[Cambertire11]

You all have been great thank you!
Safir, you are a WASTE OF TIME!
I fixed it, had to cut open the wiring harness and found wires shorted from melting (thought the fuse would stop that from happening but guess not)
Runs great, all good
Thanks again to everyone except Safir master time waster

 

[Bandit101]

You all have been great thank you!
Safir, you are a WASTE OF TIME!
I fixed it, had to cut open the wiring harness and found wires shorted from melting (thought the fuse would stop that from happening but guess not)
Runs great, all good
Thanks again to everyone except Safir master time waster

I am glad to hear that your found the problem and got it repaired.
Be very careful about burning bridges, as you may have to cross them again some day. All of us just do the best we can.

 

[trainermb]

Glad you got it well, and that it was an inexpensive fix at that.

But, dude. Dude! When Sfair -- and it's Sfair, not Safir -- sneezes, more motorcycle knowledge comes out than is contained in my entire body, or ever will be. I imagine that's true for a lot of us.

People have lives -- he gave you what time he could and the best advice he could give knowing what was known at the time.

 

[revrider]

Glad you got it well, and that it was an inexpensive fix at that.

But, dude. Dude! When Sfair -- and it's Sfair, not Safir -- sneezes, more motorcycle knowledge comes out than is contained in my entire body, or ever will be. I imagine that's true for a lot of us.

People have lives -- he gave you what time he could and the best advice he could give knowing what was known at the time.

Amen to that trainer,The man wanted a analog for a reason,he is a master at tracking down problems,Camber ,Happy u found and fixed the problem,will help others,but don't dis the man,Ride safe:smile2:

 

[soyarm]

I guess I missed something along the line. He had several courses of action to take and you didn't want to hear it and argued at every turn. I believe he said he was going on vacation. I can't believe he wouldn't cancel his vacation to help you out and then argue with you over what he needed to help you.

 

[sfair]

You all have been great thank you!
Safir, you are a WASTE OF TIME!
I fixed it, had to cut open the wiring harness and found wires shorted from melting (thought the fuse would stop that from happening but guess not)
Runs great, all good
Thanks again to everyone except Safir master time waster

Sorry, there, cambertire that I could not see the issue to completion.
I was temporarily taken out active service. ( it can happen to anyone)
Glad you got it repaired and you hold no ill will.

 

[The Heater]

Hi, Cambertire11:

With this many pages and still it took seven pages to get a resolution (on your own no less, after all this work).

I read a lot of your posts. I see you are not experienced at tracing 12 volt electrical problems. I am but you have already had a lot of help online. I highly suggest next time you take your bike to a repair shop where they can start with the FIRST series of tests that need to be done to find the problem: continuity tests. Without elaborating here, these tests are done for the purpose of isolating a short or other issue. They start out basic and simple and go from there. They will start by doing a series of tests on the starter circuit. There are a finite number of points to run this test and I am very familiar with them.

But please, at this point God is telling you to make a different decision. He is trying to show you that, if you just listen to Him. You have had failures enough to know this, so just hold out your hand and ask a local shop to help you. It costs some money, yes, but your time is valuable and you've already spent more of it than it will cost for a shop to trace and repair the problem. Next time, listen to the messages when you hit roadblocks and ask a pro to fix the problem.

When consumers get free professional advice, they treat it with the value they pay for it: NOTHING. Sad but true, and I know from my own profession (legal). People may have a lot of skill and knowledge and I think it is "professional" and courteous to thank them for giving UNPAID help. They don't have to do it. If the advice doesn't work, we need to provide a diplomatic way to give feedback on that.

 

[DrifterLaw]

You all have been great thank you!
I fixed it, had to cut open the wiring harness and found wires shorted from melting (thought the fuse would stop that from happening but guess not)
Runs great, all good

Cambertire 11, Can you post a picture of the shorted wires? My 1999 1500 Drifter died at a stop light and wont start. I have checked as much as I can and it will not start. It turns over, FI pump runs and light goes out, fuses are all good (fuse block, FI, and starter fuses), FI & starter relays work, Injectors cleaned and spray, no fault code from ECU, spark plugs spark. Do you know how do I test the ECU?

 

[Tourer]

Hi DrifterLaw. Welcome to the forum from North Carolina. Did you check all the fuses? Fuse number 1 is specifically for the ignition. How old is the battery? A undercharged or weak battery will crank the engine but the bike will not start. Do not replace anything unless you are sure it is bad. Since the FI light goes out, don’t think you need an ECU. Here is a link to factory repair manual troubleshooting page showing a list of what to check. Hope this helps. Thanks again for becoming a member of the forum. Be well.

Troubleshooting Guide (Except Dfi); Poor Running At Low Speed - Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 Classic Fi Service Manual [Page 560] | ManualsLib

www.manualslib.com

 

[DrifterLaw]

Hi DrifterLaw. Welcome to the forum from North Carolina. Did you check all the fuses? Fuse number 1 is specifically for the ignition. How old is the battery? A undercharged or weak battery will crank the engine but the bike will not start. Do not replace anything unless you are sure it is bad. Since the FI light goes out, don’t think you need an ECU. Here is a link to factory repair manual troubleshooting page showing a list of what to check. Hope this helps. Thanks again for becoming a member of the forum. Be well.

Troubleshooting Guide (Except Dfi); Poor Running At Low Speed - Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 Classic Fi Service Manual [Page 560] | ManualsLib

www.manualslib.com

Thank you the the welcome! I just got the bike recently. I bought it at an estate sale. I cant figure out how to upload any pictures of it. It hadn't been run for over a year so I cleaned the tank, new fuel filter, changed the oil, flushed the brake lines. The fuel pump was frozen so I replaced that. It ran great for three months. I love the torque. I was use to a high reving KZ650 sport bike. The Drifter has such style. Right now its a door stop. LOL. Thank you for the link. I am going to read the DFI trouble shooting guide and see what comes up. Yes, checked all fuses, battery checks out good. As long as I squirt carb cleaner it to the throttle body it will run. I did clean the Fuel injectors and got a nice pattern. I hooked up a can of carb cleaner and pulsed the injector with 12 volts. I will be so happy if I don't have to replace the ECU. they are cost about 900 bucks! Ouch! I'll let you know what I find. Thanks for the help. 🙂

 

[Bandit101]

After reading your post I think you can eliminate any of your problem being with the ECU (igniter). You say that the fuel pump runs when you turn the ignition switch on, and the engine runs when you spray fuel into the throttle body. If all this is correct, then you can eliminate the electrical system. I would focus on the fuel system, primarily the fuel pump. Even though you replaced it, and you say it does have good spray thru the injectors, I feel the pump may be clogged from previous debris in the tank that has come loose and is preventing constant flow and pressure.

Also to answer your question about testing an ECU (igniter). Kawasaki has no procedure. They recommend you take it to a dealer who at that time would have had these bikes in stock (remember it has been 12 years since they were produced) and they would test the igniter on a known running bike. I was told years ago that Kawasaki had a machine to test them with, but to date, no one can tell me they have physically seen such.

 

[DrifterLaw]

Yes, I focused on the fuel. Started diagnoses process per repair manual (thank you Tourer!). Following the repair manual, while testing the ECU (all grounds: good, Power to ECU: good, Power to Injectors: yes, Signal to injectors: none.) Hooked up a small light bulb to the injector wiring harness. Cranked motor over. No flashes. Injectors are not getting a signal to pulse. Book says: replace ECU. : ( It would appear that the ECU is not telling the injectors to pulse. Would you know where I can get a ECU at a fair price? I see at Partzilla & Babbits they are around $900. Currently there is one on EBay but its from Twain with no warranty (has a funny void in the potting material too). I am checked local salvage yards now.

 

[Bandit101]

The igniter grounds the power from the injector for it to operate. The injector gets its power from the DFI main relay thru a white w/red trace wire. If you have a test meter positive connected to the white w/red trace wire ground to battery negative, ignition switch on, you should see battery voltage. Not while starting, just switch on. If you do not see battery voltage, you need to test the DFI relay

 

[DrifterLaw]

Yes, I checked the voltage at the injectors and did get battery voltage. The service manual showed how to connect a little (3 to 4 watt) bulb to the injector to check for pulse. No pulses. I think I'll connect a ground wire to the injectors and just tap out a pulse and see if I can get it to idle. LOL Can you imagine a Morse code telegraph key on the handle bars?

 

[Bandit101]

Have you removed the plugs at the igniter, checked for corrosion, loose connections, or broken pins?

 

[DrifterLaw]

Hi! when you say igniter, do you mean the ECU? Yes, contacts are clean, no loose, missing, or broken pins on either plug (male/female).

 

[Bandit101]

Yes, the correct term is Kawasaki Igniter.