Check engine light!

[rogueleader_92]

I dont onow when it came on but it couldn't have been on long, 1-2 minutes tops, I hit the hazard lights, pulled over immediately, hit the engine kill and sat there for a second.

When I flipped the kill switch back the light turned off so I restarted the bike. She sounded fine, receding smooth, the heat and oil lights never came in when it was running.

It was about 90' out, I was at the top of a canyon coming down, following a cage that was riding the breaks so I had put it in a lower gear and was letting the engine keep the speed down minimizing my breaking.

I rode for another hour through the canyon with no issues. I was able to stop using the engine to slow down because the road had cleared considerably.

My 3 uneducated guesses are that it was either the sever drop in elecation and the comp was having trouble keeping the air fuel mixture right, it didn't like the engine breaking or the dam engine kill switch is starting to spaz.

Any help?

[Robert]

The check engine light is really only there for emissions purposes and not overheat or that kind of thing unless you are polluting when your doing it.

  If after you turned the engine on and started it and it didn't stay on, it was a soft fault, meaning maybe a mixture problem maybe just a glitch. If you start it and it stays on then, shut it back off, turn the key on but dont start it. Look at the check engine light and count the flashes. The number of times the light flashes is the code for the engine that triggered the check engine light. It is like Morse code and has long and short flashes. Long ones are the tens short are the ones.

 If you dont have the codes, I do, and you can report back here and be more than happy to give you the code. You can also look on line because the Goldwing should be pretty much the same thing.

Just as a guess since you were deaccel for so long it may be a 02 sensor fault in not seeing any activity from them. These bikes are so good that it makes you jump when something like this happens

[rogueleader_92]

I was wondering if it was a air fuel mix problem (o2 sensor would count) I rode her another 45 min to home and again no problems. Guess engine breaking on this bike is a no no.

[Robert]

It was probably so lean that the 02 sensor didn't react properly but that doesn't mean you cant use the engine to brake though.

[bscrive]

The same thing happened to my cousin on his Goldwing a number of years ago.  It was when we were descending from Mount Washington.  We also figured that it was the elevation change.

[Firefighter]

Never had a check engine light problem on my 2000 IS !!

[Robert]

Never had a check engine light problem on my 2000 IS !!

Yup because there isn't one. Kind of nice to have a bit of help to keep the machine running. But as much as you are on the tech board you more than likely already know this. Maybe you should think about getting a 2014 so that way you could have the upgrade to a check engine light and not have all the problems you help out with there. BTW did you ever find the starter relay for your bike?

[havoc]

i engine brake tons on my 2014 Valk. It has over 13,000km on it and so far no issues. the temperature here doesn't get too hot, but lots of elevation changes when i ride to the mountains. I'm using Shell V-Power Nitro+ Premium gasoline (92 octane, alcohol free). Oil changes every 6,000km as recommended by Honda.

[Firefighter]

Yup, my old bike don't have a check engine light.

Rogue, I agree with the others as I wouldn't worry at all. The check engine lights indicate a sensor is out of range, and you can usually continue for ever if you want to. The light can come on with a overheat light for example but you would see this and know to stop.

Hopefully a Honda repair manual will give you all the answers. If the light goes back off and stays off there probably is no problem at all, the sensor is back in range and all is well. If the light comes on again and again then you should investigate like others said. Best of luck!!