Could old/low battery trigger misfire and engine light?

[Motorsport3_imp]

Hello, went to start my EX this cold morning after sitting for a week and did something that hasn't done before.

It started on first go but did a cough like action and when started it was not smooth, felt like a cylinder was not firing. The engine light was On (first time I see that) and after 5 min ride around the block and having warmed up a bit all was fine. The idle settled nicely, firing consistently. Never happened to me before and I wonder whether it is due to the battery as it is now 5-6 years old.
I should add that the engine light remained on even when I switched on and off and that the digital clock was showing 1.00 instead of the right time.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

Might need to harvest the Engine Code?

There is a Forum section (or more) on the basic procedure to get that code.

Regarding the battery: A load test should help with that. This is not a perfect test, however, you could observe the battery voltage droop across the battery during a cold start-up. If it droops below 10V (give or take a half volt), then the battery should be replaced.

 

[Rocky_imp]

An electronic ignition needs a healthy battery.
A battery that old is near the end of its life and could fail completely at any moment.
It's the heart of your engine and I would replace it simply to have peace of mind.

 

[max]

Following the good advice from the previous posts you could do a load test by starting the engine and watching the green neutral light, ( from experience ) if the light dims during the initial engagement of the starter motor that would indicate a battery in need of charging ( by riding it for one hour or so ) or replacement if the charging was insufficient.

There are no fault code listings for low voltage in the electronic control unit but there is one in the abs unit, has your bike abs?

Anyway 6 years is about average for a yuasa battery, if the issue persists it seems well worth investing in another good battery, hope this helps and others may add their advice.

 

[Yata-Garasu_imp]

Yes.

Plus what all the other folks said.

 

[Motorsport3_imp]

Much appreciated everyone. A new Varta is on order to be sure.
I rode today quite a bit around town, back and forth and works perfectly. The miss fire was only for the first few minutes after the cold morning start and did not repeat.

What is left is the engine light which is on. I wonder whether that will go away when I disconnect the battery to fit the new one?

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

Much appreciated everyone. A new Varta is on order to be sure.
I rode today quite a bit around town, back and forth and works perfectly. The miss fire was only for the first few minutes after the cold morning start and did not repeat.

What is left is the engine light which is on. I wonder whether that will go away when I disconnect the battery to fit the new one?

Also inspect the operation of your Kill Switch.

 

[Cormanus]

Much appreciated everyone. A new Varta is on order to be sure.
I rode today quite a bit around town, back and forth and works perfectly. The miss fire was only for the first few minutes after the cold morning start and did not repeat.

What is left is the engine light which is on. I wonder whether that will go away when I disconnect the battery to fit the new one?

Maybe it’s worth trying to find the code for he reason the engine light is on? Just in case …

 

[peterbaron]

Most likely misfire DTC as per post #1 / felt like a cylinder was not firing.

 

[Motorsport3_imp]

Update-

Today went for a short ride. The engine started on the button and engine light no longer on.

I have a new Varta on order just to be on the safe side but seems to be fine otherwise.

I should say, that I did something yesterday that I don't recall doing previously and not sure if relevant. I started the engine from cold while on the side stand. I wouldn't think it maters but I am getting a bit paranoid about it.

 

[Lord Popgun]

Its good to know the light will (sometimes) clear itself. The service manual is not clear on that.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

Update-

Today went for a short ride. The engine started on the button and engine light no longer on.

I have a new Varta on order just to be on the safe side but seems to be fine otherwise.

I should say, that I did something yesterday that I don't recall doing previously and not sure if relevant. I started the engine from cold while on the side stand. I wouldn't think it maters but I am getting a bit paranoid about it.

Sidestand start-ups are normal, especially while in neutral.

 

[Charlie Bravo_imp]

If you're wondering about your battery, just replace it. It's cheap piece of mind.

 

[Jgarciajr40_imp]

I had a battery that was barely pushing 12v, and it 100% can cause engine codes.

It made a post about it here in the past. It’ll say something like “power to cluster” “gauge cluster fault”.

It was just a battery on its way out (7 years old). Swapped it out hasnt came on since.