| Author | Message | ||
     Mz_guy |
I am a frequent visitor to this site, and I want to thank all of you for the vast amount of knowledge I have gained from reading your posts. I thought I had everything dialed in on my '04 XB9S, when it started misfiring on the freeway the other day. I pulled off the freeway, let the bike sit, restarted and everything seemed fine for awhile, until it started misiring again. I had to limp the bike home. I checked all the obvious causes (fuel, plugs, plug wires, breather tubes, electrical connections, etc.) The bike runs great until the engine is warm. Then, it sputters under throttle. Any ideas? Is there a way for me to check the error codes without any special diagnostic tools? It's got the Race ECM/Pipe and TPS reset by the dealer. And, no, I don't think my bike is a piece of poo-poo now. It's just one of the things I am willing to put up with on a bike that is fun as hell to ride. Scott | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
If the engine light didn't come on, I don't think there would be an error code to read. You can read the error codes without any special tool. http://www.saintjohn.nbcc.nb.ca/Marriott/x1/DDFITroubleCodes/index.htm | ||
| Whodom |
Mz_guy, In my experience, missing under load (especially when hot) points to an ignition problem. Could be an ignition coil or other component going bad. If you can do it, try checking the spark strength when the bike is acting like this (don't give it time to cool down). Good luck. | ||
| Duc_htr |
Mine did it when one of the sparkplug wires was bad... the insullation was cracked and I think it was grounding out to something... a lot of elct tape fixed it.. speaking of... I need to replace those things... | ||
| Henrik |
May I suggest spiral cut loom from Radio Shack to prevent wear and rubbing on sparkplug wires. Henrik | ||
| Izzinya |
temp sensor might be bad also its a quick fix and SORT OF cheep Izzinya | ||
| Mz_guy |
Man, this place is a gold mine, I tell ya. Thanks for your ideas! Scott | ||
| Lovematt |
I had a problem under load at higher revs...I checked the plug wires and externally they looked good but when I checked the tips INSIDE...the end attached to the plug came right off...DOH! If the misfire is really fast or quick then likely the problem is electrical. The fact that you say it only happens when warm might be a clue to another problem like a component going out which could be affected by heat. | ||
| Mz_guy |
No error codes. Plugs look good. I replaced the plug wires, just in case. Same thing. Runs great for about fifteen minutes of stop and go riding, then starts to misfire, sputter and die. Geez. | ||
| Fullpower |
kind of sounds like a possible ignition coil problem. wouldnt hurt you to have a spare around anyway. I dont ordinarily subscribe to the "shotgun" approach of replaceing random parts till the problem goes away, but the " runs great for 15 minutes, then misses" is a classic coil malfunction on many other vehicles, and it is one of those parts that is very cool to have on hand even if the original is still working. | ||
| Whodom |
Mz_guy, I tend to think bad ignition coil too. If you can check the spark when it's acting like this, it would help diagnose it. You can buy a "high energy ignition tester" at many auto parts stores for around $8. Unplug a spark plug wire, plug it on this thing, hook the other wire from this gizmo to ground, and crank the bike over. It has an adjustable gap that lets you determine how many volts your coil is generating. One of these helped me diagnose faulty ignition coils on my old 1983 Honda Ascot VT500FT. Spark was fine when cold but voltage would go down by ~50% when bike got hot. Caused poor idle, stumble off idle, and bad misfire at speed when the bike was hot. (Message edited by whodom on August 22, 2005) (Message edited by whodom on August 22, 2005) | ||
| Mz_guy |
Thanks Guys! It was the ignition coil. Strange, I thought those things lasted forever. Scott |
