My brothers 14 PC 5 is really messing things up when he tries to start the bike..as in the bike will not start. He tracked down the problem to the starter motor causing power fluctuations on start up..so that the PC5 does not get the juice it needs and fails..or sends crazy messages to the ECU?? It never did this prior. Any idea what the solution is and if anyone else has had this issue.
He's about to go nuts. Everything works fine if he supplies power to the commander from an external source. Its a voltage issue it seems.
Thanks in advance for any help.

"the starter motor causing power fluctuations on start up"...okay...there's your problem?.Pics Painter...I wanna see pics of yer new paint job...it looks REALLY good!

"My brothers 14 PC 5 is really messing things up "....well...if he tracked it down to the starter motor...how does the PCv fit into this.Seems it should be the other way around....PCV being fine...starter motor causing the problem with the ignition or whatever.Take out the PCv and see what happens.

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 7/12/2012 @ 6:15 PM *

Looks like something is screwed maybe with the relays?? When he hits the starter motor after the bike is going, it blacks out the lights. He is going completely nuts.
He had those projector lights in the bike ..Maybe that screwed things up ..
I will try and post you some other shots of the paint job. Had fun doing it-but it took forever to work out what would work. The multiple crazy collection of angles and curves on the bike really make it a nightmare to paint properly ..its very easy to get it wrong.
g

* Last updated by: painterdude on 7/12/2012 @ 7:21 PM *

The projector lights are factory.You mean...HID's?I still say...remove that PCV and go from there.I gotta ask...WHY is he engaging the starter after the bike is running?NO NO NO NO ?????????

"it blacks out the lights"...well,yeah.....it ought to.He's gonna burn somethin up he keeps hittin that starter when she's runnin.Just my .He may have already....

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 7/12/2012 @ 7:32 PM *

Ya i meant HIDs..sorry.
K seems the issue is more than I have said ..He has an ignition module as well..It is that that seems to be struttering and causing misfires on start up only ..after that evberything is fine. He pulled his HIDs to no avail. The Ignition module is still being hit on start up with fluctuating operation..
he pulled teh ignition module and thinsg are working fine ..but he really would like to use the module ..as he did all last year. What broke he does not know ..I am wondering if its the ignition module itself ..and it there is any way of testing it ..

"he pulled teh ignition module and thinsg are working fine"..okay...there it is then.

Okay...now that makes sense now....he should get on the Dynojet site....if it's a dynojet module...and see in their PDF's if they have a way of resetting that module...that may be all he needs.I know you CAN reset the Powercommander....the instructions are on their site.If his grounds are doing fine with his lamps....then that should eliminate any issue concerning electrics and headlamps.You've definitely narrowed it down now to the module.Go with that deal...see if it's working right before you start tearing into your harnesses or something.That's my advice.That and STOP HITTING THE STARTER BUTTON WHILE SHE"S RUNNING!!!!!!!!!!!LOL!

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 7/12/2012 @ 9:01 PM *

apologize for the less than accurate flow of what I relayed was the problem..but my brother was giving me mixed messages.
Anyways ..ya it may be a reset issue, but then again since everything runs fine when powered by an external source it still leaves a question. He has simply stripped out the ignition module at this point as it was the only thing failing to work properly ..and is giving up on any other other fix.
We are going on a 7K run so I hope his 14 runs okay.
Thanks for the interchange
g

"but then again since everything runs fine when powered by an external source it still leaves a question. He has simply stripped out the ignition module at this point as it was the only thing failing to work properly ..and is giving up".

For nowLOL!!Try the website reset instructions.It's there.

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 7/13/2012 @ 9:55 AM *

A couple of other suggestions of possible problems:
Is the battery fine? If the battery is near the end of its life the voltage could be too low to power both the module and the starter at the same time, try using another battery (some people will warn you about using a car battery will toast the regulator/rectifier)

Are the battery terminals tight? If they are loose that could also cause significant voltage drops, espicailly with high current loads like the starter and could cause this problem (do NOT excessively tighten the terminals)

Is the starter strong or does it sound like its stuttering as well?

The head lights "should" go out when your cranking the engine, this is usually either caused by a drop in voltage from the battery due to the starter or the design of the ignition switch (a relay cuts power to the headlights to provide maximum power to the starter), I honestly don't know the particulars of the ZX14's wiring

Go to the downloads page on the power commander website and update the firmware in the PCV.... if you need assistance, just call their tech line, and someone will walk you through the procedure.

They have had some firmware issues that are easily corrected.

Ivan

BTW: Ivan I know you're a business man etc but we do appreciate you being here and telling us about your products and services.

I have more questions and will give you a call soon.