Dealer Says I need a new ECU and wiring harness - $5000!

[urbanstyles]

Hi All,

It appears I'm in a bad spot with my '11 bike.  Not sure what caused it but at some point between my last ride and trying to start the bike again, all sorts of bad has happened.  When I turn the key, I get nothing but loud clicking (dealer says it's the glove box relays firing) and no fuel pump cycling.  The bike turns over but doesn't start.  Took it to dealer and after 15 hours of troubleshooting including swapping parts off of a new off the floor model, they've determined that the issue is a bad ECU and or wiring harness.  To replace both is going to run close to $5k.

What are my options here?  Try a used ECU without the harness?  Part out the bike?  Anything else to try?

Looking to the expertise here to try and figure out a solution.  Thanks in advance.

[connie_rider]

I have my doubts about what the dealer is telling you.

But, it should be EZ to get a harness on Ebay.
Assuming you can do the install yourself, give that a try first.

Others (more knowledgeable than me) can help you troubleshoot with more info..

Ride safe, Ted

[MrPepsi]

Does not seem right, but I'm no electronics expert. But I would like to see how this one turns out.
I'm assuming you did not get an extended warranty.

[gPink]

So they've determined nothing. Check the battery and battery grounds.

[MrPepsi]

battery and/ or grounding issues

Now wouldn't that be funny.

[VirginiaJim]

Haven't we heard of this before?  Really sounds familiar.  Let me do some searching..  Hopefully the battery is ok and the grounds off the battery have been removed, scrubbed/flossed/whatever, and tightened back up.  The connections on the battery can get loose and develop invisible corrosion so those terminals need to be checked as well.  That can cause the battery to not be as charged as it should be.   Also have heard of some of the internal ground connections in the harness becoming corroded.

[gPink]

You got me when I was changing the post, Brent. 

[urbanstyles]

Brand new battery...that was my first thought also.

[Deziner]

There is a ground on the left side of the bike down towards your foot. I don't remember exactly where, but it prevented my bike from starting when it was left undone. (By me. ) Same thing, crank but no start.

I'm not saying that is for sure your problem, I'm just saying that the ground in that are being bad could do it.

[gPink]

There are two grounds that need abrasively cleaned. One to the frame and one to the engine.

[urbanstyles]

It's the cycling of the relays that concerns me...

[gPink]

Weird displays or error codes on the screen?

[urbanstyles]

Yes... FI error and fuel gauge alternating top half and bottom half.

[jwh20]

I'm going to call "baloney" on this.  Wiring harness?  That's a big deal and it's unimaginable to me that it's "bad" unless there was some catastrophic event like a dead short coupled with a bypassed fuse.  So unless it's charred beyond recognition, I cannot believe that is the issue.  Also the ECU doesn't sound like the issue here either.  The ECU doesn't control the bike powering up. 

My guess from afar is that there is a grounding or a power delivery problem from the battery.  It may take some work to find the issue but for $5000 I'd do a LOT of checking myself.

[smokin]

Hi All,

It appears I'm in a bad spot with my '11 bike.  Not sure what caused it but at some point between my last ride and trying to start the bike again, all sorts of bad has happened.  When I turn the key, I get nothing but loud clicking (dealer says it's the glove box relays firing) and no fuel pump cycling.  The bike turns over but doesn't start.  Took it to dealer and after 15 hours of troubleshooting including swapping parts off of a new off the floor model, they've determined that the issue is a bad ECU and or wiring harness.  To replace both is going to run close to $5k.

What are my options here?  Try a used ECU without the harness?  Part out the bike?  Anything else to try?

Looking to the expertise here to try and figure out a solution.  Thanks in advance.

Firstly I would have them try the ECU in the bike they are using for testing in their shop,if it works ok in the other bike than obviously its not the ECU.
Than I would get a genuine workshop manual and start testing voltages to components,that's after I cleaned all the earths and tried another battery.
Unless the bike is blowing fuses i.e., dead short, than they is only one other cause an open circuit be it power or earth in the wiring or a component/s.

[MAN OF BLUES]

I'm calling BS on all of what was done, or said was done by shop....

The ECU for an '11 is completely different from a '15-'16 model, and cannot be interchanged, the wire harneses are also different....
As are the solid state relay box sitting on top of the ECU, now, with that said, there are 2 versions of each part, based on those model years, differentiating them between CNUSA and CA models....

Simply BS they even tried to plug in a setup from a "new" bike on the floor...

ECU swapping doesn't work like that, if it did, you could swap ECU's with SISF for flash purposes... and we already know about this not being viable.. as the ECU is tied to the bike, via using the KDS3 software and diagnostics....

Total snow job here, find another dealer, one with a KDS unit....
It would take less than 1 hour using it, or even evoking onboard diagnostics, to get closer to the actual cause of failure to start... especially when it occurred  instantaneously like you say...

An '11 model, that has not had the battery removed, since it was made, surely needs a new one, and every termination point scrubbed clean... the batt must be in like new condition for diagnostics also, and questionable connections, or worn out batt, will always mess things up...
Very teltale sign is relays chattering, and no starter powere...
Glove box relay firing??? What and idiot that tech is, the glovbox has a solenoid,,, not a relay... but there are relays sitting below that operate other things... related to bike starting... when they chatter, it says "I don't have consistant volts to work properly and latch into closed position"...
15 hours your bike sat in some shop, with a bunch of goobers trying to read a manual on your dollar, is not satisfactory....
They have done nothing.

Other issues like a bad cam s sensor, or other wire of such, will prevent the bike from firing...
Too many things unchecked here...
Find another dealership.... these guys want your $5k...

[DaddyFlip]

I don't have a dog in this hunt, but EXACTLY what ^^^^^^^ said...

...and new battery plus grounds and fuses check.

[maxtog]

I don't have a dog in this hunt, but EXACTLY what ^^^^^^^ said...

...and new battery plus grounds and fuses check.

+2

Certainly where to START

[smokin]

Don't forget the earth under the front of the seat,which earths out the ECU and relays which are located under the seat.

[martin_14]

what MoB said.