Finally they figured out the TPS problem. DUH!

[B.D.F.]

Yes, that is an odd situation.

Funny situation but when the battery is just a tad low but still has lot's o' power left, you will get the 'low battery warning'. When the battery is dead, you will get nothing, which is displayed as "---". The low battery warning is actually generated by the controller chip in the TPS itself so the system actually requires both battery power and a working TPS sender to display the low battery warning but when the battery is dead (which is just really, really low, right?) then you will not get the warning.

But in your situation, if the TPS can be found via the KDS software / hardware but nothing is displayed on the screen, it would lead me to believe the problem is either in your KiPass ECU or in the display itself, not in the TPS sensor. Of course Kawasaki is not going to go for either one of those two very expensive items right away so you are gonna' get the sensor first, as a guess, because it is far cheaper. Please do let us know how this all turns out though.

Brian

After 2 months waiting, Kawasaki finally approved a TPS replacement on my front tire. This was accepted under my extended warranty.  TPS replaced and now doesn't work at all. Dealer stumped as they were able to register the TPS with the ECM but will not show up on the display. Situation went from bad to worse. So the dealer opened a new inquiry and waiting for instructions to follow up. Now 4 weeks later nothing from Kawasaki. Really disappointed in their response to this warranty claim. Am I the first owner with this problem?

[Tim]

My guess is temperature related. My TPS along with my bones gets a little slower when its cold outside.

[lather]

I have a TPS (front on my 08) that has a good battery but most of the time shows --- and never a Low Batt message. Typically the TPS will give a reading when I first take off from stopped for more than a few minutes but will switch to --- usually within 2 miles. It will often come back on if I due a hard launch from a stoplight and sometimes it will come on randomly but it will never stay on more than 4 or 5 miles. THe fact that it will come on when starting after being stopped for a while or on hard acceleration causes me to speculate that it has something to due with the accelerometer feature that turns the unit on only after the wheel has been turning at a certain speed and off when stopped for a certain time.

[B.D.F.]

Well that sounds like an failed TPS acceleration function (centripetal force sensor), or more likely, a bad battery connection or similar. Either way, it points to a bad TPS sensor and nothing on the bike specifically..... IMO of course.

Brian

I have a TPS (front on my 08) that has a good battery but most of the time shows --- and never a Low Batt message. Typically the TPS will give a reading when I first take off from stopped for more than a few minutes but will switch to --- usually within 2 miles. It will often come back on if I due a hard launch from a stoplight and sometimes it will come on randomly but it will never stay on more than 4 or 5 miles. THe fact that it will come on when starting after being stopped for a while or on hard acceleration causes me to speculate that it has something to due with the accelerometer feature that turns the unit on only after the wheel has been turning at a certain speed and off when stopped for a certain time.

[elektradw]

No upgrades or add ons to my bike except for a 12v lead from the battery for my Gerbing. Service Mgr. said he was able to pair the new TPS sensor to the ECM, so the battery in the sensor must be good. Could it  be a faulty replacement TPS or faulty ECM? I did mention to the serv. mgr. that this all started the day I took the bike home from the dealership after doing valves and plugs. Did a wire from the ECM to the display get kinked, broken or shorted? Strange coincidence but of course the serv mgr. disagrees. Getting to the valves requires moving a lot of wiring around and I feel something might have been pulled loose.. Anyway it's up to them to fix it right? Kawasaki can't just ignore the fact that the repair failed and leave it at that, or can they?

With 98K on my bike I'm sure they are not thrilled with this situation. However, I do a lot of touring and every time I get on the bike the first thing I do is check the tire pressure. I had a front tire leak (lag bolt puncture) on a Harley a few years back that wasn't detectable until the steering got really squirrelly and almost caused a crash, so I'm not a happy camper right now. And I just purchased and additional 3 year warranty extension which I may regret. 

In addition, the serv. mgr. said the TPS is spring loaded and the springs act against centripetal force. From what Im reading here it is an accelerometer. That lessens my confidence level if he is in deed dead wrong.

[B.D.F.]

If you have a decent warranty rep. at your dealer, you should eventually get satisfaction. Unfortunately, you still have to jump through the hoops so to speak and it will take some time and perhaps a couple of false starts.

I do not believe there are any wires anywhere that could have been mangled in any to cause your problem. The wiring between the KiPass ECU and the display electronics is actually a bus that conveys a lot of information so if those wires (CAN bus) were damaged or disconnected, other aspects of the display should be altered / lost also- such as the spedo and tach. readings.

As to the trigger, it is a solid state acceleration detector that turns the sensor on (Easy Boys, not like that!). There are no mechanical devices or springs involved. The acceleration sensor is pointed perpendicular to the axle so it senses centripetal force as the wheel turns. Your dealer may be confusing the activation mechanism with the mounting (Boys!) mechanism, which is indeed spring loaded. The sensor is not mounted (!) rigidly (!!) to the wheel but instead it rides on a shaft (!!!) under spring pressure so it is not beaten to death as the front wheel passes over bumps.

Glad to hear you have near 100k miles on a bike still under warranty! My own bike got to 98k before the time ran out. As far as your dealer and / or Kawasaki not liking it, my thought is basically 'so what'; it is they who offered the deal that we chose to take.... now let them stick to that deal. Plus we are in some pretty rarefied air I think with 100K on these bikes and IMO, I think Kawasaki should be proud to be replacing something <relatively> simple such as your TPS sensor instead of the crankshaft or transmission on a bike so well traveled!

Brian

No upgrades or add ons to my bike except for a 12v lead from the battery for my Gerbing. Service Mgr. said he was able to pair the new TPS sensor to the ECM, so the battery in the sensor must be good. Could it  be a faulty replacement TPS or faulty ECM? I did mention to the serv. mgr. that this all started the day I took the bike home from the dealership after doing valves and plugs. Did a wire from the ECM to the display get kinked, broken or shorted? Strange coincidence but of course the serv mgr. disagrees. Getting to the valves requires moving a lot of wiring around and I feel something might have been pulled loose.. Anyway it's up to them to fix it right? Kawasaki can't just ignore the fact that the repair failed and leave it at that, or can they?

With 98K on my bike I'm sure they are not thrilled with this situation. However, I do a lot of touring and every time I get on the bike the first thing I do is check the tire pressure. I had a front tire leak (lag bolt puncture) on a Harley a few years back that wasn't detectable until the steering got really squirrelly and almost caused a crash, so I'm not a happy camper right now. And I just purchased and additional 3 year warranty extension which I may regret. 

In addition, the serv. mgr. said the TPS is spring loaded and the springs act against centripetal force. From what Im reading here it is an accelerometer. That lessens my confidence level if he is in deed dead wrong.

[elektradw]

Thanks for the feedback. I am on my extended warranty as the bike is a 2011. I just purchased my 2nd extension all through the dealer recommended in this forum (great price). I am amazed at the longevity of this bike. I have only had a couple of minor problems: rear shock hydraulic preload leak, front shock seal, TPS sensor and valve cover gasket leak. Not bad for 98K. Of course there were 10 sets of tires $3500 and 20 oil changes $2000 so the mileage does have some drawbacks. But they sure have been fun miles.

[jwh20]

Service Mgr. said he was able to pair the new TPS sensor to the ECM, so the battery in the sensor must be good. Could it  be a faulty replacement TPS or faulty ECM? I did mention to the serv. mgr. that this all started the day I took the bike home from the dealership after doing valves and plugs.

I find it highly unlikely that the ECU is at fault if you are having an issue with only one TPMS module.  They both transmit data to the ECU on the same frequency (315 MHz) and if one is being picked up by the ECU the other one should also.  But it also seems quite an odd coincidence that this started only after the service but the valve and plug services don't do anything that affects the TPMS or the KiPass ECU that talks to the modules.

But you're saying the Svc. Mgr. was "pairing" the TPMS to the ECU.  So that seems to rule out coincidence.  You either have a bad TPMS module that the dealer replaced or it was not properly registered to the bike with the KDS3 system.

[elektradw]

Second TPS replaced by dealer under warranty. Same as before. They were able to pair the TPS with the the ECU but the front TPS still doesn't  show up on the dash. After 5 months this warranty item is still not fixed. Not a happy camper. How long until Kawasaki comes up with a plan B?

[MAN OF BLUES]

Second TPS replaced by dealer under warranty. Same as before. They were able to pair the TPS with the the ECU but the front TPS still doesn't  show up on the dash. After 5 months this warranty item is still not fixed. Not a happy camper. How long until Kawasaki comes up with a plan B?

Somewhere, somehow, I just know there is a "golden b-b" headed for one of my eyes...

But I'll say it anyways....


And these guys are the ones you belived in when you had you valves inspected @ 95k, and all was good, and plugs also???

Man. You are blessed.....
Best of luck.

[elektradw]

What is your point? Not the same mechanic and they are restricted to Kawasaki's instructions for warranty repair. Nothing against the dealership as their hands are tied. Only thing worse would be if it was on my dime. Please refrain from spouting your snide remarks, they are not the least bit helpful.

[jwh20]

Service Mgr. said he was able to pair the new TPS sensor to the ECM, so the battery in the sensor must be good.

Not really true.  When registering a TPMS module you need only the ID that is printed on the label of the module.  The TPMS module will not be active until the bike is under way.  The registration is a "static" process unlike the KiPass or Key Immobilizer registration which is "dynamic".

So it's quite possible that:

1) The sensor is defective and is not communicating with the KiPass ECU.  Perhaps it has a dead battery after sitting on their shelf too long or just failed on its own.  Like any electronic device, it's possible for it to fail at any time.

2) The dealer is using the WRONG ID.  The KDS3 doesn't really care what ID you put in, it just takes your word that it's the correct ID.  If you enter the wrong ID the only way to know is that the TPMS module will never communicate with the bike and you will never see a pressure from that tire.  (Sound familiar?  I think this is the problem as human error is far more likely than a module failure.)

3) Somehow the dealer got a non-USA TPMS module.  The USA version runs at 315 MHz while other versions are 400 MHz or so.  Bottom line is that they use a different frequency for communication and if it's the wrong one the KiPass ECU will never "hear" it.  The frequency should be printed on the label but even that might be wrong.  When I work on these to replace batteries I check them with a scanner radio that can tune to 315 MHz.  You can hear them "chirping" when you connect the battery and for a few minutes after.  I've not heard of this happening but I'm sure it's possible.

4) There is an issue with the KiPass ECU where it's not registering data from the 2nd TPMS module.  Easy test here.  Have the dealer SWAP the IDs in the KDS3 system between the front and rear and see if the problem with no pressure moves.  If it does then it must be #1 or #2.  If it does not, then I'd suspect a defect in the KiPass ECU.  Unlikely, but within the realm of possibility.

I find it quite difficult to believe that the dealer is registering the new TPMS module to the bike but is NOT testing it out before handing the bike back to you.  But I suppose that's one way to cut corners.  I say keep after them.  I know it's a PITA to keep having to go back but I'd insist that they test the TPMS modules on the bike before pronouncing that the thing is fixed.

[Conrad]

(quote removed by request of OP)

I posted the above link on the COG site last week in an effort to help a guy out. I was asked yesterday by a COG official to remove the link in my post as it violates COG posting rules as pertains to copyright infringement. WTF?

http://forum.cog-online.org/concours-14-zg1400-general-chat-and-tech/auxiliary-fob-issue-can't-program-it-even-with-the-code!/msg591172/#msg591172

Who here thinks that Kawasaki would have an issue with us posting such things? 

[maxtog]

Who here thinks that Kawasaki would have an issue with us posting such things?

Probably.  In this case, even though the KDS manual has zero value without having purchased something to go with it (the KDS system) it clearly says on page 5:

"• The contents of this manual must not be copied in part or in full without our permission."

It being posted to a non-Kawasaki-owned site and then links to it being dispersed is most definitely "copying" and it isn't being done with permission.  So it might not be morally wrong, but is legally wrong [IMHO].

The factory service manual, on the other hand, has lots of value on its own... it it is both morally and legally wrong [IMHO].

[gPink]

A link is not copyright infringement.

[jwh20]

A link is not copyright infringement.

IANAL but I do know that courts in the United States have held otherwise.  This has become known as "contributory copyright infringement":

https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/04-480.ZO.html

[gPink]

Thought police? If I verbally give you a link am I also in violation?

[jwh20]

Thought police? If I verbally give you a link am I also in violation?

As I said, IANAL.  Read the decision for yourself.  I'm just stating what it is.

[gPink]

IANAL either so that legalese is greek to me. I/we are not a file sharing site as they speak of in the paper. Are you not in violation by referring me to the legal web site  as you presume me to be by referring someone to a different web site? This pretty much renders the internet useless if that's the case.

[jwh20]

IANAL either so that legalese is greek to me. I/we are not a file sharing site as they speak of in the paper. Are you not in violation by referring me to the legal web site  as you presume me to be by referring someone to a different web site? This pretty much renders the internet useless if that's the case.

In this case, no it does not.  The terms of use on the LII site permit this.  From:

https://www.law.cornell.edu/lii/terms/documentation

Distribution of these pages on the Internet does not constitute consent to any use of this material for commercial redistribution either via the Internet or using some other form of hypertext distribution. Links to the collection or individual pages in it are welcome.

I have no "skin" in this game either but the operators of the ZGGTR.ORG site do.