Anyone had issues with Kawasaki warranty?
 

I am just curious if others have had or are having issues with Kawasaki's warranty dept?

Especially on things where it is not even a matter of them blaming you for being at fault.

In my case, it's clearly a "no-fault" situation, and clearly warranty coverage needs to be authorized... but it's not happening.

Clearly something is wrong, and the factory service manual has been followed to the letter 4 times, which leads us to one part. Yet each time, Kawasaki insists it's not proof enough to authorize warranty coverage on the part... and we are supplied another excuse and another test not in the service manual, and when that tests outside the given specs, they insist the test is not being performed correctly.

It's gone on 4 weeks straight this time... round and round.

I have had 3 Kawis and so for so good, no issues with warranty. If it was deemed defect, they covered it. I have had more warranty problem with Dodge than anything else.

So, what's broken on your 450?

I figured as much.... as this is what I am told... generally no problem.

The ECU is clearly faulty...

I don't believe they are trying to screw me personally on it.
I think they are trying to avoid another recall.
So they continue to argue we have not show proof it is bad.
But everything else has been eliminated... which "is" the process provided by the factory service manual to diagnose the ECU as faulty/defective.

What does the bike do or don't do because of the possibly bad ECU?

I've owned it a year now... yes warranty expired while it has been in the shop the last month... no I will not buy the extension which costs them more money than replacing my part.

Since the beginning I have had trouble with starting, idling, and stalling problems in the lower RPM's. When I say stalling, I mean it stalls easier than a 50cc 2 stroke... and it doesn't ever bog or chug or lug down. It's just an instant stall almost like you accidentally hit the switch.

It is also metering fuel very rich... So rich that I can run a high flow intake, no air box lid, and full race exhaust and it's still rich... when it has zero ability to adjust for any of these modifications. It's just that excessively rich.

It also drains a perfectly good battery down to around 11 volts, and stops, at random, overnight. This has been being monitored and has been documented at the shop.

Recently I have had problems also with pushing the start button and nothing happens. You can check everything and it checks out good, but will not start period. Unhook the ECU and leave it unplugged a few minutes, plug it back in and it will fire right up.

And the stalling issue has progressed to the point that it is no longer just doing it when I'm trying to take off or get into the throttle. It now does this sometimes when I let off the gas, like when going into a corner (before breaks are applied and just before engine breaking starts to occur). The first couple times it happened I literally thought the engine locked up and seized... because it does it so suddenly that it goes into a compression brake slide... locks the rear tires up.

Everything else on the bike has a test procedure and every single thing has been checked 4 times now... and all of it has been eliminated as a possible cause 4 times now.

The factory service manual says when all else is eliminated, replace the ECU.

Yet the keep going in circles and not authorizing the warranty replacement... even though, like I said, it is costing them more in lost extended warranty premium than the ECU costs msrp.

I personally think it is a recall avoidance tactic.
A lot of us are affected by at least the random battery drain... which we have proven has to be caused by the ECU also when all else is good.

I may be able to help you fixing some of the problems if you are willing to do your part.


Engine Stalling
There is a choke knob on the left hand side just below your left thigh as you are sitting on the quad. The choke on this quad is acutally a fuel enrichening device but we will just call it "choke" for now.

The choke knob has total 52 "clicks" when you are turning from one end to the other end, like all the way from CW end to CCW end. Turn all the way to either end, CW or CCW. Once you reach the end, start turning opposite direction BUT YOU MUST COUNT each click and stop at 26th click. That's the baseline where you should start from when diagnosing EFI system on this quad.

Running Rich
We will set the Throttle Position Sensor to the mid-position as well as for the baseline. Disconnect the TPS connector and there are 3 pins (wires). With the engine off, measure the ohms between Light Blue wire and Brn/Blk pin of the TPS. By slightly loosening the set screw on the TPS housing that is attached on the Throttle Body, rotate the TPS as you are watching the ohm reading. Set it to 5K ohms and tighten the set screw.

Once above 2 adjustments are made, test to see if either engine stalling or running rich problem is improved or not.

Let me know what you find.

I do not mind doing my part. I've actually personally been over the whole thing myself one time... and did it all except I had no way of checking the air sensors. I don't have that sort of equipment

I am familiar with the knob.
It won't start without it.

I think mine is actually set at 26 clicks. I think I had read 22 clicks from Ron Wade. But I think 26 clicks is where I achieved 1800 RPM. I will double check though.

On the TPS it has never been out of range. I actually bought Kawi's throttle sensor setting adapter to check it with. It's been set at everywhere from 0.58v to 0.64v with no difference. I have not heard of the resistance/ohms way of setting it.

I will check it to see where it stands now.

OK... now you have my acute attention and interest....

This is the only thing I have been told in a while that has sparked any new interest for me.
It's been much of the same-old....

Now, here is the deal... status quo...

I checked it as you suggested.
I was 18 clicks clockwise.
From all the way fast (front/left) I was 18 clicks (rear/right).

I tried setting it 26 clicks clockwise.
It would not start... pulled the knob out and it fired.
It ran with a specific miss about every 3 seconds.
It would not idle at all with the knob in after warmed up.

In fact, before dying in ran/idled EXACTLY as it did last year, which made me take it in the first time. Really rough, missing, etc... but worse because it died.

While running, as I go from 18 to 26 clicks the idle gets more and more unstable, and does not make it to 26 before dying. I left it on 22 clicks as that is about as far down as I can go before the idle really deteriorates beyond what I can bear.

I have 55 clicks of adjustment on my throttle body as opposed to 52.


I unpluged the TPS and checked the current resistance.
4.15 K ohm is the current reading.

Before I go messing with my TPS adjustment though... I absolutely MUST KNOW.... where does this methodology come from??? It is nowhere in the factory service manual. So my interest is peaked!!!

All it says in the factory service manual is to check resistance.

Standard 4 ~ 6 K ohm.

* If the reading is out of range, replace the throttle body assy.
* If the reading is within range, but the problem still exists, replace the ECU.

Anyways, all else checks out on the TPS. So I would also like to know what the move from 4.15 K ohm to 5 K ohm is going to do to my TPS output voltage???

It's a pain to adjust and get set in place to the adjustment.

(I understand that increasing/decreasing the TPS output voltage will enrichen or lean the entire throttle range)

Good, finally I got your attention.

Increasing the resistance is same as increasing the voltage by ohm's law: V=IR, since the current is being constant. Increasing the ohm/voltage is telling the ECU that F/A should be richer. Adjusting ohms is same as adjusting the voltage in other words, just easier since you don't need an adapter or anything. Also, it is more accurate since the voltage value would change depending on the condition of the battery. The TPS output voltage varies with input voltage from the battery. I always use ohm adjustment since it does not factor in the battery condition.

1. Remove TPS from TB and clean the 3 pins. Also clean the harness side mating pins as well using contact cleaner.
2. Before re-installing, apply dab of di-electric grease.
3. Before plugging in the harness connector to the TPS, adjust the TPS to the center 5K ohms.
4. Set the choke knob to the center.
5. Try starting the engine.
6. If there is no improvement, change the TPS ohm to 6K ohm (max). Whenever you check/adjust, the main harness connector must be disconnected.
7. If TPS/Choke adjustment does not help, I would begin to doubt the problem source is else where. Such as air temp or water temp sensor which would also alter the F/A setting in ECU.
Good Luck.

OK.. well if it is rich at 4.15 k Ohm now... and increasing resistance is going to increase output voltage... going to 5 k Ohm is just going to make it richer than it is now.And it's going to be richer across the whole range..... right?

As far as the air sensors... the temp sensor checked out for me when I was lucky enough to have the right temp.... and both of them checked out at the dealer.

Furthermore, I can unplug my crank sensor and crank to check peak voltage... never throws a code.

I can also unplug an air sensor and run without it... no code.

The ECU won't even register a fault in the system when there is one.
And I think it is getting what it needs to meter fuel properly (input).
It is also responsible for the random battery draining.
All else is eliminated.

What do you think?