Check Engine Light...

[Grendel]

(Posted on both the .com and .net sites)

Hey Guys,

I had to put my newly purchased Carpenter Rocket in the shop last Saturday because the check engine light decided it wanted to be my friend. My local Triumph shop is always behind and so my bike has sat there until yesterday before being looked at. When I called yesterday for an update, they told me that they got it up on the rack that morning and their mechanic had worked on it for a couple hours testing different components, but everything was turning up good. He said they are not done testing yet, but they are leaning toward thinking the ECU might be bad.

So if that is the case, how bad is that going to hurt my wallet? Also, they should be able to copy my Carpentered fuel map to the new one no problem, right?

Also, I am not really sure that I trust this shop. They might be 100% on the up and up, but some of what they tell me sounds a little off, but I know nothing mechanically to be able to tell if it actually is. They told me that the wiring on this bike is different than what they normally see and asked if I knew the bike's origin (where it was made). I talked with the original owner and he bought it in New York, but maybe it was manufactured in Canada? Also, they told me that the ECU looked like it was aftermarket and I have an email out to the original owner, but I don't think it is unless Carpenter replaces the ECU when they do their mods.

Finally, and you guys will probably know about this whereas I don't, can't you plug a cable into the ECU and use a diagnostic software to find out what is triggering the check engine light? I know it wouldn't be something that is pin point accurate, but I would expect it to give a good direction like indicating an issue with the fuel line. The mechanic wouldn't know where the issue is in the fuel line, but he would know to focus his search there. Maybe they did that, but it sounded to me like they are doing a point by point process of elimination (at 80.00 an hour!) to go through the whole bike.

I am a bit frustrated and worried and would appreciate your feedback. Thanks guys!

 

[Dennsell]

Also, they told me that the ECU looked like it was aftermarket...

This would worry me for starters, Triumph dealer should definitely know OE parts from aftermarket parts.. Did you contact Carpenters, they should have records ?

JM2CW

 

[cootertwo]

Hummm, good luck on that one. Problem is, once you start modifying anything, it becomes a "one off". And the dealer guys are only trained, or have experience on stock bikes. I have no experience with Carpenter, but I'm sure if they had the bike to look at, they'd diagnose the problem in a matter of minutes. The first thing a dealership will do, is blame anything that isn't stock, whether it be the ECU, the loaded tune, pipes, or whatever. At $80 per hour, they will run up quite a bill, whether they find the problem, or not. Maybe if you get a reply from the original owner, it will help solve your problem. Also would be nice to know the year, model, mileage.......

 

[Grendel]

Yeah, that is what I'm afraid of! Unfortunately, Carpenter Racing is 7 1/2 hours away from me, so I can't just pop over unfortunately.....

 

[Grendel]

Also, they told me that the ECU looked like it was aftermarket...

This would worry me for starters, Triumph dealer should definitely know OE parts from aftermarket parts.. Did you contact Carpenters, they should have records ?

JM2CW

No, I have not contacted them yet. I thought I'd let the previous owner let me know what he thinks on the ECU, but that would be a fine idea.

 

[Dennsell]

No, I have not contacted them yet. I thought I'd let the previous owner let me know what he thinks on the ECU, but that would be a fine idea.

In my experience it is better to take the lead and get answers quickly to get the problem fixed, but I understand not everyone thinks the same.. good luck

 

[CanberraR3]

How old is your bike and what is it? (please update your details so it shows under your avatar). Let's say the ECU has been replaced; that's 2 that have gone bung, which seems pretty unlikely or **** unlucky. The dealer should have the means to diagnose the problem in a matter of minutes, not hours. Sounds to me like they're either completely useless or taking you for a ride. I agree with Dennsell - contact Carpenter asap and ask them if they noticed this 'foreign' ECU and wiring but tell the dealer to stop running up your bill in the mean time.

 

[HansO]

If it is a triumph dealer the first thing he should have done is connect the shop diagnostics computer to your ECU and read the fault, it sounds odd to me that are checking over the whole bike if they hadn't checked the ECU fault code, I have yet to hear of anybody changing the ECU when Carpenter have worked on the bike, any chance you can go and get a photo of the ECU and post it up here then if it is in fact not original it should be obvious to some on here.
Also I would be a good idea to PM Art "Imfasttoo" over at .com and ask him he has ties with Carpenters
One last thing did you try disconnecting your bike for 30 minutes and reconnect to see if that cleared the light, unfortunately the Rockets have been known to occasionally throw a false error code causing the light to come on
Hope this has been some help

 

[zimtuff]

Did Triumph use more than one kind of ECU?
I seem to remember a post saying that they had used 2 types,one was Sagem ,I forget the other brand.
I dont know if they look identical or not.

Bikes are all made in the UK.

 

[TRIIICK]

Everytime i have a problem with the light staying on it's due to the battery. I left it off the charger for two weeks it turned over and died. Took the battery to have it checked it was fine. Re-attached the battery put it on the charger the next day it started right up but the light stayed on. I did the 12 minute tune and the light went off.. Something is drawing from the battery that i can't figure out. JM2CW