Problems with Audio System

Last night when I left work the audio system on the bike decided to act up. When I started the bike nothing would come up in the display window of the control unit. The backlight came on and I could still hear the radio playing on the station I had listened to that morning, but none of the buttons, including the volume know would work.

After riding several miles the display began to flicker in and out. When the display was on the buttons would work, but you had to press them at just the right time before the display went dead again.

By the time I got home the display was back on steady and all seem fully functional. although I did not have anyone to tt on the CB.

Has anyone elese experienced this? Should I go looking for loose connections, and if so where to start? Or, shoudl I just take it in to the dealer since it is still under warranty a little longer?

Thanks for the advice!

I would say it is a Loose connection.

I would start by splitting the fairing and when standing in front of bike, looking aft, on your left hand side of cassette player you will see several large connectors grouped together.

Carefully, pull one connector apart at a time, inspect, and then apply some dielectric grease on the female part of the connector and then re-mate the connector, DO next connector and so on until all have been taken apart and had the dielectric grease applied.

This should take care of your problem.

Also under neath the rear passenger seat is another connector that you could apply the dielectric grease to also.

Note: You can pick up dielectric grease at any local auto store for about 3 bucks

Sample of dielectric grease shown at this link

electrical http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/show_product.do?pid=8196

Yup - what Eck said. However, there have been a handful of people that have had similar behaviors and the radio unit itself (main unit inside fairing) and/or the radio controller head (on handlebars) were the culprate as well. So, if you find that everything is nice, clean and tight inside and have repeated symptoms, get in to that dealer to get those parts replaced under warranty because they are NOT CHEAP.

Also, when you get in their to check the connectors, it is a good idea to go ahead and spray some QD electrical cleaner (or something similar), disconnect and reconnect the connectors 5-10 times or so (to help clean off any corrosion/build up) then blow out with compressed air and apply a little dielectric grease. Some will say to use a lot of that stuff, but I would caution you to be a little conservative with the application of the grease. You want enough to keep moisture out but not so much that it completely fills the connection holes and oozes out the sides since the dielectric grease itself is, effectively, an insulator you can actually limit your connectivity if you use too much of it. With that said, if you use too much (so that something doesn't work) you will not harm anything - all you need to do is open it back up and clean some of it out, no big deal.

Hopefully you have a connector that just worked itself loose and you don't have to get anything replaced.

very common problem with these bikes.......dielectric grease usually takes care of it...

I just bought an '09 Venture in Florida and on the ride back to NH the audio system locked up. It would go from nothing working to only the CD changer. The display would go on/off and then controls would lock. I could not get the radio to work at all. Now I have one radio station but nothing else works and the display fades on/out.

I think I will try the grease.........

Any other input would be very helpful.

I just bought an '09 Venture in Florida and on the ride back to NH the audio system locked up. It would go from nothing working to only the CD changer. The display would go on/off and then controls would lock. I could not get the radio to work at all. Now I have one radio station but nothing else works and the display fades on/out.

 

I think I will try the grease.........

 

Any other input would be very helpful.

Cleaning the contacts would be very helpful, but seeing as dielectric grease is waht it is, it's not supposed to conduct electricity. For this reason it is advisable to clean the contacts, put them together and if you do want to use the grease, smear it on the outside of the connectors to keep the water out.

I would say it is a Loose connection.

 

I would start by splitting the fairing and when standing in front of bike, looking aft, on your left hand side of cassette player you will see several large connectors grouped together.

 

Carefully, pull one connector apart at a time, inspect, and then apply some dielectric grease on the female part of the connector and then re-mate the connector, DO next connector and so on until all have been taken apart and had the dielectric grease applied.

This should take care of your problem.

Also under neath the rear passenger seat is another connector that you could apply the dielectric grease to also.

 

Note: You can pick up dielectric grease at any local auto store for about 3 bucks

 

 

Sample of dielectric grease shown at this link

electrical http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/show_product.do?pid=8196

What the heck is AFT???

AFT= reward, rear end of a ship or aircraft The port and starboard thing messes me up, but a Navy friend explained that to me as Port has 4 letters and so does left so now I'm good to go.