| Author | Message | ||
     Jaimec |
My first problem at 14,023 miles. I was on the Ramapo Fall Foliage Ride this morning when the Speedometer suddenly dropped to "0" and the trip meter stopped incrementing. Shortly after that, the CEL came on. I wasn't sure if the CEL had anything to do with the infamous stator issue or not, so I bailed out of the ride and headed home. The mere fact that I made it home indicated to me that the problem WASN'T the stator. I pulled out my trust "Official Electronic Diagnostic Manual" and ran the diagnostic. Two codes: P0502 and P0503, both having to do with a failed Vehicle Speed Sensor. Oh well, I'm still under the original factory warranty for another month. Just gotta figure out when I can get the thing into Long Island City to have it checked out. This happen to anyone else? I don't remember reading anything about it here... | ||
| Marcodesade |
It happened to me not long ago. It ended up just being a loose wire (I had recently had the front fairing and a lot of other stuff replaced after a low-side). It also threw a couple other codes, though I don't remember now what they were. | ||
| Jaimec |
Just got back from checking. Couldn't find anything OBVIOUSLY loose. My luck, it's NEVER anything easy. | ||
| Daggar |
Happened to me before. Shop said it was a loose ground. | ||
| Dktechguy112 |
jaimec, check the two grounds on the bike and the vss sensor. For the first ground, look at the frame, right in front of where the triple trees hook to the frame; right above the bottom triple tree, there is an area of the frame that doesn't have any paint, there are two screws their, the top one is the ground. The second one is near the fuel pump, look where the frame meets the swing arm, you will see a plastic piece, there are two nuts holding it on, the one on the bottom in the middle is the one that holds the ground line on. The vss sensor connects to the right side of the engine, runs under the frame, through the fuel pump cover, and into the subframe. In the subframe there is a grey triangular connector, make sure the connector is not loose. | ||
| Jaimec |
Devin, Both grounds look solid. Tight, and no apparent corrosion. Not sure about that connector in the subframe though. Can you post a photo of what I'm looking for? How do I access that part of the bike? I don't have the necessary tools to remove wheels handy and that cover behind the engine (in front of the swingarm) looks pretty inaccessible unless I can get the rear wheel out of the way. | ||
| Jaimec |
Bump | ||
| Ratsmc |
check this topic That has my story and how I got this issue fixed. In a lot of these cases, it is a VSS failure and it will need to be replaced. There are a few more topics around about it. The problem you may run into is that some dealers won't fix it unless they can recreate it. Something to try: I found that I could reproduce the problem consistently by accelerating hard onto the freeway. By the time I got to freeway speed (maybe a little over) the error would occur. If this works for you, tell the dealer so they can make it happen as well. | ||
| Jaimec |
Nothing to recreate. The speedometer remains at Zero, and the odometer does not increment. I suppose with my luck when I do bring it in to he dealer it will miraculously start working... but right now... nothing. | ||
| Keef |
speed sensor bad | ||
| Ratsmc |
Wow. That is a new one. I've never heard of it going out and never coming back. Typically it comes and goes. Still, same diagnosis. If you had my luck with dealers, I would guarantee that the thing would start working the instant you got it there. | ||
| Jaimec |
BINGO!!! FOUND IT!! I noticed that my horn wasn't working. According to the manual, the horn and the rear brake light are on the same circuit. When I tested the brakes, the brake light wasn't coming on either. I replaced the fuse and guess what? The speedometer started working again! I couldn't find anything in the owner's manual or the shop manual that said the speedometer was on the same circuit as the brake light and horn, but there it is! Plus, I discovered the root of the problem is the horn itself, because if I honk the horn, I blow the fuse... so there is a short there SOMEWHERE. Not sure how to diagnose that (hints and assistance welcome) but for now I avoid a trip into Queens to get the bike serviced. I remember now that I attempted to honk the horn last week to signal a friend of mine on the side of the road who'd stopped to recheck his route directions (he was leading a separate group on the same ride I was on). THAT'S when everything went south. | ||
| Cataract2 |
I had this happen on mine. Check down at the horn where the wires go into it. I found mine was rubbing on the bracket which rubbed through and caused the short. Easy fix. | ||
| Jaimec |
Thanks, I'll give it a look and report back. | ||
| Jaimec |
Finally took the horn off and inspected it. One of the wires definitely had it's insulation worn thin. It LOOKS like whoever last installed the horn (and why would someone need to remove it??) bent one of the horn terminals, which forced that particular wire to rub against the metal bracket. Anyway, I wrapped the wire with several layers of tape, straightened the horn terminal, and put it all back together. I was able to honk the horn without blowing the fuse so I THINK I'm back at 100%. And I just remembered: In order to do the valves on these model Buells, they actually rotate the engine inside the frame to get to both cylinder heads. I'll bet THAT'S when the horn terminal got bent! Thanks for everyone's help and advice. At least I didn't have to slog into Long Island City for this one! |
