Ok guys, I have a friend here in Philippines who has a dead Strada. Unfortunately he does not currently have access to a dealer or anyone with Rheingold or a GS 911 Tool to diagnose the fault. The bike was ridden two weeks ago and has up to now had no problems whatsoever. Upon switching on 2 days ago he got the dreaded EWS warning up and the bike will not start. Auxiliary LED lights etc are switched off. Battery is fully charged and reads 12.85 volts All fuses checked out and ok. Headlight opened up and Antenna Ring Connector checked as ok. Antenna ring tested and shows continuity. On switch on the bike goes through the diagnostics check and then gives EWS with red warning light on. What next ??
Unplug the battery...for sometime maybe an hour. Then do the reset procedure listed on forum. Worked for me when I pinched a wire between the bracket and post that hold the headlight in. Maybe that simple could only hope.
I don't think unplugging the battery will make any difference. The EWS isn't a 'remembered' state. And the reset procedure required the immobilizer authentication to have already been completed successfully and the engine started, right ? The immobilizer check is performed independently every time the ignition turns on. "When the ignition is switched on, the Engine Controller initiates communication with the transponder chip in the key. Data is exchanged and if the challenge is authenticated, the BMS-K(P) will unlock the ignition (spark), fuel injection, fuel pump and starter motor." It either works or it doesn't, and if if it fails then the EWS error is shown on the dash. Does he still have the second key and has he tried to use that? Are all other keys or anything which could interfere with the signal removed from the vicinity of the ignition ? Has something else changed which might be causing interference? A brand new cell tower or nuclear power station hasn't just been installed next door ?
Check that the ignition ring wires haven't been broken at the ignition, easy to do. I also remember various instances of auxiliary lights or heated gear causing interference with the ignition.
Ok Guys thank you for all the suggestions, tried everything and still no change, so it was time to look further. I suspected a 'fried' ECU just as the others have had a positive terminal shorted to the casing but this guy had not even opened up the seat since riding the bike last time and then this EWS suddenly appeared. The bike is now running again and the fault was definitely a 'fried' ECU but we still do not know how it occurred. Took out the ECU and it was fixed by and electronics repair guy who found the shorted terminal and soldered it back up. Placed ECU in bike and it started and runs perfectly again. Next thing is a good Earth cable fitted to the casing of the ECU and try to work out how it happened ???? We live and learn.
There is the first indication of what I have suspected which is under some fault conditions other than a "accidental short" the load on the earth pins of the BMSE can overload the current capability of the earth links which makes the fitting of the external earth strap important, not only for the Terra/Strada/Nuda owners but also the 650GS owners
Do a load test on the battery. If the voltage drops too far it will creating a problem. Just having a good 12+ volt reading while not under a load can be misleading. Paw Paw
Thanks Wayne. For us electronic noobs, is this simply a matter of installing a decent sized cable from ECU external case to some point on the bike frame ?
