Hi all,
I know there are many posts regarding high idle speeds but I haven't been able to find anything that matches my situation.
I have a 2013 Monster 1100 Evo with about 16000 kms on the clock. I replaced the original battery with a LiFePo battery about two years ago which worked fine until I left the bike un-ridden for a couple of months without a trickle charger. I charged the battery using a Victron charger (set to Li mode) and it started and ran with no problems. After a short ride and a few minutes with the bike turned off, I tried to start it and the battery was pretty much dead - the engine would basically turn a single revolution and not start. I couldn't bump start it due to the high compression and the location (no hills & no-one to push) so I persisted cranking and, after a half-dozen or so attempts, surprisingly it started. The problem was that the idle went straight to about 3000 rpm and stayed there. I suspected some sort of ECU issue due to the state of the battery and the multiple start attempts. I rode it home and did some Googling and the only suggestion I could find was to turn the ignition on, wait until the instruments go through their initialisation sequence, turn it off without attempting to start the bike and repeat this process several times (presumably to 'reset' the ECU). I did this, along with replacing the Li battery with an OEM-equivalent sealed lead acid battery, but the problem remains. When I start the bike it immediately idles at 3000+ rpm.
I know there are many potential causes of a high idle speed but the fact that it had been perfect until the battery/starting issue and then immediately went and stayed super high seems to suggest some sort of ECU or other electrical issue.
Any ideas? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
I agree your high idle issue isn't from the typical causes, ie a vacuum leak.
Low voltage can wreak havoc on electronics. It's possible the ecu was damaged, the software corrupted, or a sensor failed.
If you don't have some sort of diagnostic equipment you're going to need to get it to someone that does.
Or you could use the shogun method if you like wasted work and money. Check for vacuum leaks. then adjust idle speed, set CO and synch. Still no good, most likely the idle speed motor
Have a good look at the idling system. Idle synch is reported to reset with three runs of cycling ignition on/off.
Idle stepper system can get dirty and cause problems. Access the area via tank removal and clean those components.
Check the condition of the idle breather hose to the airbox.
Oh, and do all the other stuff suggested.
Thanks for the info and suggestions. There is a Ducati guru not far from me, Ron Young, who has an engineering shop and a long history of working almost exclusively on Ducatis. I haven't been able to contact him yet but if anyone can help me I'm sure it'll be him.
I long for my old M900 when it comes to accessing the area under the fuel tank. Removing the tank on the 1100 is an absolute pain whereas the 900 was like lifting the hood on a car - unclip the front latch and prop it up on the built-in strut. Genius!
Just tried cycling the ignition three times again in the vain hope that it might work this time and, amazingly, it did! The bike is idling perfectly. I'll take it out for a decent ride today and hopefully it stays that way. Thanks again for the advice.
Cheers.
Yes I like the old hinged tank. Changing the battery on the Evo is a pita. I think it's about 25 bolts in total to remove the fuel cell and the battery is underneath that. Imagine if there was a battery short causing a fire! You just wouldn't make it in time. Just wheel it onto the street and call the fire brigade.
Update on the high idle problem: I took the bike out for a decent ride yesterday and it ran and idled perfectly so it seems like the problem has fully resolved. Happy days!
Great!
[thumbsup]
[beer]