Speedo quits, flashers blinking at startup

[Kunami61]

Hey everyone. Need some help here.

I keep my dog on a trickle charger whenever I'm not riding. Battery has always been charged. Recently, I would turn the key on, it does it's check, pulses are correct, speedo goes up to 50 or so and back down to 0 like normal. I push the run button and fire it up, but the speedometer doesn't work.
Next, I will kill it, turn key off, turn key back on after a second, speedo does check, I fire it up. All is good. This starting happening more and more.

Today, I go to start it, turn on key, watch it do the speedo check, pulses are correct, hit the run button and hit the starter and it gives about a half of crank and stops turning over, then the flashers are blinking. I hit the starter again, and it fires up. I turn off the flashers, then the speedo doesn't work, but the tach does.

This is getting weirder by the day. What should I look for? I haven't checked battery load yet or grounds, but I'm guessing I should start there.

What do you think?

 

[07bigdog]

My speedo would do the same thing when i would bring it out of storage in the spring. Did it a few times and then everything was okay. I was thinking that the battery was weak. Never really did find out why it did it.

 

[V]

Load test your batt regardless of the battery tender. Also when the bike is running you should be getting a min of 14 volts back to the batt. If not check your charging system. A batt tender can hide a charging system problem that is slowly developing. I rode mine one day for over a hour. Would not start at the gas station. Had help and got push started. Got to the destination and the batt was dead as a turd. VR was going bad. Installed a new VR and the same batt charged solved the problem.

 

[Kunami61]

Found a post from 2010 and sounds like I might need a battery. I guess 4 and half years on the original battery is good. I will try that first.

 

[Kunami61]

Sounds good V. thanks for the reply.

 

[Kunami61]

Well after run a few tests, the battery seems good. Min of 12.8 before starting, and running 14.2 while running.
Checking the lights on the EHC shows a red light on for the ignition. Pulse count was a 49338.
Still starts after the second try. Flashers blinking. Is this telling me I have a short on the ignition switch itself?

 

[Kunami61]

Took all the wires off the battery posts and cleaned the battery posts and she fires up without any flashers blinking!! Halleluauh!
Not just back to the first issue of speedo not working correctly. Tach works and all lights work, but the tripometer will not switch over when you push the button, which also tells me the speedometer won't register. I will keep investigating. Let me know if you guys have any thoughts on this.

 

[woodbutcher]

how long are you depressing the button? takes a few seconds for it to change.

 

[Kunami61]

I would generally hold it in until I see it change. It just sits there. It's been an ongoing problem. Of course, when it doesn't work, neither does the speedo, so I would have to turn off the bike, go thru the start up again, then that would generally fix it. It's so tempermental.

 

[Kunami61]

One last question, since this is the first time I have actually looked at the EHC, if I have a red light showing on the ignition LED, is that telling me its working or I have a fault? It seems that it's telling me that its working. I turn on the key, everything good, I hit the "run" button, then the ignition led lights up, I select "off", then the light goes away. Just wanting to understand this EHC stuff. thanks,

 

[Dakotabos]

That is the right way.

Turn key on You have two lights on EHC on the left, Hit the Off button, Hit the Run Button and the 5th light (Red) lights up, hit the start and you should see your thunder heart red light firing

 

[Kunami61]

Yes sir. Thanks for the reply Dakotabos. I did verify that with someone at Big Dog today to. I took my speedo apart, everything looked good. Put it back together with dielectric grease on the connections and turned the key on and the tripometer worked. I'm going to buy a new battery as I believe that may be my problem after all. Looks like some good threads on the Tomika or Braille. Thanks everyone.

 

[CurtK]

My 2 cents

Well, I have been experiencing similar problems with my speedometer/odometer/trip meter not working but it lit up and tach worked.

Step 1. Removed and cleaned the speedo sensor. Not the problem.
Step 2. Removed speedo and replaced it with Nukeranger's used, still working speedo. Not the problem.
Step 3. Tried to fire-up one day, no start, horn beeps, turn signals flashing. Battery right? Put it on Battery Tender Jr, charged to 12.8 v several times, would not crank.
Step 4. Replaced 2 year old Braille with another Braille, removed EHC connectors, cleaned, dielectric grease, reseated, installed new Braille.

Step 5. Fire-up, started right away. now speedo problem is gone as well. All systems are go. On the road again!!!!

So it seems that the faulty battery was the problem of my speedo not working properly.:bang:



Curt