Rocket running poorly, suggestions welcomed

[scot in exile]

No where near lol

We are about the same distance from Miami

 

[Old N' Grumpy]

@tribal If you need a Triumph dealer only one left that I know of is Two Wheels World in Pompano Beach (burb of Ft laud).

840 S Andrews Ave, Pompano Beach, FL 33069

(954) 788-9550

If you want a non-dealer PM me with your phone number and I will try to help you out with repairs or anything else you might need.

 

[tribal]

@tribal If you need a Triumph dealer only one left that I know of is Two Wheels World in Pompano Beach (burb of Ft laud).

840 S Andrews Ave, Pompano Beach, FL 33069

(954) 788-9550

If you want a non-dealer PM me with your phone number and I will try to help you out with repairs or anything else you might need.

OK, thanks. I’m 70 miles from them. If it were a straight shot I’d probably be able to make it but stop-and-go will kill me.

the bike was running perfectly for the past 3 weeks of this trip aside from the battery bolts loosening once in awhile with big bumps.

I’ll check the coils but will have to find a tool store to pull plugs as I didn’t bring my plug socket and extension.

my spare TPS is sitting next to my spare clutch cable 1400 miles north of me. LoL

I also didn’t bring.my ECU diag cable or laptop

Thanks for the pointers.

 

[Mad Dog]

Ok, you’ve been having battery connection problems awhile. Loctite will not conduct electricity well so it ain’t helping. Have you tried a lock washer?

Question to the group, will the bike run without a battery?

The alternator should be putting out 13-15v @ 2000 rpm according to the manual. Seems to me if you’re running on the highway above 2000 you should be making enough juice to power the engine and lights and charge the battery, otherwise the battery would eventually run dead.
The exception would be if you had a bad battery with a dead cell or partial short leaching power.

An auto parts store can test your battery. A cheap voltmeter can be had for 20-30 bucks probly at that store to tell you if your alternator or voltage regulator is bad. The manual pages with the tests are attached to this post

It’s also hard to ignore @phar2slo with similar symptoms caused by loose coil connections.

You’re on the road with limited tools, Occam’s razor applies, I think cover the simple stuff first. How does you air filter look? What about fuel filter? Fuel pump? What’s an easy way to check those items guys? @Claviger , @warp9.9 ,@Speedy , @R-III-R Turbo help out a brother on the road!

 

[tribal]

Ok, you’ve been having battery connection problems awhile. Loctite will not conduct electricity well so it ain’t helping. Have you tried a lock washer?

QUOTE]

Howdy.
I had too much crap connected and couldn’t get a lock washer to fit with the stock battery bolt.

The very first thing I’ll do is get some sand paper and clean all the Locktite off
and get everything shined up and reassemble it as that is the only thing I did today that could have caused it.

I thought about it over my sushi dinner and some of the behavior was similar to lose terminals.

Or, it could just be a coincidence.

I can rev it in neutral and it seemed fine but maybe the TPS has loosened up.

“****it Jim, I’m a Computer Engineer and Mechanical Engineer NOT an Electrical Engineer!!!!”

 

[warp9.9]

 

[Claviger]

I suggest don't touch the TPS without TuneECU, there's no way to guess the right position for most people, while it can be done by throttle response "intuitively" it's very finicky doing so.

The problem does sound like coils, TPS, or ground problem.

Remember the universal electrical truth:
All faults are ground faults until proven otherwise.

Check the main ground point under the bike, near the starter.
Check the battery ground connection.
Coil connectors will eliminate their grounds.
While the tank is up, make sure all the connections are fully seated.

If it is your TPS, I'm afraid there's no easy temporary fix.

No engine light on?

There are few other things that could cause your description, do you still have secondary throttle plates installed? What air filters on, I cannot recall?

 

[tribal]

I suggest don't touch the TPS without TuneECU, there's no way to guess the right position for most people, while it can be done by throttle response "intuitively" it's very finicky doing so.

The problem does sound like coils, TPS, or ground problem.

Remember the universal electrical truth:
All faults are ground faults until proven otherwise.

Check the main ground point under the bike, near the starter.
Check the battery ground connection.
Coil connectors will eliminate their grounds.
While the tank is up, make sure all the connections are fully seated.

If it is your TPS, I'm afraid there's no easy temporary fix.

No engine light on?

There are few other things that could cause your description, do you still have secondary throttle plates installed? What air filters on, I cannot recall?

I have the taller 6” tapered K&Ns that replaced shorter K&Ns a few weeks before this trip.

They look clean but if other things don’t work I could take them off and see if it makes a difference.

Secondary plates are long gone.

No engine, oil or temp lights came on.

Would misadjusted TPS work OK in neutral but not in gear? Reving in idle seemed fine so I didn’t consider it and don’t have TuneECU capability To check it.

Thanks for the diagrams Mr Dog.

one of the relays IS the fan so maybe I loosened it or pinched it when I moved the radiator bottle while filling it.
I’ll definitely check that in the am.

There is an O’Reillys and Autozone 1/2 mile away so I can buy some wrenches if needed.

And at least I’m only an hour away from a dealer if it comes to towing to a true mechanic with a diag tool.

Much better here than at Big Bend Tx.

I guess you’ve all figured out where I was heading for my unplanned “Part C” trip extension. Still hoping to make it.

 

[tribal]

One more thing.

I did use my Throttlemeister locker a bit more today as my arm was sore.

Maybe I messed up the throttle cable? That could throw off the TPS.

Its been on for years but I don’t use it much. The cable is probably 10 years old.

 

[Claviger]

Ok so if it is the TPS, often they fail in only one specific, tiny point of the rotation. For example, 1-2% range will fail, giving a jumpy inconsistent signal, but if you open the throttle more the bike will run just fine. This is exactly how mine failed.

Try the coil connectors, they are an easy thing to check/fix and might solve your problem. Just pull each one off one at a time, tighten the spade a little with a plier, and slip back on.

No secondaries is good, eliminates them malfunctioning and staying closed as a possibility.

No engine light is good.

Check your coolant. Set the bike upright, not on the side stand and pull the radiator cap off the radiator not the overflow tank. Fill at the radiator, not the overflow, unlike our cars, the overflow isn't a reservoir, it's an overflow.

I doubt that's your issue though.

Radiator Fan, is it always on no matter what?

If it's not the coils, I suspect TPS or engine coolant temp sensor, though, the temp sensor should be throwing a fault, either the engine light or the overtemp light.