intermittent cutting out!!

[midden]

It only ever happened on really hot days as well

[CRH]

I would suggest you lift the tank and open the box with all the connectors in it. Take them apart one by one and check them for corrosion. Dose them with WD 40 instead of contact cleaner as it leaves a film which prevents further corossion.
A common problem is for the red block with 2 connectors in it to show signs of burning due to arcing and is the main 12volt wire from the ignition. This can often lose contact causing the bike to cut out temporarly due to the corrosion and vibration.

....cheers for that unfazed!...ile do what you suggest and see what happens?..it must be something like that to cause the ecu to get that hot surely?..i went in me garage at 5am this morning whilst everything nice and cool? started her up ,ran to temp ,but again within 15 t 20 mins the ecu was untouchable!!....but as before it still" didnt cut out!!!!....

[CRH]

It only ever happened on really hot days as well

...yes you may be on to something there midden?...i did notice i had to let it cool a few mins before it would start?....

[Paul]

To CRH


If it's that hot there's too much current going through it.


Therefore it is likely that something is allowing current to go to earth after it's been through the ECU.


A short circuit of sorts.


Stab in the dark, but, the wiring is subject to the most stress through movement when it exits the frame and goes to the steering head.

[CRH]

To CRH


If it's that hot there's too much current going through it.


Therefore it is likely that something is allowing current to go to earth after it's been through the ECU.


A short circuit of sorts.


Stab in the dark, but, the wiring is subject to the most stress through movement when it exits the frame and goes to the steering head.

...thanks for that paul!..you could be right there matey?..seems its only going to do it when ime on the move?...like ive said it wont bloody do it stationary!!..going to strip the lot down today and see what i can find :rolleyes ...

[Fazerider]

As always when there are electrical problems, it's well worth checking the connectors make decent contact and the harness hasn't chafed through anywhere, but it's hard to see how an external short circuit could cause the ignition unit to get excessively hot when the engine runs normally.
If the supply volts are OK then it's overheating is most likely due to an internal failure… though it would be unusual, they're extremely reliable.
I'd jump at red98's offer, substitution is the easiest way to prove whether the ignition box is the culprit.

[CRH]

As always when there are electrical problems, it's well worth checking the connectors make decent contact and the harness hasn't chafed through anywhere, but it's hard to see how an external short circuit could cause the ignition unit to get excessively hot when the engine runs normally.
If the supply volts are OK then it's overheating is most likely due to an internal failure… though it would be unusual, they're extremely reliable.
I'd jump at red98's offer, substitution is the easiest way to prove whether the ignition box is the culprit.

....yes fazerider if i dont get anywhere with re,doing the connectors i think i will take up pauls offer?...what is bothering me now is, has  all this high temp going through the box done damage long term?...and yes it is odd the engine running normaly isnt it?.....like i said previously today ime goin right through it!!..thanks for your input

[red98]

morning clive....offer still stands,just let me know 

[CRH]

morning clive....offer still stands,just let me know 

....morning paul!..thanks for that matey i will let u know the verdict later?.....or will i? ....

[CRH]

ok, chkd over all visible connectors ,parted them sprayed with wd40 all good and all looking like new?..although its a 2002 bike its only clocked up 6500 miles and was told before i had it ,it hadnt seen rain or ever been jet washed!!....and on closer inspection i would say he was being truthful?...the only thing i did find where several wires scattered around the loom not doing anything :rolleyes ..all chkd out dead!!...think he had a alarm removed at some point .....took out the ecu no cracks or any smells of burning etc!!...plug again in good condition but gave it the wd40 anyway!!...basically every plug and part i came across where in as new condition!!..(not as this helps me much}...there was a little bit of green" around the starter solinoid where the live bolts on so stripped that and cleaned it!..battery connections clean and tight!..fuses and holders clean and good!...anyway thats as far as i got today!..in the morning going to take off the faring and check all wiring around and see if anything shows up there!!

[ade the blade]

no no no.......ecu hot means one thing and one thing only.......that side is cooked !! now get a spatula and flip it over before it gets cremated ya bozo ! oh and hello big Clive....hows ya bits?  :rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin

[CRH]

no no no.......ecu hot means one thing and one thing only.......that side is cooked !! now get a spatula and flip it over before it gets cremated ya bozo ! oh and hello big Clive....hows ya bits?  :rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin

....ade!!...where ya bin ya wizard :b ......good t hear from you!...so you think its grilled then?..pauls got a spare for me to try so think ile be takin up his offer? ....what you been up to then matey?...not heard owt from you in weeks!!....we miss the crazey banter mate dont leave it so long next time?....oh and morris? love ya new add!! :lol ......that horse reminds me of me ex!!...she allways had a...long face" :rolleyes ..

[red98]

whooooooooopppppdooooooooo.........morris is back,bike problems,silly posts.........aaaarrrrrr just like the good old days  :lol :lol :lol

[unfazed]

A piece of advice, do not replace the ECU with a known good one if you have not determined the reason for the problem. If there is a wiring fault you will end up with 2 blown ECUs. It would be best to try the possible faulty one in a working bike first.
It may not necessarily be a short circuit in the wiring, it could just as easily be a bad earth and the ECU trying to find another way to earth.

[CRH]

A piece of advice, do not replace the ECU with a known good one if you have not determined the reason for the problem. If there is a wiring fault you will end up with 2 blown ECUs. It would be best to try the possible faulty one in a working bike first.
It may not necessarily be a short circuit in the wiring, it could just as easily be a bad earth and the ECU trying to find another way to earth.

....yes thanks for that unfazed ....like fazerider said ecu" are normaly very reliable and rarely go wrong!!..not given up checking over the wiring yet and today taking faring off to chk front end?..like you say mabe a bad earth?..red98 as got a spare i can try but like you say.no point just swapping it just t fk that one up!!

[red98]

:agree .....yep....have a good poke around and see what you find 

[CRH]

well after several hours of poking about the wiring and connectors etc,..think i may have come across the problem?..the kill switch will not budge :rolleyes ...and after having me snout up to it,smells like its been burning!!...now i would imagine that there be a link to the ecu somewhere along the miles of wiring, so could this be my problem??? :rolleyes .....is it shorting it out somehow?..being the reason why its starting to cook!!!...any ideas?

[midden]

does red have a spare switch unit is the question .............
or can you bypass the switch altogether as a temp measure

[CRH]

does red have a spare switch unit is the question .............
or can you bypass the switch altogether as a temp measure

....mabe yes?..i will have a look later and take it appart!! had a hospital app, so had t drop off it for a while!...but its well and truly fkd!!..and defo been hot you can smell it :rolleyes ...i will ask reds m/c parts store if he has one in stock!! ....think this may be the start of my trouble?

[Fazerider]

I'd be surprised if it's the source of the problem.
The current through the kill switch is normally not very large, it supplies 12v to the coils and the ignition cut-out relay. A fault with it could cause the sparks to die, but I can't think how it would make the ignition unit overheat. It's possibly an indication of the route that the excess current is taking though, do the coils get hot too? Of course, if one coil gets hot and the other doesn't, that could be the cause of the problem, though it's usual to have a duff coil that still provides a decent spark. My money's still on the ignition unit.
The pong isn't really coming from the main light switch is it? That supplies a high current so slight contact resistance would easily result in overheating and a burning smell in the same area.