Kawasaki Concours Forum
The C-14, aka Kawasaki Concours-14, the new one :) => The Bike - C14/GTR 1400 => Topic started by: MJRC67 on May 05, 2014, 07:12:22 AM
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I'd like to know if any of you have had this problem, and if so, what fixed it. I ride a 2010 C14 ABS with 54K miles. It sat in the garage on a battery tender for the winter. When I went to ride it a couple weeks ago, first ride this spring, the ABS and KTRC warnings flashed continuously. I rode it to the dealership, they replaced the battery, at which time more codes showed up. Per Kawasaki, the meter assembly and the ECU module were replaced. This fixed nothing. Now Kawasaki is sending out a new wiring harness. They and the dealership say they've never had this problem before and they're guessing on what might fix it. Any solutions?
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Something may have nibbled on your harness?
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Thanks, but no, that's been ruled out. No mice or any type of critter in the garage, nothings been nibbled on.
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Did you check the ground wire that runs from the battery to the frame? It may look good but it may have corrosion.
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We have worked on a lot of police bikes and found that unexplained or intermittent electrical issued almost always lead to grounding. The most common is the main ground near the battery. Take it apart, clean everything and put it back together, very tight. Good Luck.
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The subject of grounding was brought up when we stopped by the dealership over the weekend. The mechanic assured us that all grounding has been checked. I'll call him and mention it again. Thanks.
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The fact that the two initial errors were ABS and KTRC would lead me to look for something wrong in something involved in one or both of those systems. Just for example: something like the individual wheel rotation sensor(s) (indie pendant systems on each wheel) which are used by both systems. It just strikes me that those two errors are too closely related to be truly random. I would suspect something like a bad sensor, a misaligned or perhaps slightly dirty sensor, or especially a loose or corroded connection to one of those sensors.
It is pesky cases like these where the modern, very sophisticated vehicle really can be a problem. It is difficult to truly diagnose problems such as these because the systems are so complex that it would take a huge amount of data recording, followed by a person skilled in the ability to read / interpret such data, to really find the problem. It sounds like they are 'shotgunning', firing in different directions with a wide enough blast and hoping to cure the problem without ever actually finding it; unfortunately often the only way a vehicle manufacturer and dealer can often fix these complicated issues.
The very best of luck with the bike and sorry to hear it has gotten so complex and time consuming for both you and them (dealer and Kawasaki); nobody wins in situations like this.
Brian
I'd like to know if any of you have had this problem, and if so, what fixed it. I ride a 2010 C14 ABS with 54K miles. It sat in the garage on a battery tender for the winter. When I went to ride it a couple weeks ago, first ride this spring, the ABS and KTRC warnings flashed continuously. I rode it to the dealership, they replaced the battery, at which time more codes showed up. Per Kawasaki, the meter assembly and the ECU module were replaced. This fixed nothing. Now Kawasaki is sending out a new wiring harness. They and the dealership say they've never had this problem before and they're guessing on what might fix it. Any solutions?
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Sometimes technology sucks.
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It sounds like they are 'shotgunning', firing in different directions with a wide enough blast and hoping to cure the problem without ever actually finding it; unfortunately often the only way a vehicle manufacturer and dealer can often fix these complicated issues.
I thought that all the normally unused diagnostic connectors are supposed to help out with this sort of thing. Has anyone ever seen the dealer hook them up to something and actually use them? Those can't be just for only for coding in new FOBs and TPMS sensors can they?
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Yeah, the Kawasaki Diagnostic Software (KDS). It will give various errors that have occurred and are no longer showing anything on the LCD but they are pretty limited. I would assume that the OP's dealer did check that but then again, a surprising number of Kawasaki dealers do not have KDS apparently, so who knows?
But Brian (Pokey) is right- sometimes technology sucks. Actually not the technology but the tools we have to deal with it. Today's vehicle repair shops are not all that different than they were 50 years ago but the technology pushed through them is. I would suspect the ABS wheel sensors or the VSS sensor right off but to test them, an oscilloscope is needed along with the ability to use one. It is just not reasonable to expect a vehicle repair shop to have such equipment or the ability to use it. So the whole thing turns into the 'shotgun' fix: pick a direction and keep changing parts and or entire assemblies out until the problem goes away.
Brian
I thought that all the normally unused diagnostic connectors are supposed to help out with this sort of thing. Has anyone ever seen the dealer hook them up to something and actually use them? Those can't be just for only for coding in new FOBs and TPMS sensors can they?
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Today's vehicle repair shops are not all that different than they were 50 years ago but the technology pushed through them is. <snip> So the whole thing turns into the 'shotgun' fix: pick a direction and keep changing parts and or entire assemblies out until the problem goes away.
It's funny (maybe only to me) that it was almost 50 years ago when I was working in a gas station and a co-worker said to me, "I ain't no mech-i-neck! I'm a parts replacer."
I knew what he meant by it, but I still thought it was funny that he said it as though he was proud of it. :nuts:
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Again with the grounding and main cable connections. Also pull on the wires to find if they may be fractured within the insulation and not readily apparent.
Do the codes occur as soon as the bike is started, or do you have to ride it to make the faults show?
Sounds as if there may be a sensor wire rubbed raw somewhere and shorting to ground.
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The codes originally appeared when the bike was started for an oil change, but soon went off. A couple days later when I was going to ride, the codes came on immediately and stayed on. The dealership has what I consider their best mechanic working on it, he assured us he'd checked all grounding, but sounds like he might have missed something. Trying different parts, and taking a week to get each of those parts, isn't setting well with me. We had a week long trip planned to NW Arkansas, in and around Eureka Springs, so when this happened my husband graciously offered me the use of one of his bikes. I opted for his K1600GT, after riding it for a week I'm tempted...........
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Its been 4 weeks today.Dealership called to say its fixed. New wiring harness came by slow boat from China.
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Strange that the wiring harness was the issue. Probably a connection was loose or corroded.
Today's cars almost diagnose themselves. My Pontiac threw a code and it pointed to one of two issues. The majority of the folks who had this code found the replacement of the Camshaft Position Solenoid fixed it. Others had to go through replacing the Camshaft Position Sensor only to find out it was the Camshaft Position Solenoid. Cost me $35 for the part and 10 minutes to change it out. The dealer would have charged a couple hundred and probably the cost of the Sensor as well as the Solenoid.
Good luck with whatever bike you trade the Connie for.
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Strange that the wiring harness was the issue. Probably a connection was loose or corroded.
Today's cars almost diagnose themselves. My Pontiac threw a code and it pointed to one of two issues. The majority of the folks who had this code found the replacement of the Camshaft Position Solenoid fixed it. Others had to go through replacing the Camshaft Position Sensor only to find out it was the Camshaft Position Solenoid. Cost me $35 for the part and 10 minutes to change it out. The dealer would have charged a couple hundred and probably the cost of the Sensor as well as the Solenoid.
Good luck with whatever bike you trade the Connie for.
Plus the dealer would prolly have screwed something else up while fixing the original issue. ;)