DRZ400 digital speedo not working properly

[mazz1972]

Hubby has a 2001 (I think) DRZ400 with a digital speedo thingy which isn't working properly. The speedo does work, and the odometer showing total km's also works but the trip meters wont reset. Naively I suggested the reset button might be stuffed but there's more than one button not working. He finds it bloody annoying when doing an adventure ride.

We suspect it got this way through getting wet, as we all know water and electronic bits don't always feel the love for each other. Hubby can't stand his steed being the slightest bit dirty, so when it was used solely for offroad, it was blasted very regularly, and has swum not so graciously in more than one river.

Would be easier to get a new speedo thingy but hubby was quoted a helluva price to get a proper Suzi one and we'd rather keep the odometer honest instead of replacing it with an aftermarket jobbie.

Does anyone have any suggestions of where we could get this looked at in Welly/Hutt/Porirua/Kapiti/Horowhenua?

Cheers

[inlinefour]

Ive started waterblasting mine and the other day the speedo started flashing all the screen at the same time. I pulled over and turned the bike off and when I restarted the problem had stopped. Might need to take the dash off and make it waterproof?

[merv]

Best you don't use the water blasters on your dirt bikes - too harsh. I'm just an ordinary hose nozzle guy myself and save my water blaster for other things.

How about trying putting your speedo in the oven at only say 50 deg (you got a low warm setting on your oven?) and leave it for ages and see if it dries it out. Don't bake it too hot though eh!

[inlinefour]

Best you don't use the water blasters on your dirt bikes - too harsh. I'm just an ordinary hose nozzle guy myself and save my water blaster for other things.

How about trying putting your speedo in the oven at only say 50 deg (you got a low warm setting on your oven?) and leave it for ages and see if it dries it out. Don't bake it too hot though eh!

Have got the multi pressure nozzle on the waterblaster. Wil have to tone it down when I clean the bike eh...

[paturoa]

an alternative is to do away with the original and fit one for bicycles.

[mazz1972]

Thanks for your comments. From memory I think it happened after a dip in the river, rather than when being waterblasted, but who knows. It actually happened about a year ago, so is long dried out. Back then it was only used off road, now it's used mostly for on road so is only now a problem. Possibly some corrosion happening in there, which is why we need to find someone to look at it who actually has a clue what they are doing.

As for the waterblaster, we've always used it (always been dirt riders up till now) to clean our bikes/quads. The blaster isn't a strong one, and we are careful.

[mazz1972]

Ive started waterblasting mine and the other day the speedo started flashing all the screen at the same time. I pulled over and turned the bike off and when I restarted the problem had stopped. Might need to take the dash off and make it waterproof?

Yeah be bloody careful from now on. I could be a bit out here but I think hubby was quoted something like $1500 for a new Suzi one....nearly died of fright

[merv]

My 250 had a similar unit on it and I never had any problems with it. I was hoping you meant it had just happened hence the comment to dry it out because many of the analogue speedos I've had would get misty inside the top glass after seriously wet trail riding, river dunking etc and a bit of the drying treatment cleared them up.

[imdying]

Some of the tracks on the PCB may be looking a bit sad, corrosion etc built up on them, maybe sedimentary deposits from the water. These may be causing a short. It may function correctly it you dismantle it, and clean the PCBs off (you can get PCB cleaner from a Dick Smiths). Of course, you run the risk of it not functioning at all if you bugger something, which is admittedly hard to do. Any decent auto electrician, perferably one that specialises in EFI computers, would be able to do this for you. Probably take them about an hour, so the cost would be modest (assuming you took only the dash to them, and not the whole bike).

[notme]

If you don't find any other avenues to explore, feel free to send the unit to me (PM me). I have an entire electronics service department at my disposal, with all the right chemicals, tools, and experience to fix him if he can be fixed!

[mazz1972]

Some of the tracks on the PCB may be looking a bit sad, corrosion etc built up on them, maybe sedimentary deposits from the water. These may be causing a short. It may function correctly it you dismantle it, and clean the PCBs off (you can get PCB cleaner from a Dick Smiths). Of course, you run the risk of it not functioning at all if you bugger something, which is admittedly hard to do. Any decent auto electrician, perferably one that specialises in EFI computers, would be able to do this for you. Probably take them about an hour, so the cost would be modest (assuming you took only the dash to them, and not the whole bike).

Hey thanks for that, there is an auto electrician next to my work so I will go and chat to him about it.

Also Allun cheers, will get in contact if we can't fix it locally.