Fuel injection's great...

.... when it works. It's a PITA when it misbehaves.

The Monster's had some "issues": difficulty starting[0], and a tendency
to stall from idle.

Our friendly local mechanic attached his fancy box-o'-tricks to it, and
it showed that there was some unexpected resistance on a couple of the
sensors (one being the throttle position sensor, can't remember the
other). He suspected that the cause was some corrosion in the connectors.

After having a look last night, it seems that he was right about the
corrosion. The TPS is tucked up underneath the tank and airbox,
somewhere behind the frame and a collection of coolant hoses, but using
the same mechanical gynaecology skills that I used to use when replacing
cam-chain tensioners on old air-cooled Kwaks I managed to separate the
connector and see the corrosion on the contacts.

I tried cleaning them as best I could with some contact cleaner and one
of those tiny toothbrushes, but it wasn't really helping.

What's the recommended way of cleaning these things? Obviously, angle
grinder would be the ideal solution, but there's not really room to get
it in.

Once it's clean, I want to pack the connector with grease to stop it
happening again. What kind of grease is safe to use?




[0] It's got one of those "self-starter" systems: you press and release
the starter button, and it's meant to sort itself out from there. Hah.

 

A small brass or fibreglass 'pencil-brush' used for cleaning electronic pcbs
is best to clean the connectors. Then use silicone grease to prevent further
corrosion.

JB

 

RPM sensor?

Never buy a bike smarter than you are.

 

TPS; it's always the TPS. If your tame mechanic can't
reset it to the correct setting (might need a friendly
Ducati service centre for this) then it'll need replacing.

 

Perhaps fine emery paper or wire wool (if you can be sure not to leave
any behind).

If it's metal to metal conductivity you want, petroleum jelly - e.g.
Vaseline.

 

Or even better than silicunt grease, use ACF 50.


--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

Okay, I'll have a look for one, and hope that it's small enough to get
at the connector on the TPS.

That's what I thought.

 

I'm sure he could reset it, but if there's corrosion on the connector
it's not going to make any difference, is it?

 

Nah, I think the one he pointed at looks like the coolant temperature
sensor.

Eh? I'll have to declare myself whooshed.

Water soluble, isn't it? That wouldn't last long; you'd have to re-apply
it every time you wanted a ride.

How smart do you have to be to hold down the starter button yourself?

 

I vaguely remember something suggesting that that would be a bad idea.

Ah, but you don't want conductivity *between* the terminals. That would
be A Bad Thing. The grease is to provide a better seal around the
connector, preventing water ingress.

 

Pretty much what you're doing is the way to go. You can't get too
physical with them and if they're too badly corroded to clean up
properly, it's a question of replacement - preferably with something
cheap and effective, but room is the issue on a bike, especially under
the tank.

Silicone grease /spray.

 

Vaseline isn't conductive.

 

****. This is what I meant:

http://buy.maplin.co.uk/Free_UK_Del...ncil_3932/Abrasive_Fibreglass_Pencil_3932.htm

 

Aha. When the Morini Riders Club Chairman had trouble with his Corsaro
1200 at the 2007 Manx his Ferrari type starter system wouldn't even
operate. In the end we put it in gear and rocked it. Hey presto!
Crankshaft position sensor or possibly neutral indicator we reckon.

At the 2008 TT it just was an absolute pig to start sometimes. If he
didn't catch it as it first coughed it wouldn't play. Not an easy feat
with the delayed action starter.

He claims an updated ECU has sorted it.


--
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Gilera Nordwest * 2 Yamaha WR250Z |
| Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" |
+----------------------------------------------------------------+

 

I like their warning "A certain amount of fibreglass dust is produced
which should be removed with great care. Avoid touching with exposed
skin as the particles can easily penetrate flesh and be extremely
uncomfortable." I used to use these for erasing mistakes on hand-drawn
graphs prepared for conversion to OHP film[1]. For years I still had a
little red mark on the edge of my hand where bits of FG had penetrated
as I'd wipe it off the sheet I was aorking on. Just checked and it's
not there now, but I don't know how ling it stayed there.

[1] This was a 4-stage process, IIRC, with lots of chemicals and stuff
involved in the 'repro shop'.

--
_______
..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (b.rogers at ifrance.com)
\`\ | /`/
`\\ | //' BOTAFOT#3, SbS#2, UKRMMA#13, DFV#8, SKA#2, IBB#10
`\|/`
`

 

Really? A quick google suggests you're right. I was thinking back to
when I installed telephone exchanges, and the busbars were joined by
coating the mating surfaces with vaseline and scrubbing with a wire
brush before bolting them together.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Grimly Curmudgeon

But - in the right circumstances - it can be conducive.

 

That's nowhere near as funny.

 

The only way to replace the connector on the sensor side would be to buy
a whole new sensor. No wucking fay.

 

I've had *loads* of bikes with this feature....