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09 Touring bike possible wiring harness issue.

93K views 68 replies 47 participants last post by  SCHMIDTY 
#1 ·
Found this. Passing it on:

Possible 09 H-D Touring Bike Wiring Harness Issues
Some Technical people I trust reported a potential wiring and ECM connector problem on the late model Harley-Davidson Touring bikes through other channels. This issues is something that others have probably found on some of TC96/103/110 Touring bikes. These wiring problems can cause Check Engine lights to occur and possible engine running issues.

While any unconfirmed report like this should be treated cautiously by any rider, there is strong circumstantial evidence to support this information. There were reports within 72 hours of additional 12-14 2009 and possbily two 2010 Touring bikes exhibiting the symptoms described in this article.

This issue is only seen the FL Touring models (fly-by-wire) and may have appeared as early as 2008, but has been confirmed on 2009 bikes. It has already been seen in the 2010 Touring bikes. This problem can occur while sitting still or riding. It affects Throttle Control, there-by affecting cruise control and other engine speed functions. The primary area impacted seems to be the +5VDC and ground circuit wiring harness connections at the ECU, but all portions of the connector can be a problem. The +5VDC and sensor ground disruption can also affect the sensors for emission control throughout the bike.

On a side note, this situation would explain the problems noted with riders attempting to use XiED's on their 2009 Touring bikes. Nightrider has always contended the XiED's were not working on the 2009 Touring bikes because of a ground fault issue with the H-D ECM or a problem with the +5-0V Throttle sensor signal. A situation were the +5VDC sensor signal and sensor ground signal from the ECM was being disrupted by the ECM wiring harness connector would explain the symptoms seem during XiED testing on the 09 Touring bikes.

One simple test for this condition has been to remove the seat, start the bike and wiggle the harness near the ECM connector and watch for a check engine light. An effected bike will have a CE light come on intermittently and in some cases, the light may stay on after a code is set.

We do not know if this is a systemic problem with all the late model fly-by-wiring Touring bikes or an anomoly, but circumstantial evidence indicates the situation is very easy to recreate on 2009 and few 2010 bikes the simple test has been tried on.

Some of the temporary fixes to this situation seem to be:

*Move and secure the wiring harness while trying to relive the strain against the connector
*Using some washes or spacers under one end of the ecu, changing the angle of the 2 mating connectors on the ecu.
*In some extreme cases, strain relief slots may need to be cut in the seat pan to prevent pressure on the ECM or wiring harness
*Some aftermarket seats do not appear to fit as tightly against the ECM and wiring harness.

Any of these methods may provide temporary relief to the strain on the connector, but the problem would seem to be a poor job of engineering or manufacturing of the ECM connector or wiring harness connector by Harley-Davidson. Our unconfirmed 'inside information' indicated that these connectors were designed with a very limited insertion life. What this means is that the connector may not properly seat after couple of removal/insertion cycles or in the case of the H-D, simple flexing of the connector because of routing of the cable under the seat of engine vibrations. If the connector is not properly seating, very critical sensor voltages are not available or the grounds may not be made, which can create situations were the sensor are misread. The resulting failures when associated with the throttle circuit or O2 sensor circuit can be unpredictable at worst or cause Check Engine lights at their most benign.

If you have are able to recreate this issue with your 2008, 2009 or 2010 Harley-Davidson Touring bike, we recommend you contact your local Dealer and show him the problem. You may want to cosider filing an incedent report with Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to ensure that H-D gets the message.

We are attempting to gather more information on this situation and will report any changes. If you test your bike for this issue, please e-mail your results good or bad to Nightrider. If this report is true, we want all riders to be aware of the situation. If the report is isolated to a few bikes, then we want to be able to correct our reporting to accurately reflect the correct information.

As of Aug-13-2009, we have even more circumstantial evidence that there are issues with the latest engineering revision of the H-D wiring harness connectors at the ECM. There were specific indications of 2009 Touring bikes with different connector types where the newer part number exhibited issues with the XiED's and the older part number more commonly used on the 2008 Touring bikes allowed the XiED's to work without any problems. We cannot explain the older revision connectors showing up on late manufacture bikes. Nor is it our intent to speculate on this high incedence of the connectoris showing up towards the end of the 2009 Touring bike run. Our only intent is to identify and resolve the issue so 2009 H-D Touring bike riders can use the XiED's on their bikes. We will continue to report updates as they occur.
 
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#2 ·
i would suspect the molex connector pins. HD supplier prob changed their manufacturer and the pins do not seat well or tension on the pins come loose. I use Deutsh connectors and the pins here and depending on the mfg of the metal pins some seem softer than others while crimping. the female connector pin may pry apart while being moved and not stay tight. just my:2cents:
 
#3 ·
Ive been having electrical glinches also ,,,Blows the 15 amp acc. fuse sitting still or while riding I loose turn signals brake light and cruise control,,,,,,What can be done about this. Ive had it to the dealer but you know how that works, it wont do it when you want it too.....
 
#4 ·
The functions you're losing all run through the 15a acc. fuse . Do you have custom grips ? That's the first place I'd look , for pinched wires inside the switch housings , between the front brake and clutch perch clamps . Very common ! Dealer should have checked that though based on the symptom .
Any codes , engine light comes on after the engine is started and stays on for about 5 seconds then goes out ?
Also could be one of the light wires pinched and shorting to ground .
Many things to check !!!
 
#5 ·
ECM connector

Great post by Dave63, And thanks for bringing this to our attention. I have not experienced this on my '09 Electra Classic but, this is a common problem with many European vehicles I've worked on over the past 40 years. Solution: disconnect the battery. Remove the ECM connector to the computer, apply di-electric grease to each of the terminals, reconnect , then connect the battery. This may not be the only problem these models have, but it's a good safe place to start.
 
#6 ·
Electrical Glitches On Harleys & Vettes

Hey , I've Had The Same Problem On My C 5 Vette For Years Because It Just Sits In The Garage Mostly Like My 2008 Ultra Does . I Found A Cure In Short Years Ago .find A Intersection With The Loud Attension Getting Asphalt Strips That Viberates So Hard That Your Rear View Mirrow Vibs Down . Take Your Harley Or Vette Accross These Noisy Strips Everytime You Leave Home An It Will Keep Your Contacts Clean An Make Voltage Go To Its Proper Place To Prevent These Glitches .both My Harley & My Vette Stay Out Of The Shop By Simply Crossing These Viberating Asphalt Strips . My Harley Has A Problem With The Throttle Position & Vette Has A Problem With Turn Signals An Emerg. Flashers If I Don't Cross The Asphalt Strips Regluarly To Keep Them Fit . It Works For Me . Bud
 
#7 ·
Hey , I've Had The Same Problem On My C 5 Vette For Years Because It Just Sits In The Garage Mostly Like My 2008 Ultra Does . I Found A Cure In Short Years Ago .find A Intersection With The Loud Attension Getting Asphalt Strips That Viberates So Hard That Your Rear View Mirrow Vibs Down . Take Your Harley Or Vette Accross These Noisy Strips Everytime You Leave Home An It Will Keep Your Contacts Clean An Make Voltage Go To Its Proper Place To Prevent These Glitches .both My Harley & My Vette Stay Out Of The Shop By Simply Crossing These Viberating Asphalt Strips . My Harley Has A Problem With The Throttle Position & Vette Has A Problem With Turn Signals An Emerg. Flashers If I Don't Cross The Asphalt Strips Regluarly To Keep Them Fit . It Works For Me . Bud
It might even break up kidney stones if you got em :laugh

Rumble strips as contact cleaners.....interesting.
 
#8 ·
How's this for a wiring issue. My RKC now has 1000 miles and yesterday my friend is traveling with me in his car. Later, he stops and says, "you know, there might be something wrong with your turn signals. Some times they flash the way you are turning and some times they flash the wrong way." So we checked them and when he was in front of my bike they flashed the wrong way and when he was behind me they flashed the right way. Sure enough, they have the front turn signals wired backwards. I felt like an idiot. $22,000 bike and I'm telling half the people I'm going one way and the other bunch think I'm going the other way...................I'm hand signaling my fancy bike until this weekend when I can get around to moving some wires. :loco

Show of hands: should there be a discount for this kind of thing?
 
#12 ·
Bulletin on TBW problems.

Note #4 in the PDF bulletin

4. Before connecting the TCA connector, clean the male TCA pins with a swab and alcohol,
then assemble with dielectric grease (Part No. 99861-02 - Nyogel 760G).
Al
 

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#13 ·
Wiring Harness




I had the same problem with my bike. The check engine light would come on, go off, come on for a few seconds once I started the bike and then go off again. As I said in a previous post, I took it to the dealer eleven times. They replaced a lot of stuff before they finally replaced the wiring harness. Rode it last night and no light. So far, so good.
 
#14 ·
Throttle a no go

For the fourth time my 2008 Street Glide has left me on the side of the road with the same exact issue, bike will idle but no throttle response. I have been able to fix in the past by diconnecting the ecu cable and the battery, but this last time it did not work, cost me $170.00 for a tow home. The bike now remains in limp mode. I am done with this,:mad I have no confidence in this bike, does anyone have any resources at Harley main office???????:mad
 
#16 ·
2009 roadglide with 41,000 miles. Throttle stopped working and bike would only idle. Dealer says the computer shows nothing wrong. Anyone else having a problem with the "fly by wire?"

this happen to my 09 roadking they change the throttle sensor it lasted a month now i have it in for the same thing i don't know what they will find now
 
#18 ·
Found this. Passing it on:

Possible 09 H-D Touring Bike Wiring Harness Issues
Some Technical people I trust reported a potential wiring and ECM connector problem on the late model Harley-Davidson Touring bikes through other channels. This issues is something that others have probably found on some of TC96/103/110 Touring bikes. These wiring problems can cause Check Engine lights to occur and possible engine running issues.


I had issues when I first got my 09 Street Glide. I took it to the dealership for something, I think to get a sissy bar put on and the lights went crazy and it started chugging, and like shutting off, turning back on, etc. I was able to get it to the dealership before I took off for AZ. After a few days, they still had not located the problem. Turns out (according to them) it was a bad ground. And I havent had any issues with it since, and it's been over a year.
 
#19 ·
I had the LIMP MODE happen 4 times. None of the pre-conditions were similar. The 4th time was on a group ride and I limped East on a 2 lane major street. I finally got to a safe place to stop and tried disconnecting the ground wire on the battery. No help! I called the closes dealer that happended to be open on Sunday. This was late season and many were on winter schedules. They offered to send out a tow but I gave it one more try and it resolved itself. I rode it to the dealer and they took it back to service. They said they worked on the throttle wires and the position sensor wires. Sounded like they just disconnected and reconnected same. Mine was still under warranty and I think a tow would have been free.
I was told by an x-HDmechanic (4 were let go same time) that they changed the supplier of the connectors. I read theads on other boards after searching LIMP MODE 09 and there were plenty of others that had same problem. One guy was told he must have been riding on bumpy roads!?
I put quite a few more miles on with no re-occurrence.
 
#22 ·
Fly by wire issue

I have a 2010 Street Glide . I've had the bike since May 2010. I picked the bike up on a Thursday and got my True duals R.H Pipes, P.C, chrome wheels with 21 front 200 rear tire installed. I have had no issue with the bike. I just got a paint job done but aslo added Extended bags, a long rear fender and painted the inner fairing. I took a road trip to OHIO, and while there, the bike shut off while sitting in a little traffic. I started back up and had no issues after that. The engine light came on later that evening and then it happened. NO POWER TO THE THROTTLE. I got the bike towed bike from there $$$$ but the dealer said they had to replace the Induction Module. 1 week later I picked the bike up and broked down on the highway, got towed again back to the dealer $$$$. They said they replace the Throttle Sensor, and Heat sensor on the motor. Picked it up saturday and broke down on my way home from the dealer. Dealer picked my up this time. They say they are lost on what the problem could be. They have replace everything they can think of. Can any help with this matter or know someone who have had the same issues?
 
#23 ·
I know this thread is almost 2, but.....

I am glad it was here. ON my way to work today I got the dreaded unresponsive throttle. I stopped, restarted the bike and same issue. Then, looking for cell phone service so I could call work and only able to go 20mph, I stopped and shut down again...twice. After I could not locate service, I tried again. I didn't think I would make it home as I live in the foothills and there are some pretty large hills. At any rate, when I starrted it up again, it worked fine and I got it home. I then called my work, and got a severe attitude form the staffing office. That being said, I pulled the manual and discovered P1151 and P2153. Both point to the TPS. I then found this thread and pulled the connector, cleaned it and applied Di electric grease. I can see how connections break as this is really a crappy, cheap connector. I clered the code and fired it up. Seems ok now. Will know more after test ride. Yes, the test ride will be to work.

The fact that this matches others symptoms and that the problem corrected itself, leads me to believe that the connector is at fault. Looks like the 2008's have the issue too!
 
#24 · (Edited)
This is for you folks riding a Harley touring bike with throttle by wire.

I have run into this problem a few times. Harley knows about this problem and has sent out a service bulletin #tt418-1. Google this bulletin and you'll see the problem. It is caused by a fretting of the pins in one of the connectors caused by vibration. This is a poor design and Harley needs to fix it on a recall.

I turned this over to the NHTSA as a hazard. Imagine trying to shoot across 4 lanes of traffic and the bike goes into limp mode. Limp mode is a safety feature that Harley incorporated so they didn’t have a Toyota fiasco with the bike running away. The bike has a computer blip and shuts down to 1,500 rpm. This is just as bad. I wouldn't doubt that people have been killed by this. Imagine pulling out to pass a car and your bike shuts down.

I was just out on a Patriot Guard ride when this shut down on me for the third time this year. I ran it all the way to 6th gear and was able to hit 45 mph but 1,500 rpm is the max you’ll get. After 10 miles I parked and restarted and it ran fine until I stopped for gas. I couldn't get rid of it after that. I then loosened the gas cap and started it and it started fine. Then I tightened the cap and rode home. It's the pins in the connector by the air breather. If you should experience this, disconnect the connector behind the left side of your breather and put some electrical grease on it. This is not the fix but will last for a while. I’m hoping for a recall from Harley.

If you're having this problem you need to report it to the NHTSA so we can get a recall. You may notice a drop in gas mileage before this starts happening. I replace my plugs and filter because I thought that was the problem. After I put on the electrical grease I started getting over 46 mpg again
 
#26 ·
ultra 08 wiring fault

hi im new to this forum but i found it by accident when i was doing a serch about a wiring/engine run fault i have had .
let me explaine the fault i have been having,i was on holiday in austria 4 weeks ago and on the day befor i set off for home i had the engine yellow light come on and the engine would go into get you home mode and i had to stop and switch the ignition off and on a few times and the fault cleared this happened a few times but then seemed to clear.The next while traveling home i broke down in the netherlands i was recovered to the nearest harley dealer and it was checked out and had numerous faults coming up ,i had it recovered back to the uk and it went into my local harley dealer the diagnosed the same faults and suspected a ecu fault .the next day i had a call of them saying they had found the fault ,they tried a spare ecu on and they found the fault was there even with the replacement ecu but they noticed the fault disapeared while moving the wiring harness under the fuel tank.they found a broken wire from the intake manifold harness to the main harness going to the ecu,they told me there was no sign of damage to the cable .themaged section was replaced and up until now is ok .
hope this helps anyone who has these symptons, i have a ultra 08 with only 15k on it THIS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN !!
i work on trains which cover ten times this milage ever year and there is no reason for this to happen to a bike with this type of milage on it.
 
#27 ·
I have an 09 Ultra Classic with 35,800+ miles. Experienced a Check Engine light and a loss of power to near idle while cruising on an Interstate hwy at 65MPH. There was no engine response to throttle movement. Fortunately, it wasn't during rush hour and I managed to limp to an off-ramp that was about a quarter mile ahead. After shutting down to investigate damage possible engine damage, found no obvious problems. After restarting, all seemed to be normal and was able to get back home. Diag codes were P1511, and P2135. I cleared the errors, took it for a short test ride without a problem. However, it all happened again the next day while trying to accelerate to get on an expressway. Again I was lucky enough to be able to clear the hiway without a traffic conflict. After shutdown and restart, throttle worked normally again. Same diag codes as before. Submitted a NHTSA report. This problem as the potential to be deadly if it happened on a busy expressway.

HD Maintenance could not give me an accurate estimate to repair, it is out of warranty by just two months. Not sure I want to spend $300 - $500 dollars to fix a factory defect that should be done by a recall.

This is not a rare occurence and need to be report to the NHTSA to place pressure on HD to find a fix to this dangerous problem.
 
#28 ·
My cruise messed up yesterday and set a DTC P0577 cruise control switch high. It would not work. The Dealer took it in at 9:00am this morning and replaced the switch and did the recall brake switch all in 1.5 hrs and no cost. It's nice having cruise back.
 
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