Intermittent issues

[Mattster]

Yesterday must have been a full moon. I have an occasional ongoing problem where the scoot won't idle when I stop at a light, instead it struggles for a moment at lower RPM and then stalls. It starts right back up so I haven't worried about it, but yesterday it happened a bunch. In addition, it threw three errors, one for check oil and twice for tire pressure. I pulled over on the side of I-95 and checked the oil - there was plenty. And when I rebooted, the error went away and did not return. Shortly after that I got two more errors for tire pressure in addition to multiple idle stalls. There does not appear to be any actual issue with the tire pressure.

Seems to me that this behavior resembles electrical issues that I sometimes see when working on computers, intermittents are almost always hardware/wiring and never software. Has anyone else seen this? Any insights are welcomed.

 

[wspollack]

Yesterday must have been a full moon. I have an occasional ongoing problem where the scoot won't idle when I stop at a light, instead it struggles for a moment at lower RPM and then stalls. It starts right back up so I haven't worried about it, but yesterday it happened a bunch. In addition, it threw three errors, one for check oil and twice for tire pressure. I pulled over on the side of I-95 and checked the oil - there was plenty. And when I rebooted, the error went away and did not return. Shortly after that I got two more errors for tire pressure in addition to multiple idle stalls. There does not appear to be any actual issue with the tire pressure.

Seems to me that this behavior resembles electrical issues that I sometimes see when working on computers, intermittents are almost always hardware/wiring and never software. Has anyone else seen this? Any insights are welcomed.

I haven't seen this, and I own a 400 anyway, not a 600/650.

But I do have a suggestion, based on my former ownership of a Victory bagger. On that big, vibratory, V-twin, a lot of random, intermittent, problems folks had could be traced back to connections coming loose at the battery terminals. Have you checked the tightness of the battery-terminal bolts lately?

 

[Ceesie76]

In addition, one or both of the idler air hoses could be leaking causing the idling issue. This could be separate from your dash lights issue. Can you check for codes?

BTW I lived in Boca between 1982 and 1991, studied at FAU in my twenties. Boca Right On! as we used to say.

 

[Mattster]

I haven't seen this, and I own a 400 anyway, not a 600/650.

But I do have a suggestion, based on my former ownership of a Victory bagger. On that big, vibratory, V-twin, a lot of random, intermittent, problems folks had could be traced back to connections coming loose at the battery terminals. Have you checked the tightness of the battery-terminal bolts lately?

I haven't checked them, the bike only has 1200 miles on it so I would b surprised, but I will check. Thanks.

 

[Mattster]

In addition, one or both of the idler air hoses could be leaking causing the idling issue. This could be separate from your dash lights issue. Can you check for codes?

BTW I lived in Boca between 1982 and 1991, studied at FAU in my twenties. Boca Right On! as we used to say.

I don't currently have a way to check the codes, I own a number of OBD reader devices but no Android devices. I'll take a look at the hoses but I would be very surprised if they were the issue, I bought the bike a couple of months ago with 345 miles on it an have just gone over 1200 miles. Hoses should last at least that long .

 

[mjnorris]

I don't currently have a way to check the codes, I own a number of OBD reader devices but no Android devices. I'll take a look at the hoses but I would be very surprised if they were the issue, I bought the bike a couple of months ago with 345 miles on it an have just gone over 1200 miles. Hoses should last at least that long .

Don’t count on it. My first GT was only2-3 years old when the idle control valve hoses went bad. They looked like a cat with very sharp claws swiped at them. Not expecting those hoses to go bad there were none in the states and I had to wait a month before they arrived from Germany. Hopefully when you can check the error codes it will narrow down the causes because the only way to check the hoses is to remove some of the Tupperware to visually inspect them and whether or not it’s the hoses you will be paying that labor.

 

[Ceesie76]

To check codes you need a specific OBD dongle and the Motoscan app. Very useful: check and clear codes, reset service light, program TPM sensors etc. Total cost should be under $150 for the lifetime Motoscan full license.

 

[Mattster]

To check codes you need a specific OBD dongle and the Motoscan app. Very useful: check and clear codes, reset service light, program TPM sensors etc. Total cost should be under $150 for the lifetime Motoscan full license.

I already have ODBEleven for VW and Toyota vehicles and a number of generic OBD dongles and interfaces. But I don't own an Android device that is required to run Motoscan. I suspect I will need to get one or write my own software for one of my existing devices.

 

[Ceesie76]

Some people have reported just getting a cheap used android tablet or phone just for this purpose.

 

[moodleman]

Intermittent coolant temperature warning light - red - so I am going to put it here in this thread. This has been happening now for a year or so; lately it has become permanent. As soon as the key is turned, the red warning light comes on, and stays on as long as the bike is still switched on. And there is no sign of overheating of the motor, including some long rides. Coolant level never moves. The Motoscan app says nothing. So I thought maybe the sensor. Took the RHS panels off today, thinking perhaps a wire is loose on the sensor; all looks OK. Unfortunately the sensor is in a position that makes it impossible to remove (to check if the sensor is dirty or rusty or otherwise compromised). What next?

 

[Ceesie76]

Must be some way to remove the sensor, possibly by loosening engine mounts/fixings and moving it so that more clearance can be had? Maybe check the official BMW shop manual for instructions. I am not near mine for a couple of months but perhaps someone else can check for you if you don't have a manual. I agree it sounds like the sensor, although a broken wire can cause same symptom. Try checking for continuity of the wires connected to the sensor to their end point, most probably at the ECU, with a multimeter. If it's only a wire, then that should be an easy fix.

 

[moodleman]

Thanks Ceesie76, a couple of reactions to your suggestions. Loosening engine mounts looks too hard (to me) - I think I would rather put a bit of duct tape over the warning light and just get used to not having that light on the instrument panel!
I do have complete shop manual but it is all in German, and so far during the 2 years I have owned it, I have never been able to use it for anything at all. Does everyone out there have to use a translator, or is the manual actually available in English?
And another point - wouldn't it be nice if it was just a broken wire - but I would have thought that a broken wire would mean no light ever appearing, rather than a light that is always on. How would that work?
And yet another point - the OBD does not appear to have anything to say about the temp sensor - I would have thought it would detect a disfunctional sensor by displaying an error code of some kind?
So Ceesie76, you have certainly got me thinking! Thank you!