Error 46

[AlexdeCatt]

First post here so, hello.

I have checked about the first 6-8 pages of threads and can't find any duplicate posts so I thought I'd start one. I'm sure its been dealt with before. Google says its a fairly regular problem.

On my ride of about 35 miles I noticed a burning smell a few times that I thought was the clutch on the truck in front of me but now I'm not so sure. Other forums say this is the "rectifier" situated near the battery over heating and melting all the wires. The chap who was dealing with it though only fixed it temporarily. After a few months it came back again so he modified it and then it did it again!
Do we know or can we confirm if that IS the issue? Is it a common issue? Is it something I should look at myself or would a dealer sort it out easier then what I could. I just want to balance cost and time spent.

Cheers all.

 

[Motogiro]

First! :welcome:to the the FZ6 Forum!

Can't help you with the error 46 but on the Regulator/ Rectifier you might take it to someone certified to work on this part of the bike. You shouldn't be burning any wires and you shouldn't be smelling any wires! I've never heard of an electrical failure on the FZ6 other than a component failing. Ex: stator, regulator/rectifier or battery. If you had enough current to burn a wire I'd suspect the wiring was compromised because you should be protected by a fuse or fuseable link.

This is a time I would recommend a pro look at it because a vehicle fire is bad news for more than just the fire call.

Is there a possibility the smell is something else?

Check this pictorial out: Ronayers.com Microfiche Yamaha>Motorcycle>2006>FZS6V FZ6>ELECTRICAL 2

#18 in the pictorial in the regulator/rectifier. It's a shunt type regulator which means it turns current into heat and dissapates the heat into the air. It must be properly mounted and the plug assembly and connectors must be in excellent condition to pass current. If the connectors have been compromised in any way they will overheat. This means that if you have a bad connector on the regulator and replace it, and the old connector on the harness is also bad the regulator plug will again fail.

Again welcome and I hope this helps!

 

[AlexdeCatt]

Cheers.... Im liking the poses too. I've seen a few folk with similar poses on this site. I may have to obligate a copy from myself too!!
It may well have been a burning clutch from a passing vehicle. The only reason why I thought it might not have been a clutch was that I smelt it a few times on my journey. Which whilst unlikely is still possible. I will ask the dealer although I dread going to them because they will require me to sell my liver on the blackmarket to afford them and even then they might not get it right.
I will make enquiries though and update for others to learn from.

 

[Motogiro]

check and make sure to don't have a coolant leak. Even the smallest amount of weapage will stink when it hits a hot motor....Check your coolant recovery bottle and check all hoses...

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

If your brakes are dragging (calibers not releasing fully), the brakes will get hot, just like a car, smell, burn up rotors, pads etc.

As noted above, there's very few problems electrically with the FZ historically.

I'd get the front wheel off the ground and spin it. You should be able to get at least one decent spin by hand. If it stops immediatly, its time to remove and clean the brake calibers.

BTW, my FJR (same brake caliber- 4 pot) had the calibers start to noticiably stick with about 7k mikes on the clock. I cleaned/put new seals in, BIG DIFFERENCE. Before it stopped within 1/4 turn, not its about 1.25 rotations. For the FJR, its recommended to replace ALL THE BRAKE SEALS and brake lines every 2 years. I'm not sure about the FZ but suspect its the same. The FZ, with about 4700 miles at the time, were just starting to drag. Those I cleaned up and re-assembled with Permatex brake grease:

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Permatex-24110-Caliper-Brush-Top-Bottle/dp/B000HBNV6W]Amazon.com: Permatex 24110 Ultra Disc Brake Caliper Lube, 8 oz Brush-Top Bottle: Automotive[/ame]

Its designed for the pistons/seals, etc, excellent product IMHO. The brakes are fine now fully releasing..

 

[AlexdeCatt]

Word from Yamaha dealer is that its the recifier. No further details. Full report upon examination.

 

[iSteve]

I've had the same smell maybe three times last year. All three times I shut down the bike but the smell goes away quickly so I couldn't track it down. I have a accessories plug wired in for my gps and thought that was the problem and went with a larger gauge wire. I'll have to pay closer attention to it this year.

I know that Suzuki has just issued a recall of rectifiers for many of their bikes.

 

[FinalImpact]

Word from Yamaha dealer is that its the recifier. No further details. Full report upon examination.

For everyone else; there a products that melt and/or change colors once they exceed a specific temperature. Results for Temperature Test Strips

Because it may not get hot during a short test run, this will allow you to see if it exceeds a temp which would cause damage. I'd think an air cooled rectifier could run upwards of 140 to 160 (just a guess). So buy some strips in the 180 to 200F. Or better yet, attach a thermocouple to it a get a live reading through a digital multimeter or similar device.

 

[AlexdeCatt]

I don't want to over analyse the smell Im just going to bear it in mind with my investigations. The rectifier looked ok on the outside. The connecters were a lil green so I cleaned that up with some sandpaper but it was too much to ask to fix it unfortunatly. I've no more clues to follow up on and I think Mr.Yamaha is going to have to have a look now. I could spend days and lots of money stripping bits down and replacing stuff. Better to give someone who has some knowledge a shot now. :-( $$$

 

[zmeiaspas]

:welcome:

I thought this thread was another Rossi joke.

 

[AlexdeCatt]

Still not sorted it but found some more clues. Took it to the yamaha dealer who started it up, ran some voltage checks and it was all peachy. He entered the diagnostics menu and reset the various error messages and still no issues. He revved the bike and let it warm up. No issues. We both noticed the front light was flickering a bit. Not in a way which would suggest the alternator either. Neither of us knew what it was and I didn't ask the mechanic to examine futher as we didn't have enough information.

I took it home and started it up. Left it running for a minute to warm up and then revved the engine to about 5k. As I did this the engine management light came on. I released the throttle and the light went off. I engaged the throttle again and again the light came on so I released. After trying a 3rd time the engine light stayed on and I almost lost the will to live.

I've come to it today and tried to start it but its behaving as if the battery is flat. I have no multi meter so I can't test and its raining so I don't want to charge it. There is still some corrosion around the connections on the rectifier and the connecter TO the rectifier. I suspect I will need a new rectifier and connector but will try cleaning both thouroughly first.

Will also check the TPS (Throttle Position Sensor) as this was one of the error diagnostic messages the mechanic got. The bikes 04' though so its probably reasonable to say it wear and tear rather then a recall issue.
ongoing...

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Still not sorted it but found some more clues. Took it to the yamaha dealer who started it up, ran some voltage checks and it was all peachy. He entered the diagnostics menu and reset the various error messages and still no issues. He revved the bike and let it warm up. No issues. We both noticed the front light was flickering a bit. Not in a way which would suggest the alternator either. Neither of us knew what it was and I didn't ask the mechanic to examine futher as we didn't have enough information.

I took it home and started it up. Left it running for a minute to warm up and then revved the engine to about 5k. As I did this the engine management light came on. I released the throttle and the light went off. I engaged the throttle again and again the light came on so I released. After trying a 3rd time the engine light stayed on and I almost lost the will to live.

I've come to it today and tried to start it but its behaving as if the battery is flat. I have no multi meter so I can't test and its raining so I don't want to charge it. There is still some corrosion around the connections on the rectifier and the connecter TO the rectifier. I suspect I will need a new rectifier and connector but will try cleaning both thouroughly first.

Will also check the TPS (Throttle Position Sensor) as this was one of the error diagnostic messages the mechanic got. The bikes 04' though so its probably reasonable to say it wear and tear rather then a recall issue.
ongoing...

Any electrical connections, especially the small ones, need to be SPOTLESS clean. If you can see any corrosion, you need to start there. Use dielectric grease to keep the connectors clean after manually cleaning...

BTW, on my FJR (also an 04) a connector under the gas tank was known to collect moisure and corode. Prior to learning this on an FJR forum, I brought the bike to the dealership for the TPS re-call but the problem (off and on poor running) was not found, no error codes.

Once I located the connector (somewhat green) it was cleaned and dielectric grease applied, it fixed the problem immediatly. That was 3-4 years ago...

I've learned ANY connector I take apart (including grounds, battery terminals, anything), gets some dielectric grease. Its well worth the small investment...

Good luck

 

[iSteve]

Dielectric grease is non-conductive if you have a loose connection and use the grease it could possibly make the connection worse. Dielectrics are usually used to shield out water and dirt or to lube rubber shields and boots like on spark plugs or to stop corrosion on battery terminals. Many people do use it for electrical connectors however. You can get conductive greases may be better for connections. A proper working electrical system with good connectors should not need any grease.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

I agree, the connectors should be tight and clean to work correctly. In the real world, water/moisture/dirt DO GET IN connectors and cause corrosion (as in the posters problem). If the connectors are loose and failing they should be replaced/repaired.

Moisture got inside the connector of my FJR (under the gas tank) with less than 4,000 miles on it and corroded the connector(bike is garaged). After cleaning (no damage to the connector) and application of the dielectric grease I have had no further problems with that connector.



http://www.permatex.com/products/au...e/auto_Permatex_Dielectric_Tune-Up_Grease.htm

 

[FinalImpact]

Something to think about:

Usually its not that moisture alone contributes to corrosion of a connector. Its when other elements are added. Example, add some salt to brass or copper and walla - corrosion sets in.

So, spraying caustic cleaners, degreasers, biodegradable cleaners etc can be set things in motion that would have been fine otherwise. If you do use cleaners, hose them out in the same way to try and displace the cleaners with water. Although this won't stop it completely, its better than leaving it to attach the material.

Beyond that electrical connectors fail because they're making bad contact to begin with. If the joint has resistance, it can produce heat. The more its heated, the higher the resistance goes and soon enough you have problems.

I'd say every year a bike is owned, it should be pulled apart for good inspection of the electrical connectors. Especially those of you in coastal towns exposed to salt air.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

I agree with what your saying however putting a grease that carries current into a multi plug connector I would think would short out the entire connector causing more problems(unless it was a single wire plug)...

Speaking from experiance, 35 years wrenching, the last 7 or so using dielectric grease, I have not a repeat failure from a connector treated with it or any new failures with dielectric grease already in the connector...

To each his own...

 

[AlexdeCatt]

Sorted!
Cleaned the rectifier connectors and the connectors going to it with some light sandpaper. WD40'd it. Started it up. The engine light was on for about 5 seconds then went out. Ran some basic tests. So far so good.
I imagine the corrosion will return unless I do something about it. I noticed where it was sat is in a position where its likely to get damp on it so maybe a rubber apron will help but then again maybe its more moisture then actual water...
Possibly the dialectic grease... we shall see though eh.
I think this is a case closed for now.
Cheers all.

 

[AlexdeCatt]

Gah! Back to sqaure one. Started it up to go to my girlfriends, let it warm up a bit. The lights are dim and the console light is flickering. The battery appears to be drained. This is what happened before.

It could still be a knackard rectifier because I don't know enough about rectifiers to say either way. If its not charging thought that could be the alternator though no?

What made it worse was I thought my side stand was still on. I went to lean it onto it and dropped the bike. Oh lord was I livid....

Back to the drawing board. *cries*

 

[greg]

Gah! Back to sqaure one. Started it up to go to my girlfriends, let it warm up a bit. The lights are dim and the console light is flickering. The battery appears to be drained. This is what happened before.

It could still be a knackard rectifier because I don't know enough about rectifiers to say either way. If its not charging thought that could be the alternator though no?

What made it worse was I thought my side stand was still on. I went to lean it onto it and dropped the bike. Oh lord was I livid....

Back to the drawing board. *cries*

have you measured the voltage across the battery with the bike running @ 5k rpm? is should be about 14.4V IIRC

 

[AlexdeCatt]

Not been able to do any voltage, currant or ohm checks as yet. No multi-meter. My dad came down today but he brought his crappy one which couldn't measure the right values. I'm going to buy one this afternoon and have a look at the weekend if I get time. We managed that check today though and it was a crappy 12v so I reckon its deffo not charging as the Error 46 would say. Full checks to follow!!!