Breakdown miles from Help

[heli5]

This is my first post so hopefully I am posting this in the correct place etc.

I have a 2019 Tracer GT which I bought from new last November 2019. I have only covered approx 3000 miles on it due to the recent lockdowns. Last week when touring in the Scottish Highlands the engine cut out and I coasted to a stop. The engine would restart while the clutch was disengaged and in Neutral but  would stop as soon as as I selected a gear or let the clutch out. It would appear that the problem was with the lock-out mechanism which prevents the bike starting when it is in gear.  I removed the seat and wiggled some of the connectors under there and it started as normal. Obviously there was a bad connection somewhere. When I got to my destination I again removed the seat with the engine idling and when I wiggled some of the wires the engine cut out. The problem is I am unsure which connector/loom was to blame. I separated the large multi pin connector that is held in place with a rubber type clip near the battery and plugged it back in again. This seemed to cure the problem, but I still am not confident that it won't let me down again. I was wondering if anyone else has had a similar issue and how they have resolved it. There were no Yamaha Dealers for miles around so I phoned the dealer in England where I purchased the bike and spoke to the mechanic who seemed to think the side stand switch was to blame. However this did not seem to be the case as the engine only stopped when I let out the clutch or put it in gear. If it was the side stand switch I would have thought that the engine would still run while the bike is in Neutral. Unfortunately the MIL light is also now on which I think was caused by me running the bike in gear, on the main stand. when I finally got it to go. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Edited June 1, 2021 by heli5

[Clegg78]

That sounds like what I've had with a past bike with the kick stand switch being broken/shorted/etc...    that is likely the wire at fault here.   You can trace that in the shop manual for the bike  (you can buy/download them on Ebay pretty cheap).   Everything you describe can be caused by the kickstand switch being broken or the wire for it being an issue.

As far as the MIL, if you have the OBDII converter for the bike you can clear the code with any car OBDII code reader.   I do it all the time since I'll spin the rear tire at idle to degrease the chain.   The MIL wont cause the bike to have issues if you ride at all with it on... but you wont know if another MIL is thrown. 

[keithu]

I agree that it shouldn't be the sidestand switch if the engine cuts off while in neutral. I would suspect something in the gear position switch or clutch switch. I only have a wiring diagram for a 2015-2017 model so I don't know if this is accurate for yours, but on mine the clutch switch has B/Y (black with yellow stripe) and B/R (black with red stripe) wires. A light blue wire connects the gear position switch to the relay. I'd focus my troubleshooting on these wires first. 

[heli5]

26 minutes ago, Clegg78 said:

That sounds like what I've had with a past bike with the kick stand switch being broken/shorted/etc...    that is likely the wire at fault here.   You can trace that in the shop manual for the bike  (you can buy/download them on Ebay pretty cheap).   Everything you describe can be caused by the kickstand switch being broken or the wire for it being an issue.

As far as the MIL, if you have the OBDII converter for the bike you can clear the code with any car OBDII code reader.   I do it all the time since I'll spin the rear tire at idle to degrease the chain.   The MIL wont cause the bike to have issues if you ride at all with it on... but you wont know if another MIL is thrown. 

Thanks for that. I have ordered a OBDII convertor however after purchasing it I read somewhere that it does not work on Tracer Gt's after 2015. It remains to be seen though.

[Clegg78]

20 minutes ago, heli5 said:

Thanks for that. I have ordered a OBDII convertor however after purchasing it I read somewhere that it does not work on Tracer Gt's after 2015. It remains to be seen though.

works fine on mine! Goes from the big OBDII connector to the small 4 pin connector. 

[Heli ATP]

They won't work on year 2015.

This one will work and has the correct connector.....

 

OBD2 Tracer

[heli5]

10 hours ago, Heli ATP said:

They won't work on year 2015.

This one will work and has the correct connector.....

 

OBD2 Tracer

Thanks, that is good news. It looks the same as the one I have ordered.

4Pin to OBD2 OBDII Diagnostic Cable Adapter Fault Code Reader fit for Yamaha New

---

(4 Pin to OBD2 OBDII Diagnostic Cable Adapter fit for Yamaha. Item...

Once it arrives and I get to try it I will post my results. 

[Skidood]

"The engine would restart while the clutch was disengaged and in Neutral but  would stop as soon as as I selected a gear or let the clutch out."

So  now I'm wondering, if I went out to my 2019 Tracer and tried to start it with the sidestand down, clutch engaged, out of gear, would it start....and will it cut out as soon as I put it in gear or let the clutch out in neutral... let me check.  Should already know this but Im kinda brain dead today.

Edited June 2, 2021 by Skidood
jkkjjk

[Skidood]

OK so it started with the sidestand down and in neutral and it didnt matter if the clutch was in or out, and as soon as I put it in gear, it cut out.  So your problem cannot be the sidestand switch as you already figured. 

Edited June 2, 2021 by Skidood
jhgjhgjhjh

[skipperT]

Your symptoms are too wonky for it to just to be a switch IMHO. And based on you stating you “moved some wires” under the seat and it was fine again - I would focus on checking the “starting circuit cut-off relay” for corrosion, poor pin fit, or water in the connector. 

it’s a big ass black relay located behind the battery and held to the undertray with a rubber holder. Removing the seat bracket will help with access if you can’t get your fingers in there.

All those circuits (clutch, sidestand, neutral, etc) go through that relay.  

an obd II reader won’t fix the problem, and may not help you troubleshoot it either. You can clear the code you got when you elevated the rear wheel and ran it in gear however...

-Skip

[koth442]

Silly question, are the connections to your battery good and tight?

[peteinpa]

17 minutes ago, koth442 said:

Silly question, are the connections to your battery good and tight?

Agreed. Using a screwdriver is not enough. You need a 1/4 in. drive socket and ratchet to get it that "just a little bit more tight" for no problems.

[heli5]

42 minutes ago, peteinpa said:

Agreed. Using a screwdriver is not enough. You need a 1/4 in. drive socket and ratchet to get it that "just a little bit more tight" for no problems.

Yes strangely the mechanic I spoke to at the dealers asked me the same question - I checked and they were fine as I suspected they would be. The starter was spinning over quite healthily and all the rest of the electrics worked ok but it just wouldn't keep running, so for that reason alone I didn't expect any issues with the battery connections. As skipperT above mentioned it was the large black relay that I unplugged and replugged (although I didnt know at the time what this relay did) which seemed to cure the problem. Now that I have returned home I am going to have a close look at the connections to this relay and clean them with contact cleaner and put some electrical grease on them, which I hope will prevent a reoccurrence of the problem. 

[betoney]

16 minutes ago, heli5 said:

clean them with contact cleaner and put some electrical grease on them,

Good plan.  I am a big advocate of using electrical contact cleaner and dielectric grease. 

About a year ago I was doing some maintenance on the bike after riding through some very heavy rain storms and had the seats, body panels and tank removed, I pulled apart and put a light coating of dielectric grease in as many connectors that I could see and reach.

[heli5]

Many thanks to everyone who responded/contributed - just as a follow up, the OBD convertor cable arrived and I connected it to my car OBD reader. I was able to read and erase the code and thankfully the EML is no longer lit (happy days). I have cleaned the terminals on the large black relay and coated them with dielectric grease and all now seems to be 100%, Hopefully this now means I have avoided a trip to the Dealers!