When the unit is started and the shift buttons depressed, no shift is noted. Manually shifting with the emergency shifter, the instrument cluster will read R, N,1, and 5. When in 2,3,4 the dash reads --. The gear position switch on these units only read R N L and 5. Handlebarshift switch has continuity at the connector under the tank, lower right. Also from there to the ECU. Angle sensor and speed sensor are new. Tried an ECU from a known good unit, same result. All fuses and relays in the shift circuit are good. Shift motor will work when jumped directly with battery voltage in both directions. No voltage at the shift motor connector when tested. BU/Y lead wire from ignition pulser to ECU and to ICM check good. Power ia everywhere it should be, except to the shift control motor when the shift switches are depressed.
My customer bought a new unit and I bought this one.
I have not been stumped on an electric shift unit since they came out. Figure this one is like breaking a wild horse... hehehe once it is broke in it will be a good one. Well it is broke good.
Thoughts on what is wrong with it ?

----- Gimp -----

 

how about another switch in the circuit? like the ignition switch or kill switch? are 450s suppose to change gears with either interrupted? this is just a guess...

 

I had a XR600 years ago with no fire, after many hour of searching I found the wire from the pulse generator was broken into inside the unbroken covering. I would start at the shift solenoid and tract backwards checking continuity to check for broken wires.

 

I started to trace wires out from the ECU back to all the conectors of components today. Never finished.
Most of the time when these older units ( pre 2002 ) have shown me the -- on the gearshift display in the past, the speed sensor has been bad. Normally the shifting works after the key is cycled off and back on after manually shifting back into neutral. Then they will not act up until in 2nd or 3rd gear running down a road, shifting when next to the rev limiter. The shifting weards out and needs to be reset. I tried a new speed sensor, no shift in any gear. Like I said before the gear position sensor specs OK also. There has to be a broken wire somewhere.
I need it to push my HOT ROD next weekend

----- Gimp -----

 

Boy these older ES models sure are a pain to work on. You state that there is no power going to the shfit motor, I use a old tun singal and connect to the harness side and it should blink when pussed the shfit buttons, if not then something in harness or connector is bad.

Now the shft motor does not get 12 volts when it's shifting. So you may have a bad shift motor.

Clutch adjustment is the biggiest key to these ES models for them to work right and if you plow alot of snow or take it in the mud alot, then you need to adjust it more offten.

 

Well. I brought it home last night. I started from scratch. With my Blue point meter, I went in and started checking things. All fuzes were good, main relay functioned properly. Battery voltage at the red yellow 5 pin leading into the ECU was spot on, as well as the black green. Speed sensor and angle sensor also. Checked the pulse generator line line into the ECU also, good. Shift switch power, up and down were perfect. Shift motor spins like new when directly applied voltage from a known good battery. Basically, the essentials are there for the ECU to perform as designed. I quit testing continuity from the sources into the ECU at around 4 AM this morning. I grabbed my test ECU out of my tool chest at work and was going to clip it to the harness, in a bit, just to make sure I am not fighting a failure there. This test ECU was bad, when warranty time expired for us to hold onto it, I needed a test ECU, grabbed it out of the pile destined for trash, banged it hard 3 times on my bench and it has not let me down as a test unit to date.
I picked up this 450, knowing their good track record for reliability, but have never had this bad of a time getting one to shift. Kinda of wish it was a 2002 or newer so I had diagnostic mode to help out on this tough problem. Never had one this plagued before, ... never in 20 years with Honda

----- Gimp -----

 

Have you sence made a turn singal tool to see if there is a singal going to the shift motor. I have seen some shift motors get weak too, where they just cann't shift, remeber they don't get 12 volts.

When you tested your shift buttons what was the reading you got?

If you have acess to another meter you may want to try that, it shouldn't cause this problem but stranger things have happened.

 

Yes, I have a test unit off the tront of a V45 shadow made up. I never got to it last night, nodded off with the remote in hand... hehehe
I did try another handlebar shift switch yesteryday at noon hour, known good. Same results.
Since the ECU feeds the 2nd 3rd and 4th signal to the meter, I was wondering the same. Seen stranger things happen. If the ECU does not cure the problem, I have a meter off a Canadian model to try.
While testing the shift motor, I showed a 12 amp draw. figured this was fine as it is protected by a 30 amp fuse.
Note: I can make it shift while jumping the 3 pin connector where the shift switch plugs into.

When I get out of my church cloths, the test ECU is going to be plugged in.

Thanks for the help Mike

----- Gimp -----

 

well if you can make it shift by jumping those wires I wouild say that your shift buttons are bad, should show when testing 0.000 ohms while pressing button and open when not, still rember that the shift motor does not get 12volts even though the manual shows testing it with a battery.

 

Yes, operates off 5 volts. The shift switches are good (up and down) ECU did not cure the problem. I have my laptop in my shop at home. I have all power required going into the ECU. No signal coming out. To the shift switch wires at the ECU. Every wire to everything has continuity from the ECU to its perspective switch and sensor. The only wires I have not checked are the 2 main green ground wires to the chassis coming off the main wire harness. Just to make sure, I disassembled the shift motor to test the armeture and brushes. Hoping I would find a flooded motor or something.... no problem found. Eather it is one of these main green ground wires or in the meter.

----- Gregg -----