2007 M8 - No Spark / Dealer Stumped

[MN_FarmBoy]

Sled specs:

2007 M8 162" / stock / 2,400 miles

Been a good sled - besides regular maintenance, only things I have done are changed the clutch weights and put on two belts since buying the sled with 300 miles on it.

Issue:

A couple of friends started our first of three days in the Snowies on Friday. About 10 miles down the trail that morning, doing about 40 mph, tried accelerating up a little hill on the trail, sled bogged, looked down at my gauge, saw about 6,000 rpm, and then the sled quickly slowed and died. I saw the check engine light flash twice before the power completely went away. I am not sure if I missed it flashing prior to the two times that I saw.

Pulled spark plugs and didn't see any spark on either side. When pulling the sled over the headlight didn't come on and the wrench light blinks once on the dash. We couldn't figure out the problem on the trail, so we towed in back to our lodge. Checked the kill switch, key, unplugged and tested all the wires underneath by the recoil per the specs provided by dealer in Rawlins, two grounds, fuse, stator, ECU - everything seemed to read correctly.

Friday afternoon took it to the dealer in Rawlins - they went back and double checked everything that we did. Same results. Finally noticed a slightly burnt wire coming from the chassis control box (voltage regulator) up by the ECU. Dealer didn't have a new one, but pulled one off of an '07 Crossfire 800 on the showroom floor. Sled fired right up on first pull - shut it off right away because we didn't have the pipe or anything on it. Paid them and brought it home.

Yesterday morning, put the sled back together (pipe, silencer, metal plate by steering post) and started it. Took about 5/6 pulls compared to the normal two because it was so cold. Let it warm up for a few minutes while I got the rest of my stuff on - everything looked good on the dash. Hopped on the sled, ready to ride, took off slowly (probably didn't even hit 4,500 rpm) and got about 20 feet when it died again. Same scenario as the day before - no spark, headlight doesn't light up when pulling it over, wrench light flashes once on the dash.

I am not too mechanical, but my friends are, and they nor the dealer in Rawlins cannot figure out what is going on. Seems too much of a coincidence that my chassis control module went bad and then the used one the dealer gave me went bad immediately. Don't think it could be my ECU since there wasn't anything flashing on the dash while it idled yesterday morning. The stator checks out, and it sounds like it would be rare for all of the coils to go bad at once.

Conclusion:

Can you guys give me any other ideas? Do you need any more information? I am going to talk with my dealer back in Minnesota when we get home. Maybe they can hook up something to the ECU to see if it is reading any error codes?

Thanks for reading this long post - didn't want to leave anything out.

 

[Ski-Laxn]

Would recommend replacing all the coils. Two of my buddies have had the same issue turned out to be coils.

 

[dragon12]

Hope you got it fixed and were able to ride. Ryan will be a bear to deal with now

 

[mmsports]

Wire

Need to hook it to the PC but I would bet on either a bad ground or a short. The reason for hooking up computer is it will tell us all the coded it has set off and sometimes that will lead you to location. Check you grounds one under engine in front and one is hooked to the bolts under your coolant bottle on the inside. What wire is it burning on the ccu?

 

[knzee]

not to bash your dealer but if that is where he left it, saying he doesn't know what is wrong. I would take it to another dealer.

 

[73GOLIATH]

you might check all the wires from the stator and also check the stator by removing it then check the wires on the back of the stator also check all the gounds and check the wire harness for the coils it sits under the gas tank and may have worn thru
good luck

 

[trackvs2wheels]

2011

I would seriously order a 2011 and be done with it

Give me a call and let me know if you rode Sunday or what the deal was.

Oh, and buy a new sled while you are at it

 

[MN_FarmBoy]

Just got back to MN. Thanks for the replies. I will do some of the above suggestions and also talk with my local dealer. I will update this thread when I know more.

In their defense, the dealer out west was very helpful and they (and myself) were 100% sure we had solved the problem with the new CCU - after seeing the burnt wire on the first one and the sled starting on the first pull after hooking up the new one. When I say that they were stumped is that prior to seeing the burnt wire on the old CCU they really were not sure what was wrong because everything they tested was working properly.

A couple of questions: Are both of these CCUs toast or can I take them to my local dealer and have them tested? I will also ask my local dealer about hooking up the ECU to their computer to read the error codes. Also, any ideas on why the sled would idle just fine and probably warmed up close to normal operating temperture but quit only after I hit the throttle and moved forward - increased vibration on a wire that is worn through?

Ryan/Dave: Yeah, by far the most frustrating snowmobile trip to date. At least Saturday was fun with the rental - that little 600 got a workout, burned way more gas than everyone else! A 2011 with warranty sounds like a good idea after this. Keep the '07 for Emily and as backup for everyone else.