FJRF003.0: Ignition Failures on FJRs

[TILAM]

The service manager called me today and said that yamaha told him I'm on my own as the bike is a year out of warranty

He then informed me that the price for the switch (hold on) was $417.00 plus install!!!!

I am probably looking at close to $700.00 after taxes.

I'll be left a different key for the gas cap and bags as well.

To his credit he said Yamaha was fed up with him calling about out of warrranty claims for stuff like this.

I asked him to check parts availability and he call back saying that there was only one available in all of Canada. We ordered it.

He gave me the district service manager's number as well as the central number and I called and spoke to the service rep and let her know I was very displeased with the fact that such an expensive part was possibly leaving me stranded on their "premier" touring bike and the way it was running I couldn't trust it on a tour.

She seemed sympathetic and will look into it and get back to me next week.

I mentioned that I have never had a problem with an ignition switch on any of my vehicles including my old 92 FJ with almost 100,000 miles on it.

Let's see what type of response I get.

 

[El Toro]

What is the price of the ignition switch in the USA?

My supplier says $92.83. No chip of course. Does not include labor to install, or locksmith to rekey.

I have an 07 BMW K1200Rsport with a chipped key. Several of the 07 models are having failure of the antennae ring (the ignition part that reads the chip in the key). These failures are stranding people too. Pricey if not on warranty.

Not as many BMW folks are complaining as I see here in FJR.... but this is a much more active board.

 

[Bruno]

I admit that I didn't read every post, but this sounds like it might be the problem with my '06 w/24k. Went to start it up after work last night and nothing...
I didn't notice then, maybe because of traffic noise and bright sunlight but this a.m, after checking the battery, I heard a click and noticed the ABS light blink but nothing else. After reading several posts, I turned the switch on/off several times - the gages bliped a few times, but nothing else.

Pretty good bet that I've got a bum connection inside the switch?

Well, 3 weeks later, I finally brought the FJR home with old ignition in hand and new ignition installed.

I pulled the back off to first look and see that all wire connections were solid - they were.

Everything looks fairly clean so I'm puzzled but now notice that 1 of the 4 spring loaded copper(?) contacts is stuck all the way down - pretty sure this isn't normal but someone please confirm if you will. I wiggled and pryed on it for awhile but couldn't get it to move (didn't try too hard). Upon closer look with a magnifying glass it appears that both slots in the white plastic part that the legs on the other contacts slide up & down in, appear to be shrunk, compressed or maybe melted and holding this contact down. This contact also has a slightly different color from the other 3 with a little bit of what look like blueing at the inner most point.

This appears to be similar to Brodies situation where he suspects too much heat. I commute to work year round down here in Albuquerque and believe it or not it does get cold enough to use the Gerbings which I did take advantage of for several weeks this winter with temps down in the low twenties. I am wired directly to the battery though. The only other thing plugged in would be ocassional use of the GPS powered by the socket in the left fairing pocket.

Any comments?

 

[Bruno]

1) What year FJR?; 2006

2) How many miles?; 24,000

3) Failed to start after work

4) Type of failure: White plastic thingy appears to have melted around the legs of one of the contacts not allowing it to spring up from the full down position.

5) Ignition replaced by R&S West in Albuquerque, NM ($300)

6) How many days was the bike at the dealer for service?; 3 weeks!

7) Paid for by Yamaha or not? No, out of warranty and no Y.E.S.

8) Non-OEM accessories added that contribute to electrical draw; Gerbings wired to battery, GPS powered from aux. socket in fairing

9) What did you do about the other locks? Intend to visit locksmith recomended by dealer.

10) Briefly, how badly were you inconvenienced by this ignition failure: Not too bad really, able to commute and run errands on KLR, but 3 weeks of downtime when trying to sell the FJR

 

[Slardy]

Folks, I think it is about time for everyone who was affected by this problem to file a defect report at the NHTSA here:

https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm

There are only 6 or 7 Ignition defect reports presently on the website. This is a real potential safety issue and I don't think Yamaha should be stiffing FJR owners because the FJR is out-of-warranty for what appears to be a design defect. If enough defect reports hit the website, maybe NTHSA will pressure Yamaha to do a recall.

Slardy

 

[ed29]

Folks, I think it is about time for everyone who was affected by this problem to file a defect report at the NHTSA here:
https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm

There are only 6 or 7 Ignition defect reports presently on the website. This is a real potential safety issue and I don't think Yamaha should be stiffing FJR owners because the FJR is out-of-warranty for what appears to be a design defect. If enough defect reports hit the website, maybe NTHSA will pressure Yamaha to do a recall.

Slardy

I agree, and my failure is listed on that site. The menu structure of the complaint form was not very intuitive. When I filed my complaint the model listing only had FJR13 under the 2007 model year. I see that for 2006 they split the A and AE into their own categories. Inconsistencies like that will make it tough to process the data going forward, too many key fields that won't match for a search.

 

[Aasland]

1) What year FJR?;

2006

2) How many miles?;

30,000

3) Failed while running? Or while turning ignition? Or whatever?;

While running - pulled into gas station, turning handlebars to right, bike stopped running.

4) Type of failure: Wires pulled out? Switch failure? Unknown? (pictures are useful);

Loose wire connections.

5) Actual repair performed and by what dealer;

Temporary repair with zip-tie, then dealer replaced with new ignition unit.

6) How many days was the bike at the dealer for service?;

Two.

7) Paid for by Yamaha or not?

Yup. (YES)

8) Non-OEM accessories added that contribute to electrical draw;

GPS, CB, heated vest

9) What did you do about the other locks (gas, side bags, seat and top case) on the bike (do you have two keys or one)?

Two keys, just live with it.

10) Briefly, how badly were you inconvenienced by this ignition failure.

Had to cut vacation short.

Long answer:

Was traveling from MN to DC to meet wife, then ride south to NC, visit friends and family, and proceed home, all in a two-week trip. Second day of the trip, I was in Ohio when it failed. I managed to get it working with a zip-tie and called several dealers. First dealer was Breyley Motorsports near Cleveland. Said he did not have the part, could order, but YES would not expedite shipping. But he did help me find a dealer in other places I was going, so I could plan ahead. very helpful!

Was going to be in DC-area a couple days, so I called Freestate Cycle to see if they could get the part and install it. They were rude and unhelpful - said they were booked with work and didn't want my business.

Next planned stop was Charlottesville, VA, so we called Jarman's SportCycles and they were very helpful. Said they would order the part (this was Thursday morning) expedited and cover it themselves, all I need to do is bring the bike in Monday morning and they'll fix it.

I show up Monday morning ... no part. No tracking number. Get tracking number in the afternoon .. part has not shipped from California yet. At least it was overnighted. UPS tries to deliver at 8:44am Tuesday morning, dealership isn't open, so UPS tries again at 2pm. Bike is done at 3pm. We suspect they did not order the part until we arrived on Monday.

Spending two days waiting for the part caused us to miss our friends in NC and we didn't have time to visit the Dragon, Cherohala skyway, etc. I wouldn't say our vacation was ruined, but we missed the highlights (and got to know Charlottesville pretty good). Still don't know if Jarman's didn't order the part until Monday or if Yamaha-USA is to blame for not sending it.

 

[Brodie]

I admit that I didn't read every post, but this sounds like it might be the problem with my '06 w/24k. Went to start it up after work last night and nothing...
I didn't notice then, maybe because of traffic noise and bright sunlight but this a.m, after checking the battery, I heard a click and noticed the ABS light blink but nothing else. After reading several posts, I turned the switch on/off several times - the gages bliped a few times, but nothing else.

Pretty good bet that I've got a bum connection inside the switch?

Well, 3 weeks later, I finally brought the FJR home with old ignition in hand and new ignition installed.

I pulled the back off to first look and see that all wire connections were solid - they were.

Everything looks fairly clean so I'm puzzled but now notice that 1 of the 4 spring loaded copper(?) contacts is stuck all the way down - pretty sure this isn't normal but someone please confirm if you will. I wiggled and pryed on it for awhile but couldn't get it to move (didn't try too hard). Upon closer look with a magnifying glass it appears that both slots in the white plastic part that the legs on the other contacts slide up & down in, appear to be shrunk, compressed or maybe melted and holding this contact down. This contact also has a slightly different color from the other 3 with a little bit of what look like blueing at the inner most point.

This appears to be similar to Brodies situation where he suspects too much heat. I commute to work year round down here in Albuquerque and believe it or not it does get cold enough to use the Gerbings which I did take advantage of for several weeks this winter with temps down in the low twenties. I am wired directly to the battery though. The only other thing plugged in would be ocassional use of the GPS powered by the socket in the left fairing pocket.

Any comments?

Bruno

It looks like we have the same failure mode - excessive heat at the switch contact possibly due to the switch getting dirty and raising the resistance at the point of contact. The copper wiper gets hot, discoloring the surface, and melts the plastic holding it in place. Being a sliding/wiping contact, it gets cocked slightly and breaks contact. No power = No Go!

Going back to my previous post, I detailed my fix using a 70 amp relay to keep the high amp power out of the switch. I also reversed the plate within the switch body. The other pair of contacts are not in use so that wiper is in new condition.

By the way, all the extra electrical equipment on my bike are hooked up to a sub panel which draws it's power from the battery - not the bikes wiring. The ignition switch failed with the OEM designed amperage running through it.

I just got back from a 3 week - 7600 mile trip across the country and had no problems whatsoever with my ignition switch. You may consider adding a relay to your bike, You R&R'd the symptom but left the root cause untouched. Eventually the new switch will get dirty and start the resistance/heat/failure mode all over again.

Brodie

 

[Brodie]

Oh yeah...

1) What year FJR?;

2006 AE model

2) How many miles?;

32k

3) Failed while running? Or while turning ignition? Or whatever?;

Failed to start after a gas stop. Careful manipulation of the key created contact sufficient to get me home 40 miles away.

4) Type of failure: Wires pulled out? Switch failure? Unknown? (pictures are useful);

Resistance at the wiper contact point within the switch melting the plastic carrier enough to keep the wiper from staying in contact as the key was turned.

5) Actual repair performed and by what dealer;

Fixed it myself with help from this forum - Thanks Guys!

6) How many days was the bike at the dealer for service?;

Zero - Took a few days to find and UPS a 70 amp relay for the enhanced repair

7) Paid for by Yamaha or not?

Didn't even bother with the dealer.

8) Non-OEM accessories added that contribute to electrical draw;

No - none on that circuit.

9) What did you do about the other locks (gas, side bags, seat and top case) on the bike (do you have two keys or one)?

Repaired the switch - no second key issue.

10) Briefly, how badly were you inconvenienced by this ignition failure.

Bike down for a week with a trip coming up soon. This is my commuter as well as my long distance bike. The old '70 F100 gets about a third of the gas mileage.

Brodie

 

[paste007]

Turned key on, nothing.

After reading the comments on ignition failure, called AAA to have my '06FJRa towed to the Yamaha dealer.

The Yamaha dealer's service manager checked on ignition and was told "there's none in the country". He had no idea how long it would take to get the part.

Anyone have similar experience with "there's none in the country"?

Advice welcome.

Thanks.

Paste007

Bakersfield, CA.

approximately 50k miles

no additional equipment (extra lights, heated grips, etc.)

UPDATE: My friendly Yamaha mechanic called this morning (7-9-08) and said that their Yamaha rep told him that ignitions were currently in route to three Yamaha wareshouses in the U.S. and that he should expect my new ignition within "the next few days". If anyone else is in need of a new ignition, it might be time to check availability.

 

[ionbeam]

Turned key on, nothing...The Yamaha dealer's service manager...was told "there's none in the country". He had no idea how long it would take to get the part.
Advice welcome.

• Seek out an ignition switch from a salvage yard.
  
• Wire in an ignition toggle switch until Yamaha fills the pipeline with *good* switches again.
  
• Disassemble your existing ignition switch, then depending on the failure mode of your switch 1) solder the wire back on 2) if switch contact has melted the plastic, move the wires to the unused contact.

 

[SkooterG]

Turned key on, nothing.
After reading the comments on ignition failure, called AAA to have my '06FJRa towed to the Yamaha dealer.

Did you try cycling the switch a bunch of times? Or jiggling the wires? Or did you just give up?

 

[cota95]

Turned key on, nothing...The Yamaha dealer's service manager...was told "there's none in the country". He had no idea how long it would take to get the part.
Advice welcome.

When my first one failed last year (May07) I had to wait 3 weeks because there were none in the country.

 

[cota95]

Turned key on, nothing.
After reading the comments on ignition failure, called AAA to have my '06FJRa towed to the Yamaha dealer.

Did you try cycling the switch a bunch of times? Or jiggling the wires? Or did you just give up?

Depends on the failure. My first failure-I was dead after an hour and a half of coaxing. Second failure-screwing around with the wires/key got me from SD to RI.

 

[Dave Migliore]

Friends...

my ignition died as well... i picked up my bike on 2/16/2007 and the bike died (in traffic) 9 months and a day after that with 21,700 miles on it....

here are the answers to the questions:

1) What year FJR? 2007

2) How many miles? 21,700

3) Failed while running? Or while turning ignition? Or whatever?; it failed while running stopped at a traffic light

4) Type of failure: Wires pulled out? Switch failure? Unknown? (pictures are useful) switch failure

5) Actual repair performed and by what dealer G.P. Sports on Camden in San Jose (great shop)

6) How many days was the bike at the dealer for service? 1 day

7) Paid for by Yamaha or not? paid for by Yamaha

8) Non-OEM accessories added that contribute to electrical draw - yes, Scorpio alarm

9) What did you do about the other locks on the bike - i now have 2 sets of keys

10) Briefly, how badly were you inconvenienced by this ignition failure. - i was lucky, without a bike for 1 day on a weekend.

 

[kulwen]

Folks, I think it is about time for everyone who was affected by this problem to file a defect report at the NHTSA here: https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm

There are only 6 or 7 Ignition defect reports presently on the website. This is a real potential safety issue and I don't think Yamaha should be stiffing FJR owners because the FJR is out-of-warranty for what appears to be a design defect. If enough defect reports hit the website, maybe NTHSA will pressure Yamaha to do a recall.

Slardy

I agree, and my failure is listed on that site. The menu structure of the complaint form was not very intuitive. When I filed my complaint the model listing only had FJR13 under the 2007 model year. I see that for 2006 they split the A and AE into their own categories. Inconsistencies like that will make it tough to process the data going forward, too many key fields that won't match for a search.

I sent a email to NHTSA expressing my concern about all the different models numbers on the NHTSA website a few days back. In my email I expressed concerns that if the ignition problem is scattered over all the different models numbers the problem looks smaller then it really is.

2003 Models:

FJR1300

2004 Models:

FJR1300

FJR13AS

FJR13S

2005 Models:

FJR13

FJR1300

2006 Models:

FJR1300A

FJR1300AE

2007 Models:

FJR13

2008 Models:

NONE - Yamaha not listed

Now, get this.

I just got a call from someone at the NHTSA. He tells me he was forwarded my concern and shared it with other riders in the building and they all agree it is a issue. They are in the process making the changes needed to bring the model numbers in line. I talked to the guy for a short time and it appears this issue affects a few other bikes/manufactures. It appears the model numbers given by the manufacturers do not always match the model numbers used during marketing, how we know the bike. In addition, "features" often mean separate models for bikes, but it is not the same for automobiles. Take my truck for example, all complaints are logged against a single model, even if that model has different features, such as engines, ABS brakes, GPS, and so on.

I did not asked for a ETA when the change will happen since he mentioned they are reaching out to the manufacturers on this issue. With any luck it will happen soon and all the issues with the ignition will become clear.

Please, if you have not logged your failure yet please do.

 

[03silverbullet]

Add me to this list. AGAIN!

The first ignition switch failed in June 04. At the time, there were no switches in the country and the dealer didn't know when they would be able to get one, so I went to a salvage yard and got one fairly quickly.

Today it failed. It was not because the wires were to tight, it was something inside the switch. It gave out with no warning. The first one started acting funny before it went out completely.

So, I started calling dealers to see if by any small chance they had one in stock. Well, I got lucky. The second place I called ( Corona Yamaha) had one in stock :yahoo: I picked it up and will installed it tonight.

 

[SkooterG]

Today it failed. It was not because the wires were to tight, it was something inside the switch. It gave out with no warning.

More details man! How do you know it was not a dirty switch?

Glad you found one, as others have recently been told, 'none in the country'.

 

[03silverbullet]

Today it failed. It was not because the wires were to tight, it was something inside the switch. It gave out with no warning.

More details man! How do you know it was not a dirty switch?

Glad you found one, as others have recently been told, 'none in the country'.

I sprayed about a half can of contact cleaner in the ignition key hole and still nothing.

Just got it hooked up - I didn't want to be without the bike this weekend!

 

[HaulinAshe]

As much as I hated to file a complaint, I just did it. My ignition key continues to come out "wet" long after I've ridden in the rain. Lately I've been super careful about covering the ignition area whenever I wash the bike. I'm certain that's not where the moisture is coming from.

The repeated use of contact cleaner is only a stop-gap measure to get me through until replacement switches become available. I'm convinced that the weep hole is working in reverse and is the root cause of the problem. The air flow changes in the Gen-II are without a doubt (in my mind at least) forcing water spray and road grime, up and into the switch assembly. This makes me seriously doubt that simple replacement of the switch is going to permanently fix the problem.