XXSIVSPD Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 I've done some searching on the loom issue & I'm wondering if I'm starting to see symptoms of it rearing it's ugly head. My FI light started coming on Saturday for the first time on a very rough stretch of road. When it did, it was faint/dim. Much less bright than it is with key on & engine off. Bike is an '00. It also was RPM dependent, being brighter at low RPM & dim or going away completely as revs came up. Thoughts before I start tearing the tail down? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jblackbird2000 Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 I had the same exact situation, I'm on a 2000 bird, so I opened the loom up and found the connector. Upon inspecting it, it was immaculate. No rust, corrosion, pitting or fouling of any kind. Therefore I loaded it up with dialectic grease, and put it back together. This lasted for a couple of months before it started acting up again. I opened it back up and re-inspected, cleaned, and put back together. Again, lasted for a couple of months. The loom and connector showed no signs of getting worse. I must have done this 3-4 times before I finally cut off the connector and soldiered it all together. It's been fine since, not even a hiccup. The point of the story is, do the solder fix first, regardless of how "clean" it looks, and save yourself some time. I'd also say with 99% certainty that the symptoms you're describing are related directly to the loom problem. Get rid of it, you'll be glad you did. Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XXSIVSPD Posted September 8, 2009 Author Share Posted September 8, 2009 Thanks. If I tear into that loom, I'll do it right the 1st time. No point revisiting it again later. I see the pinned thread in the "useful threads" section, but the pics are all red x's on my end. Anybody got pics or an updated link? I'd hate to create other issues!! I also see some threads where people have taken out ECUs or caused other problems via shorting leads. I'm assuming that disconnecting the battery is a must during all this, but are there any other precautions I should keep in mind? One other question. I've got a 2 day trip coming up this weekend. Is this something I need to address ASAP, or can I ride a thousand miles or so without worrying? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jblackbird2000 Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 Here ya go. Scroll down a bit in this post, there's an attached .pdf with pics for ya. http://www.cbr1100xx.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=60390 Make sure to check the ground wires as they connect to the battery and the frame. There's a ground wire attached under the tank, simply raise it to access, no need to completely drain/remove. Just make sure you've got good grounds. I didn't even disconnect the battery when I did mine. It's pretty simple really. When you get the plug out of the loom and disconnected, you will be able to see what wires are connected to what based on the plug's configuration. Just do one set at a time, as to not get all the wires confused. There's not a lot of slack to work with, the wires could easily get mixed up if you disconnected them all at once. And your last question is really a personal comfort level type question. My bike in the later stages of symptoms starting cutting fuel on and off. Especially at low RPMs. Makes for really interesting slow speed turns, when in the middle of your lean, power is removed from the equation. I didn't like being 1 block from home when this happened, let alone hundreds of miles away. Edited to add: This trip you're taking...NeXXt per chance? If so, see ya there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mekanix Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 I did the loom fix years ago. It made it go away for a very long time. Now it has returned and I am looking at just buying a new harness from Bike Bandit or somewhere else. Too many gremlins to chase down. It might not have gone south if I didn't regularly take the bird swimming, but I digress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XXSIVSPD Posted September 10, 2009 Author Share Posted September 10, 2009 Thanks for all the info & links! With a ride this weekend, I pulled things apart last night. That connector & it's pins didn't look bad at all. Just a small amount of corrosion on the two connector sets closest to the end which sat lowest in it's old position. Cleaned everything up with wire brushes, needle files, connector cleaner, & some battery terminal cleaner. Cleaned up my grounds & a few other connections while I was in there too. All seems fine for now. Not one hint of the FI light last night or today. Knock on wood! Noticed my dash lighting is brigher after all this. Not just the guages (which are slightly brighter), but the indicators too (which are substantially brighter). Perhaps I had a questionable ground. Diamond cut needle files are great for getting to fresh metal! I know this is just a temporary fix, so I'll probably cut & solder in the winter when I can take more time & not have to worry about missing a ride. I can see why this happens. Not a good location for that terminal block at all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbrxxquad Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 did you pack with dielectric grease? well do it!! just kidding, but next time. Ok? Miss ya buddy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XXSIVSPD Posted September 10, 2009 Author Share Posted September 10, 2009 I sure did. I've got some left over though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XXSIVSPD Posted September 16, 2009 Author Share Posted September 16, 2009 Just a quick update. My stator shit the bed this weekend. Wonder if the FI light symptoms I was seeing were the beginnings of the stator going south... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobicus Posted September 16, 2009 Share Posted September 16, 2009 Just a quick update. My stator shit the bed this weekend. Wonder if the FI light symptoms I was seeing were the beginnings of the stator going south... I wouldn't be surprised at all if that was the case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mekanix Posted September 16, 2009 Share Posted September 16, 2009 I'd say maybe... I had my stator go out after my loom fix, and my FI light problem returned after that.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XXSIVSPD Posted September 16, 2009 Author Share Posted September 16, 2009 I guess time will tell. I fully expect I'll need to cut & solder those leads at some point. Wonder if I should rebuild the old stator just to have a spare... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XXSIVSPD Posted November 8, 2009 Author Share Posted November 8, 2009 Well that didn't take long. FI light started coming on again yesterday. Looks like I'll be cutting off that connector & doing the more permanent fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jblackbird2000 Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 yep, that's about how long I got out of the clean & pack method. The cut and soldier is the way to go. Good luck! jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikesail Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 yep, that's about how long I got out of the clean & pack method. The cut and soldier is the way to go. Good luck! jay Please allow me to disagree, I think this is going in the wrong direction. I'm going to write up a new topic for this issue so more people can read it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beestoys Posted November 19, 2009 Share Posted November 19, 2009 Agree with Jay Same exact symptoms and my connector was in the same immaculate condition. Started out as solid spurious falses. cleaned it out and mine worked fine for about 6 months then it came back. But this time doing the same as yours, so i cut it and soldered it. No more problems with the dim lighting FI light Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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