I rang a Ducati specialist in Dublin today mototecnik they r brill for advice. Ordered a new ignition relay it my or my not be that but worth ruling out. Even better when they said €20+postage but don't worry about paying we will see you again (genuine upgraded Ducati one as well) He even told me a way to access it without having to deconstruct the whole bike. Will have a go at those fuses when I'm in there for sure. Fingers crossed that it works out.
€20.00 plus postage is an enormous sum for a relay. They are usually just a few pounds. Also, can't help being a bit sceptical about upgraded Ducati relays. Italian vehicles are not exactly known for their quality electrics, with the standard Ducati starting circuit cables being a case in point... Interested to know about the special technique for accessing the relay without having to dismantle heat shields etc. If Chris and Derek say that the pump priming precludes the relay being the problem though, best believe them because these guys know their stuff... However, no harm in replacing the relay because they are generally a troublesome item, especially in their original location.
Disclaimer, this is just my thoughts, if you do this its at your own risk. Safety first, always disconnect the battery first before working on electrics. Despite the key being off there are certain circuits that are live all the time i.e power to the clocks and parking lights. OK, I've checked the wiring diagram and the starter solenoid is energised by the ECU. The start switch just tells the ECU to run the starter motor, therefore there is no direct connection between the handlebar switch and the starter solenoid. I assume your bike has servo start i.e. you press the button once and the ECU runs the starter until the bike fires? First, I suggest you run through the high current cables: 1. Check the high current cables to the solenoid and down to the starter motor for security and corrosion. 2. On the starter motor pull back the black boot covering the connection to the starter motor and check for corrosion etc. Disconnect the terminal, give it a good clean and put it back on giving it a smear of dielectric grease. 3. Disconnect the battery terminals and give them a good clean especially on the underside that contacts the battery terminals themselves. Then reconnect and coat with dielectric grease. 4. Earth cable, check the earth connection to the engine, make sure this is clean and tight to the block, again a smear of dielectric grease after cleaning and checking. 5. Give the starter switch a good blast of WD40. If this fails take the switch off and give the terminals a good clean with fine wet and dry. Don't use Emery cloth as this has oil impregnated in it. I'm a bit skeptical about the solenoid, after the engine has fired it does nothing, still may be worth a try. If this does not make a difference I fear that your ECU has a problem, probably a dry joint somewhere that is OK when the bike is cold, but fails as the ECU gets warm. While you're at it check the flying earth lead is OK on the ECU. It should be connected to one of the mounting bolts. These are typical symptoms of a bad joint, I had the same kind of fault on a Renault Laguna, it would start fine then after it got warm it went into limp mode until it cooled down. Took the garage forever to track it down, even though I told them what it was. Good luck. P.S. excerpt from the service manual: The engine starting strategy is managed entirely by the engine control unit (4), which monitors the following inputs: - Engine Stop button (5) - Engine start button (6) - Neutral sensor (7) - Side stand sensor (8) - Clutch microswitch (9) When these inputs are combined in the required manner, the engine control unit (4) enables engine starting.
When you press the starter button and it fails to engage the starter, does everything then go dead or do the dash lights remain lit and fuel pump still whir ??
You really need access to some diagnostic kit. There are a number of free bits of kit that you can use to read the stored fault codes. Just search 'Free Diagnostic' on the forum. The codes will help in fault diagnosis. The 749/999 Achilles' heel is the crimped battery connector. Give them a good looking over for corrosion and breaks.
will check that our on Saturday when I have panels off going to replace battery as well, least then I know it isn't that. Fingers crossed.
Sounds like a similar issue I had...turned out to be the wiring into the fuel tank. Basically the potted seal in the fuel pump base flange had corroded the wires inside the pot causing the fuel pump to operate erratically. This started happening when hot, but soon after started to cut out when riding.
The OP has an intermittent starter motor, so I doubt the fuel flange wiring affects that part, though on a duke who knows.
Check battery connections where the wire is crimped. Known fault. Took DjM on here a while to find and diffivult to spot. Might be fluke that it fails when hot. A weak connection would let pump prime but not starter.
If there is a connection that is strong enough to allow the pump to prime and dash to function but too weak to pass the current draw of the starter motor, I would personally expect everything to go dead when the starter button is thumbed. I would also expect the clock to lose its time.
The way to tell would be to check the low current line from the ECU to the starter solenoid. If this is good when cold and missing when hot it definately points to the ECU being at fault.
