Hey fellow zx14 brothers,I have a problem with my fuel warning light. I was riding a the fuel empty warning light came on, so I rode it for about 5 miles to the next gas station. I filled it up but the fuel empty warning will not go away and the bar will flash the top half of the fuel bar and then the bottom half. I held down the mode and reset bottom on the gauge but it does not work. So if anyone could help I would appreciated it.

here is what i think is wrong...your fuel gauge is just a float like what you have in the toilet tank. The float is stuck in the low position wher it is when the fuel is LOW. The gas fill did not raise trhe float. Must be stuck.

I have never seen the top bottom bar flash but my bet that is when you are virtually out of gas. IDK why your meter is showig that, the float must have dipped to the bottom (perhaps the float became detached from the rest of the mechanism??

Seems to me a good dose of Sea Foam should clean any gas residue that may be sticking the float. Seafoam max dose is 1 ouce/gallon of gas. If that does not unstick it, something else is going on.

Never actually saw the fuel level mechanism in the 14 but the old float arm like in a toilet has been typical in cars for ever. I imagine there is something very similar in all gas tanks.

Toilets and ZX-14 gas tanks --this is a conversation Hub should get in on. chuklechuckle!

Thanks Rook, do you think it's something that i could fix on my own or do I need to take it to the dealer? It's always nice to have someone that know about these thing, and can help people like me. Thanks again. I'll surely be asking more question.

* Last updated by: p2thej81 on 5/22/2011 @ 5:21 PM *

Let it ride. It may key cycle off or it may reset on it's own. I had a faulty reset oil change light once. You step on the gas pedal a few times or you bump some buttons on the steering wheel. My point is, the reset came back on it's own. Kind of figured it might and it did. Maybe yours will do the same phantom reset on it's own giving it awhile.

You now more rely on the mileage display and keep a eye on it till that arm dislodges or the electrics catch up?

do you think it's something that i could fix on my own or do I need to take it to the dealer?

There is no reason you couldn't do a SeaFoam treatment to see if that unsticks it for you. you can let that sit in your tank and fuel system all you want. that iswhat it is for --- storage, moisture prevention, cleaning. It is a very strong cleaner. you want to measure the prescribed 1 oz Sea Foam /gallon of gas.

If the gas treatment wont do the trick, you would be in for some work. I have never taken apart the fuel tank. You may be better to go to a mech with good referals. I would prolly try to track down the trouble myself but it is going to be a mystery to solve.

* Last updated by: Rook on 5/22/2011 @ 11:45 PM *

I bet a couple rough wheelie landings will set it straight!

Either that or buy yourself a TRE, that fixes everything! lol

It works! I let it run until the gas got low and it filled it up. Three mins later the fuel was slowly building back. I want to think everyone for their help.

Good! Sounds like maybe you got a bit of goo startin in there. I'd suggest a few consecutive tanks with a fuel treatment to loosen it up some more.

Hi all,

I experienced same problem (fuel empty warning light even with full tank).

I used Seafoam twice without any luck so I removed the fuel sensor and checked
it according to the service manual. Since the resistance reading wasn't matching
the spec I ordered and installed a new fuel sensor (after checking the resistance
reading was matching the spec) and sensor gasket.
Everything was ok for few miles then again the fuel empty warning light was on again.

Does anyone have any suggestions about the reason why this problem still occurs ?

Thanks,
Marco

* Last updated by: marco on 11/27/2011 @ 4:54 PM *

Kind of weird one was out of spec, the new one was in spec, the new one did not shut down the problem. Run the trip gauge so you almost run down about 3 bars? 90 plus miles? You don't want to run low enough to expose the fuel pump and heat that up. I'm just talking a little arm drop and raise on fill up. Top it off. Take a good ride. Let the float drop and bounce so it keeps pinging the ecu so CAN COM clears. It may take a few key fobs as a clear my code?

What was the last thing you did to the bike, speedo wise or some other area. I'm trying to tie in a fuel gauge to 2 other amigos if the spec did not clear the code.

* Last updated by: Hub on 11/27/2011 @ 6:04 PM *

After installing the new sensor

1) I filled up the tank
2) I started the bike, the fuel gauge was showing all the bars
3) I rode the bike, after about 10 miles the gauge started showing again
the low fuel warning light

I am thinking something could be wrong with the connector,
the bike now seats in the garage waiting for the t-stem wrench (to be
ordered tomorrow morning) since I have to tighten the steering head, in
the meanwhile I'll check the sensor connector

Marco

....That small little mechanism on the arm there....that could be sticking.

Grn, remember he said, 'saw full bars, but after 10 minutes it went to refill.' If the float was stuck, it would be stuck on full bar or stuck on refill. 10 minutesays GAS'Did ya read the text and let it sink in you did all that for nothing?! One reason for mass is of page IS we went to a dead end. Open your book to page 16-13. See where the wire goes to the fuel pump? That says resistance draw. All of a sudden we have a new part that draws full bar? Resistance kicks in, were refill boots up?

Either fuel pump signal is pulling current, or J-box 2 has a weak resistance and needs a fresh ground? Do we wash this bike a lot?

Is this seafoam before or after the problem? Now, heading for some sort of chemical etching to the fuel pump signal. Gotta chase that ground j-box before you swap a hard part all for nothing... And you know about swapping out parts, blue.

Hi all,

1) Seafoam treatment before sensor replacement

2) The bike is not washed very often

3) Before installing the new sensor I checked the new mechanism: it was smooth through the whole resistor range,
also the resistance reading was matching the spec (ZX14 service manual)

Marco

"And you know about swapping out parts, blue."....yep...I do

".3) Before installing the new sensor I checked the new mechanism: it was smooth through the whole resistor range,
also the resistance reading was matching the spec (ZX14 service manual)".....looks like someone else here is gonna get a lesson on swapping out parts as well

BTW...that diagram was only meant to show what the deal looks like...since 'we' were having a bit of trouble actually KNOWING what kind of mechanism it is.It wasn't meant as..."this is the part you need to replace"....

To quote a famous philosopher....."There you go again".....

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 11/28/2011 @ 2:35 PM *

1. The seafoam was more, hold that thought if ground is not it. I want to see if that old float will run the same numbers as the new one. Clean it with some brake or contact cleaner. Get it zipping up and down; be gentle. See if that brought that float back to life? Floats are very bulletproof. They were used in cars way before bikes were using them. Same applies here. There has to be something taking out both units? Say, the old float comes back to life, it says chemical additive. That was your only change to the gasoline.

2. Very tricky question there. I'll ask this. If the bike was washed, but we know not often, was there a window of time, say; you washed the bike along with the seafoam? And that was the one time you washed the bike, being that close is the coincidence, or no, I only wipe down the bike with a spray mist cleaner, and no, I did not hit the dash so as to cause condensation to occur, my dash plug could use a pull off and on a few times to break any white crystallization to stop contact or have a resistance contact to drop signals?

3. Right. I just want to make sure, like Grn pointed out, we don't want to chase our tail if we have good ground integrity as it is. This makes the scenario twofold. First is a connector problem. It's not. Second is a wire not making contact, which it is. The last scenario is a failed sensor or a bad ground. For the second [installed] float to take a dump, it says, pull out the sensor and measure again. Unless you figured out a way you can tag it from the filler neck? Remove the gas cap? Either way, if the new float took a dump, it says seafoam is killing it? And to clear that tail chase >>> Is the old float still good after a cleaning?

I think 'sensor' can be ruled out as well...it IS sensing something...an empty tank.And why would it be doing that?

I have to ask this one little question.I have heard of this upper and lower 'flashing' of the display.Once.Only once.I have run my bike to the 'empty' display...it was 'flashing'..."empty" followed by a fuel pump icon.NEVER a flashing red light....or....upper or lower bars intermittantly displaying.

"I was riding a the fuel empty warning light came on, so I rode it for about 5 miles to the next gas station".

I've ridden mine at least an extra 25 miles(from the 'empty" message) before hitting a gas station....NO display going on as p2thej81 describes.

"I filled it up but the fuel empty warning will not go away and the bar will flash the top half of the fuel bar and then the bottom half."

...'the fuel empty warning light"...what's a 'fuel empty' warning light?Anyone seen this?Are you talking about a display message?Or an actual 'light'.

Okay p...check this out...Stop everything right now...all the wondering.Go out there and disconnect your battery for one minute.Reconnect.Turn on your key.NOW...what is it showing?
This description of his deal here....doesn't sound to me like it's a sensor,OR a float problem...OR a connection thing.It sounds more like....the meter(LCD) circuit is malfunctioning.He replaced the sensor....the new one is good.No change in display.He replaced the float unit.No change.He filled it up....slowly it climbed to 'full'...then,'failed' again.The sensor is 'reading' an empty...VERY EMPTY (if that's what it does on fumes)(in 5 miles?).Something else going on here...and it isn't SEAFOAM.

Has anyone ever left their bike parked where the sun can hit the LCD.What happens?It stops working.For several minutes until it cools down again.This thing of flashing on the upper deal,then lower...has anyone here ever seen that happen on their bike when the Fuel Empty display began to show?Within 5 miles of it showing?Anyone with an owner's manual....maybe find the page in there where it talks about 'fuel empty warning"...see what it says should be going on?.Something is not adding up.

P...get your meter checked.That other stuff is okay(IMO).MAYBE...there IS some corrosion behind the meter unit...where she plugs into the back of it there.Did you check that plug-in?This doesn't sound like a fuel gauge issue at all considering.

An intermittant connection problem...IDK..possibly.But I doubt it.I think his ECU has temporarily gone koo koo with the VERY EMPTY read from the sensor...and probably needs a complete reset by disconnecting that battery.

Just so I'm getting this right...you replaced the unit with a new one.You replaced the sensor with a new one.So...the ECU is going by the last known 'good' signal...which was,of course,a flashing warning on the display,yes?And it's still doing that?yes?Cut the current..reset the ecu.Turn on key...NOW see what she reads with your new parts.

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 11/29/2011 @ 1:32 AM *

Grn, think of the battery pull as a connector disconnected. You remove ground, reinstall the battery back in the loop, did that clear the disconnected connector? This is where you are at. No batt pull is going to help. Besides, the main fuse is a faster pull off. I will disable the ecu's current doing the same thing. But, this bike does not work that way. You do not need to remove battery once the key fob says I now swing the needles, oh not LKH (lookey here) I am pinging everyone back to base and did the connector say ping? So, is not the battery pull a waste, Mr. Gas'd?

Marco has to come back and show he has a good float still. There cannot be two coincidences, right? A bad float and the same dash read with new part installed? Watt are the odds? YOu two can ebay your cam and float sensors... LOL. Seafoam ya, and raise you a gallon.

Grn, pg. 16-102... See the float wire tied into the fuel pump? Think like your cam and crank buddy sharing code whacks. Interference calls, like it called out the cam, but it was the crank. It calls out the float but it ties in with the fuel pump. See the walk that ties in each other? Dash is calling the ball. Dash is good, ecu is good. Either pump wire or pump itself.

Revert back to the new float pinging off the same dash wink/steady code send. Flash is connector off. Steady? I did not design the bird, nor the pings, write a book and not enter all that is showing up like it does. Figure it out. Ever see that yellow light come on? I have no clue what that does or says with that shitty wire diagram.

No Hub...I've never seen a yellow light come on.Where is this yellow light?

"Grn, pg. 16-102... See the float wire tied into the fuel pump? Think like your cam and crank buddy sharing code whacks. Interference calls, like it called out the cam, but it was the crank".

No Hub...it was NOT the crank.It was the cam.OUT OF TIME.Cam Position Sensor....reading correctly.

P...forget what I said.Don't disconnect anything.Let 'interference' be your guide on this.You can't trust your sensors .

Just an aside here..in the NEW 14R manual....a flashing "e" and "fuel symbol" combined with a upper and lower gauge flashing denotes a wire open or short.

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 12/3/2011 @ 9:04 AM *

Hi all!

After my last post I rode the bike for home-work commute.
During these few days the fuel warning light

- sometimes worked correctly for 5-6 miles since I started the bike then went back showing the fuel empty warning
- sometimes showed the fuel empty warning since I started the bike then went back to work properly

This evening I wanted to check the connectors of the new fuel sensor; turning the ignition key the fuel empty warning
light was on (same with the engine on and off).
I tried to shake the electric wires connected to the sensor connector, nothing changed, then I unplugged
the connector and ... the fuel empty warning light was still on like when the connector was plugged!!!

I believe that either the positive or negative wire must be opened somewhere in the electrical system, perhaps
there might be a short somewhere, it must be tough to find out where the issue is located (I never touched an
electrical system on any of my motor vehicles)

Marco

Marco,

Some figure this out so quick, they have a knack for it. I'm like you. To this day I struggle with electrics. The schooling is that good part you still have on the bench. That part says, I schooled you, I warned you guys. I'd probably buy the part too, so don't feel bad. This is how you amigo the basics.

1. Part is short internally, meaning, the wire in and the wire out is broken someplace inside?
2. My connectors have to be touching each other or how can it keep following that path to the end?
3. The end game is the ground game. This is your third variable:

I think of it as a starting point are my two wires.

A. In wire: That one wire is laid to rest we call that the ground wire. Usually, those are black or green for earth.
B. Ho-Ho-Ho, Grn Jobber: This is that resistor on the ground side of that in-wire. That is you float that has a rheostat kind of drag past over the next wire, something changes. That is your resistance reading. Did the next resistance match spec?
C. Out wire: That has to be the hot side, right? Hot is red for (+) is the battery's one side, right? Ground is the other, we are done with the fun due mental moves.

You are now due an explanation. How can that part be out of spec, you install the same part, it reads the same dash blink. Explain, due tell. Take one more pulse of that patient and change the battery of that ohm meter, the other reads back in spec with the new part? HOw is that ohm meter possible to do that without changing to a new 9v or whatever the meter uses?

See how that hat trick is not happening here on my end? WATT you are saying now is... I see a phantom spike, I think it's a loose wire. It can't be another out of spec part someplace, if this [new one] is in spec. I think I saw a spike for it cleared and then it spiked out again, we are back to no joy. I have a good known part for sale, it was my ohm meter battery. Yes, the original part is within spec.

See how that black is the start wire is ground? We have more connectors needing the in/out check. Hot says, I'm throwing code. We know the fuel gauge spike says an amigo has set in. It is not that sophisticated as the ape's code. It says check front left winker, not some [winker code flashing] for all sides.

My fault I didn't check the bulb first. It was that simple, I had to unravel my modified wiring integrity for nothing. I made a solid connection and I questioned it via a ping to the dash. My [in/outs] were fine. It was the jobber that cut the flow. Close the wallet, there is no jobber problem, you read down to here.

See, it could be another jobber down the next in/out sensor flow, not the one you changed. If that part you changed did squat? Your wallet done got 'Grn'd!' Or is it, 'blue in the face?'

* Last updated by: Hub on 12/6/2011 @ 10:40 PM *