I screwed up 2008 TE 250

OK. So I finally got my biked tuned up and running fairly well using iBeat.

I was tinkering with one of the CO levels.

I'm back at the garage with the bike OFF and I go to hook up the wires for iBeat. I've done it a million times but this time I think I used the wrong wire because the dash went out! I didn't notice a pop like you can sometimes hear when a fuse blows.

This happened AFTER used the wrong wire combinations so I obviously shorted something out. Here are the symptoms now:

• When you turn the key on the dash is dark EXCEPT for the headlight indicator on the top left of the dash. the rest is completely dim. I tuned out the lights in my garage and no illumination at all.
• Fuel pump does NOT prime.
• Start button does NOT turn the motor over.
• Battery is fully charged.

I thought it may be the ECU. But I have a spare ECU and guess what? Same symptoms as above.
I did check all 5 fuses and they are fine. I had recently replaced them.
Is there another fuse somewhere? Maybe in the dash?
I just got this thing running good and I couldn't leave it alone!

Does your electric start turn the engine over?

Try swapping out the power relay (use the fan relay maybe) and see what that does. The fuse in the starter relay is one that is overlooked- is that one of your "5 fuses checked"?

what wires did you get wrong and where?

I'll try the relay. Note that right now the lights DO turn on when the key is turned on. The start button does nothing right now.

There are 3 fuses on the right side which look good and 2 on the left side which look good. I believe one of the left side fuses is for the starter relay.

I don't remember what wires I put in which socket. I pulled them out as quick as I could when the bike went dark.

I suspected I fried the ECU as the wires I fucked up lead to the ECU since they're for iBeat. But swapping out the extra ECU did nothing.

I didn't think the power coming from the ODBII cable (via computer USB) would have enough juice to melt wires but something is fucked up now.

by "checking" the fuses... are you just looking at 'em? replacing 'em? or are you putting a meter on 'em?

I believe the fuse on the left is the starter relay (20 or 30 amp) ...the other one may just be a spare.

I pulled them out and looked at them. The looked fine. I don't have a tool to measure it. maybe I'll replace them anyways.

I haven't tried the relay yet.

I may need to try to trace those wires back to wherever they lead to.

Even though I fried this thing with the EFI tool dongle and I want to think it's between the the dongle and the ECU, I don't know that for sure so I'm looking everywhere.

When the key is turned on and the headlight turns on but nothing else, I'm thinking maybe a relay.

I swapped out the relays and nothing different happened. One thing I did notice is whenever I reconnected the battery, the dash would come to life for about 10 seconds and display the motorcycle code and then the odometer with the correct mileage. Then it would go blank. This is with the key turned OFF.

I don't know what stores the odometer (thought ECU) but it gets power.

I think the workshop manual shows how to test the starter relay so I may try that. I have access to a tool to test electrical stuff.

time to get the meter out and start chasing voltages.

you want to see 12volts always on the yellow/red wire coming out of the relay (btw, the relay is just a handy junction for the wires and fuse to hook into; the armature of the relay powers only the starter). you can check this yellow/red wire at any fuse on the right side.

then check the green/red wires (key on) for 12v.

I am sorta guessing at these colors because the pdf manual has a terrible schematic.

the dash has non-volatile memory for the odometer by law.

Thanks for the help. Is that starter relay the part that supplies power to the rest of the bike? I was hung up on the ECU but I don't think it controls that.

I give it a try tomorrow night. Riding tomorrow on my bike.

no. the relay-part of the starter relay powers only the starter. However, the big fuse on it gives power to the rest of the bike INCLUDING the power relay (right side of the bike) via yellow/red wire to the 3 fuses on the right side.

if you're getting power to the dash and lights, your 20 or 30 amp starter relay fuse is fine. And also your DC relay is fine (#30, powers stuff like lights horn signals dash). only relay we don't need to talk about is the fan relay #29; it's probably fine but we don't care either way.

the power relay (#38, powers stuff like coil, injector, fuel pump, oxy sensor, MAQS, etc) does not seem to be activated by the ecu, and we need to find out why.

but your ecu is probably fine.

will the bike kickstart?

I'm not sure if the DC relay is OK. When I said the lights turn on, it was only that little parking light. I can't remember if the horn should honk or main headlight is supposed to turn on when the ignition is turned on. The horn won't honk and the main headlight bulb doesn't turn on.

DC relay is ok.
Charge the battery.
kickstart it.

I took the bike to Up-tite. Once it's running, I'll post an update.

May be an embarrassing one.

bring the spare ecu- just in case.

Got the bike back from George. Many of the electrical connections were corroded. (The guy I bought it from, left it out side for a couple of years before I bought it and got it running.) George suspects when I shorted it out, it may have been enough to make one go bad.

So it looks like the corroded connections were bad. They're all clean now with DC4 on all of the connections.

I knew most of the plugs were suspect but I never thought some weird event would put one or 2 over the top.

I did take the spare ECU but wasn't needed.

Remember, these bikes are old so don't underestimate the power (or lack of) of corrosion.

Not a problem here- I am the dielectric grease king. I've been a firm believer for 40 years.

firm believer==fanatical.... according to my friends.

That and the wires are of a thin gauge and the connectors are tiny as well.
it doesn't take much corrosion to open the connections.

And thanks to Trenchcoat85 for giving good troubleshooting tips. I'll remember those.