Check Engine Light--Bad Gas?
Thread Starter
|
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 3,832
Likes: 127
From: Coastal Carolina
DTC Code P0118
Do the full procedure to pull the stored historic codes. Run switch on, while turning ignition on hold down speedo reset button. You will see the speedo and tach needles do a full swipe then return and your speedo readout will show "diag" to indicate it is in the diagnostic mode. Then push again to obtain "psstb" and the "p" will flash. Hold for 5 seconds to reveal any code, write down code and do again to see if there is another code in the same section. If there is none it will say "none." You can push and hold to clear them until it says none and then move to the next section. Repeat until done.
The P0118 code is described as "ET sensor open/high". The detailed discussion suggests checking the wires to the Engine Temperature sensor as an initial step, which I will do. As discussed in an earlier post, I ran the Check Engine Lamp diagnostic test yesterday and repeated it this morning. It showed "no current fault condition or stored DTCs." (The CEL went off after 4 seconds and stayed off when the ignition switch was turned on.) Since this is therefore apparently an "historic code", is there anything else I should do after checking the connections?
Last edited by TKDKurt; Jun 15, 2017 at 09:48 AM.
Thread Starter
|
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 3,832
Likes: 127
From: Coastal Carolina
The answer
To recap and update my symptoms: The bike started and ran well while cold. After riding long enough to get the engine fully heated up, I would get an intermittent check engine light. Sometimes it would come on for a mile and then go off. Sometimes it would stay on for 10 miles and then go off. It never came on and stayed on constantly. There were some stutters and occasional misfires which would then stop and the bike would run fine. On a few occasions the engine would stop when I stopped at a stop sign or gas station and have difficulty re-starting. Gas mileage was essentially normal.
As I said above, I ran the diagnostic codes and got a P0118 code which, according to my electrical diagnostic manual, indicated that the engine temperature sensor (ETS) was reading high. I read about all of the conditions that can cause the sensor to register high and attempted to fix those conditions. But the symptoms persisted.
After some time, and more reading I concluded that MAYBE, rather than the sensor DETECTING a problem, the sensor itself WAS the problem. Since the part only costs $38, I decided to switch it out even though there was no way to visually detect that the sensor was bad and I don't have the equipment necessary to electrically test the circuit or the sensor. (The new one looked the same as the old one.) The replacement was easy except for the access (it's between the two jugs and a deep socket barely squeezes in. But aside from that, the swap was easy--detach the horn, pull back the sensor wiring boot, unclip and remove the sensor cable connector and unscrew the sensor. It took maybe 5-10 minutes. I took it the bike out for a test ride and everything was good. But since the problem only appeared after the engine had been running a while and was fully hot, I went out with my buddies on a longer ride yesterday afternoon. (The buddies were there for help if the bike died and wouldn't restart.) And the bike ran perfectly the entire time. No stutter, no misfire, no check engine light. The problem is FIXED!
If you are throwing the P0118 code and have these symptoms, I suggest replacing the sensor before taking the bike into a dealer for what would undoubtedly be an expensive diagnosis (and other threads suggest that often they don't identify the sensor as the problem).
One question remains for me--was the bad gas (a) in my head, (b) a coincidence that just happened at the same time as the sensor failure, or (c) the cause of the sensor failure (maybe by causing the engine to run so hot that it damaged the sensor)? Any thoughts?
As I said above, I ran the diagnostic codes and got a P0118 code which, according to my electrical diagnostic manual, indicated that the engine temperature sensor (ETS) was reading high. I read about all of the conditions that can cause the sensor to register high and attempted to fix those conditions. But the symptoms persisted.
After some time, and more reading I concluded that MAYBE, rather than the sensor DETECTING a problem, the sensor itself WAS the problem. Since the part only costs $38, I decided to switch it out even though there was no way to visually detect that the sensor was bad and I don't have the equipment necessary to electrically test the circuit or the sensor. (The new one looked the same as the old one.) The replacement was easy except for the access (it's between the two jugs and a deep socket barely squeezes in. But aside from that, the swap was easy--detach the horn, pull back the sensor wiring boot, unclip and remove the sensor cable connector and unscrew the sensor. It took maybe 5-10 minutes. I took it the bike out for a test ride and everything was good. But since the problem only appeared after the engine had been running a while and was fully hot, I went out with my buddies on a longer ride yesterday afternoon. (The buddies were there for help if the bike died and wouldn't restart.) And the bike ran perfectly the entire time. No stutter, no misfire, no check engine light. The problem is FIXED!
If you are throwing the P0118 code and have these symptoms, I suggest replacing the sensor before taking the bike into a dealer for what would undoubtedly be an expensive diagnosis (and other threads suggest that often they don't identify the sensor as the problem).
One question remains for me--was the bad gas (a) in my head, (b) a coincidence that just happened at the same time as the sensor failure, or (c) the cause of the sensor failure (maybe by causing the engine to run so hot that it damaged the sensor)? Any thoughts?
Road Master
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 800
Likes: 408
From: Middle Tennessee
Good and cheap fix TKD.
My sensor went bad and I got similar symptoms. I would get fluctuating idle while stopped and the bike died on me and my wife once at a light. Took a good bit of cranking to get it started. I pulled codes and it showed an engine temp sensor fault.
I talked to the service manager at my favorite dealer and he told me he changes them all the time. He also mentioned that if it fails completely the bike will not run. Looks like both of us had one that was going out and caught before it failed.
I think the bad gas was a coincidence in your case. I run Wards cooling fans on my bike so one would think my sensor stays cooler than most. I think they are a just a $38 sensor and are probably not real high quality.
Like I mentioned, when I described my symptoms and mentioned the fault code my guy immediately recommended replacing the sensor and told me he replaces lots of them.
My sensor went bad and I got similar symptoms. I would get fluctuating idle while stopped and the bike died on me and my wife once at a light. Took a good bit of cranking to get it started. I pulled codes and it showed an engine temp sensor fault.
I talked to the service manager at my favorite dealer and he told me he changes them all the time. He also mentioned that if it fails completely the bike will not run. Looks like both of us had one that was going out and caught before it failed.
I think the bad gas was a coincidence in your case. I run Wards cooling fans on my bike so one would think my sensor stays cooler than most. I think they are a just a $38 sensor and are probably not real high quality.
Like I mentioned, when I described my symptoms and mentioned the fault code my guy immediately recommended replacing the sensor and told me he replaces lots of them.
Last edited by bill from tn; Oct 8, 2017 at 09:39 AM.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
