Dead after wash

Tsiklonaut

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For the first time ever I had to push my trusty R1100 bike back home :eek:

Symptoms are the following: washed the bike (which I rarely do!), started up fine for few minutes of running so it dries quicker which I sometimes do. The next day, start up allright, ride some half a kilometer and it completely died. With rev-counter did couple of wierd sharp motions before it died. No chance of starting it up again and with ignition on it makes wierd short-cirtcuit short "scratchy" sounds time-to-time in random interval that goes into injecton heads, starter and load relays under the seat if I hear closer and try to pinpoint the sounds. Certainly some electrical short circuit/bad connection sounds.

I did careful wash with some water going below the tank - lot's of connections there. It was no pressure wash, just normal wash.

When the bike's dries for a couple of days it runs flawless again.

I doubt if it's a Hall sensor (those funky ignition sounds with only ignition on, with Hall sensor one or two cyls should be dead), also I doubt the Motronic is faulty (water related issue). I reckon there's some wire worn off isolation and getting grounded with water. It looks when I moved the wires that go above the crankcase - below the alternator it didn't make wierd sounds so much. Bike's got over 255 000 km of third world roads collected up so I reckon the vibrations must have worn off some cable's isolation or connections. I cleaned and refreshed all the connectors to be sure it's not any of the connectors, Motronic connector, main connectors below the fueltank, ignition coil, sparkplugs, fuel pump array, hall sensor etc, but still the same funky sounds when it gets very wet from below the fueltank. If I just outer-wash it mildly not touching anything below tank then everything's fine. But I imagine the first deeper watercrossing will completely kill it again and can't trust riding it in a very dense rain now.

Should I strip all the cabling for visual inspection and testing (massive work!) or it's better to get a new complete s/h wiring for it?

Any similar experiences?
 
If a wire is shorting when wet, then maybe if this chaffed wire is in part of the loom, would it follow that it must be on the outside? My reasoning being that to short out, it must be contacting tank / frame, so hopefully it's visible. Take the tank off and look for the obvious.

Does the 1100 have the same problem as the 1150? The one where the ignition loom was cable tied so tightly from the factory, that after a few years it fractures.
 
With the Tacho flickering and the fizzy sounds I would say check the Hall sensor wiring insulation

Tunedin's bike stopped on him and while the ignition was on I went to change the plug for a new one and the bastard started sparking on it's own! for about 10 seconds, WHILE I WAS HOLDING THE PLUG!!! :eek: :eek: :eek:

The cause was the Hall sensors had started breaking down and then when the signal flickers the coils spark and at the wrong times
 
Bike

Possibly in a state of shock being cleaned!, so learn your lesson!!.
 
With the Tacho flickering and the fizzy sounds I would say check the Hall sensor wiring insulation

Tunedin's bike stopped on him and while the ignition was on I went to change the plug for a new one and the bastard started sparking on it's own! for about 10 seconds, WHILE I WAS HOLDING THE PLUG!!! :eek: :eek: :eek:

The cause was the Hall sensors had started breaking down and then when the signal flickers the coils spark and at the wrong times

Hall sensors or the side stand switch would be my first guess:thumb2

my 850 went that way with a dodgy sidestand switch:thumb

Yep, sounds familiar it firing by itself! I though Hall sensors just die off without any second thoughts, but looks like they may have an hectic afterlife? I'll check the Halls and sidestand switch and their relevant cabling. Both have definatly seen their better days (both still original so can't complain - try that with an R1200 :D).

Cheers guys! :clap
 
My vote is for the hall sensor.

Be aware that even though there are two pick-ups on the sensor plate, they don't do one cylinder each. One pick-up handles ignition ( for both cylinders) and one handles fuel injector timing (again for both cylinders) using a lost spark and batch injection.

Sounds to me like the ignition side has failed. Check the wiring on and leading to the sensor plate - hall sensor faults are often caused by insulation breakdown due to heat.

Hope you get it sorted out.
 


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