ST1300 ECU-Knock sensor problem

Ian

Joined
Oct 2, 2018
Messages
71
Location
South Africa
Bike
2006 ST 1300 A
Well I am hoping again this is the last post on the F1 light saga. After doing everything possible before replacing the ECM, We replaced the ECM and as of now and about 40 miles I am unable to make the F1 light reappear, so it looks like after all is said and done it was in fact the ECM. As far as I have read about the problem i am seeing it more in the 03, 04 05 models. I think Honda had a problem with the ECM in the beginning and I believe they knew it. If yall know a good cheep lawyer we should start a class action law suit.
Agreed , hoping this too is my last post on FI, WRT Knock Sensor/ ECM . I have been waiting for extreme heat conditions, as I have maintained that my issue is heat related.

Yesterday was the opportune moment, 40 degrees Celcius, over a stretch of +- 200 Kilometres, managing to average in excess of 140 km/h here and there, with various Traffic conditions, and NO FI light, it has not appeared since last summer, the bottom line however is that my FI Gremlin simply went away, hopefully permanently. If it did not appear under yesterdays conditions, then surely it must be cured.

It is sad that some ST Owners seem to be having to replace ECMs, this is not on.

I stubbornly refused to accept that my ECM was faulty. My ONLY further thought on this is, But its MY thought, if one cannot afford to replace the ECM immediately, consider "riding it out", maybe, just maybe, as in my case, the Gremlin may die.
 

T_C

Joined
Mar 8, 2012
Messages
4,338
Location
St. Louis, MO
Bike
2005 St1300
STOC #
8568
I stubbornly refused to accept that my ECM was faulty. My ONLY further thought on this is, But its MY thought, if one cannot afford to replace the ECM immediately, consider "riding it out", maybe, just maybe, as in my case, the Gremlin may die.
I'm with you.
I even have a spare ECM, but I'm waiting for the gremlin to return. It's been a few months and temperatures have been up and down. happy to say no red light on the dash.
 
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Ian

Joined
Oct 2, 2018
Messages
71
Location
South Africa
Bike
2006 ST 1300 A
I'm with you.
I even have a spare ECM, but I'm waiting for the gremlin to return. It's been a few months and temperatures have been up and down. happy to say no red light on the dash.
Hoping your Gremlin also got bored and went away :) and let's hope they stay away!
 
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Ian

Joined
Oct 2, 2018
Messages
71
Location
South Africa
Bike
2006 ST 1300 A
Ok...I am sorry to do this...but ONE more post regarding what I deem to be the "heat related" FI light problem. ( My light still has not come on again) BUT, on Saturday i did just over 600 km of riding in 30 + Deg Celcius, plenty of safe open road and throttled her between 140 and 160 km/h for long stretches. And the thought struck me that what IF my problem had been incorrect or stale coolant? I recently replaced my coolant as I had no idea when the previous owner had replenished coolant. Recently I drained and flushed best possible the old coolant, and replaced with OEM Honda Premix.
Its a wild thought I know, I dont even know if it has any relevance whatsoever, but since I have no idea what caused my persistent problem previously, and problem no longer exists, I thought it wotth a mention. JIC...shoot me :)
 
Joined
Sep 19, 2019
Messages
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Age
70
Location
USA Ga.
Experiment!!! Looks like my F1 problem was corrected with the new ECM. Got about 300 miles and thankfully still no light. Another site member recently sent me a private conversation asking me where I had purchased my new ECM. I sent him a link then ask him if he would be interested in trying my old ECM that was exhibiting a 25 left side knock sensor F1 light. He concedently was having a 26 right side knock sensor F1 light. I am seeing a lot of these problems that seem to pop up at around the 50,000 mile mark. Mine was at 57000 and his appeared at about 56000.. Still think Honda had a problem with the ECM early on. Anyway he now has my ECM and I will let everyone know what happens when he replaces his right knock sensor [problem with my left knock sensor problem ECM. Anyway he has nothing to lose and we get to experiment a little and see if his problem goes away or switches sides LOL what does everybody else think will happen ?????
 

Gus1300

Site Supporter
Joined
Apr 5, 2007
Messages
563
Location
Haymarket VA
Bike
04 1300A
300 miles to PA and back today...and as long as I stayed below 4k RPM, no light...as soon as I went above, it popped. Reset on the go with a key cycle, same story all the way home. Getting tired of being RPM limited or having to deal with the fault mapping killing gas mileage. Something else to dig into this winter.
 
Joined
Sep 19, 2019
Messages
17
Age
70
Location
USA Ga.
which side sensor is it indicating ? If the above fix works for the other guy maybe we can send you an ECM to try.....won't chost nothing to try. I found you can also flip the red kill switch on the right handle bar and that will reset it also...then just let the clutch out or push the starter button
 

Gus1300

Site Supporter
Joined
Apr 5, 2007
Messages
563
Location
Haymarket VA
Bike
04 1300A
It blinks a '25,' which according to the errata comments I have (there are several out there and some match my Mar 2004 (03-05) manual and some don't) is the right knock sensor. I haven't done the continuity checks specified in the manual yet but have two new knock sensors on the shelf for this winter.
 
Joined
Sep 19, 2019
Messages
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Age
70
Location
USA Ga.
It blinks a '25,' which according to the errata comments I have (there are several out there and some match my Mar 2004 (03-05) manual and some don't) is the right knock sensor. I haven't done the continuity checks specified in the manual yet but have two new knock sensors on the shelf for this winter.
Did the knock sensor thing and no good. it took an ecm to fix it
 

tjhiggin

R.I.P. - 2022/06/11
Rest In Peace
Joined
Jul 6, 2016
Messages
380
Location
North Alabama
Bike
2004 ST1300A
Experiment!!! Looks like my F1 problem was corrected with the new ECM. Got about 300 miles and thankfully still no light. Another site member recently sent me a private conversation asking me where I had purchased my new ECM. I sent him a link then ask him if he would be interested in trying my old ECM that was exhibiting a 25 left side knock sensor F1 light. He concedently was having a 26 right side knock sensor F1 light. I am seeing a lot of these problems that seem to pop up at around the 50,000 mile mark. Mine was at 57000 and his appeared at about 56000.. Still think Honda had a problem with the ECM early on. Anyway he now has my ECM and I will let everyone know what happens when he replaces his right knock sensor [problem with my left knock sensor problem ECM. Anyway he has nothing to lose and we get to experiment a little and see if his problem goes away or switches sides LOL what does everybody else think will happen ?????
I'm the one Truman mentioned who is getting the FI 26 code. If you saw this post before I edited it, you know I'm an idiot! Enough about that.

Truman graciously sent me his ECM that is giving the code 25. After installing it and idling the bike up to temp (fans came on), I ran it up to 4000 rpm and held it there for a couple of minutes. No FI light, woot! It's raining here now so I can't do a full test, but tomorrow will be nice so I'll take a long ride and wring it out fully. Will post the results.
 
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Joined
Sep 19, 2019
Messages
17
Age
70
Location
USA Ga.
Well I was really glad to hear the F1 light might be a fix with my old ECM. Maybe we can start a (pay it forward) chain with the ECM we take out of our bikes. I would be very much interested to see if someone else out there that is having a 25 code might want to try your code 26 ECM, and see what happens
 
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tjhiggin

R.I.P. - 2022/06/11
Rest In Peace
Joined
Jul 6, 2016
Messages
380
Location
North Alabama
Bike
2004 ST1300A
I did an 85-mile ride yesterday. For 70 miles of highways and country roads, I tried every which way to make that FI light come on. It would not. Thinking victory was in hand, I hit another highway for the 15-mile jaunt home. Wouldn't you know, after a couple of miles at 70 mph, the durn light came on. I was running late for a family function so did not get the code. I'll take another ride in a day or two and get the code.
 
Joined
Oct 22, 2019
Messages
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Lisbon, Portugal
Hello everyone. I´m from Portugal and having that devil FI 26 code on my 2003 ST1300. I´ve bought the bike in second hand. Just replaced the harness on both sensors, but no luck. Still having the code. Gona measure both sensors with osciloscope to see if they are sending some info to the ECM.
And this thread as become pretty usefull!!

Regards
 
Joined
Nov 4, 2018
Messages
856
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78
Location
Sharpes, Florida , formally, Nevada City, CA
Bike
GL1800, ST1300
STOC #
8999
Apparently this problem is very common on ST1300 models '07 and earlier. I have not seen or heard of it on the later models, '08 and up. Looks like Honda changed the '08 ECM which solved the problem, but did nothing to address the problem with the ECM in the earlier models. Has anyone questioned Mother Honda about this?
 
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