2022 Freewheeler throwing codes all over the place today.

[joebedford]

DW and I were going for a short ride today (it's hot in Florida now). She started her 6 month old Freewheeler and before she even moved the check engine light came on and stayed on. After a quick examination of the owner's manual and a couple of YouTube videos, we were able to read out and clear the codes. I called the nearest dealer service department (Gator in Leesburg) and the service guy said "You're good to go - we would have done the exact same thing". So we rode 30-40 miles to Ocklawaha for ice cream and decided to boogie out of there as a sudden storm was moving in. We went about 5 miles and I could see her headlight disappearing behind me. Anyway, more codes. Reset them again (in the rain this time) and headed back to Eustis. Just as we rolled into the RV park, codes again.

I won't bore you with all the details, but all codes are similar: this module can't talk to that module in all 4 modules in the DIAG screen.

I suppose it's a flakey connection or a pinched wire.

Do any of you have any more specific idea what it might be?

 

[Jack Klarich]

First I would check the battery connections, clean and tight

I would also check the state of charge on the battery

The can bus systems are very sensitive to voltage

 

[rhino 2]

DW and I were going for a short ride today (it's hot in Florida now). She started her 6 month old Freewheeler and before she even moved the check engine light came on and stayed on. After a quick examination of the owner's manual and a couple of YouTube videos, we were able to read out and clear the codes. I called the nearest dealer service department (Gator in Leesburg) and the service guy said "You're good to go - we would have done the exact same thing". So we rode 30-40 miles to Ocklawaha for ice cream and decided to boogie out of there as a sudden storm was moving in. We went about 5 miles and I could see her headlight disappearing behind me. Anyway, more codes. Reset them again (in the rain this time) and headed back to Eustis. Just as we rolled into the RV park, codes again.

I won't bore you with all the details, but all codes are similar: this module can't talk to that module in all 4 modules in the DIAG screen.

I suppose it's a flakey connection or a pinched wire.

Do any of you have any more specific idea what it might be?

just thinking out loud here you mention pinched wires ?have you or your dealer install New handlebars or new lighting?…Etc..?

 

[joebedford]

Nope. Completely stock except for windshield and fork fangs. Those didn't get close to wires.

I'll check the battery connections.

 

[joebedford]

Tightened the +ve battery terminal (took a while to figure out how to get at it even with the manual). It threw a code again so it's booked into the dealer (Gator) earliest appointment - two weeks.

 

[Old Road Dog]

The beautiful thing about being a HD Tech is that he can just walk over to parts and get a new ECM/ BCM and install it and see if the problem is cured or cannabalize one from a bike on the floor.

 

[Old Road Dog]

Tightened the +ve battery terminal (took a while to figure out how to get at it even with the manual). It threw a code again so it's booked into the dealer (Gator) earliest appointment - two weeks.

Just for S&G's- do a wiggle test at the BCM/ECM connectors and see what happens. Ya got two weeks.

 

[Old Road Dog]

Nope. Completely stock except for windshield and fork fangs. Those didn't get close to wires.

I'll check the battery connections.

Geez...why didnt I think of this before? Now that Ive had my first cup of lifer juice- the battery! Check the battery lad. Make sure its charged up and output is within spec.

 

[joebedford]

Just for S&G's- do a wiggle test at the BCM/ECM connectors and see what happens. Ya got two weeks.

I removed and reinstalled the ECM connector to get at the battery terminal. I'll see if I can find the BCM.

 

[DK Custom Products]

I removed and reinstalled the ECM connector to get at the battery terminal. I'll see if I can find the BCM.

It is behind one of your side covers.

Kevin

 

[Jack Klarich]

I removed and reinstalled the ECM connector to get at the battery terminal. I'll see if I can find the BCM.

#14 is your BCM, it may be under your LS cover

 

[joebedford]

The BCM on DW's trike: there may be a gasket in there but I was surprised that the box has a gap all round it wide enough to get a fingernail in it.

 

[Old Road Dog]

The BCM on DW's trike: there may be a gasket in there but I was surprised that the box has a gap all round it wide enough to get a fingernail in it.

Maybe a little airflow is good?

 

[rhino 2]

Maybe a little airflow is good?

Maybe it acts as a heat sink....:Shrug:...

 

[joebedford]

DW took her trike over to the dealer today. Based on her description that the trike throws codes mostly when she's coming to a stop with a tight right turn, they were able to easily determine that is was a slightly loose connector on the left control module. When the handlebars were full right, the overly tight cable pulled on the connector just enough to trigger a code (or several). We'll ride it a few times and then hopefully declare the problem fixed.

Coincidentally, we found out about the brake light recall after she got home. The dealer didn't mention that to her.

 

[Old Road Dog]

Funny thing about those connectors- Bosch, Deutsch, weather seal,Tk etc....once you play around with them they arnt so overwhelming. Actually superior to any soldered connectors which dont hold up well to vibration. The Electrical Diagnostics Manual has a whole section on how to release the pins and sockets. One thing I learned: male connectors have female sockets, female connectors have male pins. Now you computer guys may have already known this but it was a head scratcher for me.

 

[Old Road Dog]

This pisses me off!

DW took her trike over to the dealer today. Based on her description that the trike throws codes mostly when she's coming to a stop with a tight right turn, they were able to easily determine that is was a slightly loose connector on the left control module. When the handlebars were full right, the overly tight cable pulled on the connector just enough to trigger a code (or several). We'll ride it a few times and then hopefully declare the problem fixed.

Coincidentally, we found out about the brake light recall after she got home. The dealer didn't mention that to her.

Had you mentioned that happens when turning in your first friggen post we could have narrowed the problem down sooner. Witholding that information caused a long string of guessing. Im not helping anyone no more. ( although I might)

 

[joebedford]

Actually she rode it several more times before we recognized the pattern. Didn't know it at the beginning.

Now if _I_ had been riding it . . .

 

[Blueraven]

Had you mentioned that happens when turning in your first friggen post we could have narrowed the problem down sooner. Witholding that information caused a long string of guessing. Im not helping anyone no more. ( although I might)

I wouldn’t give Joe too hard of a time. Sometimes you just don’t have all the information.

I was once called to work on a medical x-ray machine that was intermittently throwing error codes. Even though I was highly experienced and qualified I spent hours troubleshooting the problem without seeing the problem or finding any potential cause of the issue.

There wasn’t anything I could do so I told the x-ray technician that just keep an eye on it and if the issue comes back just give me a call and I’ll come back.

About two hours later I got a phone call saying the error codes are back.

I returned to the site and again could not find any problems or see any error codes. So I pulled up a chair and decided I was going to spend the afternoon at the hospital waiting for the machine to fail.

When the next patient arrived the x-ray technician put the patient on the x-ray table and then opened a desk drawer and pulled out a remote control for the system. Within minutes the x-ray machine started throwing error codes.

I asked the x-ray technician where did she get that remote control and she stated that it was a spare that had just been laying around.

Turned out the spare remote control even though compatible with the x-ray machine was the problem. I told the technician to throw that POS away and use the remote control that’s assigned to the system.

I later found out that days earlier another technician had use that same remote control and had dropped it which is probably why it started to fail.

I never got a callback for that problem again.