worried... engine light in intervals

[jazzpaintball]

Ok, this is going to be a little tough to describe.

the bike is a 05 with 2700 miles on it.

The first time the engine light came on was about 120-150 miles ago after a very hard ride in the mountains. came on when taking a break, I turned off the engine since we were going to be stopped for a while. started the engine and no engine light and no troubles for the 75 miles back home.

I noticed the engine light would come on for about 3-5 seconds 1 or 2 times over the next 30 or so miles. Left for a short trip (routine riding-20 miles each way) with the light coming on once for 5 seconds while waiting at a light.

On the way back home, I become very worried....

being 1700 hours and dealing with traffic, i had a lot of sitting at lights. almost every time the bike came to idle, the CEL (Check Engine Light) would come on- not flash, just solid. made me very worried. i turned off the high beam (no headlight nod, just one light or both with high beam) and the CEL did not come on again at idle for a couple stops. 4 miles later, the CEL would come on again after 5-8 seconds at idle. realizing this, i would rev the engine to 2200-2500 rpm (just enough to make a bar show up on the LCD tach.) while having it in neutral or with the clutch in. This is a lot more difficult than it should be, lol. The CEL would not come on if the engine was lightly rev'ed above idle. No idea if the idle is where it is supposed to be due to the fact i dont know what RPM idle is supposed to be for an 05, and it is hard to truely tell what the RPM is below 2200. engine did die from a stop once (20 miles from destination, did not happen again), do not know if it was me from freaking out or from the system. but the electrical system did restart with all the lights going on and off and the tach cycling up and down. restarted with a single turn over.

Only thing found 'bad' when i went though the bike was that the oil was a little low (dip stick slightly loose with a little bit of oil residue on the engine), but not low enough to set off the oil check light.

Please, if anyone has an idea, let me know. Nothing seems wrong, and i have a feeling it is a simple fix- adjustment, but the CEL coming on make me EXTREMELY nervous and i do not pay attention to what is going on around me as much as i should.

Thank all of you for looking into this

 

[jazzpaintball]

no ideas?

 

[jazzpaintball]

Update:

Let engine idle for 15-20 minutes, let it go though 3 fan on/off cycles and then adjusted idle so that it stays mostly on 1380. I hope this is it, but i sill could use some suggestions.

 

[Shamus McFeeley]

Does the 05 have a digital dash that you can check codes on? If so I would start here.

Some things to think about:

Almost sounds like an electrical/charging problem the way you describe it. If shutting off the headlight and/or revving the bike made the warning light go away, it would seem to me that the bike is demanding more of an electrical load than the charging system can provide.

Only speculation though, I couldn't really say for sure without getting hands on. Try running down some electrical system checks.

This is a chart that I've used when troubleshooting charging system problems:
Electrosport Guide

Good luck

 

[jazzpaintball]

well i already checked the TPS, and it is reading 101, but i dont think that is it right now.

I also know that the battery is a little on the weak side and is nearly 6 years old (original battery as far as i know)

thank you very much, i will look though the electrical system

 

[jazzpaintball]

another update

I have the *blue-ultra white* light bulbs in at the moment. with those, the fan, the highbeam, and at idle, the battery is reading 12.00 volts

the battery standing alone read 12.58 (not bad for a 6 year old battery)

and with lowbeam and no fan it is at 12.95-13.05

One thing i noticed was that at 6000 RPM the voltage was only 13.80-13.90

does not get above 14 volts beyond 6000 RPM.

Anyone see anything here that will make the CEL go off? Also, durring this whole time, the CEL did not go off.

possibility i was wondering about is that i went with LED turnsignals. they are wrapped well with electrical tape, but i was wondering if somehow some moisture got in there, would it sap enough electricity from the system to cause the CEL to go off?

Thank you again for looking at this

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Does the engine crank (spin) over very quickly when starting? 6 Years is a very long time for the original battery. I know low voltage on a battery, even with higher rev's, will still do wierd things. I also think the charging system should be putting out closer to 14 volts... Perhaps get a load test done on the battery to eliminate that....

My 07 FZ had the battery changed out by the dealer a week after it was delivered (new bike) as it wouldn't hold a charge. Its fine now and cranks over very, very fast. Considerably faster (spinning over) than my FJR.... I did the dual headlight mod and have the Stebal air horn installed, hyper brake light and never had a problem with low voltage....

I wouldn't think moisture in the LED's wouldn't set the CEL off. If it shorted out, it should have popped a fuse.... I do know the canibus systems on the BMW's are extremly sensitive and somewhat self diagnosing.

If anything, I would remove the electrical tape, soldier the wires and use heat shrink for a permanent, problem free install....

Also, on some of the newer FJR's, if the oil was a little low, the sender unit in the pan would activate a dash light, especially in the twisties. I'd make sure the oil level is full....

Scott

 

[DaveOTZ]

I would have the same thing happen when I was in a Shipload of traffic... I would rev like a madman and then go for a good stretch at a good pace the light wouldnt come on again... A night on the Battery Tender and the problem would go away...

I redid all the wiring that was done aftermarket and (crossing my fingers) it hasn't happened again... After five years I would definitely pick up a new battery... better to make sure you have a strong batt now before it craps out on you...

The only difference is diagnosis is that mine wouldnt start after a while... after a push start woudl have no problems... Otherwise sounds exactly the same

 

[jazzpaintball]

Thanks for the ideas guys.

Just got a new battery and installed it. So far so good

no CEL and maybe its just a 'endorphin' effect, but it seemed to get a lot better fuel millage also.

Will ride it for another week or so and see if the problem arises again

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Please let us know the results...........