1985 Gl1200LTD quit. Suddenly.

[cj7george]

Hello! I have failed to find a shop in Fort Myers Florida who is willing to diagnose why "Goldy" our 85 LTD suddenly stopped running. The bike was riding along 40 mph and just stopped running. The local shop that looked at it suspects the PCM but admits it's just a guess. He advised me to contact the local guru who refuses to even look at it for fear of lengthy diagnostic time/ charges. He suggested getting something newer. Well it's only got 36k miles and I know there's a lot more life. Anyway since it stopped running so suddenly I suspect electrical issues. Any advice on how to proceed to diagnose? By the way we have very limited electrical skills. I remember someone saying something about lights on the computer under the trunk. Any advice much appreciated.

 

[joedrum]

hmmmm the FI bikes are a bit rough to just do easy ... but this kind of sounds easy maybe ...dose the motor turn over ... and battery was good at the time it quit running ... if it has power maybe ck for spark ... we have a member here who just went through a 1200 FI . im sure he will post in let wait and see what he says ... steve83 is the wingtician here on your questions id say

 

[backyardtrouble]

..+1 on that, Steve83 would be the Guru on that model. I'm sure he can help you alot.

 

[mcgovern61]

+1 on Steve, he should be along soon. But no doubt, sudden stop like that is loss of electric and the PCM is most likely the culprit. I do not have a 1200 nor have I ever worked on one so take my advice lightly!

 

[Ansimp]

Please supply more information on what occurred previously. Fuel pump can be an issue as well. The pump on most EFI systems go through a cycle on ignition on/ or cranking so you should have an idea of what it sounds like now and how it sounded before. Steve83 is currently working on fitting EFI to an 1100 engine so he does have a good idea of how it all works..

 

[slabghost]

Did you check your fuses?

 

[AApple]

Crank sensor could do it too.

 

[Steve83]

Well, I hope I can live up to all this hype!!! I'm still learning this CFI system...

OK, first off, have a look at the '85 Shop Manual Supplement in the Gallery, it will be a huge help.

Does the Fuel System light on the instrument panel come on when the ignition key is switched on? The fuel pump should run for a second or two as well. There is an inline fuse near the starter relay and battery, as well as relays for the ECU (computer) and fuel pump in the main fuse box. There are LEDs in the back of the ECU, which is under the seat, that will help diagnose a problem in the system. A chart is in the manual to interpet the LED patterns.

If the crank angle sensor (under the timing covers) or the cam angle sensors (on the rear of the right head) go bad, the engine will not run. If any of the other sensors malfunction, the ECU goes into a default setting and the engine runs poorly.

When the bike quit, did it simply shut off, or did it sputter and die like it was running out of gas?

 

[cj7george]

Thanks for the replies. The battery was up and it quit suddenly. No sputter. The dash lights up and it cranks with the key but no start.The bike is still at the shop and we will get it home and start with a fresh battery charge and check for spark although I think my son said there was none. We will listen for fuel pump activation and go through the fuses again. Not sure how to test relays? I replaced the dog bone fuse holder a while back, got rid of the three yellow wire connectors that melt and did an external alternator. Should be a reliable bike once this gets figured out. Are pcu and sensors available should I need one through anyone on this site? I have used Whitey's GW site for parts as well as Ebay.Wow I gotta say thanks to all of you for giving us hope that Goldy will run. My son really likes it and actually uses it for cheap transportation. I personally have two other bikes now but still miss riding Goldy.

 

[Joep]

Now for some this may be old hat.. but we have others who really don't understand how relays work so here is my explanation.... testing relays is easy..... if 5 pin... place a meter lead on 30, 40, or 20 pin(rating of relay in amps) and on 87. Set meter to ohms..if it is 0... then connect a battery... 9 volt should work.across pins 85 and 86.. resistance should go to open..and moving meter to 87a should be 0.. remove power and it should go open.... 4 pin is similar except it doesn't switch power between lads... pin 87 or 87a which ever is there should be open until power across 85 and 86.. the five pin is used to run one circuit until it is switch by applied power... think hi/low beams... no power across 85/86 low beams are on high beams off.. power applied and low beams go off and high beams come on.. 4 pin used to turn something on that is not used all the time.. like fog lamps.. until power is applied lamps are off.. I was confused and baffled by relays fir years until I got this straight in my head...

 

[Steve83]

I got all the parts for my build on ebay - some cheap, some not. I have a second ECU that is supposed to be good, but I haven't tested it. Right now my project is all apart, but it did run, so I will be able to test it when things are back together - just in case yours is bad.

If the "Fuel System" light comes on, the fuses are OK. If the fuel pump runs briefly, the relays are OK. With the ignition switch on and engine off, you should hear the injectors click when you twist the throttle. The ECU is probably OK if these things are happening. There is also a tip-over sensor that shuts off the fuel pump if the bike is dropped...

No spark can be caused by a bad crank or cam angle sensor, with the crank sensor being more likely to fail. Of course, it's the most difficult to get to! Also, check for power to the coils through the run/stop switch.

 

[Ansimp]

+1 on the tip over sensor, it would be worth bypassing if you don't have a running fuel pump.

 

[slabghost]

You may also want to check the kill switch is on and functional. I'd start there and move on to fuses then to the tipover switch. Get the easy stuff checked first.

 

[desertrefugee]

If it turns out the problem is fuel delivery (and you've got spark), would it be blasphemous to suggest throwing a carb rack at it? Unless money is no object, I suspect it'd be cheaper...

 

[Steve83]

Well, to install a carb rack in place of fuel injection, you would need:

A healthy carb rack.
The proper fuel pump.
Choke (enrichment) cable and lever.
Fuel lines and filter.
Modify or replace the fuel tank.
Modify or replace the ignition system - the CFI system computer (ECU) controls the ignition timing based on crank and cam angle and RPM, as well as - I think - manifold vacuum, intake air temp and coolant temp.

If there is spark, the ECU is probably, but not necessarily OK. If the fuel pump fails, the engine will sputter and die as the fuel pressure decreases. This one stopped suddenly, which sounds like an electrical issue - a failed fuse, relay, or resistor, a loose connection, a defective crank, cam, or tip-over sensor, or a failed ECU.

We will get this machine going again! the force is with us! CJ7George, I wish you were closer... Feel free to PM, email or call me.

 

[buffdaddy56]

Don't know about LTD but I have an '85 Aspencade that did that and was the pulse generators. :hi:

 

[Steve83]

Hey cj7george, ya out there? Just wondering if you got Goldy running???

 

[Linkinhyrule]

So I'm new here, but recently I have bumped into the same or similar problem.. ANyway I was riding my goldwing the other day and out of the blue it half shut off, and later as I came to a stop it stoped working compleatly. At the moment it does not crank and the dash lights/ headlight does not work when the key is in the ignition. they were talking about relays and other things. I checked the fuse box and the ecm they both look good. Any suggestions?

 

[dan filipi]

Check the dogbone fuse. It is a thin strip of metal between 2 screws to the right of the battery. many have been changed to a plug in blade fuse holder. I'll post a picture where that dogbone fuse is.

 

[dan filipi]

This is about the best one I found right off...