4wd wouldn't engage after the prairie sat for a few months, eventually the 4wd light started blinking. I tore down the actuator and everything was pretty bound up including the armature on the little electric motor. I got everything lubed up and working freely, but the the actuator only cycles back and forth when the key is turned from on to off. The 2wd - 4wd switch has no effect and when the key is on the 4wd light continues to blink.

Is there a reset sequnce for this once the lite starts blinking like there is for the engine belt light? Is there a controller module for the actuator that could be bad and if so where is it located. I know the actuator motor and gears are working but for some reason the electricals are not telling the actuator to cycle.

My Kawie dealer says he's never heard of a problem with these ( i think he' fibbing) and offered to sell a replacement for $200+. I don't think the problem is the actuator anymore anyway, I think it's electrical or a reset issue.

Anyone have a guess? Sure could use some help!

PS - rode with ya Ole Man Moses at the Blue **** ride this summer. Thanks for the tip on the oil filter!

 

I had that very same problem w/ my prarie. My module was bad. So i assume yours probably is to. The module is located under the seat right next to the fuses. It is an expensive replacement. Everything on mine is now working great. So definately check that module. By the way my dealer said he had a few people come in with the same problem.

 

Hey Strings---good to hear from you---glad the oil filter tip worked for you---I am not on this forum as much as I was in the past---but I still check in frequently

I think Kaw did a terrible job with these 4x4 actuators--I dont use 4x4 that often but would be satisfied if I could somehow hook it up to the front diff lock and only engage 4x4 when diff lock is pulled. All these actuators and sensors suck. I used to run a jeep wrangler with a vacuum operated front diff (very similar to our kaw front ends) and I quickly replaced that with a manual pull cable--someone needs to come up with this solution to work on our Kaws.

I do not care for the Kaw EBS at all---I actually think it is junk---anything with that many motors and sensors is BS----Mine whirrs and buzzes and I do not think it is working anymore---but fortunately my light is not blinking---although my 100 hour belt lite came on again and I have not gone through the mindless Kaw procedure to shut it off---next time I think I am gonna get a Polecat 500----my buddies ride with them and they have never had a problem, plus no buzzing or whirring actuators or lights every 100 hours or every time you turn them on or off.

There are some posts on this forum from the past of some people taking the EBS rods and bearings out of the side cover---and even reporting more horsepower with it disconnected!!!

I can promise you that I would not pay $200 for the sensor, but instead if I ever have too, I will disconnect it---

I am not sure how mechanical you are---but it looks difficult but once you take it apart the first time, it is really ez after that

MY SUGGESTION___take it apart and come up with a solution to share with all of us---

PS--keep an eye on your front brake pads---my bike is at 200 hours and they were almost touching metal to metal---and they are expensive little buggers---I would hate to have to buy rotors too.--I bought the cheapest front brake pads and they squeek when I am going slow, so you may want to upgrade your pads when you do replace them.

Sorry for the ranting---still like my 360, and I dont have a solution for your 4x4--NOT YET ANYWAY!!!

 

Mine did that after I took it apart. The cap has to go back on in the exact orientation that it came off, or the motor will spin backwards or not at all.

I have a tech tip with more details. It is sketchy, but I fixed mine when it did that. I tested all my electronics and nothing was wrong and it did what yours does. Twist the motor until the light does not flash when you turn the key on (about half way between the point the motor stops, which is many turns). Then put the cap on the right way. Look at the little dimples, and match them up exactly with the orientation of the KEBC motor's dimples. Should work.

 

Ole Man Moses, Pscrammer and Nyroc, Thx much for the replies. Whatta crock that Kawie uses a complex electro mechanical gizmo to perform such a simple task. Then they put 'em right in harm's way where they can take a thorough soaking/beating. Rube Goldberg would be proud. To top it off, these devices are unreliable and replacements are unreasonably priced. My actuator had some moisture in it and was really bound up.

The belt/ebc actuator is making all sorts of weird noises too, but no belt lite yet at 600 miles. I can't wait for that system to go down, I'm sure it's a real delight to work on.

Very little evidence of any factory lube in there also. A guy I know who raced pro awhile back told me that lube is pricey in Japan and the mfg 's use very little in assembly. He used to tear down brand new bikes just to lube them properly before racing.

But I digress

Here's where I'm at and where I think I'm going with this:

Nyroc, I have the motor cap in the right position, and I can spin the motor until the 4wd light doesn't come on, but then when I switch the key on, then switch to 4wd, then back to 2wd, the motor cycles to a completely random position and the 4wd light then starts flashing. This makes me think the module is bad as pscrammer suggests. Would the service manaual have a procedure to synchronize the actuator upon reassembly??? Is there a user test to check the control module?? Can the dealer do these checks if I just bring in the components, not the whole machine?....There is also a potentiometer in the actuator case that could be suspect being it is an electrical item I doubt it enjoys the moisture and shock it's getting in there.

Ole Man Moses, I don't know what the fix is for this, but I'll be working on it and will report back when I get it figgered. I think a simple circuit could be built and installed under the seat that uses the existing switch and actuator but eliminates the $$$ control module. Your cable idea is also possible, I'll be thinking about it too.

Sorry so dang long winded, If you all could reply with any more insight or answers I'd appreciate it. In the meantime I'll be working on this and will post when it's resolved. Thx!

 

Strings, try that again. Spin till the light stops flashing, then put the cap on 120degrees from where you were. Also, if it fails again,, try it again at the last position.

Look, mine did exactly what yours did. Those parts are expensive. I think it will still work.

If you want to ship your controller to me or somebody else to try it, we can verify it works. See if you can find a friend with a 650 or a 360.

 

Nyroc, Thx for the info, I went to your site and printed the tech info, I've spent 4 hours now spinning that armature , counting spins, going to the mid point, tried every position in between, etc, etc. Still can't get it to work. Whats interesting is now the 4wd light no longer flashes, it comes on steady and will go into 4x4, but then it hangs there and won't cycle back to 2wd. Some things I've tried:

I opened up the KEBC actuator, cleaned and lubed it (it sounds better now)and looked at how it is positioned, The output shaft on the KEBC runs a different arc than the 4WD actuator, so that wasn't much help. The 4wd actuator seems to run (Looking at the output shaft) from a 8 o'clock position for the 2wd to a 4 o'clock position for the 4wd.

I ran the actuator with the case open and the gears in place, moving the potentiometer inside to see what effect it has on the motor. It seems to tell the motor to reverse direction when the flat spot on the potetiometer shaft is approx 4 o'clock...It was easy to test different positions this way, but the motor just spins when it runs and I believe the motor has to hit a stop in it's short travel to tell the module it is in positiosn.

Appreciate your offer to check my control module if I ship it, but I'm not to that point...yet.... as have to believe I'm doing something wrong with the actuator motor/shaft position.

If anyone has a 360 or 650 prairie , could you open up the front actuator case and tell me where the output shaft should be positioned? It's a 10 minute job to get it off, It would give you a chance to clean and lube the thing, believe me you'lle be doing it sooner or later. Just be sure to index the shaft before you disassemble it or you'll have the same problem I'm dealing with.

Thx all!

 

Oh yeah, I also checked to orientation of the motor cap, I'm certain it's correct as it doesn't work at all in one other position and acts the same, just backward, in the other 120 degree position. I called my Kawie dealer and asked his service ace what he knew about this, he said there is no procedure he knows of for synchronizing these things, if ones comes in with a problem they just swap out the whole unit. What bull.

 

I mentioned where the 2wd position is in my tech tips. It is there, just no photo.

If you get it anywhere near the 9:00 position (looking at the end of the shaft, with the up direction for the actuator pointing up), a good controller will make it work.

Look, the controller applies power and stops when the voltage from the position sensor is at 2.55 volts at 4wd. So, you know that sensor and the motor work.

To go back, the controller must reverse the voltage on the motor. If the motor doesn't move, then the motor can't go backwards, or some of the transistors in the controller are dead.

I think your controller is dead.

 

I have a service bullitin put out by Kawi on the 4wd actuator if you need it, it details the working positions of the actuator (for some reason only my dealer knows about it) , I can also send e-mail it to you for your website if you'd like Nyroc..