[Didier]

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I have a 2003 GL1800. All gauges (speedo, tach, fuel, OD light) are not working and they are also not illuminated. The LCD display is working and the mileage is displayed, but it is not changing. I was wondering if any one knows if this is due to the entire combination meter assembly needing to be replaced. I am thinking it could also be the turn signal relay behind the gauges, as my signal lights work, but they do not turn off after completing a turn. I would appreciate guidance on this, as the meter assembly is a $700 part, and I am concerned it could be another problem somewhere else. Over the last couple of months I have noticed the turn signals staying on after completing turns. This I believe was the first signal that I was going to have problems. Thanks.

 

[Wing-Rider]

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Check your fuses first.

 

[Didier]

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All fuses checked first. No issues with the fuses.

 

[Wing-Rider]

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How about power going through the switch? Perhaps you have a faulty ignition switch. Check for power at some of the fuses that control some of the things that don't work. If you get no power on either side of the fuse, I'd venture to say you need another switch. If you do, you might have a bad meter panel. Maybe.

I think with all the failures happening at once, you lost power somewhere and that somewhere seems to come from an ignition switch. check the wiring diagram on it if you have one.

Also, check the accessory terminal on your fuse box to see if you have power there when you turn your key on and off.

 

[Didier]

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I have a clymer service manualon order now. With it, I will first try to disconnect the meter assembly and run tests on the wiring to see if it is sending information to the meter gauges. I also noticed that the cruise control and fog lights are not working as well. Cruise control makes sense since the speedo is out. I don't understand why the fog lights would be out if it is the combination meter assembly with the problem. Maybe the fog lights are a separate issue. I am wondering if the problem could also be from the ECM.

 

[Dandy Dave]

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Didier,

I don't think your meter panel is bad. I would think that perhaps part of it might go, but not the whole thing at once. There are too many separate circuits in there.

The fact that you are having so many issues kind of points to something common to all those things. Offhand, battery voltage, battery terminals (tight and clean) and grounds come to mind. especially grounds, since everything having a problem is in the front, and the foglights aren't really common to anything else. If you remove the foglights from the equation, then most of the rest of your problems are controlled by the ECU Turn signal cancel, speedo, tach, temperature, and I'm pretty sure fuel all go through the ECU. The turn signal flasher behind the gauges is not part of your problem.

Has the bike been apart lately? Could something have not been plugged in, or a wire pinched? The turn signal canceller connects in the tube on the triple tree, and that connector has been known to get a bent pin. It's not disconnected, because the TS work, just don't cancel.

My vote here is for either a bad ground situation, or the ECU. Do you have someone you can temporarily swap an ECU with to eliminate that?

Good luck, keep us in the loop.

=Dave=

 

[Wing-Rider]

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Like I said. All those things are controlled through the ignition switch. Don't mess with the instrument panel for that's not the problem. Start with the switch. Don't make this thing into a science project. Start simple. You said nothing works when you turn the key on. Check and see if power is getting through the switch. If not, which is what I think is your problem, then your ignition switch is at fault.

What you have is WAY TOO MANY systems that failed all at once. The only thing that turns them all on is that switch.

 

[Didier]

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I don't think it is the ignition switch. I have still been riding the bike and it still starts when I turn the key. I just can't tell how much fuel I have or how fast I am going.
I actually took the bike apart this last weekend to see if I could get to the plug for the meter assembly, but I could not. Since I had it apart, I cleaned the K&N filter in the bike. I am wondering if this is when the fog lights went out, and it is a separate issue, but I also never disconnected the fog lights in this process.
The Meter Box was the thought of a shop I called. They said they have seen a few that needed to be replace, but they wanted over $900 just for the part.
I will look into the ECU.
This might end up being a shop repair, but I really trying to avoid that. I found the meter box for $670 online, so I know the Honda shop is trying to really stick it to me.

 

[saws-n-wings]

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Did everything stop working while you were riding? I would check grounds,there is a main ground under the right side engine cover,and a bunch bolted to the frame in the center of the bike[hard to get to] just for fun remove the seat maybe you can see them. while the seat is off you can pull and reinstall all the relays to make sure your not loosing power there. good luck.

 

[Didier]

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Yep. I rode it to work and everything was fine. Then, when I rode it home I noticed the problems. This was Thursday of last week. I have still been riding the motorcycle. I can usually ride round trip to and from work 4 times between fill ups, so I am now filling it every 3 trips until I get the problem resolved. On Monday, the F1 light came on, and it also came on yesterday. The F1 came on when I was riding into a red light, so I put the bike in neutral to try to count the flashes, but it only turns on and goes off after about 15 seconds. Also noticed yesterday while I was riding when the F1 light came on again the fuel gauge started moving up and the trip odometer increased by 0.1 miles.
I checked the battery terminals over the weekend as well. This was also a suggestion of the shop I called. No issues with the terminals.

 

[Dandy Dave]

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saws-n-wings wrote:

a bunch bolted to the frame in the center of the bike[hard to get to] just for fun remove the seat maybe you can see them.

Sorry, not a chance.. it's under the fuel tank, which will probably need to come out to check it.



Pulling / cleaning / swapping around the relays is a good idea. Is there one that might affect the circuits we are talking about? I don't have a manual here at work, so I can't really check right now.



I assume the headlights are working, so the starter switch isn't as possible culprit..



I agree with Wing-Rider.. The simplest possiblity is the one to start with. I've torn mine apart a number of times, only to find out the problem was something stupid. (Usually me). Do you have a friend with a wing who might let you do a little parts swapping? I'd sure try the iginition switch.



When you had the bike apart, did you unplug the left panel that has the headlight adjustor and the suspension preload on it to take the shelter off? There is a separate foglight wire connection in there you might have missed?



This still sounds like an ECU issue to me, though. Especially with theFault Indiactor light coming on,then going away like that.



LKet us know what you try / find next



=Dave=

 

[Dandy Dave]

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arrrgh! Double Posted. :dumb:Is there a way to delete the extra here? I don't see one..

 

[Oregonwinger]

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Has the bike seen a lot of moisture, ie: cold - high humidity, rain, etc? That group of grounds under front of fuel tank, behind the thermostat housing, is a problem, at times. Look thru this link.

http://www.pbase.com/fredharmon/gastank

Also, a ton of good stuff here.

http://www.pbase.com/fredharmon

 

[Didier]

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I live and ride in Dallas. We have had one of the hottest and driest summers ever on record. I don't think moisture is the issue.
When I took the left panel with the fog light switch off the shelter I did not disconnect the head light adjuster or the fog light switch. I will double check to make sure it did not become disconnected in the process. I do believe it is a separate issue.
I will write another post when the bike is fixed. I would love for it to be the ECU and not the combination meter assembly. I found an ECU on Amazon for $299 versus the $670 for the meter assembly.
I have never worked out of the Clymer service manual. Hopefully, it can point me in the right direction to start the investigation. If I can't figure anything out this weekend, it will be going into the shop.

 

[saws-n-wings]

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if you need an ecm look on ebay used they are 149

 

[jnel57]

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is it possible that the gage cluster has become partially disconnected?. grounds do not just go bad or a whole meter assembly. I think you will find something simple that will only cost you time and aggravation. It could be the printed ciruit on the back of the cluster

 

[Wing-Rider]

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I still think it's a power issue. You lost too many things at once.


Did you verify that you get power at ALL the fuses when the ignition key is on?

Keep in mind, the F1 light works where it says a component has a problem. It doesn't care if the component is disconnected or is lacking power. To the computer, it's the same thing. Got no power, system fails and the light comes on.

Please, check the power at the fuses. Put a meter on it and see if the bike is at least receiving power first before you go on a replacement parts spree.

 

[pcfix_3]

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My 80 suzuki lost a few grounds when I had it. many times I had to stop on the side of the road to fix a fuse or a ground because something vibrated free. That's when I learned to always keep a flashlight handy. I would start with using a troubleshooting light to check grounds, fuses, and connections that were disconnected when the bike was apart. Have you washed the bike recently? Sometimes that can cause a short somewhere unexpected as well.

 

[Dandy Dave]

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Didier,



Here is a thread from Hal's board that solved your exact problem.. Well worth checking the blue connector that he had trouble with...



http://gl1800riders.com/forums/showthread.php?t=287916&page=2



A newthread, same problem?
http://gl1800riders.com/forums/showthread.php?t=292378



And another.. stearting to look like this is the problem..

http://gl1800riders.com/forums/showthread.php?t=261185



Let us know if that is your issue also...



=Dave=

 

[Dandy Dave]

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The problem from the other board, which included foglights out, was solved by a fuse...
Just because a fuse looks good, dosn't mean it IS good.. chack that fuse with a meter, or put a known good one in..

=Dave=