strange engine light situation (error 46)

[bikerjon]

Hi all.

I am riding an 06 FZ6 with roughly 4500 miles on it. I bought it about 3 months ago and it's been absolutely perfect to ride on. Yesterday, after a good ride in the twisties for perhaps 30-40 minutes, I grabbed lunch with the guy I was riding with. When I got back on the bike after lunch (maybe an hour later) and started riding home the check engine light came on intermittently. At first it would be on when I was moving, but when I stopped and idled it would go off. Then it was on constantly for a bit, then it turned off completely for the rest of my ride (after maybe 10 minutes). I took it back out later to check on it and the light came back on almost immediately. When turning the key on it tells me it's error 46, which I know is related to electrical issues. I was trying to troubleshoot the problem this evening. My first thought was maybe the battery is going bad, it is the stock battery and I bought it from a dealer who had it sitting for some time, then recently I was out of the country so the bike sat for a couple weeks. But I'm not sure that's the problem because the engine turns and starts quickly every time I turn it on. Also, performance while riding doesn't seem to be affected.

So, while looking for problems, I noticed my right turn signal (they are inline signals which were custom done before I bought the bike) was burnt out. After playing with the wiring, it turns out it is a short (ie I can move the wire around and get the light to come on and off). I am curious if that could be the basis of my problem with the engine light being on. While in the garage, I also noticed, pulling on the throttle would make my headlight go brighter (something I wouldn't notice while riding, but because I was in the garage with the light against a wall I noticed it). I am open to ideas and wanted to check here before I take it to the shop to get it looked at. Like I said above, everything seems to be running well, there are no strange sounds, the engine starts right up, the oil is good, fluids are full,etc.

I'd also be interested in opinions on whether or not I should be riding around town with that light staring me in the face.

Thanks for reading this long post!

 

[Ridgeback]

Fault Code: 46
Diagnostic Code: --
Symptom: Power supply to the FI system is not normal.
Probable cause of malfunction:
Malfunction in "CHARGING SYSTEM".

Check the positive/negatives aren't loose

 

[Shamus McFeeley]

While in the garage, I also noticed, pulling on the throttle would make my headlight go brighter (something I wouldn't notice while riding, but because I was in the garage with the light against a wall I noticed it).

That is a good thing, it means your reg/rec is working the way it's suppose to.

I would normally have said you have a battery problem, but in this case you mentioned that the signal lights were "custom". That is a dangerous word, usually means "hacked", "cobbled" or "rigged". With your intermittent engine light, it would sound like you have a loose wire just like you mentioned. Either the battery terminal is loose, or those custom turn signal lights are causing the problem. It depends on how the previous owner decided to run the wires.

 

[Andz]

It is error 46 for a reason... :spank:

The bike is telling you: "you have ridden me nicely for long enough now, ride me like ROSSI would!"

 

[bikerjon]

Thanks for the ideas. My guess is that you're right about it being related to the signal shorting out. I'm pretty certain my battery terminals are good (I checked them and they are tight on the battery, no corrosion or anything). I'll look into the wiring and the signals themselves and try to narrow down the problem.