Dead 2000 RT the day before the summer trip

[CaptainKcorb]

Well, I'm hat in hand here guys. Took the bike out this morning, it went about three blocks and quit. I'd just finished washing it so the HES was my first thought. Checked the spark and no spark so off came the tupperware and tank, and out came the HES. It checks out perfectly (test procedure from this site, battery and LED), and there is NO deterioration of the wires surprisingly enough.

 

All the fuses are good, the RID is on, I can hear the fuel pump spool up for a second as usual and it cranks great, but no go. I'm going to put the tank back on now and see if anything has changed but I'm not hopeful as I haven't fixed anything other than re-seating a few connectors. Grrrrr....

 

All thoughts are appreciated.

 

Thanks

[dirtrider]

Hi CaptainKcorb

 

Well if right after a good washing probably something got wet.

The no spark would surly point to the HES but if your spark plugs are wet with fuel they might not show a spark as the spark will just track down the wet porcelain and not across the gap.

See if you are getting spark using a new or different spark plug.

If your kick stand is down or the bike thinks it is down you won’t get a spark or injector pulse.

Can you smell strong gasoline smell while cranking the engine? If so and you have a fuel nanny or a like black box that is possibly wet inside. Try disconnecting that to see if it helps.

If you for sure have no spark and the plugs are for sure good then possibly a wet ignition coil or plug wires at the coil. Use a test light to see if your injectors are triggering on every piston up. Do the same at the coils primary non powered side to see if it is triggering to ground on every piston up.

 

 

[CaptainKcorb]

Thanks Dirtrider

 

I thought I'd give an update. Back to the garage, I replaced the fuel filter and poly belt as I was in there anyway. Back on with the tank, give her a crank and vroom it starts right up. And shuts right down. More cranking, no go. As the cover was off and I still suspect it I wiggled the HES wiring up near the alternator. Gave it a crank and vroom. And stop. Repeated the cycle and now it looks like the HES wiring well away from the senders might be flakey.

 

So the tank is draining as I type and I'll be back out in the shed shortly.

 

Thanks,

 

 

[Tony_K]

Pull your fuses and look very closely. Sometimes they look intact yet they are broken right at the ends.

 

It's worth a shot. Happened to me twice.

[flars]

The only way to find out if the wires are good is to cut the insulation off the last two inches down next to the sensors. The outer insulation never fails - the inner insulation turns to dust, and the wires start making contact - either physically or through moisture buildup.

[philbytx]

Sorry to say, HES!

If you don't want to screw around rewiring the beast, the best thing to do is spring for a new one !

 

Go HERE to obtain a new one. John give great service and has reasonable prices.

[CaptainKcorb]

Well, it was definitely the HES wiring. When I split the full run of the black shielded cable it was nasty inside, especially around the rubber cable holder.

 

I couldn't find proper hi-temp wire on short notice so I've put it together with 22ga covered in shrinkwrap (after soldering), aluminum foil for shielding, then black electrical tape and duct tape (this is Canada after all). It survived a couple of 40 mile runs tonight without hickup so that augers well. I hope it sees me through the next week or so.

 

I'll be carrying all the tools that I used today so hopefully if it lets me down I'll be able to cope on the road. I can't see how washing it would have triggered this event but suspect it was just a serendipitous coincidence.

 

About 30 years ago I had a Vetter fairing on a 100/7 catch fire in the White Mountains. Incorrect installation by the dealer. I put it together at roadside with strips of duct tape (some over two feet long) and thought I'd replace it when I got home. Even though I did get another wiring harness to use, the bike was eventually sold with that sorry duct tape repair still serving yeoman's duty.

 

Enough true confessions. Good night all and thanks for the input.

[tallman]

We bought a commercial drink cooler.

It was working fine, but nasty needing cleaning.

Pressure washed it and dislodged a dead rat.

It didn't work after that.

I think the rat died gnawing on sumptin and somehow kept the circuit complete?

Whatever, it was the cleaning that killed the cooler.

[boatzo]

Duct Tape Biker What did we ever do before DT

[outpost22]

Duct Tape Biker What did we ever do before DT

 

Baling wire

[flars]

"...I can't see how washing it would have triggered this event but suspect it was just a serendipitous coincidence. ..."

The HES failure routinely (as in 'almost always') happens right after washing the bike or riding in the rain. The moisture creates the environment for arcing between the wires.

[CaptainKcorb]

The question is how the heck washing a bike (sponge and light rinsing) gets into where the wires are. You'd think a humid day would push more moisture in there. It was dry as a bone when I took it apart. Arid.

 

Regardless, all was well on the trip 'till yesterday when the bike slowed to a stop in no-where, Maine (#16 and #151). No doubt the dreaded spline failure unless the clutch failed thanks to using the BMW flywheel locking method. I'll know more when I've pulled it all apart. A quick link to the procedure would be nice but I can start another post for that.

 

Thanks all, the humour helps