I think my next step is to pull the meter and perform the bench checks per the manual.
Okay, my mistake, I thought you already pinned the meter and found it A-OK. You didn't come back with any yes on the bench test on the bike. So you're decoding the abstract first.
So, right now the screen is off to disconnect the harness. I know we are going after the tach, but hard to say how you could loop the ECU with the water temp blink. You have no other issue but the tach bump/jump call it. What are the odds water and tach are in the loop? Cam and crank yes. Hold off for now. Let me go thru your other posts one at a time. I just don't want you to go thru the bench check for nothing.
This statement in 16-64 had me thinking:
Me too. But it's saying a flashing 'no matter who,' it's a communication error and it's as simple as that. Now, put this together and see what the book is saying:
1. Wire out of connector, but all others connected but the water temp wire = Error or sets a code.
2. Connector not connected, see it yet? And now it's zero input and no wire connected = Error or a code set.
3. Short internally, where a good known signal like 124? WAS PINGING the correct range but not anymore = Error means Code. Code means Digit.
so obviously the harness and CAN Hi/Lo lines are not connected to meter unit so gives the flashing of the water temperature gauge.
I want to walk your abstract on this one, and see if what I mentioned above is going to follow book. You are correct to the obvious so far about the harness. Now we get complicated yes or no? What does CAN have to do with benching the meter? Meter has no clue who is short/open, right? CAN does.
Might want to give this another try or maybe this helps? You now say that the harness is off and that means no power to the meter. '... so gives the flashing of the water temperature gauge.' Without power to the meter when key on, no. How could it flash the water bar. I'm sure you meant it another way.
Now mines doing this with the meter unit connected to the harness and I'm getting the water temperature gauge flash.
I'm going to address this as the generic steps, pg. 3-61.
1. Can't be the ECU. Sets and holds the backup. Bike runs with code set.
2. Can't be the meter. Shows the bars, shows it blinks.
3. Can't be joint 2 if other grounds are also jointed together in joint 2.
4. Can't be a wire drop if joint 2 connects to ECU and meter blinks.
Now for the Can Be's:
5. Can be the water temp sensor being the only thing left.
6. Can be joint 2 and back to 14 years of E in that joint causing a bad ground.
But then again, joint 2 holds more than one ground. Those should fail as well. Trying to follow wires from the water temp sensor, but are we down for a temp sensor replacement? And that means one of two things:
a. You buy the temp sensor once you follow all the leads the books sort of points out-wire wise. Could be a bad ground, or if you might be lucky and have the connector pins corroded at the [water] connector. The down side is the process you have to go thru to test the temp sensor you have now. That means you'll lose coolant for a possible replacement anyway. Testing the temp sensor is somewhat involved.
b. But if you had a new temp sensor, plugged it in and the code went away as it sits grounded on the bike. That temp does not know if it's in the water or not. Room temp is it laying on the bike to be grounded to complete the loop. But if the code remains, it's back to checking wires.
In my mind this = CAN Communication failure with the harness connected.
Here's the can/can't be... Can be a lost ground/open wire/short in water sensor. Can't be the CAN, because all it does is separate who is sending in analog and who dropped out of the loop and the CAN sees that the water temp bar is sending in only one of the same digit as data. Can't be CAN if it can set the [water] code and no one else. Can't be out of the 122~126? range if it can set a code, run the xmas lights fandango.
Right now, with shield off, harness out of the way of the pin count, ohmmeter set as 1x ohms, probes into pins 17 and 18, CAN will show it's within spec and you now eliminate the CAN not being a variable. Out of spec, the CAN Can't set a code, Can't keep the lights off the dash from blinking every time the key is turned on.
Also my tachometer does the sweep but no workee after starting the engine. Again a CAN communication failure?
To answer that question, and not chase tail, WATT is the ohm resistance of CAN's pin 17-18? What is the compression number that means the same thing of a working cylinder is the same as the meter working properly with that one 124? reading.
Sounds like tach unit is good due to completing the needle sweep per the bench test.
Correct. The walk:
1. Needle not stuck if sweeps.
2. ECU recognizes power on, and meter is hot as well, not a ground to hot loop problem. That walks as, wire in/wire out is saying the hot wire side goes to the jobber [bulb/sensor/black box] that needs power, so wire out goes to ground; we have a complete loop we do not have to chase, meaning. I ohm the hot wire from its source up to the jobber's plug end of that connector. That's one wire looking for an 'open' or a break in the wire. The jobber has a resistance check, so pin 17 and 18 checks resistance. Last test of 3 is to ohm the ground wire from the jobber harness end to ground. Can't be the wire loop with jobber doing its job.
3. CAN is not out of spec if it can set a water temp code and no others.
[q]Everything else on the meter unit works with the exception I'm not seeing the meter unit's red warning light come on during the key on sweep.[q]
Taking a guess, but maybe it's the ABS light and was not on the western models but euro had ABS first year. The shift light or rpm hold light while waiting at the tree at the track? I never messed with that. Chrly might chime in if you point to that red light on the meter.
Now mines doing this with the meter unit connected to the harness and I'm getting the water temperature gauge flash.
I'm taking a guess on the tree light. Go back to chapter 16, find the meter face and tell me what light on what side, near where and I'll see what light you are talking about. As far as we know, you have a water temp code. How it showed up now, I can't explain. Coincidence?
In my mind this = CAN Communication failure with the harness connected.
Let's repeat the walk:
1. Wire in-Jobber-wire out = No other code is set but the water temp sensor = CAN recognizes it and sets the code.
2. The CAN resistance is within spec = Jobber 124 ohm resistor in the meter is working = Code is found and set.
3. CAN can popup any code if shown the variables of short/open/connected or not.
4. Only pins 17 and 18 know for sure if the meter is junk. But to me and how you are explaining it, does not sound like a meter problem, but in proper function, yes?
... no workee after starting the engine. Again a CAN communication failure?
No. ECU might be the trigger source to the tach. CAN only separates all those sensor wires from the ECU to know who to set when the analog drops out.
Everything else on the meter unit works with the exception I'm not seeing the meter unit's red warning light come on during the key on sweep.
That's why I'm saying to hold off on the meter removal. Look at what you're saying. 'Everything works...' It says CAN's ohm resistance is within spec. Meter lights cycle. No problem found at the meter... think liquid display cycles/tach speedo cycle/lights come on fandango when key is cycled. Look elsewhere like the water temp sensor and either remove it and boil the water as per book, or buy a new one... no wait:
1. Original part, yes? Lettuce try a salad dressing to remove scale off the original temp sensor.
2. Solution ratio is a cup of vinny to a shot of peroxide. Drop it in a cut down plastic water bottle and let it sit to show a cleaner surface and maybe the scale on the sensor is the analog not moving to set a code.
3. Recognize the obvious rather than throw parts at it, meter wise. Scale is a thought. Internal resistance of the temp sensor is a thought. Wire drop is a thought. Bad ground at joint 2 is a thought. The Grn effect is a thought, meaning, is the water connected to the tach is not really a walk, but rather a throw at the wall and see if it sticks?
There is no explanation in either the owners manual or the service manual as to what this red warning light is for and if it should light during the initial key on sweep. Is it a master caution warning light or for EFI fail only? I don't know.
Once you point out the position of the red light, one of us will chime in and say it's a drag race assist or not, and/or an ABS light on a non-ABS bike. Cheaper to manufacture one meter as a fits all.