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Old 05-11-2020, 05:21 PM
Mikie1 Mikie1 is offline
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Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 7
Default 2018 300EC ECM Re-flash? Soliciting advice...

I've read dozens of posts and hundreds of responses... Haven't found any way to see if the ECM has been re-flashed on my bike. So, sorry in advance for the long read here.

Background: Bike was first ridden in the 2018 Chile ISDE. This is what I'd guess is a very early production 2018 model. I say early production because it doesn't have the chain adjustment marks on the swingarm- which was said to have been an issue on the first batch of bikes produced in '18.

According to the race team manager, it was shipped straight from the factory to Chile, and all dialed in prior to riding the bike. Jetting, head, Rekluse clutch cover, disk guards, skid plate, FMF gnarly pipe, 240 amp Antigravity battery, upgraded wiring, suspension revalved, etc. The bike was raced (gold medal) and brought to the States, cleaned up, and stored until I bought it in May last year, with 34 hours on the meter.

When I first brought the bike home, it would start seemingly before I even had the green start button pushed all the way in. The battery spun the motor over faster than it idled, it seemed. The bike ran beautifully, but at about 50 hours I started having charging and starting issues. Somehow the "modulo diodo" went missing, and the battery got zero charge while the bike was running. After replacing the missing diode module I had to top off the battery before every ride. Even with a topped off battery I'd have to kickstart in the morning, and the bike would RARELY start in gear, even though the engine seemed to be cranking over just fine.

So, before a ride last Thursday, I topped off the battery, as usual. But the battery never took a full charge, using a good quality charger on lithium mode. So I kick-started all day. Once home, I tried again to top off the battery. It would take a charge with the charger set to "Cold/ AGM" (max 3.5 amp charge), but only turn the motor over one or two revolutions, then stop- voltage immediately drained to 10.8. Even with everything disconnected from the battery and not touching it after charging to 14.2, voltage dropped to about 10 within an hour. Running (after kickstarting) at idle, voltage is a tad under 12, and revved up is only about 13.5.

After reading til my eyes have bled, I still can't find a way to verify what's going on with my bike. And I'd really like to know why the bike won't fire with the e-start, even though it seems to be cranking over plenty fast. It kick-starts VERY easily. Seems like ANY drain on the voltage while the starter is engaged prevents the ECM from issuing a "fire" command for spark. Is there some voltage threshold the ECM needs to "see" while the starter is engaged? Could the re-flash have been to lower (or eliminate) that threshold? If so, I think mine didn't get "flashed".

I've ordered a new ATZ7-8, 240-amp battery, which I'm sure will alleviate the problem-- but probably only temporarily. My guess is that the higher amperage and capacity of the 8-cell battery will overcome the voltage threshold in the ECM-- for a while. The Antigravity rep says that battery needs 13.5- 14.5 volts. I'm considering canning the stock regulator/ rectifier and using a TrailTech RR-150, with adjustable voltage output and adjustable timed accessory output. I have this setup on a Honda CRF450x with a high-output stator, converted to all DC, and running a lithium battery that's been going working great for three years. There's no "modulo diodo" on the 450x, so not sure how (or if) I need to bypass that on the Gasser.

So, all advice and/or suggestions for remedies are welcomed-- especially info regarding what exactly the ECM re-flash was supposed to do, and how to verify whether it was done to mine. Thanks for reading all that!
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