No LCD display or needle sweep

[Oddball]

Hello everyone,

I apologise, this is a long winded post, I have a DL650 AL2 with electrical gremlins..

I have trawled various previous posts regarding this issue but I'm struggling to find a solution. In short, the LCD screen doesn't light up or give a reading and the rev counter doesn't do it's start up sweep. The neutral & ABS lights are lit though.

To start from the beginning.. I normally ride all year but this year, owing to work, I wasn't riding that much and the bike has sat more than I would like. Come January (during the cold snap) the bike is a bit hesitant in starting, charge the battery and although it starts it's intermittent. On one occasion the F1 light shows and I get a fuel pump error where it doesn't prime, thinking the battery is kaput I buy a new one and everything is fine.
The bike then sits for another few weeks (Since January we have had a baby so riding is limited until they invent a car seat for the pillion!) and on trying to start it the F1 light appears again and the same error. Strip it down & check all the relays etc but can't find a problem. Put it back together and it starts fine, take it for test rides and still no issues.

Then, riding for a funeral escort and in heavy rain, stop at the motorway services for others to get fuel but when I tried to start my bike the F1 light appears. Not only that the clocks start to be intermittent and not light up. By this point I'm wondering if it's the connector under the air box so myself and 1 other strip the bike at the services to check the connector, it's manky but not excessive.. When prodding and poking I noticed that the wiring loom by the battery will cause the F1 issue to disappear & the clocks to light up. Not having the proper tools to delve into electrics I admit defeat and call the AA who eventually recover me home. I thought I would try starting it when I got home and the bloody thing fired up but due to the time I switched it off and left it.

I have since stripped everything down and opened up the harness where I found a corroded connector with 4 wires becoming 1 red / white wire. This was completely trashed so I stripped them back, extended the single wire and fitted a new connector. This has fixed the fuel pump error but now I have an issue with the LCD screen..

The neutral & ABS light comes on but I don't get the red oil pressure (?) light or the ice warning light and the speedo doesn't do the start up sweep. The LCD screen is also dead and does not show any text.
With a 3 month old baby my time is limited in the garage and this is starting to be a rabbit hole!

I have used my multi meter and checked continuity for each wire between the ECU and the LH fairing connectors, all showed a connection. I also checked the continuity between the LH fairing and LCD connector, these also showed a connection. I have had the whole LCD unit off and the pins are bright with no signs of corrosion, the boot was well installed and taped up, just to be certain it spent a few hours in a baking conservatory.

Has anyone else had similar in terms of the LCD screen? I am checking the various bits of wiring loom but I can't see any obvious breaks or burns. Are there any tips to spotting a broken wire if the insulation isn't damaged?

I am currently awaiting a new 10 connector and will replace the airbox connector as I can't get the pins out easily, once I cut it open I can clean all the connections up. The battery is only a couple of months old and is fully charged.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, any help would be greatly appreciated. I am reaching my limit with this issue but feel the answer is staring me in the face.

[Ianmc]

     Sounds as if it could be a “kill switch”problem.My L2 played up with similar symptoms last year when I used the kill switch to stop it.Squirt a load of contact cleaner into the switch and move it vigorously on and off for a while.It cured mine.

[purplebikeunicorn]

Have you got a wiring diagram? There may be one in a service manual in the downloads or a Haynes.

You need to check powers and grounds back to the battery, I think a ground may be shared at the cluster, there's a big one on my 2017 but yours may be different.

The bikes are pretty dumb though, if the bike will start then it's probably nothing to do with the ECU, mine will with the cluster disconnected!

[Oddball]

Quote removed

I do have a Haynes manual but I don't think I can upload images yet, unless you can suggest a work around?

Do all the grounds have an impact or should there be certain ones I check first? I did check the oil pressure sensor, which I think also doubles as a ground?

I haven't fully started it as the air box etc is off atm. The bike does turn over and the fuel pump is working so I presume it does fire up. I might try that tomorrow.

[Oddball]

     Sounds as if it could be a “kill switch”problem

Good shout, I don't tend to use the kill switch but will give it a go.

[UK_Vstrom650]

Connectors under the airbox are a nightmare - Suzuki should be ashamed of themselves. That's the likely candidate. Once you fix them, cable tie an old bicycle inner tube over them to keep the water out.

I also had issues with intermittent cutting out and then working fine, then cutting out and the instrument panel playing up - that turned out to be the wiring loom towards the Ecu on the clutch side where it passes over the frame. Turns out a wire split in the loom.

https://youtube.com/shorts/iTGhvFzDdlI?feature=share

[purplebikeunicorn]

Does anything else work with the key on? (Brake light, indicators, etc?) Cluster illumination?

Cluster illumination runs from Fuse 5, which in turn comes from the ignition switch, and has no fancy control circuitry. If you don't have illumination, and then don't have battery voltage at Fuse 5, then I'd suspect wiring from/to the ignition switch, or the switch itself.

The wiring diagram says that the Orange wire with green stripe comes from Fuse 5 (15A - check that fuse isn't blown). That wire should have battery voltage on it at the cluster. You should also continuity check the black wire with white stripe back to battery negative.

[Oddball]

Connectors under the airbox are a nightmare -

Thank you, those are the wires I repaired to get the fuel pump working again. Although originally it was your video which helped me repaire them, I am the bloke who was commenting the other eveningf

[Oddball]

Quote removed

I haven't checked the brake light but the side / dipped / main / indicators appear to work. (One side light doesn't but I think the bulb has gone as its getting 12v when I check the connector).

Forgive me, the cluster illumination? I'm guessing that's the back light to the screen etc? If so, no it doesn't light up but all the indicators / light / neutral & abs bulbs light up.

OK, will add the fuse 5 wiring to my list and report back.

Hopefully I will get a spare hour tomorrow to have a tinker.

[Gert]

Have you perhaps had a look at https://www.v-strom.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=33146.0

[Oddball]

Quote removed

I have, yes. Although having reread it I'm going to have a look at the LCD connector again. I think that when I checked continuity between the connector and the LH blocks I went into the back of the connector rather than the front. I might try the test again but use a small jumper cable to go onto the front of the connector.

[The Doctor 46]

I can't advise reference the question but, I feel for you, there is nothing worse than chasing a fault like this. Just imagine how good you will feel when you have solved the problem and all is well. It will far out way all the frustration of searching the fault. A day of celebration with a long, faultless  and happy ride. 

You're safe with Gert on the team, searching for your answers and advising on problem. Top Man! 

[purplebikeunicorn]

the cluster illumination? I'm guessing that's the back light to the screen etc? If so, no it doesn't light up but all the indicators / light / neutral & abs bulbs light up

Do the indicator tell tales or high beam tell tale work? Working off the AL1 diagram, the neutral light has its own ground, but is supplied by the power feed. The indicator tell tales and high beam tell tale (and the backlighting/gauges) use both power and ground to the cluster (Black with a white stripe). So, if they don't work, then you almost certainly have a bad ground to the cluster...

However, the headlights/indicators seem to share the same ground, so if the headlights and indicators work, its broken between the cluster and the main ground wire back. On my 2017 there is a clear plastic blob like in UK_Vstrom650's picture which appears to be a ground joining point... if you have one on yours, it might be prudent to check that everything looks OK there and no wires are loose. Also really check the connector and pins on the PCB, if any are loose (esp the ground).

If Suzuki haven't changed anything drastically between AL1 and AL2...

[Oddball]

Do the indicator tell tales or high beam tell tale work?

Unfortunately I think they are different as my Haynes states 2012-2016 as AL2-AL6, although they will likely be a similar layout so all valid points.

So, sit rep for today, I haven't been able to get much done, maybe an hours tinker time.

Working backwards I checked connectivity between LCD and LH block then LH block to battery, all read OK.
I thought I had it when I checked continuity between the battery and the crank case ground, there was intermittent connectivity with the large cable so I pulled it, cleaned it up and put it back on. There was also a small amount of corrosion on the small earth connector which leads onto the larger cable, this was also cleaned up. Put back together with baited breath but sadly minimal change, I didn't get needle sweep or back lights but the LCD did fire up but no legible display, it just seemed like the screen was burnt in with all the text illuminated.

I did check the fuse 5 / orange & green wire, there is power into the fuse box & continuity etc. Given the slight improvement with cleaning the ground I am going to go through the other grounds and try to clean them, see if that improves matters. This brings me nicely onto my next question..
The oil pressure switch, despite the boot the outside looks pretty cruddy although the screw and cable ring leading into it appear in good order. Does the switch itself form the ground or is there a cable leading from the switch to another ground point?

I am going on holiday for a week on Friday morning and I don't think I am going to get much tinkering time tomorrow but will see what I can squeeze in, otherwise it will have to wait until the following weekend.

[Gert]

in reply to your question on the oil pressure switch earthing, looking at the attached wiring diagram, there is a single wire coming off the oil pressure switch which indicates that the switch casing picks up an earth to complete the circuit

[Oddball]

So potentially if the casing is corroded then it could affect the earth contact?

[Oddball]

I had very limited time yesterday to do anything.

The starter motor ground has been cleaned up and is providing continuity, I also tried moving the oil pressure ground and this did not have any effect either.

Thank you for everyone's help so far, I will hopefully get a couple of good sessions in next weekend when I am back.

[Gert]

Another thread that you may want to have a look at wrt reported wiring harness issues, is https://www.v-strom.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=16745.0 (A warning to all Glee owners please read!!!)

[Oddball]

Hello,

Apologies for the delay in getting this updated. Having revisited all connections, checked grounds and swapped out the oil pressure sensor with no joy I felt pretty despondent and was considering admitting defeat.. While re-reading all the suggested posts one phrase stood out 'first look where man was last'.

Today, on checking my repair job, it seems the wire strands on one of the connectors had snapped and although it was held in place enough to fire the fuel pump etc the poor connection was enough to cause the other issues I was experiencing afterwards. Redoing the connection produces all lights and the needle sweep!
(It did then show and F1 -C21 error but this was because I did not have the air box connected, connecting that sensor cleared it.)

I am now in the process of re wrapping the loom after I have cut the majority of it open! Hopefully that will go fairly smoothly and I will look to protect any potential pinch points. Just waiting on some self amalgamating tape tomorrow and we should be golden, will then be able to fit the air box & fuel tank before firing it up!

Fingers crossed

[UK_Vstrom650]

Excellent news. Fingers crossed that's it sorted now  and you can get back to enjoying it now