Hard starting and high RPM

Hello all.
I have been experiencing very hard extended start times for about a week since cooler weather has arrived. Crank 10-15 seconds stop. Crank again 10-15 sec stop. Then will sputter and finally catch. Immediately going to 4500 RPM. After engine is warm starts no problem. A little history on bike. 2003 75,000 miles. Regular maint oil, filters etc. I also have several codes stored in computer. At last check there were 8 stored. The FI light stays on and the fans run constantly. After I finally get the bike started in the mornings the RPM immediately jumps to 4500 then drop as soon as I get 1 bar on temp gauge. After that bike will run smooth all day. I spoke with several shops in my area with no luck. They all have no idea what it could be. I am leary of all dealerships due to my past experiences with them. Need some assistance and possibly a good recommendation to anyone in or around the Houston area that can help.

As a start if you don't have the maintenance manual post the blink codes.

The fans run when the bike is cold before you start it? Pull the fan relay and functionally bench test it with a multimeter. Contacts could be stuck together or the ECU doesn't like the coolant temp sensor signal and is calling for the fans thru that relay.

Diagram CLICKY post 1

Relay is functioning properly. I might have not been clear on the fans running. They will come on approx. 1-2 minutes after the bike starts. The FI light comes on at the same time the fans start to run or vise versa. I would assume that the temp sender is working due to the fact I get the normal 3 bar status after bike warms up and never moves throughout the entire time I ride. Stays at 3 bars. I have the flash codes but don't have the info right now. I will post that later.

When did the FI light first appear? Same time as cold start symptoms or has it been on for awhile before that? Giving us the codes will help greatly...

FI light has been on for a while. I know the right knock sensor has a prob. Never brought the light on unless above 4900 RPM. I did the self diagnosis today. Here is what I came up with.
1-Map sensor code
2- Map sensor code
7- ECT sensor code
8- TP sensor code
12- Injector code
13- Injector code
14- Injector code
15- Injector code
26- Right knock sensor code.

Now I find it hard to believe that I have all these codes and the bike performs perfectly once at running temp. The main issue now is the extended crank time when cold and excessive RPM at 4000-4500 when cold.

Now the question is does the ECT sensor only control the temp gauge? or is it a dual purpose sensor. Is there another sensor that sends information to the ECM for coolant temp feedback?

I just noticed that you have a 2003. Has the recall been performed for the ground distribution hardware? With that variety of codes thrown I'm wondering if you have a ground issue somewhere...

Darksider 2011 said:

FI light has been on for a while. I know the right knock sensor has a prob. Never brought the light on unless above 4900 RPM. I did the self diagnosis today. Here is what I came up with.
1-Map sensor code
2- Map sensor code
7- ECT sensor code
8- TP sensor code
12- Injector code
13- Injector code
14- Injector code
15- Injector code
26- Right knock sensor code.

Click to expand...

Wow! That's quite a list of electrical gremlins.

As others have asked, have you checked for the recalls on your bike? You can find a list of all recalls HERE on STWiki.

These are the recalls that might involve electrical ground problems:

1. Ground Cap Recall - This recall covers a ground wiring problem on 2003s and 2004s that can cause overheating and damage to the wiring harness.

2. Wire Harness Recall - This recall covers a wire on 2003s which chafed against part of the frame and eventually wore through the insulation. This blew a fuse, causing the engine to stop running.

I suspect you could call your local dealer, give them your VIN, and they could tell you if the recalls had been done.There are also marks they place on the frame for some recalls when they are accomplished but I have no idea what they are. Perhaps someone could chime in about that.

If you find that all the recalls were done, the next thing is to take the tupperware off and start looking for loose or poor grounds and chaffed wires that are causing hot wires to ground intermittently.

There are examples on this site of ECU's going bad but my impression is that they are pretty rare.

Here are just a few thread links I've squirreled away on electrical shorts over the last couple of years that might help give you some ideas in running this down. Wish I could be of more help:

https://www.st-owners.com/forums/showthread.php?108777-Cranks-No-Start-Lights-stay-on-when-switch-is-turned-off

https://www.st-owners.com/forums/showthread.php?98008-Lights-stay-on-when-ignition-switch-in-Off-bike-won-t-start

https://www.st-owners.com/forums/showthread.php?76260-Intermittent-blown-fuses-caused-by-wire-rub&highlight=wire+rub*

https://www.st-owners.com/forums/showthread.php?140606-Code-9-Problems

https://www.st-owners.com/forums/showthread.php?132408-FI-Code-26&highlight=code+26

Wow that is way to many things to go bad at one time, take a look a the ground recall as that would be the only thing that would make all of those codes pop up. Good luck and keep us posted on your findings.

Want to give everyone an update. I finally dug into this thing over the weekend and solved the hard start and hi revving when cold issue. After careful thought and some research i concluded that i may have an issue with the starter valves. Sure enough i did. After removing the airbox and getting down to the throttle body assembly it was quite obvious what the problem was. Lots of gunk on the throttle plates and on starter valve orifices. The starter valves were very sticky and hard to actuate. 2 of them hardly moved. After some careful cleaning and compressed air several times they move free. Put it all back together and runs great. Starts easy when cold and never revs above 2200 at initial start. Drops down very smoothly when 1st bar appears on temp gauge.
With all that said i do still have the FI light coming on shortly after start up. The fans still come on with the light and continue to run non stop. I have contacted multiple dealers and checked for any recalls regarding this issue and all said no recalls showed for my VIN. I guess i will try to tackle this issue in the next few weeks. And i still have the codes in computer even after the reset procedure i followed in the manual.

Wow glad you got part of the problem taken care of, you must have some problem in the system to make the FI light come on. Keep us posted on what you find.