FINALLY!!

[Shane Stump]

Well, as many of you know, my bike has been at the dealer since December 17, 2008 for electrical problems.

The problems have been blamed on:

1) Air Horn

2) then trailer hitch power (not used much)

3) and lastly the Audiovox Cruise Control installed my Smitty.

While the Yamaha rep (not dealer) cannot 100% for sure tell me the cause, the engineer believes my problems were with the cruise control since it was hooked into the ECU and the ECU has failed twice.

Any how, Yamaha is trailering my bike back to me (I am 100 miles from the dealer) and they have removed the Audiovox Cruise Control.

I called McCruise in Australia and their unit has a separate computer to determine speed. The McCruise doesn't install into the ECU module at all!!!!

So, I ordered a McCruise and I am hoping my bike with the McCruise will give me years of joyful travel (as the bike is only ~3 years old and only has ~38,000 miles on it)!!!

I am just posting this as warning to those of you who have the Audiovox Cruise Control installed if you develop problems, you might be in for REAL problems!

As a side note, I would like to thank

Woods Fun Center in Austin Texas

Ty Oshiro (Yamaha Customer Service)

Jackie Doe (Yamaha Field Engineer)

for helping me through this matter! While I wish it could have been faster, I am definitely happy for their support in the outcome!

Best regards,

Shane

 

[RadioHowie]

Wow...there's gonna be a bunch of replies to this one.

Personally, I just don't think that dog will hunt. There are simply too many AVCC installs on bikes just like yours that haven't caused ECU failures.

Funny how the blame was placed, first on a non-OEM component. Then second, a non-OEM component. And finally, a non-OEM component!

Interesting pattern, if ya ask me.

I admittedly know NOTHING about the McCruise system. How is the vehicle speed "sensed" by the unit?

If it's a simple magnet pickup on the wheel rim/brake rotor, you could save yourself about $900 and just use the magnet sensor function of the AVCC.

Again, I have no idea what the McC uses, so take this with a grain of salt, m'kay?

 

[wfooshee]

Hooke into the ECU? How?!!??!??!?!? The audiovox CC on a Feejer connects to nothing anywhere near the ECU. The VSS is too fast for the AVCC, speed is sensed by a tach signal at one of the coils.

The only thing I could imagine is if the installer took power or ground from the ECU's harness, which would be the wrong thing to do, or if they tried to use the VSS signal anyway, cooked up some weird circuit to divide it down to a speed the AVCC can use, and that circuit did something weird.

Don't blow your cash on the McCruise, the Audiovox will work fine when properly installed. It connects to the battery, the brake light switch, and an ignition coil. There is no other connection to the bike's electrical system. (Unless you use a running light for switched 12-volt power.)

Like stated above, there are too many successful AVCC installs to think something like what they described to you is actually possible. The AVCC simply can't do anything to the ECU, as it has no connection whatsoever with the ECU. There's nothing the ECU has that it wants!

I've installed a truckload of those things on cars, and a few on bikes, including 2 feejers (so far.) It can't be the source of your problem unless somebody did something (Bill Murray voice) WRONG!

 

[Shane Stump]

Wow...there's gonna be a bunch of replies to this one.
Personally, I just don't think that dog will hunt. There are simply too many AVCC installs on bikes just like yours that haven't caused ECU failures.

Funny how the blame was placed, first on a non-OEM component. Then second, a non-OEM component. And finally, a non-OEM component!

Interesting pattern, if ya ask me.

I admittedly know NOTHING about the McCruise system. How is the vehicle speed "sensed" by the unit?

If it's a simple magnet pickup on the wheel rim/brake rotor, you could save yourself about $900 and just use the magnet sensor function of the AVCC.

Again, I have no idea what the McC uses, so take this with a grain of salt, m'kay?

Howie,

I AGREE!! Please keep in mind that I am just am a SIMPLETON who wants his bike to work when he wants to visit the MOST DRY PLACE OF TEXAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anhow, thanks for this SUPPORT!!!

Shane

 

[Shane Stump]

Wow...there's gonna be a bunch of replies to this one.
Personally, I just don't think that dog will hunt. There are simply too many AVCC installs on bikes just like yours that haven't caused ECU failures.

Funny how the blame was placed, first on a non-OEM component. Then second, a non-OEM component. And finally, a non-OEM component!

Interesting pattern, if ya ask me.

I admittedly know NOTHING about the McCruise system. How is the vehicle speed "sensed" by the unit?

If it's a simple magnet pickup on the wheel rim/brake rotor, you could save yourself about $900 and just use the magnet sensor function of the AVCC.

Again, I have no idea what the McC uses, so take this with a grain of salt, m'kay?

RadioHowie,

It is NOt that I disagree with you, but what Corporate Yamaha thinkos IS if you carry an extended warranty!!!

Best Regards,

Shane

 

[k7lvo]

Shane, I really hope that the problem is gone. Obviously, since they've blamed the AVCC, you'll have to put, I would say, at least 5,000 miles on it before reinstalling the AVCC, should you decide to be so bold.

(This is anticdotal, obviously, but I fought a problem on my 03 Gold Wing for almost 50,000 miles. Fortunately, it wasn't a debilitating issue; the FI indicator would show a MAP sensor fault and the engine wouldn't idle, however restarting it would reset the FI and it would idle fine until next time. Honda looked at it a few times (it's really hard to fix a problem that isn't occurring at the time <_< ) and even replace the MAP sensor, all to no avail. A mechanic friend of mine and me finally pulled things apart and checked voltages and resistances everywhere, including probing pins in plugs. We found nothing - everything looked normal, but the bike hasn't experienced the problem in almost 20,000 miles, so I think we "cured" it, and my diagnosis is that it was a bad connection/corrosion in one of the plugs...)

 

[ionbeam]

The Orange and Gray/Red wires carry the signals that fire the coils and these signals are generated by the ECU. A standard AVCC install taps one of these two wires. If both the ECU failure modes were misfiring coils there is some small chance that that the AVCC maybe, might, possibly, conceivably could have caused the problem.

As RadioHowie says, you can remove the coil wire tap and install the magnetic pickup at the rear wheel. This will totally isolate the AVCC from the ECU. You would have to toggle the AVCC servo switch #3 to the ON position to enable the magnetic pickup.

 

[Shane Stump]

I hope my problems are gone too!

The only reason I posted the message was for people if all of a sudden start having electrical problems and they have an Audiovox Cruise Control.

The sad thing for me is that as much as I enjoy my FJR, the throttle numbs my wrist after an hour or so... not much fun after that.

After Smitty installed the cruise control in early September 2006, the bike was a JOY!

Any how, thanks for listening to my RANT and hopefully I will be back to RIDING instead of COMPLAINING :dribble: :dribble: !

Best regards,

Shane

 

[RadioHowie]

RadioHowie,
It is NOt that I disagree with you, but what Corporate Yamaha thinkos IS if you carry an extended warranty!!!

I am too drunk to talk about this... email me if an intelligent conversation needs to continue,,,,,

Dude, don't take what I said personally. But unless you've already dropped the dime on the McCruise, you've already got the parts in hand for a successful cruise install.

Oh....what kind of lightweight gets hammered on a 6 pack? You CAN take that personally.

 

[wfooshee]

Since Smitty installed it then disregard all my questions about whether it was properly installed. . . . .

Like Ionbeam implied with his list of "maybe" words, it's not very likely that the AVCC ate your ECU.

And RH of Winter Haven, I get hammered with a third of a six-pack! But my alcohol intake is maybe a couple dozen beers a year. :drinks:

 

[k7lvo]

The sad thing for me is that as much as I enjoy my FJR, the throttle numbs my wrist after an hour or so... not much fun after that.

I'm with you on this! Releasing the return spring one turn helped, but the Throttle Rocker was the big help for me. There are several similar products available.

 

[Shane Stump]

RadioHowie,
It is NOt that I disagree with you, but what Corporate Yamaha thinkos IS if you carry an extended warranty!!!

I am too drunk to talk about this... email me if an intelligent conversation needs to continue,,,,,

Dude, don't take what I said personally. But unless you've already dropped the dime on the McCruise, you've already got the parts in hand for a successful cruise install.

Oh....what kind of lightweight gets hammered on a 6 pack? You CAN take that personally.

No offense taken - well, a six pack of Spaten Optimator catches up with me quickly !

I just want my bike to work and at this point, if the McCruise works, I will be a VERY HAPPY RIDER!!!

Best regards,

Shane

 

[Shane Stump]

Since Smitty installed it then disregard all my questions about whether it was properly installed. . . . .
Like Ionbeam implied with his list of "maybe" words, it's not very likely that the AVCC ate your ECU.

And RH of Winter Haven, I get hammered with a third of a six-pack! But my alcohol intake is maybe a couple dozen beers a year. :drinks:

I like beer and normally don't drink a full 6 pack, but yesterday was a day I REALLY NEEDED TO RELAX (and sleep)!

I am so looking forward to getting my bike back after almost 3 months at the dealers!!!

Best Regards,

Shane

 

[odot]

If you guys masturbated on a regular basis you wouldn't have these "problems" you are experiencing. Now, if yer left-handed(note the use of the dash) then yer screwed. But, being screwed is a good thing, right?

 

[RadioHowie]

Since Smitty installed it then disregard all my questions about whether it was properly installed. . . . .
Like Ionbeam implied with his list of "maybe" words, it's not very likely that the AVCC ate your ECU.

And RH of Winter Haven, I get hammered with a third of a six-pack! But my alcohol intake is maybe a couple dozen beers a year. :drinks:

I need to get off my ass, drive up your way....about 6 hours....let you buy ME lunch and I buy YOU the beers! :yahoo:

Sounds like I can eat a lot more than you can drink. :drinks:

 

[Dusty]

That Orange wire or the Gray/Red (can't remember which) from the ECU is one that I traced from the coil - So I tapped into it just after the ECU connector for my AudioVox CC instead of snaking a long wire all the way up to the coil. The CC worked perfectly.

That was over 2yrs ago. It still works perfectly. No issues like you have experienced.

Anyone else tap into this coil signal source??? :blink:

 

[ionbeam]

That Orange wire or the Gray/Red (can't remember which) from the ECU is one that I traced from the coil - So I tapped into it...Anyone else tap into this coil signal source??? :blink:

Check out Post #7 in this very thread.