Dash lights

[Bucket]

Hi all,

Think I have a wee gremlin in the dash. Ive lost the dash lights, but the clock, neutral light, fuel light and oil light are all still working perfectly. Ive used my exceptional mechanical abilities and check the obvious fuses and all seemed dandy so I have to assume this is a loose connection somewhere. Any suggestions about where to start looking?

Also, recently got a chip. Tried to open up the CPU. That little silver box is a bitch to open. Is there a trick? I think I have well and truly fucked one of the screws already (see above reference to exceptional mechanical abilities). And once I have (magically) achieved to open said little silver box, am I just plugging it in and away we go? Ive seen a few ppl talk about disconnecting the battery before a chip install. Just a precaution or par for the course?

Oh yeah.....and fucking over winter....

[Exdukenut]

Not sure on dash light.

Don't rush and be heavyhanded!!

But as to the ECU, take it out from it's position, undo said silver phillips head screws, run hands over battery -ve terminal to get rid of any static on your body/haneds fingers etc., before touching the circuit board and ECU chip, remove chip be gently levering the chip at each end, install new chip carefully so as not to damage the pins. and reverse the procedure to install ECU back in bike. Also ensure the new chip/daughterboard go in the correct way. There is a small hemispherical notch on the chip/daughterboard and the slot/liftoff that it goes into.

As to the stipped screw, try using a slightly bigger headed phillips headed driver, and punch it on a few times to get a good fit. Then try undoing said scew/s.

Depending on what chip is in there it may be on a daughterboard/liftoff, so that daughterboard will have to come out as well. If it has a daughterboard, then don't worry about taking the chip out just lever up the daughterbaord.

If you still are having probs with the ECU just pop up here and I can assist you if you want most days.

[Bucket]

Cheers Ex. Might just do that. I have no clue. It seems these screws are glued in. Fancy a company trying to stop ppl getting inside something. Unheard of...

[Falcopops]

RE the dash, check the big connector in the back is in properly (long shot TBH as I've found these are as tight as a sharks arse at 40 fathoms)

You could pull the dash and check the PCB I fried a track in mine a while back and had to solder in a jumper to bridge the gap (unlikely too)

Check the continuity of the wiring to the dash lights, need to figure out the wires you need to check then use a multimeter on the resitance setting to check for a break, you can do this without disconnecting the wires. Or use a bulb and a battery, but best disconnect the the blocks doing it this way so you dont fry anything by mistake.

Good luck.

PS, I've got a bunch of spare dash bulbs if you need new ones, but I'd replace them with LED's if they are burned out. However, if they are all burned out then something needs to be fixed or the new set will all go pop too.

[Bucket]

Thanks Pops.

As an update, they frustratingly came on for about 5 minutes on my way to work. Then switched off again. Im thinking more and more its just something loose. Ill explore on the weekend.

[Falcopops]

Interesting, are you aware if the headlight is tunring itself on and off too?

Just asking because I had the earth wire break between the switch and the main loom (mines a UK bike, so you may not have a headlight switch on the left bar)

Here's what happened to me

[Bucket]

Head light is working fine, as is the high beams etc. Everything else in the dash is dandy as well. Ill pull the fairing off and fidget about at the back. Failing that, its off to the auto electricians I guess...

Cheers for the suggestions tho.

[DanV990]

Sounds like the bulbs in the dash may just be bad and the filament in the bulb is making occasional contact. I replaced my burnt out bulbs in the dash with number 74 bulbs from NAPA. They were about $8 for ten bulbs instead of the $24 each Aprilia charges. any decent auto parts store should carry them.

[Lttlcheeze]

Could be the wire in the big plug at the back of the dash that is your problem. Try wiggling it and see if the lights come on. Should be 1 wire in from the bottom right corner of the plug, should be a Yellow wire.

[Bucket]

Cheers for the advice boys. I didnt get a chance to pretend like i knew what I was doing by fooling around with it over the weekend, but Ill attempt to impress my girl with my technical prowess over the next weekend.

Bit of an update about the chip AND an add-on:

Finally got into the little silver box. Installed new chip...tested....nothing. Put old chip back in...started like it always does. After all that effort it seems the new (2nd hand) chip is dodgey. Still and all....good mechanical practice.
Also, finally got around to getting and installing the Fireblade stand. Very pleased with my efforts, altho I must confess to spending an hour just trying to put the springs back on. Some bruised fingers (which made playing a gig that night a nightmare I had to self medicate with beer to get thru) but the bike is sooo much more stable. Worth the pain....

[DanV990]

Some chips require a copy protection daughter board between the chip and ECU to work properly. If you only removed the old chip from the daughter board and then put a new chip that does not require a daughter board into the daughter board it will not work. Here you can see a chip with a daughter board on the left. The chip on the right plugs directly into the white socket on the ECU with no board in between. Also make sure you are putting the new chip in with the notch in the right direction.

[Bucket]

Chip in, lights (miraculously) working.

[Exdukenut]

Also, finally got around to getting and installing the Fireblade stand. Very pleased with my efforts, altho I must confess to spending an hour just trying to put the springs back on. Some bruised fingers (which made playing a gig that night a nightmare I had to self medicate with beer to get thru) but the bike is sooo much more stable. Worth the pain....

Yes the sgetting the springs back on isn't that easy...just as you think you got it it doesn't quite reach.....much swearing, as you take yet another chunk out of your fingers!! Know what you've been through...twice....on both bikes with the blade stand, and it wasn't any easier on the 2nd one I can tell you!! But the result is chalk and cheese over the original european stand that Aprilia gave us.

Good to hear all back to normal with the bike, and that you've done some of your own spannering and learnt a little more, and once you think about it, most things can be accomplished with a little patience and thoroughness. Congrats!!

[Falcopops]

I fit the springs 1st then use the stand to lever/pull the whole thing into place then fit the centre bolt. Takes a lot of effort, but avoids pain and blood loss.

[Bucket]

I actually tried that first Pops. It seemed the easier option, but I just couldnt align it. Got very close but no cigar. I eventually found a spot that just needed a tiny bit of screw driver manipulation as opposed to the full on stretch.

Cheers Ex. I must say, I go into my little forays safe in the knowledge that the forum isnt too far away for some guidance. I guess its all just fear of fucking something up and then not having a clue how to get it all back together. Most of the things I have undertaken have been well documented here. Plus....in a pinch....you aint too far away either....