F1 error code... any suggestions?

Boudica

Joined
Mar 1, 2024
Messages
6
Age
65
Location
Wales
Hi Guys,
Apologies as this must be an old subject but need your help?

ST1300A 2003
Error code F1 26
I replaced the fuel with high octane
Replace both knock sensors, wires and connectors.
Unplugged the ECU for 24 hrs

Put it all back together and and F1 26 came back on after 4000 revs..


My questions:
Can the ECU be repaired..
Can you still get a replacement ECU and do need to replace the ignition keys to?
Is the F1 error code a MOT failure in the UK?

I noticed on ebay there was a replacement ECU, but its very expensive and no guarantees?

Any feedback gratefully received as I need to get the old girl back on the road..
 
Cartoon answer....
Replacing knock sensors and connectors will not fix the problem if its the sub wire harness.
Unplugging the ECU for 24 hours does nothing.
4000 rpm / 26 code means your ECU is toast
ECU can't be repaired
With your system over there, the ignition keys need to remain with the ECU.
Do NOT try and purchase a used ECU from ebay, most are damaged, and its the folks who replaced it with a new one, trying to recoup their money.
ECU's are obsolete on many models depending on the year of your bike.
You are going to get a lot of comments from folks telling you just to ride the bike and ignore the FI light.
Some people do this, however, they, and you, would be risking damaging more stuff by doing so.
Sorry to hear you've joined the Code 26 group.
Good luck.
 
Igofar said:
Cartoon answer....
Replacing knock sensors and connectors will not fix the problem if its the sub wire harness.
Unplugging the ECU for 24 hours does nothing.
4000 rpm / 26 code means your ECU is toast
ECU can't be repaired
With your system over there, the ignition keys need to remain with the ECU.
Do NOT try and purchase a used ECU from ebay, most are damaged, and its the folks who replaced it with a new one, trying to recoup their money.
ECU's are obsolete on many models depending on the year of your bike.
You are going to get a lot of comments from folks telling you just to ride the bike and ignore the FI light.
Some people do this, however, they, and you, would be risking damaging more stuff by doing so.
Sorry to hear you've joined the Code 26 group.
Good luck.
Click to expand...
Honest question because everything you said was true....so, if it can't be fixed, getting a new ECU is impossible or likely risky, then why not just keep riding the bike until it self destructs? I mean the only other option is to part it out right? So why not just ride it until you kill it and then part it out for what's left?
 
Sure, you could just ride it into the ground, a lot of folks treat these bikes like that anyway with the lack of, or improper maintenance :rofl1:
Why it would not be MY first choice. There may be a time when a correct ECU could be found, so why damage other stuff while looking?
Or what if it gave up the ghost far away from home on the road somewhere? Now you've got a very expensive towing bill, hotel bill, etc.
May not be very likely, but what if it caused a serious issue with the bike and caused an accident?
There is always Probable and Possible debate.
You're asking your honest question to the wrong guy, as I try not to neglect machines, nor ignore warning codes, hoping I'll get away riding it that way just because other folks on the internet say that's what they do, and its ok.
Your bike, Your money, Your risk.
 
Boudica said:
Any feedback gratefully received as I need to get the old girl back on the road..
Click to expand...

Those who have taken code 25/26 failed ECUs apart have found that the failed component is the signal processing chip for the knock sensors. It cannot be replaced. Once the CPU loses the connection with the sensors, it slightly retards the ignition (by 4 deg some have said). Else the bike runs fine (many riding like that and have for years and miles) but will lose a few miles to the gallon. Join the club!
 
The knock sensor error is not going to cause the bike to self destruct. Most of the time it doesn’t even engage and cause ignition retardation unless you’ve put bad fuel in it. If it’s true that it defaults to the retarded timing, self destruction is even less likely.
 
Boudica said:
Hi Guys,
Apologies as this must be an old subject but need your help?

ST1300A 2003
Error code F1 26
I replaced the fuel with high octane
Replace both knock sensors, wires and connectors.
Unplugged the ECU for 24 hrs

Put it all back together and and F1 26 came back on after 4000 revs..


My questions:
Can the ECU be repaired..
Can you still get a replacement ECU and do need to replace the ignition keys to?
Is the F1 error code a MOT failure in the UK?

I noticed on ebay there was a replacement ECU, but its very expensive and no guarantees?

Any feedback gratefully received as I need to get the old girl back on the road..
Click to expand...

Same happened to my 2003.
Found a 2005 ECU at a salvage yard, about £160.
Problem solved, bike running smoother, probably updated mapping.
Before the swap I rode about 5000 miles with the light, no problems.
Good luck!
Stu
 
interesting one with my 2006 ST. It started with Fi code 26 on a trip home about a year or so ago- living in South Africa it was in the summer with about 32°c ambient temperature, it seems that my ST takes longer to to give the Fi code in colder weather like in winter time and then also initially it will take a good couple of hundred kilometers to first light up. We did a trip of about 500km(312miles) one way and the Fi light never made it's appearance and it is currently autumn here. On our way back home the Fi light did light up again. The interesting bit is that my ST's battery went dead at the place we visited and i fitted a new battery and after the fitment when riding at highway speed (4000rpm and above) the Fi light shows fault code 25 instead of 26 that was the norm prior to fitting a new battery-also a side note is that my ST does the Fi light on longer trips as my commute to work that is 45km(28miles) mostly highway does not make the Fi light appear..... as per some comments above i also just ride the bike as obtaining a new or at least a proven ECU is an impossible feat and even more so in South Africa.
 
You bought it to ride, not sit there hoping you find a part that's no longer made and a crap shoot to find on ebay.

At some point all ST1300s may have this code. The only fixes I've seen so far are related to hiding the code which is the same as just riding it.

It's a Honda, you can probably run it without oil for an hour.
 
Just thinking out of the box, about what the knock sensor does. Its piezoelectric, creates voltage from vibration. The ecm see a voltage spike from a gas knock, retards the timing a few degrees till it doesn't see the voltage spike or knock . Watching a sensor with a scope you can easily see a voltage spike by simply tapping the engine block with a hammer. One of the two things are happening, either the voltage seen by the ecm at 4000 rpm is too high or the ecm tries to adjust the timing and after adjusting the timing the knock sensor voltage does not change because there in no knock that spikes voltage. So, if you took the sensor and mounted it somewhere different away from the block, cylinder head or frame but somewhere that can still pick up some engine vibration. Another possibility would be to lower the voltage it makes by adding a inline resistor. Let say on initial test the light stays off but if the bike never gets a gas ping it works. This doesn't fix it but it might mask the problem. Food for thought.
 
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