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Buell Forum » Old School Buell » Archive through June 15, 2009 » ECM Spy (and dealer) can not detect bad injectors « Previous Next »

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S3t
Posted on Thursday, May 28, 2009 - 07:20 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

OK here goes - official feedback from my experience with ECMSPY and trying to diagnose a no-start.

RECAP - 02 S3T - bike would not start after riding last Nov & Dec - sat for 1 month, then would crank, but not fire. Manual trouble code showed fuel pump problem - replaced pump - still would not start, even though afterwards no trouble codes were showing. Don't jump on me yet guys, there is a lot more to the story, which is buried in the Old School archives.

Bottom line was that the bike had fuel pressure and spark - but would not fire up. I monkeyed around with it for another 2 weeks, then called the dealership. They removed the injectors, "energized" them, and reinstalled them - the bike fired up - it sat for a few days afterwards, and did fire right up when I did decide to ride it - the dealer proclaimed (and claimed $230) that the injectors just stuck. 2 weeks later and I was right back where I started - while banging on the injectors with a brass screwdriver and turning over the engine, I did get it to start once more - but again, several days later even that method would not work. I had the foresight to lay down $100 for a new set of injectors which I had on hand - I installed them, and the bike is now fine.

ECM SPY and the dealer did not diagnose the stuck injector condition - in fact neither found any trouble codes.

Footnote - bike has 8M miles, I have always kept Stabil in the tank during the 2 month off season of riding. I ran alot of injector cleaner through the system before finally giving up on the old injectors. I am going to see if I can have tested / cleaned the old injectors. The manifold/injector port design does allow for a mimi-pool of fuel to sit on top of the injector inlet when the bike is shut down - that is probably as bad, and maybe worse than stale gas in a carb bowl.
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Mbsween
Posted on Thursday, May 28, 2009 - 08:36 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Dennis,
I think ECMSpy just reads the codes that are stored in the ECM. I don't believe it has any intelligence coded in to detect faulty parts. I'm not even sure that this sort of thing would be possible with just software.

When my rear temp sensor went, the ECM didn't throw a code initially so 2 dealerships I went to couldn't find the issue. So you're probably seeing the same thing. If the firmware in the Bike's ECM can't find a fault, none of the software packages will find it either
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Pkforbes87
Posted on Thursday, May 28, 2009 - 08:49 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Isn't there an injector test in the diagnostics tab of EcmSpy? I don't have EcmSpy on this computer so can't be 100% sure right now.

Running the test would almost certainly not result in a fault code regardless of the outcome, but it should allow you to pull the injectors and see what they're doing.
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Kyrocket
Posted on Thursday, May 28, 2009 - 09:12 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

ECMSPY does have an injector diagnostic selection, one for front injector, one for rear. FWIW when you select those it runs a diagnostic test on them and you can hear them click. I have no earthly idea what the test consists of and what it's doing to the injector. I would assume it's sending a pulse to it and getting feed back but what if grime is clogging the top, wouldn't it still pulse and get feed back although nothing could get through? Just a thought.
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Preybird1
Posted on Thursday, May 28, 2009 - 10:10 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Injectors almost never fail but the can clog up and still try to function, If you take some pliers on both ends of the injector and pull them apart you can pull the 10 micron filter screens out of the injectors to inspect them.
The HD injectors are good for 1 billion pulses they should out last the bike's life.
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Oldog
Posted on Thursday, May 28, 2009 - 01:15 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I would assume it's sending a pulse to it and getting feed back but what if grime is clogging the top, wouldn't it still pulse and get feed back although nothing could get through

+5}
when you run diagnostics on the injectors that is precisely what SHOULD happen.
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Id073897
Posted on Thursday, May 28, 2009 - 01:38 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

The diagnostic function sends a command to the ECM which triggers a device. It's up to the user to decide, if that device is working properly or not.
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Natexlh1000
Posted on Thursday, May 28, 2009 - 05:08 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

The error code would only come up if the injectors were electrically fouled up like shorted internally or unplugged.

My engine light came on after a misfire at about 40,000 miles.
It decoded to "front injector".
It was still under warranty so I had "the man" fix it.
The wire to the front injector had chafed through the insulation.
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S3t
Posted on Friday, June 05, 2009 - 06:51 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

excellent feedback guys - next time I hook up ECMSpy, I'll be use to run the injector test - I do recall doing that when the old injectors were installed...and there definitely was NO noise/clicking. With those injectors out, I put 12 volts to them with a battery and they did/do click - I wonder if there is a way to clean injectors......
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Preybird1
Posted on Friday, June 05, 2009 - 04:02 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

S3t read my post earlier they can be pulled apart and the screens changed and or cleaned. If you are unsure then take them to a injector specialty shop and have them looked at.
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