...and with that - Ruin has her First DCT Problem (Hondafan)

[Cronos]

Hay Guys,

Well I encountered my first DCT Issue on Ruin.  Beginning September when Ruin is nice and hot, while riding she got stuck in 3rd gear.  When she cools off, everything works fine.  Rode her for a few more days and she got stuck in 3rd gear twice more.  I then decided to take her to Honda West Rand.  On the morning that I rode there she got stuck in 3rd again as I stopped there and I could not get her to go back to Neutral.


After running some tests and hooking her up to the Computer, it was found that she had a faulty Gear sensor sensor.  That's all the computer could pick up.  Had to wait 3 weeks for them to get it from Japan. 


The sensor arrives and they put it in for me, saying the bike is fixed.  I collected her and honestly, she felt great.  Rode her for 2 days, just home and work, no issues.  On day 3 I had a lot of stop go traffic while riding, so Ruin became nice and hot.  On the last stretch home, BAM, She got stuck in 4th     I took her straight back the following morning.  Honda then kept her for 5 days and called me back saying that the computer keeps telling them that its the sensor.  The mechanic however then tells me that its my chain and sprockets.  **It is a new chain and sprockets, not even a year old yet**

He swears that it will solve the problem, so I agree, replace the chain and sprockets.  Next day I fetch her again.  The mechanic assures me she is 100% fixed and he is confident that the chain was the issue, messing with the sensor. (Don't know how that can be possible that the chain can mess with a sensor on the clutch, but hay, he is the mechanic)

Jump on my bike and I am very happy to have her back.  I ride home, Ruin my baby is back and all is well with the world.  Just up the road from my house - You guessed it - BAM we stuck in 5th gear this time.  Manage to get her to release the 5th gear back down to Neutral and I could ride home the last few meters, but as I turned into my driveway we were stuck in 2nd until the next morning  (IT WAS NOT THE CHAIN AND SPROCKETS) 

Took her back to Honda the next morning and Samantha could not believe that I was back.  My NC has now been there for 3 weeks and they still have no idea what can be wrong.  They are now building the entire clutch over from another NC into mine in the hopes that that will solve the problem.  Because I have paid for the sensor and the chain & sprockets, all this work that has been done for the past 3 weeks, are free of charge.

Has anyone had any similar issues before on the DCT?

Here I agree with Hondafan - The DCT is awesome and I love it to bits, but man if something goes wrong, it really goes wrong and not even Honda knows how to solve some issues.  They are doctors at the moment and they are practicing on our bikes, learning as they going along.

I will update this post once I get Ruin Back.

C

[DaveH]

Hi. There was a similar post a while ago on this forum. The issue was traced to non standard sprocket sizes. This confused the computer cos it affected the revs.

[DaveH]

Here is the thread

nc700forumsa.proboards.com/thread/731/dct-1st-problem?page=1&scrollTo=6879

[Cronos]

Nov 19, 2019 17:09:12 GMT 2 DaveH said:

Hi. There was a similar post a while ago on this forum. The issue was traced to non standard sprocket sizes. This confused the computer cos it affected the revs.

That is what the mechanic said as well.  Mine had a 16 sprocket in the front and not the usual 17, so he replaced the chain and the front sprocket with the correct one, but still the problem is there.


Update:  They now rebuild the entire clutch, using a clutch from a different NC.  I went there on Friday in the hopes to collect her.  She was standing in the workshop idling to heat up.  The mechanic then took her for a ride and after the 4th time going up and down the parking, she got stuck in 3rd gear.

All that work for nothing.  The problem is still there.

They are now getting Honda SA involved, because they have tried everything possible and still the problem is there.  Since yesterday, the problem is only getting worse, according to the mechanic.  I collected a loan bike today while they try and sort mine out. They still have no idea what the problem could be.

3 Months and counting

[Deleted]

Wow so sorry to hear about your bike. This is seriously weird. TBH they said it was the chain and sprocket but I never got to ride the bike again as I traded her minus the money they thought was the ecu and get a new NC.

So I won't be able to confirm that it was the issue. Will be keeping a eye one the thread. Just for interest sake.

And I have sad news.... I traded my NC for a MT 09 Tracer.... I have joined the dark side. But I'm still very passionate about the NC I owned 2 and they where right up there with the best. But I needed to get something else and was considering the Twin but the Mt09 has always been a bike I wanted.

So I bit the bullet and yes now I have a MT 09.

Again Cronos so sorry about your bike. Hope they get it fixed

[Cronos]

Dec 2, 2019 9:46:44 GMT 2 @hondafan said:

Wow so sorry to hear about your bike. This is seriously weird. TBH they said it was the chain and sprocket but I never got to ride the bike again as I traded her minus the money they thought was the ecu and get a new NC.

So I won't be able to confirm that it was the issue. Will be keeping a eye one the thread. Just for interest sake.

And I have sad news.... I traded my NC for a MT 09 Tracer.... I have joined the dark side. But I'm still very passionate about the NC I owned 2 and they where right up there with the best. But I needed to get something else and was considering the Twin but the Mt09 has always been a bike I wanted.

So I bit the bullet and yes now I have a MT 09.

Again Cronos so sorry about your bike. Hope they get it fixed

Thanx Buddy.  I will keep you guys posted.

The DCT's are still very new, so Honda is struggling to figure out the issue.  What makes it worse is that the problem is intermittent and only shows up when the bike is hot.

For now I think I am in for the long haul.  Chances are I wont get my bike back this year.

[Cronos]

P.S - Just googled the MT 09 - nice-looking bike!! It is a Yamaha, so still a very good bike. At least you did not get a Kawasaki

[Deleted]

I grew up with Honda and Yamaha. I love them both. Would have been really nice to keep the NC and buy the MT but sadly I work for a boss and I'm not the boss. So plebs do what plebs do and that's trade in and get another.

[Cronos]

Hay Guys,

After yet another week waiting, Friday while at Honda to have new Tyres fitted to the loan Bike, I saw Ruin standing there, stripped naked and really looking sad.  They truly have tried everything and Honda SA was only assisting over the phone

I then took a walk to Builders as I had a few things to get there.  On my way back, I saw the mechanic test riding Ruin again up and down the parking area.  He had a different glow around him - Almost a Smile.  He then met me at the open gate and told me that apart from replacing every possible sensor on my bike, the problem would not go away.  Honda SA then suggested he replace the Oil Pressure Heat Sensor I think.  

He started her up and she was sitting warming up for a good 15/20 min before he started test riding her.  When he stopped next to me, I could feel the heat coming off the bike and that in cold wet weather - She was hot.  He said that his first test now after replacing that sensor went well and she did not get stuck again.  He now just needs to take her for a longer ride and test, but for now it seems we might, maybe and perhaps have found the true culprit in this saga.  Once it stops long enough he will test her and let me know.

Holding thumbs  that this was the true cause, then Ruin should be coming home soon.

Now the mind baffles - mine and theirs:  The DCT has a @%#$ ton of sensors.  Sensors for gear selectors, Oil Pressure, Heat sensors, sensors to tell if the sensors are working and so forth.  However, when connected to the computer, only the gear selector sensor keeps being shown and blamed as the faulty sensor.  Even after replacing it with a brand new one, it kept showing up as the faulty sensor.  Seems all the other sensors band together and only blames him for the issues, hiding their own problems.  The computer never, ever picked up any other faulty sensors.  This is what made finding my issue so damn difficult.  Not even the computer, that should be able to find the issues, can find the problem.

Will Update again once I receive further news.

[DaveH]

Holding thumbs that you get sorted

[goingslowly]

Almost there !!!

[scorpius]

Good luck on having her back before Christmas

[Cronos]

Hay Guys!!

Compliments of the season!!

Final Update:  RUIN Was Fixed and I Received her back on the 14th December.  I went on leave, so can only now post what happened.

So Honda West Rand was awesome, and although I felt at one point just to trade Ruin in, they did not give up and kept on looking for the issue.  Big thanx to them.

It turned out to be the Oil Pressure Sensor 

What we have learned:
1. Do not mess with the NC Auto's Sprockets
2. Start by checking/ replacing the Oil Pressure Sensor first, then look further
3. Reason for checking this sensor first:  Although the Auto has a total of 8 sensors around the motor and gearbox, When a fault like this occurs, the gear selector sensor is the only sensor the computer picks up as being faulty.  Even when replaced with a new sensor, the computer kept blaming it as being faulty.  Turned out to be the Oil Pressure.  Once this one was replaced, the bike was fixed and I could get her back.

I now have: New gear selector Sensor, New front sprocket, New Chain, Completely rebuilt Clutch, All other sensors where replaced 1 by 1, so they all brand new and finally a new Oil Pressure sensor.  

If anyone ever has a similar issue, please suggest they start at the Oil pressure sensor. 

[DaveH]

Thanks for the update, glad you got sorted out.
It is scary that a Honda dealer struggles to fix a Honda.

[Deleted]

Cronos glad you got your bike back. They changed the oil pressure sensors with my bike and that did not fix it. Whoever bought my bike also got a bike with brand new abs sensors, oil pressure sensors, new solenoids in the dct box and i cant remember the list it was long.

If i may ask what did this whole story cost you in the end cause i know Honda pays for the things they suggest and it's not the problem. Did they charge you for just a oil pressure sensor and labor?