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[Beezabryan]

Your speedo drive problem is similar to the one I have long time ago. I wrapped fag packet silver foil round the square cable end & rammed it back into the drive. Has worked for years

[nigelphoto]

This may or may not be of use BUT - I've had similar symptoms, engine started but very rough running, no power, cutting out all the time, pharting and banging (more than usual) on the overrun. Last thing i suspected was the brand new battery but I thought as a last resort it was worth a try - yup, 12.4v output max. I replaced with Exide and that reads 13.2 on my cheapo Machine Mart multi tester but more to the point the engine is burning and turning once again. Just a thought.

[jefrs]

The ECU operating voltage is 8-16V and sensor supply voltage from it is 5V. The OEM Fiamm (India) is not the world's worst but battery no-load volts below 13VDC is not right. It looks like you're having teething trouble and the crankshaft sensor has shaken loose. The DOL Tool will give a better diagnosis. Have you contacted the dealer and will they collect?

[jefrs]

Or are you saying the problem is fixed after fitting a new Exide? That may have been duff battery, they can read ~12V until a load is applied then they drop to 7V because their internal resistance is up the creek, or you gave it a long enough power-off that it did a proper re-boot. Are you still getting 6+6 flashes?

[jefrs]

Do we not still check battery electrolyte levels regulary? I had one battery go down because one cell was almost dry. Once the electrolyte drops below the top of the plates it starts to get hot and evaporate off its electrolyte; it will go dry. Topping it up restored it to life.

[Rattlebattle]

Thanks for the responses. It's a thought that it could be the battery, though give the alacrity with which it spins the motor I don't think so. The engine does start albeit not as quickly as it used to before the fault because Opening the throttle causes a misfire. One started it'll tick over all day but won't take throttle. Yes I check the electrolyte levels - I did so recently and found them all to be fine. It's going to the dealer tomorrow. My best guess is that it is in fact what the blink test says.
Re the speedo the square drive is noticeably larger than the plastic one. I did return the metal one with the measurements but was told that it would probably be ok. I had thought of using ptfe tape but for now I'll leave the original one on. Will update with dealer conclusion when I know.

[Rattlebattle]

Well, an interesting morning at the dealer. I had to push the bike most of the way there because after starting it ran so badly. It turned out that it was in fact the tps that was not connected. Apparently anything like that sensor which is a key component of the fuelling system as far as input to the ECU is concerned will show as a crank position sensor fault using the grounded ECU wire technique. Useful to know as it might save someone else a lot of head scratching. The DOL correctly diagnosed the problem and cleared the fault but there was a concern that the lack of tps signal might have damaged the cat because of the very rich mixture. A new spark plug was fitted as the iridium one was saturated. Now that I think about it the engine had mildly misfired before once off the estate and on to the main road. I had put this down to the cold weather as it always cleared as the motor warmed up. I now believe that it was the connector beginning to loosen. I have no idea how it became disconnected as it hadn't been touched. So, the ECU ground 6 & 6 blinks is more likely to mean that ONE of the key sensors is disconnected, rather than the crankshaft position sensor is kaput. Good manual that....but at least we all know now. Thanks for the input. BTW there would have been no problem with a warranty claim had it been a faulty sensor even though I serviced it myself. I was however charged for the work done as it wasn't a faulty part. Fair enough. Job done. Good thrashing ensued...

[jefrs]

Glad it is sorted.

I do not understand, "the plug was saturated", to me that sounds like 'clean the plug'.

[Rattlebattle]

Well, yes. I don't think they were too impressed that I'd fitted a non-standard (iridium) plug, even though I explained that it was the one recommended and supplied by our hosts. I was happy to let them fit a standard NGK and I'll clean the iridium one and keep it as a spare in lieu of the original Bosch clone one.
The more I think about it the more I'm convinced that the tps plug was not pushed fully home at the factory. I gather another C5 owner has had this issue. Still, I now know a bit more about blink codes and what they really mean, so I don't feel too bad about the whole thing. Muscles still ache from the push though....getting too old to be doing that methinks.

[jefrs]

As related elsewhere the HT cap fell off my HT lead as it was only a pushed on and the HT lead routed so that it was too tight. As a consequence my OEM Bosch-India plug showed signs of spark erosion in the cap which would have resulted in poor sparking in the head. Sparking at the top of the plug also causes tracking down the ceramic; dead plug for the bin. A new iridium plug and cap plus re-dress of the loom and coil placements sorted that; the NGK Iridium is a direct equivalent and a superior replacement that requires no servicing and should last many years.

This is another example of incorrect assembly at the factory (lack of training). Your dealer's mechanics should have recognised replacement with superior components as non-detrimental (lack of experience).

The spark plug is a "consumable" part, it is supposed to be replaced as required by the owner.



Although relatively new as a RE dealership, Hayballs of Salisbury are more than familiar with old school british bikes (since the 60s) and went so far as to point out most of the RE's 'natural defects' such as a tendency to loosen components (Loctite), 'soft' paint (use hard car wax), rusting spoke nipples (oil/Rim Wax), etc. The self-loosening screws seem to cease loosening after the run-in period as the vibration goes away thereafter. The same vibration does loosen push-in electrical connectors. The crimp connections are very good but the connectoids are a on the wee bit thin and flimsy side. The OEM bulbs (loose fit/blow) and fuses (corroded/blow) are below par (replace the lot as they go). Bulbs and fuses are also "consumable" parts.

Cleaning connector contacts is as simple as pulling them apart and pushing them back together, the scraping action removes the oxide layer. Access to the connector boxes is perhaps easiest if oval box, tank and seat are removed. The loom forms a bottle neck at the head stay and tries to route to the rhs but the inlet/injector is in the way, which may explain why the TPS was off(?). Do sort the coil and HT lead whilst under the hood, it's not supposed to be as tight as a loaded clothes line. There's a bunch of huge box connectors in the casquette to sort out too, they can come apart, and yet the headlamp must fit back in on top of them without using the hammer.