take pictures so you'll remember how they go.

Looks like Pogue, Reepicheep and I are all directing you to the some place. (That's also where the 77 connector is.)

The flow chart in the manual takes you there too. Combine all the advice here. Good luck.
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Reepicheep
Posted on Saturday, July 11, 2009 - 12:37 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Yup. And under the seat, the wire bundles that go to the ECM.

The bundle that comes out from the flyscreen and goes up under the frame is another prime place for random odd shorts.
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Johnnymceldoo
Posted on Saturday, July 11, 2009 - 02:29 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Awesome. Iam getting my hopes up now because I first started noticing this miss or stumble around the time I removed all of the exhaust servo hardware including the cable which required me to remove the pulley cover and disrupt that bundle of wires.

I'll check that first. Thanks guys.
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Mmcn49
Posted on Saturday, July 11, 2009 - 02:46 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Thanks guys for all the help.

>>>Maybe a bad tank of gas?

Maybe? I gassed up at the Texaco in Ellensburg. The problem started about 50 miles later just before I pulled into Dryden. I gassed up with Shell there. The problem wasn't bad so I ignored it.

In Chelan I purchased Sea Foam injector cleaner, put 6 or 7 ounces into the TT's 4.4 gallon tank and topped off with Shell.

Continued on with the trip until I got to Methow where the bike started running horrendously.

Turned around and went back to Ellensburg. Stopped for gas in Dryden, I had hit reserve and it took a little over 4 gallons. Nothing cleared up. The bike was running lousy until I parked it.

>>>Unclear: did your trip meter and odometer come back?

Yes it did.

>>>Start up sequence is normal? Needles sweep, check engine light off in about 4 seconds?

Yes.

Here's the kicker. I loaded the bike and left Ellensburg around 4:15 this morning. I rode over 100 miles nonstop to the Seattle Ferry and the bike ran perfect. Up and over Snoqualmie pass without one hiccup or stumble.

The temperature was still pretty cool when the bike started acting up yesterday. It was pretty hot by the time I reached Methow. On the ride home today it was pretty cool all the way. Don’t know if temperature played a factor?

Its time to go down to my shop and hopefully sort it out. Thanks again for all the advice, especially about the snake pit. It is the last place I would have thought to look. Thanks guys for all
the help.
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Mmcn49
Posted on Sunday, July 12, 2009 - 11:17 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Just found the first issue. There are three wires coming out of the TPS, (Black, Orange, Green).

All three wires were bent over sharply and appeared stressed. Insulation was worn through to the copper on the Orange wire where it goes into the TPS.

I cut the insulation away with an x-acto knife and the wire is broken. My guess is that it fatigued under stress and engine vibration.
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Panhead_dan
Posted on Sunday, July 12, 2009 - 11:44 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Sounds like you found the problem or at least one of them.
Too bad no one told you about the "old" Blewett pass road while you were down there. It's not far from the freeway you rode on and is a hoot of a ride. Super twisty narrow 2 lane with no paint stripes, guardrails, turnoffs, houses or traffic. Ride to the top, shut off engine and coast down the other side. Start engine at the stop sign, U turn and repeat. Big fun!
Good luck on your wiring.
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Mmcn49
Posted on Sunday, July 12, 2009 - 03:46 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Under the flyscreen I found the flat bracket holding the horn broken but no chaffed or broken wires.

In the snake pit I also found no chaffed or broken wires. After searching posts and reading about all the problems people had with these connectors I'm going to break them all apart and seal them with dielectric. I'm also going to put a copper based conducting paste on the 77 connectors.

Thanks Dan: I saw the "old" Blewett pass road on the map but missed it when I was going northbound. I did see it when I came back but with the way the bike was running decided not to take it.

I'm going to go back for a 4-day weekend in sometime in mid August. Maybe we can meet and have a beer.
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Panhead_dan
Posted on Sunday, July 12, 2009 - 04:55 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

That sir, would be extra fine!
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